(by Steve Hopkins) In 2018, a 17 year old Chinese Taipei player made an amazing jump in the ratings – moving up about 100 spots to break into the Top 30. That feat was perhaps eclipsed in 2019 when Lin Yun-Ju moved from No. 28 to No. 6, scoring tour wins at the T2 Diamond and […]
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Coaching Tip of the Week: A Trick to Beat a Tricky Pusher
Posted on(By Larry Hodges) Some players have very accurate pushes, and will push very wide to your backhand over and over – unless they see you stepping around, or even hedging that way. That’s when they push to your wide forehand and catch you off guard. Let’s say your forehand loop is stronger than your backhand […]
PongNow: Brian Pace
Posted on(by Steve Hopkins) The PongNow interview series discusses table tennis with some of the best players and personalities in the sport. This edition features Brian Pace, one of the leading juniors of his era, an elite player, and now a forward-thinking innovative coach. Brian was the most accomplished of Butterfly’s Wilson, North Carolina junior […]
USATT’S THURSDAY NIGHT LIVE: Zhou over Nikhil
Posted on(by Steve Hopkins) USA Table Tennis conducted its sixth Challenge Series event this week. The event matched two US Olympians: Nikhil Kumar (for Team Butterfly) and Xin Zhou (for Team Nittaku). With both players over 2750 in US rating, they seemed to be pretty evenly matched. Nikhil is the younger of the two at just […]
Coaching Tip of the Week: Tactics Early In a Match: Explorers and Dominators
Posted on(By Larry Hodges) There are basically two ways to play tactically early in a match. You can either feel your opponent out to see what he can do and then adjust your tactics based on this (“The Explorer”); or you can force your game on the opponent right from the start, making tactical adjustments as […]
WAB Club Feature: Los Angeles Table Tennis Club
Posted on(by Steve Hopkins) The Los Angeles Table Tennis Association (LATTA) is located in El Monte, California, just to the east of Los Angeles. The facility is just off of the 10 with easy access to the greater Los Angeles area. LATTA is a non-profit organization established in 1998. The center is one of the largest table […]
PongNow: Larry Hodges
Posted on(by Steve Hopkins) The PongNow interview series discusses table tennis with some of the best players and personalities in the sport. This edition features USA Table Tennis Hall of Fame member, Larry Hodges Larry Hodges is a table tennis player, coach, promoter, writer, classic style specialist, and USA Table Tennis Hall of Fame member. […]
BUTTERFLY FAVORITE: Marcelo Aguirre – Opening With Power
Posted on(by Steve Hopkins) This video is a German Bundesliga match last Decmeber. It was uploaded by TTBL and shows Marcelo Aguirre traded big shots with Bastien Steger. Steger is known for hitting big shots, and is especially known for his long, full backhand loop technique. However, in comparison to Aguirre, there’s a noticeable different – […]
Coaching Tip of the Week: Move Like a Pro
Posted on(By Larry Hodges) Most players go through the following sequence during each shot of a rally: Opponent is about to strike ball. Opponent strikes ball. Player sees incoming ball. Player decides if he has to move. Player moves. He’s slow to get to the ball and complains he’s too slow. Top players go through the […]
OPEN DOORS: Innovation at Wang Chen TTC – Home School Support
Posted on(by Steve Hopkins) An innovative idea emerged last week from the Wang Chen Table Tennis Club. As shut-downs continue, many students will be home for some or all of the workweek. This affects parents who normally avoid daycare during the hours that their children would be in school – and in our cities, this also affects […]
Push with Purpose and Placement
April 20, 2026
(By Larry Hodges, Member of US Table Tennis Hall of Fame So often players push just to keep… Read More
Simeon Martin – 1 Forehand Loop, 1 Backhand Loop
April 20, 2026
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips, Simeon Martin is executing a numbered based Forehand and Backhand… Read More
Great News: Texas Table Tennis Upcoming Head Coach Koji Itagaki
April 20, 2026
(By Texas Table Tennis Club) Koji Itagaki coached TSV Bad Königshofen of Table Tennis Bundesliga since 2016. Under… Read More
Portland Paddlers Win MLTT Season 3
April 19, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins) Why is there a Golden Game? For Moments Like These. With the entire season hanging… Read More
WAB CLUB FEATURE: Seattle Pacific Table Tennis Club
April 19, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins) Seattle Pacific Table Tennis Club (SPTTC) is located in Bellevue, Washington, off of highway SR-520… Read More
Angel Naranjo is Central American & Caribbean Champion
April 19, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) After anchoring Team Puerto Rico to a win earlier in the week, Angel… Read More
Anav Gupta Among Surprise Winners at US Junior National Ranking II
April 19, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins) The 2026 US Junior National Ranking Tournament II wrapped up last week at HITTA in… Read More
World Team Championships: Preview
April 19, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) One hundred years after the inaugural World Championships were held in London (1926),… Read More
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