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The "grok" is like the Christmas tree. The super-saturated environment of Christmas fervor and ornaments suddenly crystallizes onto the "seed", creating a tempting attacking target. For TT, grokking suddenly coalesces all the meaningless muscle movements you were parroting.

You may spend hours holding your wrist with a certain tension, elbow at a certain angle, feet at a certain width apart, etc... but it never feels "right" or "real".https://twitter.com/a_yawning_cat/status/1350349270642159616?s=20 …

Technology can complicate this. Modern TT rubbers impart significantly more topspin to a ball. This is "good" because all shots now have more arc and potential to hit the table. However, it also blurs the distinction between the forehand drive and the forehand loop.

Because of the reliance on technology, this can lead to "equipment porn". Because the equipment is doing the majority of the work it makes SENSE to focus on improving the equipment. There's no point improving kung-fu if you can just buy a better gun.

However, equipment improvements have diminishing returns. At the end of the day, the bullets go pew pew. Intention, situational awareness, flow state control, and mentality under pressure are far more important. All the things that Cobra... er... Miyagi-do teach.

Once it becomes a tool instead of a crutch there's a sudden feeling of empowerment. "Now I get it!" In anime this can be the magic sword "Awakening" or the individual entering a "Final Form". This is "grok-entry", a suddenly coalescing crystallization of all previous efforts.

Once grok entry is achieved everything starts to make "sense". You start to see what was "right" and "wrong" in what your coach or that internet article was trying to say.

"Feet shoulder width apart" is about lowering your stroke plane to the most effective angle. The specific width doesn't matter because you knee bend also affects your stroke height. The stroke height is what's important!