(by Larry Hodges) Players often learn from close matches, knowing that with just a little more, a close loss becomes a win, and a close win becomes a somewhat easier win. And this is good. However, many players don’t learn from blowout matches – but they should. You can learn from either end of a […]
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Types of Topspin Contact
(by Larry Hodges) These five tips won’t generally help you win, at least not directly. They won’t score points for you. But they will make certain non-playing aspects more efficient and more fun – and indirectly, may subconsciously intimidate an opponent when faced with these displays of “professionalism”! Picking up ball with feet. If the […]
Start With Your Trickiest Serve
(by Larry Hodges) Many players hold back on their trickiest serve until it’s close. This is usually a mistake. If you have such a tricky serve, you should use it early – probably with your first serve. (This is especially true for deep, spinny serves.) Here’s why. You don’t really know if the serve will […]
Court Tricks
(by Larry Hodges) These five tips won’t generally help you win, at least not directly. They won’t score points for you. But they will make certain non-playing aspects more efficient and more fun – and indirectly, may subconsciously intimidate an opponent when faced with these displays of “professionalism”! Picking up ball with feet. If the […]
Make a Habit of Finding the SS – the Opponent’s Weak Shots and Spots
(by Larry Hodges) Every opponent has a weakness relative to their level. Even Ma Long, often considered the greatest of all time, was “weak” to his wide forehand – but only relative to the rest of his game. I’ve written many tips about how to find and go after these weaknesses. But one common issue […]
Move the Extra Inch
(by Larry Hodges) It’s not enough to move to the general vicinity of the ball. Table tennis is a game of precision, and almost moving into position is the same as almost making the shot. Instead, focus on that last couple of inches. Don’t lean and make a slightly off-balanced or awkward shot. Those last […]
Player’s Choice at the Ping Pong World Cup
Sponsored by Mecano Sports, presented by Caliente.mx, sanctioned by ICTTF (by Larry Hodges, photo by Larry Hodges: “Player’s Choice Champion Alexander “Flash” Flemming”) There were 48 players in the event, played single elimination, with $2,500 for first, $1,500 for second. For this event, players had their choice of hardbat, sandpaper, or wood. The conventional wisdom is that nearly everyone […]
Sandpaper Singles at the Ping Pong World Cup
Sponsored by Mecano Sports, presented by Caliente.mx, sanctioned by ICTTF (by Larry Hodges, photo by Larry Hodges: “Sandpaper Champion Hunag Jungang”) Sandpaper Singles had the most entries among the ten events at the Ping Pong World Cup. As I learned here, there are pockets of sandpaper aficionados all over the world, probably more than hardbat, […]
Hardbat Singles at the Ping Pong World Cup
Sponsored by Mecano Sports, presented by Caliente.mx, sanctioned by ICTTF (by Larry Hodges, photo by Larry Hodges: “Hardbat Champion Wang Shibo and Mexican Rock Star Miky Huidobro”) The preliminary round robins and single elimination to the semifinals was covered in the article “Hardbat Singles to the Semifinals at the Ping Pong World Cup.” We’ll continue […]
Bare Wood Singles at the Ping Pong World Cup
Sponsored by Mecano Sports, presented by Caliente.mx, sanctioned by ICTTF (by Larry Hodges, photo by Larry Hodges: “Woodbat Champion Alexander “Flash” Flemming (second from right, in blue shirt)” There were 40 players competing in eight groups of five, with two tables for each group. The top two in each group advanced to the money brackets, […]
Take the Ball Earlier
December 24, 2025
Forehand topspin and BHT against heavy backspin and no spin):Robot plays heavy long backspin to Backhand, Jhon Backhand… Read More
Lucca Lobo – Unpacking the Butterfly Goodies
December 24, 2025
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips, Lucca Lobo is unpacking his Butterfly Goodies https://youtu.be/gHBcUZMJdIY Stay “In The… Read More
Kou Lei – MLTT Highlights
December 23, 2025
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Bowmar Sports Tournament Highlights, Kou Lei is action in at the MLTT https://youtu.be/EuXV–xmZbc… Read More
Alan Kurmangaliyev (KAZ) – Butterfly Players Worldwide –
December 22, 2025
(By Butterfly Global) Butterfly Players Worldwide introduce Butterfly players who are making an impact around the world. This… Read More
Level Your Swing More
December 22, 2025
Forehand topspin and Backhand topspin against heavy backspin and no spin):Robot plays heavy long backspin to Forehand, Jhon… Read More
Coaching Yourself, Part 4 of 5: Practice Matches
December 22, 2025
(By Larry Hodges, Member of US Table Tennis Hall of Fame, www.tabletenniscoaching.com/blog) Practice matches are just that; practice.… Read More
2025 US Open: By The Numbers
December 22, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins) The 2025 US Open Table Tennis Championships included nearly thirteen hundred players taking part in… Read More
WAB CLUB FEATURE: Naples Pong
December 21, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins) Naples Pong is located in Naples, Florida, South of Fort Myers along the West Coast… Read More
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