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 […]
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Tip of the week: Top Ten Guidelines for Playing the Unconventional Style
Posted onTip 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
Posted onHow 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
Posted onDevelop 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
Posted onThe 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
Posted onDevelopment 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
Posted onButterfly 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 […]
Tip of the week: Make Up-and-Coming Players Your Rivals – and Stay With Them!
Posted onTip of the week: Make Up-and-Coming Players Your Rivals – and Stay With Them! (By Larry Hodges) Here’s a little trick that will give you both incentive to improve, and lead to real improvement. Next time you are at your club, pinpoint someone who is perhaps a little weaker than you, or perhaps your level, […]
Never Think About Winning or Losing While Playing – Excise the Thought and Play Well!
Posted onNever Think About Winning or Losing While Playing – Excise the Thought and Play Well! (by Larry Hodges) To some, this might be obvious. We’ve all had that experience where you wanted to win so badly that you get nervous, and your whole game fell apart. It might happen for a number of points, or […]
Tip of the week: Follow Through Back Into Position After Forehand Looping
Posted onTip of the week: Follow Through Back Into Position After Forehand Looping (By Larry Hodges) Not all loops are the same, and not all follow-throughs are the same either. Imagine making a powerful forehand from your backhand side. Often the momentum of your shot will pull you even farther off to the side, leaving you […]
When Should You Play in Tournaments?
January 19, 2026
(By Larry Hodges, Member of US Table Tennis Hall of Fame, www.tabletenniscoaching.com/blog) The short answer is .… Read More
WAB CLUB FEATURE: Orange County Table Tennis Academy
January 18, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins) The Orange County Table Tennis Academy (OCTTA) features 10-15 tables, professional flooring, great lighting, plenty… Read More
Jha Leads Dusseldorf to ETTU Win
January 18, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins, photo ETTU) Borussia Dusseldorf is one of the most successful German League squads and one… Read More
Zhu Yuling Rules Doha (Again)
January 18, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) There have been two WTT tour events so far in 2026, but there… Read More
Qihao Unlikely Winner in Doha
January 18, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) India's Manav Thakkar had a fast start against a second-tier Chinese player in… Read More
Get Your Left Arm More Involved
January 16, 2026
Robot plays one topspin ball to long Backhand, Logan Backhand chop block (HACK) close to the table off… Read More
How to Perform a ‘Hack’ or ‘Swipe’
January 14, 2026
Robot plays one topspin ball to long Backhand, Logan Backhand chop block (HACK) close to the table off… Read More
When Champions Fall: Mental Strategies for Preventing and Managing Injuries
January 14, 2026
by Dr. Alan Chu, PhD, CMPC The table tennis world watched in dismay last when both World #1… Read More
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