(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
Posted on(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
Posted on(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
Posted on(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
Posted on(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)
Posted on(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
Posted on(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
Posted on(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
Posted on(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
Posted onThis 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 […]
WAB CLUB FEATURE: Austin Table Tennis Club
September 6, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins) The Austin Table Tennis Club is located at 8956 Research Blvd in Austin. They are just… Read More
Togami Wins in Togami
September 6, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins) Shunsuke Togami, World No. 14, was the top seed in Almaty for this week's WTT… Read More
WTT Champions Macao: Preview
September 6, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) The draws were released today for the WTT Champions Macao 2026. The seedings… Read More
Taiwo Adeyinka – Backhand Counterattack & Ball Placement
September 6, 2026
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips, Taiwo Adeyinka is working with a student on the Backhand… Read More
Rachid El Bou Bou – Forehand Opening & Backhand Follow up
September 5, 2026
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips, Rachid El Bou Bou is executing at Serve, Backhand Loop,… Read More
Taiwo Adeyinka – Tournament Highlights
September 4, 2026
(by: Bowmar Sports) n this Bowmar Sports Tournament Highlights, Taiwo Adeyinka is in action at a tournament in… Read More
Kou Lei – One vs Two Counterlooping
September 3, 2026
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips, Kou Lei is doing a drill called "One vs Two… Read More
MLTT Meet the Teams: Princeton Revolution
September 2, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins, photo MLTT) The Princeton Revolution enter Season 4 as a formidable and balanced team, retaining… Read More
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