Site Products

Stop Trying to Fix a Stroke While Hitting a Ball

Posted on

(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 […]

Should You Guard Against the Long or Short Serve?

Posted on

(by Larry Hodges) You can ask three coaches this question and get three different answers. Some say guard against the deep serve and react to the short one. Some say the opposite. Some say guard against both equally. Make that four different answers, because my answer is, “It depends.” I once coached a top player […]

Leave Your Comfort Zone to Develop Strategically

Posted on

(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 […]

The Surprise Test

Posted on

(by Larry Hodges) When you miss a shot, how do you react? If your first reaction is anger or disgust, you are going about it all wrong. Yes, some top players do show anger or disgust when they miss a shot, but that’s usually a secondary reaction, one that hits them only after their first and […]

Hitting to the Same Spot Twice

Posted on

(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 […]

Down the Line Training

Posted on

(by Larry Hodges) There are two reasons for practicing down-the-line shots. First, because in games you want to use the whole table so the opponent has to cover the whole table, and to do that you need to be able to play wide in both directions, crosscourt and down the line. Second, to quote USTT […]

What to Do in the First Game

Posted on

(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 […]

Smother the Table When Blocking

Posted on

(by Larry Hodges) The best advice I ever received about blocking was to think of it as “Smothering the table.” I don’t remember who told me this, but the advice really works. The point is that blocking should be a quick shot, and to do that, you have to stay close to the table, i.e. […]

Focus on Placement to Win and Increase Consistency

Posted on

(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 […]

Shadow Practice for Fitness and Improvement

Posted on

(by Larry Hodges) Many players use running to get in shape for table tennis and other activities, or simply for health reasons. There’s nothing wrong with that. But you get the same thing if you shadow practice your footwork for the same amount of time, plus you develop the footwork technique and the specific muscles […]

Latest News

Rachid El Bou Bou – Forehand Loop Serve Crosscourt

October 21, 2026
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips, Rachid El Bou Bou is working on Forehand Looping the… Read More

ITTF Americas Update: American Women Win, Men Finish Third in Teams Event

October 20, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins, photo USATT) The ITTF-Americas Championships are underway in Lima, Peru, and if the first three… Read More

Kou Lei – Middle Corners

October 20, 2026
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips, Kou Lei is working with Butterfly Sponsored Player Kef Noorani,… Read More

The Mental State of a Looper Against a Push

October 19, 2026
(By Larry Hodges, Member of US Table Tennis Hall of Fame) If you are a looper - and… Read More

Xiangjing Zhang – Opening Play Variations

October 19, 2026
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips, Sean Zhang is executing three types of Opening Play Variations.… Read More

WAB CLUB FEATURE: California Table Tennis

October 18, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins) Nestled in Rosemead, California, at the heart of the San Gabriel Valley near Los Angeles,… Read More

Felix Lebrun Captures a Pair of Titles in Ljubljana

October 18, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins) In 2024, Alexis Lebrun won the last European Championship - this year it was younger… Read More

Kou Lei – Random Play

October 18, 2026
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips, Kou Lei is blocking the ball randomly to Kef Noorani… Read More
View All News

Get the latest from Butterfly

Stay “In The Loop” with Butterfly professional table tennis equipment, table tennis news, table tennis technology, tournament results, and We Are Butterfly players, coaches, clubs and more.

/* Constant Contact Universal Code */