Top Ten Ways to Be a Professional at All Levels (By Larry Hodges) This tip won’t help you win more matches. In fact, it might cost you a match where, by playing unsportsmanlike, you might have psyched an opponent out of a match. But if you do that, did youreally win the match? Here are the Top […]
2018 MDTTC October Open
2018 MDTTC October Open (By Larry Hodges, tournament director/Photo by PongMobile.com) This tournament is dedicated to those who don’t believe ratings mean anything. Okay, they really don’t . . . except when they do. As they did this tournament. What am I talking about? Here’s a quick rundown of the eleven events: Open Singles top seed […]
Counterlooping and the Forehand Block
Counterlooping and the Forehand Block (By Larry Hodges) At the higher levels, most players essentially counterloop any topspin ball on the forehand side. (Many also do it on the backhand side.) But that’s almost inhuman. And yet, many players try to do that. Here’s the problem with doing that. If you play close to the […]
Tip of the week: Style Experimentation
Tip of the week: Style Experimentation (By Larry Hodges) Many players know their own game, but don’t really know or understand other styles – leading to tactical problems. How can you work out what tactics to use if you don’t understand the style you are playing? For example, a looper might feel like he can’t […]
Tip of the week: Top Ten Guidelines for Playing the Unconventional Style
Tip of the week: Top Ten Guidelines for Playing the Unconventional Style (By Larry Hodges) When a conventional player plays an unconventional style, they each face a different fundamental problem. The conventional player has to deal with the fact that the unconventional player is used to playing conventional players while he is likely not as […]
How to Punish those Slow, Spinny Loops
How to Punish those Slow, Spinny Loops (By Larry Hodges) It’s almost a cliché that players have more trouble with slow, spinny loops than faster ones, at least below the higher levels. There’s a simple reason for this – slow, spinny loops are mostly against backspin, and come out with a higher spin-to-speed ratio than […]
Develop Ball Control by Playing with Different Surfaces
Develop Ball Control by Playing with Different Surfaces (By Larry Hodges) Today’s tip will be controversial. Some might not agree the following, but I’ve found it to be consistently true, and it makes sense if you think about it. Have you ever noticed how some players seem to have great ball control? They can seemingly […]
The Flat Smash That Isn’t
The Flat Smash That Isn’t (By Larry Hodges) Many players with good looping strokes, and others that don’t, have trouble doing “flat” smashes because they don’t understand what the shot is – or more exactly, what it isn’t. The main thing to understand about a flat smash is that it is NOT flat. There is […]
Development of an Outrageously Great Spin Serve
Development of an Outrageously Great Spin Serve (By Larry Hodges) Here are six steps to doing so! Spin and catch. Practice tossing the ball up, spinning it with your paddle, and catching it. Do this over and over, in various ways with different spins, until you can put an outrageous amount of spin on the […]
Butterfly MDTTC August Open
Butterfly MDTTC August Open Gaithersburg, MD • August 18-19, 2018 By Larry Hodges, Tournament Director (Featured photo: Under 15 Finalist James Zhang and Champion Jackson Beaver. Photo care of PongMobile) It was time for Alguetti confetti as the two 17-year-old fraternal twins, Sharon and Gal, met in the final of Open Singles. But it wasn’t […]
Thankful for Wins: Chicago Has Flawless Week 7
November 27, 2025
(by: Major League Table Tennis) Emmanuel Lebesson and Lily Zhang make history in Hollywood, FL 🐊 Chicago Wind (8-4)… Read More
Relax Your Shoulder
November 26, 2025
Basic exercises: Pushing and powerful first ball attack – Robot plays heavy backspin to long Forehand, Jhon plays… Read More
Yu Di – Backhand Loop from underspin
November 26, 2025
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips, Yu Di is focusing on the Backhand Loop from underspin… Read More
More Weight on the Right Leg
November 24, 2025
Basic exercises: Pushing and powerful first ball attack – Robot plays heavy backspin to long BH, Jhon plays… Read More
Do You Want to Be a Smart Table Tennis Player?
November 24, 2025
(By Larry Hodges) It’s a two-step process. Focus on both steps, and it’ll happen. First, think about the… Read More
Kou Lei – Forehand Looping the Flip
November 24, 2025
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips, Kou Lei is working with his student on Forehand Looping… Read More
WAB CLUB FEATURE: Ly Table Tennis Academy
November 23, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins) The Ly Table Tennis Academy in Montreal has been home to many members of the… Read More
ITTF World Youth Championships: Early Action
November 23, 2025
(By Steve Hopkins, photo USATT) Today was the first day of action at the ITTF World Youth Championships in… Read More
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