(By Larry Hodges) You’ve practiced, you’ve worked with a coach, you’ve done physical training, you’ve done mental training… you’re ready for the tournament. What could go wrong? Let’s see . . . the floor’s slippery, so you can’t move… it’s humid, so the ball is sliding off the racket . . . and the only […]

(By Larry Hodges) Few things are more frustrating than losing a match because the other guy got a bunch of “lucky” nets and edges. And yes, each of those nets and edges were lucky – individually. But in the long run, certain styles or tactics lead to such “luck.” So, how can you get lucky? […]

(By Larry Hodges) If your opponent is quicker than you, than the last thing you want to do is let him rush you. If you put the ball short over the table, then your quick opponent will be able to hit very quickly at wide angles. So keep most shots deep against quick opponents to […]

(By Larry Hodges) “Tactics isn’t about finding complex strategies to defeat an opponent. Tactics is about sifting through all the zillions of possible tactics and finding a few simple ones that work.” “Strategic thinking is how you develop your game. Tactical thinking is how you use what you have to win.” “Tactical thinking is a […]

(By Larry Hodges) On the forehand side, when someone pushes long, it’s almost always a good idea to loop. Because of this, many players are not comfortable forehand pushing except against a short ball. Against a deep ball, they almost always loop, and that’s usually a good thing. The problem is when they play a […]

(By Larry Hodges) A warm-up is different than practice. Practice is to improve, maintain, or fine-tune a technique. Few players improve unless they do lots of this. However, the focus of this tip is on warming up. Warm-up is to groove your shots before playing matches. (You also warm up before a practice session, but […]

(By Larry Hodges) It’s wise to approach a match with the idea of using your strengths, but don’t forget to test your opponent as well. You don’t want to lose a match because you didn’t know about a glaring weakness in his game! This is why it’s often good to scout out an opponent in […]

(By Larry Hodges) When playing close to the table, you have very little time to make a transition from forehand to backhand shots, and vice versa. If you are playing a relatively quick backhand or in a fast rally, there’s no need to go into a backhand stance for this shot. Therefore, learn to play […]

(By Larry Hodges) There have been numerous discussions over the years over what is the most important part of table tennis. Many say the serve, or receive, or the forehand, or footwork, or consistency, or tactics, or mental strength, and so on. Of course, many of these discussions are like arguing which link in a […]

(By Larry Hodges) It’s often difficult to judge how much spin you are putting on the ball when you practice serves. Without this feedback, it’s not easy to improve your serves. So try this – find a large, carpeted room, and practice serving there. Spin the ball as if you were serving and try to […]