(By Larry Hodges) The thumb is a key part of the backhand. It gives the shot the backing and stability to drive the racket into the ball. However, the perfect placement of the thumb on the backhand often handicaps the forehand. I’ve written about this before, but it’s one of those things that might need […]

(By Larry Hodges) Don’t be that guy who spends years smacking shots but also missing over and over, putting balls all over the table, or off or into the net, and never putting it together consistently. If you are swinging wildly in practice, even if you are making most shots, you are just practicing being […]

(By Larry Hodges) Establish your game. For example, if you have a strong third-ball attack, such as short backspin serves followed by a loop, then do that early on. That way you’ll get used to your opponent’s returns. For example, against that backspin serve, does he predictably push long and let you loop? Or does […]

(By Larry Hodges) Tie your shoes tight so there’s less give when you move. Grippy shoes on non-grippy floors. Great ready stances give great starts. This means you and your racket’s tip are facing where the opponent will contact the ball, knees slightly bent, leaning forward slightly from the waist, weight mostly on the front […]

(By Larry Hodges) This is one of those tips where the title, by itself, should give you a lot to think about. If you want to improve at table tennis (or most other endeavors), you need to constantly learn. I’ve been playing almost 50 years, and just last week I think I finally figured out […]

(By Larry Hodges) Players with great reflexes don’t have great reflexes. There, I’ve said it, and you probably think I’m crazy. But they don’t. What they have is early reaction. What does that mean? If you smash or loop kill against a top player, it’s often amazing how they seem to react to it, thereby […]

(By Larry Hodges) Part of how you serve to these types of receivers comes down to your own playing style. But if you want to be an advanced player, then you need to learn to follow up your serve with an attack. That’s relatively easy against a passive receiver – except that those players are […]

(By Larry Hodges) Between players of roughly equal levels, matches are almost always won or lost on one of two things: sports psychology and tactics. Why? How well you play is mostly set by your mentality. There’s no magic secret about this; if you played great in the past, then unless you are injured or […]

(By Larry Hodges) This is a simple tip. Do you think you have a better chance of winning if your opponent is confident or frustrated? You actually have some control over this. It’s simple, and it’s all about how you react when you miss shots or fall behind. Showing frustration is a good way to […]

(By Larry Hodges) “I’m too slow!” That’s the cry of many players who play a forehand from the backhand corner, and then can’t recover in time to cover their wide forehand. I’ve written about this before – focusing on the importance of balance and following through back into position so you can cover that wide […]