(by Larry Hodges) This really could mean two things. Some players try to unsettle their opponents by staring at them between points or when about to serve. I’ve never been able to decide whether this is proper gamesmanship or poor sportsmanship. You decide. But there’s a more important stare, and that’s the one that allows […]

(by Larry Hodges) Have a problem with a stroke? Need to change the technique? Well, by golly, if you’re like most players, you’ll head out to the table and practice doing the stroke correctly. No!!! If you’re like most players, you’ll be struggling to both change the stroke and adjust to the new timing of […]

(by Larry Hodges) Let’s get right to the point – you must lose to improve. Why? Because developing your game means adding new techniques. When you add these techniques, they won’t be developed yet, so they won’t be consistent nor will you be comfortable yet in using them. Most players have their “comfort zones.” If […]

(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 […]