(by Larry Hodges) I once watched video of a top junior who’d just lost a close five-game match. He’s normally an aggressive player, but has a good, stiff push that often catches opponents off guard. He’s also comfortable blocking, so he can get away with letting the opponent attack first as long as he’s not […]

(by Larry Hodges) With a name like Bryce – you know, that superfast sponge from Butterfly – you’d think he’d be an all-out looper, like the overwhelming majority of top players. But no – he never loops, he just hits. And he’s the US Nationals and World Junior Champion. With hardbat that is. Yes, Bryce […]

(by Larry Hodges, Photo Credit: Steve Claflin) On Friday night, Aug. 11, I ran a free hardbat clinic for players here at the Classic Table Tennis Nationals at the Austin TTC, Aug. 11-12. Twelve players participated. Cesar Serna assisted as my practice partner – he’s seeded #6 here in Open Hardbat with a 2201 hardbat […]

(by Larry Hodges) Watch a top player when he’s about to receive, either live or, better still, on video so you can replay or even do slow motion. While players often have some differences in their stances and how they move, most have two things in common. First, they start out low. Second, as the […]

(by Larry Hodges) Everyone plays a little differently, and it’s important to play as many different players as possible. Some might think this is so you can learn to play every style, and there’s some truth to that. But that’s only for learning to play general styles – two-winged loopers, one-winged loopers, hitters, blockers, choppers, […]

(by Larry Hodges) When you first start out, players are taught to move the back foot backwards for forehands. (This would be the right foot for righties, the left for lefties.) This makes it easy to backswing and opens up a larger hitting zone from the side. Historically, this is how forehands were taught. However, […]