(by Larry Hodges) It’s important to play to all three spots – wide forehand, wide backhand, and the middle (the mid-point between the opponent’s forehand and backhand, roughly their playing elbow). But often players inadvertently only play to two of them, and opponents, either consciously or (more often) subconsciously pick up on this and so […]

(by Larry Hodges) The simple answer to this question, for most people, is obvious: WIN!. But there are really four things you should be doing in that first game. First, you want to force your game on your opponent. This means both finding ways to set up your shots and getting those shots going. If […]

(by Larry Hodges) Placement is key to winning, in two ways. First, if you place the ball where your opponent is weakest, you put him in the weakest position possible. That’s obvious. Second, it’s not just picking the right placement, but placing it in the most extreme way. This is especially true when playing to […]

(by Larry Hodges) (Excerpt from Table Tennis Doubles for Champions by Larry Hodges. April is Doubles Month!) Historically, most players received with their forehands. This made it easier to forehand loop any serve that went even slightly long. (Some players, even back then, were better with backhand loops and so received backhand, but they were a […]

(by Larry Hodges) (Excerpt from Table Tennis Doubles for Champions by Larry Hodges. April is Doubles Month!) What are the best tactics for a lopsided team, where one player is much stronger than the other? (This often happens in rating or mixed doubles.) Many believe that a more balanced team has an advantage over a more […]