Subconscious Adjustment as a Habit

July 27, 2023

(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, […]

Five-Minute Rule

July 18, 2023

(by Larry Hodges) Nobody likes losing. (If you do, Dumb Ways to Lose might help.) There are always those players who smile immediately after losing, but usually that’s either hiding an inferno on the inside, or it was against a much stronger player where they simply enjoyed the opportunity. The reality is that losing a […]

Forehand Back Foot Placement

July 10, 2023

(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, […]

Consistent Rallying Pace

July 3, 2023

(by Larry Hodges) One of the toughest things is convincing developing and even advanced players to slow down for consistency. Too often they want to play at a rat-a-tat superspeed, believing that the way to develop fast rallying speed is to practice using full speed before they can control it, and that consistency will eventually […]

See Things from Opponent’s Point of View

June 26, 2023

(by Larry Hodges) One of the hardest things for players and coaches to do is see things from the opponent’s point of view. They think about what they want to do, and about tactically playing into specific weaknesses of the opponent. But they aren’t really seeing things as the opponent sees it. It’s easy for […]

Coaching Tips of the Week: Stepping Versus Lunging

June 19, 2023

(by Larry Hodges) Many players reflexively reach for the ball when caught out of position. This means leaning toward the ball, with your weight on the foot in the direction you are trying to move – and so you can no longer move in that direction! And so, rather than move into position you are […]

Accelerate Through the Ball for Power

June 13, 2023

(by Larry Hodges) Mike Tyson once said, “I tried to punch his nose bone into his brain.” That’s a rather graphic way of showing how to maximize power as well as killer instinct. (That’s a separate issue.) But it is one of the reasons why he had such power. In boxing, they tell you to […]

Random Drills Placement

June 5, 2023

(by Larry Hodges) In the standard random drill, one player (the “feeder”) plays backhand (or forehand) randomly anywhere while the other player (the “driller”) keeps it to his backhand (or forehand). There are really two things going on here, as both players are actually doing a drill. For the “driller,” he’s reacting to (“neuromuscular adaptation”), […]

Hardbat, Sandpaper, and Wood, Oh My! Three Huge All-Classic Tournaments Coming Soon

June 4, 2023

The Frontón México playing hall in Mexico City. Inset: Hardbat star AJ Carney (by Larry Hodges) Mark three dates on your calendar and make your plans for Austin, Westchester, and Mexico City . . . and leave the sponge behind! Yes, it’s the US Classic Nationals, US Hardbat and Sandpaper Championships, and the Classic World […]

Solving Slow Starter Syndrome

May 31, 2023

(by Larry Hodges) A common problem for many players is starting slow. Often they have a bad loss or two before they get going, and from there on they play well – but it’s too late for that tournament. And this happens over and over. I struggled with it for many years as well – […]

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.