(By Larry Hodges) Many players get used to receiving any given serve the same way, because it’s safer that way. This is especially true against short serves, where many players predictably push everything back long. Others reach in and predictably flip over and over. But this makes things easier for the server, since he knows […]
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Coaching Tip of the Week: Three Types of Anticipation
Posted on(By Larry Hodges) There are three main types of anticipation in table tennis. You develop all three by practice and observation. Often the key to all of these is to learn when your opponent has committed to what he’s doing, especially his direction, so you can anticipate and react to his shot earlier than if […]
Coaching Tip of The Week: Mind Games: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Posted on(By Larry Hodges) There are mind games in all sports. Some are okay; others are not. The key difference is whether the mind game involves some sort of table tennis skill or tactic, as opposed to just finding ways to bother or even cheat the opponent. If an opponent plays mind games and it’s bad […]
Coaching Tip of the Week: Five Ways to Take Away an Opponent’s Big Shot
Posted on(By Larry Hodges) Attack first. Most attackers want to attack first. Push well. This means low, deep, heavy or varied, quick off the bounce, and to wide angles, with last-second changes of direction. Go to his strong side first, when you get to choose the shot. If his strong side is the forehand, then go […]
Coaching tip of the week: Don’t Practice Hesitation
Posted on(By Larry Hodges) To improve, it’s important to do footwork drills. Some are simple, such as side-to-side forehand-forehand drills. Others are more complicated. For example, you might do a drill that starts with your partner pushing to your backhand, you backhand (or forehand) loop to his backhand, and then he blocks to your forehand. Advanced […]
Coaching Tip of the Week: Don’t Warm Up Your Opponent During a Match
Posted on(By Larry Hodges) A common mistake I’ve seen is for a player to find something that seems to work in a match, and then go to the well too often – they use that tactic so often that the opponent gets used to it. This is a double-whammy – if you do this, not only […]
Coaching Tip of the Week: Sometimes Challenge an Opponent’s Strength
Posted on(By Larry Hodges) Sometimes it’s a good tactic to go after an opponent’s strength. After all, his game is probably based on getting that shot into play, and so you are probably going to have to face it – so rather than have the opponent choose when he’ll use it, why don’t you pick choose those times? For example, […]
Coaching Tip of the Week: The Grinding Mentality – How to Play It and Against It
Posted on(By Larry Hodges) Here is how I would describe the “grinding” mentality. It means a willingness to play as many shots as needed, never missing, while refusing to make a single weak return, whether pushing, chopping, or counter-hitting, with a focus on returning anything that’s not smashed or loop-killed, and relying on your reflexes to […]
Coaching Tip Of The Week: Analyze an Unorthodox Style from the Opponent’s Point of View
Posted on(By Larry Hodges) Many players fear playing unorthodox styles because they both aren’t used to and don’t know how to play them. Often they spend so much of their mental energy trying to figure out what they should do that they don’t consider it from the opponent’s point of view. Doing so is a shortcut […]
Coaching Tip Of The WeeK: Tactics at the End of a Close Game
Posted on(By Larry Hodges) Many think that, at the end of a close game, they should change their tactics because of the score. I remember one player assuring me that, “When it’s close, everyone knows you should play safe.” When I asked him why that would be the right tactic, he said, “If you play safe, […]
Contact More in Front of the Body
March 6, 2026
Robot plays long backspin to Backhand, Logan plays Backhand long push to FH, robot plays long topspin to… Read More
Want a More Aggressive Chop?
March 4, 2026
Robot plays long backspin to Backhand, Logan plays Backhand long push to Backhand, robot plays 2 times long… Read More
Geovanni Coello – Panamerican Masters Championship
March 3, 2026
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips, Geovanny Coello is in action as he wins the Panamerican… Read More
Open Versus Closed
March 2, 2026
Robot plays backspin to long Forehand, Logan plays Forehand topspin down the line, robot plays little topspin to… Read More
Play the Inner Forehand Against Backhand Players
March 2, 2026
By Larry Hodges, Member of US Table Tennis Hall of Fame Many players with strong backhands cover the… Read More
Lingshaui Meng – Multi ball Backhand Blocking
March 2, 2026
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips, Lingshaui Meng is focusing on the Backhand Block using Multi-ball… Read More
WAB CLUB FEATURE: RA Table Tennis Centre
March 1, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins) The RA Table Tennis Center is centrally located in Ottawa, just off of highway 19. … Read More
Top Ranked Players Win Singapore Smash
March 1, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) The top players in the world converged this week in Singapore, and a… Read More
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