(1) Background: The aim of this study was to determine the biomechanical role of plantar pressure distribution in generating racket velocity during the topspin forehand in table tennis players, with particular emphasis on its relationship with stroke kinematics and performance level. (2) Methods: The study involved 14 male table tennis players divided into Elite and Sub-Elite athletes. Each participant performed a topspin forehand stroke. The study employed a biomechanical analysis combining inertial motion capture and plantar pressure measurement to assess the relationship between lower limb loading and racket velocity during the topspin forehand. (3) Results: The statistical evidence supports the subsequent phase-by-phase comparisons, indicating that the Elite (EL) and Sub-Elite players (SE) differ in execution of the topspin forehand, and the Elite group achieved significantly higher racket speed values in all phases (e.g., in hitting phase: SE-13.8 m/s, EL-15.6 m/s, p ≤ 0.001, d = 1.0; in post-impact follow-through phase: SE-13.8 m/s, El-16.1 m/s, ≤0.001, d = 1.3) and exhibited also a different pattern of foot loading. An analysis of the correlation between the plantar pressure and velocity of the racket in individual events revealed numerous significant correlations. (4) Conclusions: The study identified numerous correlations between the maximum plantar pressure and the maximum racket speed in the individual phases of the stroke. This demonstrates the active involvement of the feet throughout the entire kinematic chain of the topspin forehand stroke and highlights the importance of foot coordination for the outcome of this stroke, namely the speed of the racket-wielding arm.
Bańkosz et al. (Tue,) studied this question.