(by Larry Hodges) Picture two up-and-coming players. One has really tricky serves, often going long, and wins many points when opponents miss the serve or give him easy pop-ups – but when opponents read the serve, they often attack them, putting the server on the defensive. The other has simple serves that don’t directly threaten […]

(by Larry Hodges) Let’s keep this simple. If you lose the first game of a match because it takes you a game to adjust to something the opponent does, that’s okay. Ideally, you’d adjust sooner and perhaps win that first game, but credit your opponent if he’s developed something that wins him that first game. […]

(by Larry Hodges) Suppose your opponent has a weak, erratic backhand but a strong forehand. Suppose you get into a fast backhand to backhand rally. Should you keep going to his weak backhand or should you vary things by going to the forehand? The same question can be asked of any tactic – if something […]

(by Larry Hodges) If you are roughly the same level as the crafty veteran, then the key thing to understand about them is that they are in a state of desperation. Why? Because they can’t beat you, shot for shot, and they know it. That’s why they are forced to be crafty veterans in order […]

(by Larry Hodges) There’s a simple reason players have so much trouble with no-spin or dead balls, whether in rallies or serves. The little plastic ball weighs very little and spins easily, and so even at the advanced beginning stage players are used to the ball having spin. Players learn to put spin on the […]

(by Larry Hodges) Let’s keep this simple. This is how a champion thinks: The next point you play is the only thing in the worldthat matters. Note that it’s not the most important thing in the world – that type of thinking would just make you nervous. It’s simply the only thing that matters, and so should […]

(by Larry Hodges) Someone once complained that reading coaching articles was pointless since nobody ever became a champion player by reading. He was absolutely right and absolutely wrong. No, you cannot become a champion by reading about it. Coaching articles and books (including mine!) are not meant to be used in isolation. They are supplements to […]

(by Larry Hodges) You only get one break that you can call during a match, and it’s only sixty seconds long. How should you use it? Here are four reasons you might consider a time-out, in rough order of how often you should use this reason. (Ideally, you should have more than one of these […]

(by Larry Hodges) I’ve watched players, even top players, spend hour after hour practicing the simplest serves imaginable. Yes, you need to practice basic serves so you develop near-perfect control of their height, depth, and direction. But it’s drudgery to practice such serves over and Over and OVER when there’s so much more you can […]

(by Larry Hodges) You’ve all played them – a tournament match that is simply uncompetitive, where you don’t have to try and you’ll still win easily. These can be dangerous matches. Why? First, make sure it’s a “laugher” match. I once coached a match where my player was rated about 700 points higher than the […]