Tactics at the End of a Close Game

May 1, 2023

(by Larry Hodges) Rarely have I heard more (and often weird) opinions on what to do at the end of a close game. Some say, “Play safe!” Others, “Go for it!” And a zillion other types of advice. The reality is that the end of a game is only different in two ways. First, there […]

Dumb Ways to Lose

April 24, 2023

(by Larry Hodges) There’s a famous song, “Dumb Ways to Die,” that one of our top juniors use to play endlessly as a fun way to relax, often before a big match. (Years later and I still can’t get it out of my head.) Maybe someone should do a song, “Dumb Ways to Lose”? Over […]

Blocking Footwork

April 17, 2023

(by Larry Hodges) Before a drill, players often ask, “Who’s doing the drill?” The answer is, of course, both players. And that includes a player who is blocking. But it’s more than that – some would say one player is doing a footwork drill while the other is blocking, but that’s totally wrong. They are […]

Top Ten Things For the Day Before the Tournament

April 10, 2023

(by Larry Hodges) How can you best prepare for a tournament on the day before? Here are some ten tips. Practice. Younger and athletic players recover faster and so should train more the day before. Older or less athletic players should practice if possible, both to get used to the tournament conditions and to fine-tune […]

Do You Need to Be a Top Player to Be a Top Coach?

April 3, 2023

(by Larry Hodges) Does one need to be a top player to be a top coach? The question often comes up, and there’s an easy answer. No. However . . . and this is a big HOWEVER . . . it’s difficult to become a top coach without being a top player first. It’s a […]

How to Win the Choice at the Start of a Match

March 28, 2023

(by Larry Hodges) Technically, a match begins with the umpire tossing a coin to see who serves first. In reality, most matches aren’t umpired, and so they “hide the ball” under the table, and the other player chooses. Whoever wins gets the choice of either serving first, receiving first, or choice of side. (Once you […]

When to Serve Long

March 20, 2023

(by Larry Hodges) At the lower levels, most players serve long both because they haven’t learned to serve short effectively yet, and because opponents aren’t yet skilled enough to attack them consistently and effectively. As you reach higher levels, long serves become less effective if used too often. But if used at the right time, […]

Study the Player, Not the Ball

March 13, 2023

(by Larry Hodges) I’ve always wanted to implant a camera in the eyes of up-and-coming players to record what they see when they watch top players play. They should see all sorts of great technique and tactics, right? But I’m afraid what I’d actually see is this. Yes, all they’re really watching is the ball […]

Don’t Practice Missing

March 7, 2023

(by Larry Hodges) Often I see players do drills where they try smacking the ball back and forth as if they were pros. (If you are a pro, then this doesn’t apply to you.) They rally at a pace they can’t control, and so their balls fly all over the court or miss. If they […]

Start with Your Trickiest Serve

February 27, 2023

(by Larry Hodges) Players often hold back on their trickiest serve (often long ones) until it’s close. And that’s sometimes a good idea. But there are three problems with that. First, you won’t know until you use it if the serve will be effective against this player. Second, if you use it early in each […]

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