The Falkenberg Drill: The Gold Standard of Table Tennis Footwork Training

By Larry Hodges, USATT Hall of Famer and Certified National Coach

If you spend time watching warmups at a major table tennis tournament, you’ll quickly notice one drill appears over and over again. Players from intermediate club level all the way to the world’s best rely on it every day.

It’s called the Falkenberg Drill.

Also known as:

• The Two-One Drill

• The Backhand-Forehand-Forehand Drill

The Falkenberg Drill became popular because it combines three of the most important movement patterns in modern table tennis:

• covering the wide backhand

• stepping around to attack with the forehand from the backhand corner

• recovering to cover the wide forehand

These movements happen constantly during real matches, especially in aggressive topspin play.

Where the Falkenberg Drill Came From

The drill was popularized by 1971 World Champion Stellan Bengtsson of Sweden.

While training at the Falkenberg Club in the 1960s, Swedish players commonly practiced a forehand-backhand footwork drill where players alternated:

• backhand from the backhand corner

• forehand from the backhand corner

The problem was that this older drill only emphasized one major movement pattern: the step-around forehand.

Stellan helped evolve the concept into a more match-realistic sequence that added movement to the wide forehand side. The updated version quickly spread around the world and eventually became one of the most recognized drills in table tennis training.

How the Falkenberg Drill Works

In the classic version of the drill, both players keep the ball directed to the backhand side.

The feeder sends:

1. One ball to the backhand

2. One ball again to the backhand

3. One ball wide to the forehand

The player performing the drill:

1. Uses a backhand on the first ball

2. Steps around and uses a forehand from the backhand corner on the second ball

3. Moves quickly to the wide forehand and uses another forehand on the third ball

Then the sequence repeats.

The key is maintaining rhythm, balance, and efficient movement throughout the pattern.

Match Realism Matters

One of the biggest mistakes players make is using strokes in practice they would never use in competition.

Your Falkenberg Drill should reflect your actual playing style.

Examples:

• hitters should hit

• loopers should loop

• many players loop the forehand and block or counter with the backhand

The closer the drill resembles real match patterns, the more transferable the training becomes.

Variations of the Falkenberg Drill

One reason the drill remains so popular is its flexibility.

Common variations include:

• starting with backspin and opening with a loop

• looping all forehands

• looping both forehands and backhands

• directing the drill to either the forehand or backhand side

• transitioning into free play after several repetitions

For example:

• after three full patterns (nine balls), players switch to open play

• some coaches randomize placement after the third ball

• others add serve and receive elements before beginning the sequence

There’s no single “correct” version once the fundamentals are learned.

Falkenberg with Multiball

The drill is also extremely effective with multiball training.

With multiball:

• rallies don’t stop after missed shots

• tempo stays high

• players can maximize movement intensity

• coaches can increase speed and placement difficulty

This allows advanced players to push footwork speed and conditioning much harder than in standard rally training.

The Most Important Element: Balance

Balance is the hidden key to the Falkenberg Drill.

Top players appear fast not simply because they move quickly, but because they stay balanced throughout every movement.

Even slight imbalance slows recovery.

A common mistake occurs when players shift too much weight onto the left foot during the step-around forehand (for right-handed players). Once the center of gravity moves too far outside the base of support, recovery to the next ball becomes slower and less efficient.

Good balance means:

• keeping weight centered between the feet

• maintaining stable posture during transitions

• recovering immediately after every shot

Balance creates explosiveness.

Without it, footwork breaks down.

Why Every Serious Player Should Learn the Falkenberg Drill

The Falkenberg Drill develops:

• footwork

• balance

• recovery

• transition movement

• forehand attack patterns

• conditioning

• consistency under pressure

Most importantly, it trains movements that appear constantly in real competition.

That’s why generations of top players continue using it today.

Watch high-level table tennis closely and you’ll see Falkenberg movement patterns everywhere.

Train it correctly, stay balanced, and become a Friend of the Falkenberg.