Coaching Tip of the Week: Proper Use of the Back Shoulder (By Larry Hodges) A common problem for players who smash a lot is to have trouble lifting the ball against heavy backspin when looping. A common problem for players who loop a lot is to follow their opening loop against backspin by loop-killing or […]

Coaching Tip of the Week: Topspin Defense (By Larry Hodges) Look through almost any table tennis instructional book or video, go to almost any table tennis camp, and you’ll hardly ever see or learn anything about topspin defense. (Also known as “fishing.”) It seems to fall through the cracks for most coaches – it’s not […]

Smashing Lobs (By Larry Hodges) Smashing a lob is more difficult than it looks. There are several reasons for this. The height of a lob makes the ball bounce upwards, something you aren’t used to hitting. If it bounces higher than your head, hitting it can be awkward. When it hits the table, it jumps […]

(By Larry Hodges) Tactical thinking is what you do to win now; Strategic Thinking is what you do to develop your game in the long run. You need both; here are two articles on this: Strategic Versus Tactical Thinking The Balance Between Tactical and Strategic Thinking But there is also what I call Strategic Tactics. […]

(By Larry Hodges) If you know your opponent’s rating before a match, you have several advantages: You can use tactics and techniques that will generally defeat that level; If the opponent is lower rated, you can go in with confidence; If the opponent is higher rated, you can go in feeling you have nothing to […]

(By Larry Hodges) Many players hesitate in taking an aggressive shot because they are afraid of missing. On the contrary, if you are afraid of taking a specific shot, then (unless it’s a championship match), any good coach will tell you that’s a reason to take that shot, so you’ll learn to do it under pressure – […]

(By Larry Hodges) One of the most common problems players face in their table tennis is the inability to recognize the difference between learning the shots, and learning to win. There’s a big difference. Many players have a good idea of what to do out at the table – but just don’t have the strokes. […]