(By Larry Hodges) One of the strange things top players and coaches often notice is that beginning/intermediate players who “goof off and lob” during practice often improve rapidly. There is a reason for this. When a beginning/intermediate player backs up and lobs, he develops mobility and footwork, and learns to react to hard-hit […]
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OPEN DOORS: Rhode Island Table Tennis to Reopen League
(by Steve Hopkins) Rhode Island Table Tennis (RITTA) announced this week that they will reopen League play beginning August 3rd. The club has been opened since June when the State allowed gyms and sports venues to reopen. Since then, RITTA has been open on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays with tables available by appointment only. This […]
Coaching Tip Of The Week: Fast, Quick Motions Disguise a No-Spin Serve
(By Larry Hodges) Many players learn to put decent spin on their serves. However, they often find it difficult to disguise that spin. Why not develop a no-spin serve, with a fast, violent serve motion? Change directions as the racket contacts the ball (contacting the ball as the racket is changing directions at the split […]
ITTF Calendar: Japan Open Latest Covid Casualty
(by Steve Hopkins/Photo Courtesy of ITTF) The 2020 ITTF Calendar continues to shrink as they deal with the COVID-19 Pandemic. ITTF announced today that the Japan Open has been cancelled. This event was scheduled at the end of April, and it had been postponed with the hopes of playing the event this Fall. The announcement […]
BUTTERFLY FAVORITES: Chuang Chih Yuan – Backhand Flick
(by Steve Hopkins) The first video of Chinese Taipei player Chuang Chih Yuan is from 2017. It shows him developing his backhand flick in two common game situations – (1) for use against short serves to his forehand side, and (2) as an attacking shot following a short return of his serve. In 2016 and […]
2021 Shaping Up to be a Big Year (Covid Postponements)
(by Steve Hopkins) The ITTF tournament calendar continues to look pretty bleak for 2020. There will be no events in July, and five of six August events have been postponed. Its that last word that is of note here, however – POSTPONED. Many events that could not occur have been postponed instead of cancelled. That […]
Coaching Tip Of The Week: Training Down the Line
(By Larry Hodges) One of the lessons I learned from legends like Dan Seemiller and Dave Sakai was the value of down-the-line training. When you hit crosscourt, you have about ten feet and 3.5 inches. Down the line, it’s only nine feet, so 15.5 inches shorter. If you can maintain an aggressive down-the-line attack in […]
PongNow: Interview with Richard McAfee
(by Steve Hopkins) The PongNow interview series discusses table tennis with some of the best players and personalities in the sport. In this edition we have USATT Hall of Fame Member Richard McAfee. Richard had an impressive career as a player before becoming one of the best known coaches in the United States. __________________________ […]
Dusseldorf Masters IV: Steger Surprises the Field
(by Steve Hopkins) The Fourth Dusseldorf Masters event was held this week in Germany. This week’s winner, German team veteran, Bastian Steger. The Dusseldorf Masters events have been held in consecutive weeks of June. The first Dusseldorf Masters event was won by Timo Boll – with highlights including Dang Qiu upsetting Dimitrij Ovtcharov early, and […]
BUTTERFLY FAVORITES: How to Ghost Serve Like Patrick Franziska
This instructional video appears with perfect timing, as Patrick Franziska has just lead his Bundesliga team to its first ever TTBL Championship. The video is titled “How to Ghost Serve Like Patrick Franziska”. In the video, Patrick explains his contact points, and body position and how he implements the serve in a match. Patrick is […]
Ask the Expert Video: My First Combination Racket with Logan Rietz
November 19, 2025
(by Bowmar Sports) How to Choose Your First Table Tennis Setup? In a recent Ask the Experts session, Logan—one… Read More
Rachid El Bou Bou – Two Backhands, One Forehands
November 18, 2025
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips, Rachid El Bou Bou is executing Two Backhand Loops, and… Read More
Two Simple Ways to Approach Tactics
November 17, 2025
(By Larry Hodges) Tactics can be complicated because there are so many possibilities and so many styles to… Read More
Taiwo Adeyinka – Multiball Training Forehand Loop from underspin
November 17, 2025
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips, Taiwo Adeyinka is working with a student on the Forehand… Read More
MLTT Week 6 Recap: The Revolution and Wind Roll in Georgia
November 16, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins, photo MLTT) Week 6 of Major League Table Tennis visited Duluth, Georgia where the Princeton… Read More
WAB CLUB FEATURE: LATTA
November 16, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins) The Los Angeles Table Tennis Association (LATTA) LATTA is a non-profit organization established in 1998. The center… Read More
Fan Zhendong Wins in China
November 16, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins) The result of the final game was clear for several minutes as Fan Zhendong played… Read More
Maybelline Menéndez – Backhkand Push to Backhand Loop Sequencing
November 16, 2025
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips, Maybelline Menendez is executing a Backhand Push over the table,… Read More
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