(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
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 […]
Start With Your Trickiest Serve
Posted on(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
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, […]
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
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