(by Steve Hopkins) The PongNow interview series discusses table tennis with some of the best players and personalities in the sport. In this edition we have, Dell Sweeris, Connie Sweeris, David Sakai, and Donna Sakai discussing their overlapping histories in the sport. They were each strong junior players, each had a successful and notable career, […]
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OPEN DOORS: Rhode Island Table Tennis Reopens
Posted on(by Steve Hopkins) The State of Rhode Island started a new COVID-19 recovery phase on June 1 allowing gyms and sports venues to open with new regulations in place for reporting, operation, cleaning, and social distancing. The Rhode Island Club will be opening beginning on June 8. Initially the club will be open for three […]
Have You Missed the Interviews? Catch Up Here.
Posted onSteve Hopkins’ PongNow Interview Series started on May 2nd. There are now six posted interviews in the series and more coming soon. As the intro notes, the purpose of the interview series is to discuss table tennis with some of the best players and personalities in the sport. So far, those interviewed include Sean O’Neill, […]
BUTTERFLY FAVORITES: Timo Boll v. Ma Long 2017 World Cup
Posted on(by Steve Hopkins) This is a Butterfly Favorite. To set the stage, World No. 1 Ma Long entered the tournament as the top seed. Timo Boll was not the top European qualifier – that honor went to Dimitrij Ovtcharov. In fact, at the European Top 16 qualifying event, Shibaev had finished second and Gauzy had […]
Unveiled Smashfest: NHL’s Brad Marchand and Mitchell Marner Design Pong Tables
Posted on(by Steve Hopkins) “Unveiled: Smashfest” debuts on Tuesday June 2nd at 6:30p (EDT) on NBCSN. This week, Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand and Toronto Maple Leaves forward Mitchell Marner work with Canadian graffiti artist Alex Bacon to design customized ping pong tables. The host of the show is former NY Rangers player Dominic Moore. Smashfest […]
Open Doors: USATT to Allow Sanctioned Tournaments in July
Posted on(by Steve Hopkins) A USA Table Tennis announcement released today allows for the sanctioning of tournaments beginning July 1. This will end the March 13th order that suspended all events – a part of a broader series of suspensions and cancellations across all sports including ITTF and USOPC events. This is welcome news after so […]
Ask The Experts: Di Yu, No. 345
Posted onButterfly Table Tennis Question and Answer Question: what’s the difference between Timo Boll ALC and Timo Boll ZLC blades? Answer: Your Ask the Experts question was answered by Di Yu. He is a Senior/Elite Coach in Morrisville, NC. Hi Bikash, Timo Boll ALC: It will be better for defensive players because you can feel the ball stay […]
Butterfly Training Tips – Backhand Looping with Coach Ojo (Video)
Posted onOjo Onaolapo is a coach at San Antonio Table Tennis Club. One of Ojo Onaolapo’s standout moment from the early stages of his table tennis career came at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore where he achieved a quarter-finals finish in the Men’s Singles competition before missing out to the eventual champion Koki Niwa. Ojo Onaolapo also […]
Butterfly Buzz: A Tour of the PingPod Facility
Posted on(by Steve Hopkins) During a recent interview with Ernesto Jon Ebuen, we were provided a walk-through of the new PingPod facility in New York City. We thought this might make a nice feature on its own, so we have provided a longer version of the tour here. The new facility features custom tables, two walls […]
Coaching Tip Of The Week: Do You Have a Quadruple Threat Receive?
Posted on(By Larry Hodges) Many players get used to receiving any given serve the same way, because it’s safer that way. This is especially true against short serves, where many players predictably push everything back long. Others reach in and predictably flip over and over. But this makes things easier for the server, since he knows […]
Open Versus Closed
March 2, 2026
Robot plays backspin to long Forehand, Logan plays Forehand topspin down the line, robot plays little topspin to… Read More
Play the Inner Forehand Against Backhand Players
March 2, 2026
By Larry Hodges, Member of US Table Tennis Hall of Fame Many players with strong backhands cover the… Read More
Lingshaui Meng – Multi ball Backhand Blocking
March 2, 2026
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips, Lingshaui Meng is focusing on the Backhand Block using Multi-ball… Read More
WAB CLUB FEATURE: RA Table Tennis Centre
March 1, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins) The RA Table Tennis Center is centrally located in Ottawa, just off of highway 19. … Read More
Top Ranked Players Win Singapore Smash
March 1, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) The top players in the world converged this week in Singapore, and a… Read More
Final Four in Singapore: Chuqin, Lebrun, Yun-Ju, Moregard
February 28, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins) The top players in the world converged this week in Singapore, and on Sunday only… Read More
Maintain a Low Position
February 27, 2026
Robot plays long topspin balls to long Backhand, Logan plays Backhand chop block (Hack) off the bounce, robot… Read More
Calderano and Harimoto Among the Upsets in Singapore
February 27, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins) The top players in the world have converged this week in Singapore for the 2026… Read More
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