Coaching Tip of the Week: “Proper Way” is What Works for You (By Larry Hodges) Kids are almost always taught the “proper way” to play by coaches. But older players sometimes already have bad habits or have developed an unconventional playing style. Should they also be taught the “proper way” to play? The answer is […]

Coaching Tip of the Week: Three Spots or Two? (By Larry Hodges) When a coach refers to “playing the three spots,” he’s referring to playing both wide angles, and the middle. (The middle is not the middle of the table; it’s the mid-point between the opponent’s forehand and backhand, usually around his playing elbow.) In […]

Coaching tip of the week: How to Push Extremely Heavy (By Larry Hodges) A heavy push can cause havoc when done at the right time, and sometimes is all that’s needed to take away an opponent’s effective attack. How do you do this shot? First, keep in mind that it’s not enough to just have […]

A Lightbulb in Your Head: Mindless Swinging or Tactical Shot-making? (By Larry Hodges) When you see a top player go for – and usually make – a big shot, is it mindless swinging or tactical shot-making? Actually, it’s both. There are two times when a top player normally goes for a big shot. First, of […]

Coaching tip of the Week: How to Stop the Short Receive (By Larry Hodges) One of the most effective ways to return a short serve is to push it back short and low, making it hard for the server to attack. This is very common at the higher levels, but even at lower levels there […]

React to Opponent’s Forward Swing (By Larry Hodges) When you watch a top player, they seem to have almost supernatural reflexes. The other guy will crush the ball, and whether he gets it back or not, he always seems to react instantly. How does he do this? The secret is he’s not reacting to the […]

Top Ten Reasons You Might Not Be as Good at Table Tennis as You Could Be By (Larry Hodges)  You have faced really good serves and yet have made no serious attempt to learn them yourself. You don’t think you have enough talent, when long-term training almost always overcomes any such lack of talent. You’ve […]

Coaching Tip of the Week: Confidence, Then Consistency! (By Larry Hodges) Many players practice hard to develop consistency, and from this consistency they develop confidence. This is backwards! Be confident first, and then, with practice, consistency will come. Believe you can do it, and you will. (Or, for you realists, you will at least do […]