(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 […]
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Court Tricks
Posted on(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
Posted on(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
Posted on(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
Posted onSponsored 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
Posted onSponsored 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
Posted onSponsored 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
Posted onSponsored 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, […]
Hardbat Students and the Ping Pong World Cup
Posted onSponsored by Mecano Sports, presented by Caliente.mx, sanctioned by ICTTF (by Larry Hodges, photo by Larry Hodges: “Finalist Sara Gulabani Serving to Hardbat Junior Champion Bryce Milford”) As with Sandpaper, this event was originally an Under 18 event. But there was interest in Under 23 students (i.e. college students), and so they combined the events. […]
Hardbat Seniors and the Ping Pong World Cup
Posted onSponsored by Mecano Sports, presented by Caliente.mx, sanctioned by ICTTF (by Larry Hodges, photo by Larry Hodges: “Finalist Alexis Perez serving to Senior Champion David Tiplady”) There were four groups of four, with the top two in each group advancing to the quarterfinals, with the winners of group 1 and group 2 getting a bye […]
Are You a Tree or a Squirrel?
September 21, 2026
(By Larry Hodges, Member of US Table Tennis Hall of Fame) Squirrels run circles around trees, and there's… Read More
Rachid El Bou Bou – Attacking Half Long Serve
September 21, 2026
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips, Rachid El Bou Bou is attacking a half long serve… Read More
MLTT Week 2 Preview: Action heads to Willowbrook
September 20, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins, photo MLTT) Major League Table Tennis moves to Compass Arena in Willowbrook, Illinois, this weekend,… Read More
WAB CLUB FEATURE: Boston Table Tennis Club
September 20, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins) The Boston Table Tennis Club is in Medford, just North of Cambridge and Somerville and only… Read More
USA Sweeps ITTF Americas U11 & U13 Championships
September 20, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins, photo ITTF) The United States ran the table at home as the ITTF Americas U11… Read More
Dang Qiu Ascends in Astana
September 20, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins, photo ITTFWorld) The top two seeds reached the Final at the WTT Star Contender series… Read More
Carlos Hernandez – Florida Open vs Daniel Gorak
September 20, 2026
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Bowmar Sports Tournament Highlights, Carlos Hernandez is in action again Daniel Gorak at… Read More
Anav Gupta – Serve Return & Flip
September 19, 2026
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips, Anav Gupta is focusing on his short serve return, followed… Read More
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