WAB CLUB FEATURE: Naples Pong

August 25, 2024

(by Steve Hopkins) Naples Pong is located in Naples, Florida, South of Fort Myers along the West Coast of Southern Florida. Naples Pong is owned by Flint Lane, who also owns Princeton Pong, a full time club in Princeton NJ, which has become one of the best known table tennis clubs in the USA. In […]

Jorgic and Odo Win their First WTT Events

August 25, 2024

by Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) Both top seed Patrick Franziska and second seed Darko Jorgic were pressed in 3-2 opening round wins as the WTT Contender Series event got underway in Lima earlier this week.. Franziska lost the first and third games to France’s Vincent Picard, but rallied both times. Jorgic lost the first and […]

Paris Parity: What a Difference a Game Makes

August 24, 2024

(by Steve Hopkins) In many major events of recent years, China dominates from start to finish, and the hopes of many other players (and nations) are dashed in the process. In some ways the Paris Olympics was no different – China held the top two seeds in both Singles events (where they were allowed two […]

The Loaded Push

August 19, 2024

(by Larry Hodges) Perhaps the easiest way to stop an opponent’s big serve and loop is the loaded push. Many players don’t understand how effective this can be for a simple reason – until they can do it, it isn’t particularly effective, and so when they first try it, it doesn’t work. And so they […]

ITTF Rankings: Post-Paris

August 18, 2024

(by Steve Hopkins) The ITTF rankings after the singles events in Paris have seen a number of top players enjoying an Olympic-sized bounce. China’s Wang Chuqin, who was upset early, remains in the No. 1 position. Olympic Champion Fan Zhendong, moved up two slots to regain the No. 2 position. Hugo Calderano has moved up […]

TeamUSA Women’s Team Recap

August 18, 2024

(by Steve Hopkins) TeamUSA had measurable successes throughout the Olympics. The Women’s Team fell short in their match against Germany. However, the loss is not the full story. Rachel Sung and Amy Wang lost in three straight to Germany’s Wan and Shan. In a surprise, 18 year old Annett Kaufmann topped USA’s Lily Zhang 3-0 […]

Practice Until You Can’t Do It Wrong

August 12, 2024

(by Larry Hodges) There’s a common saying in high-level sports: “Don’t practice until you do it right. Practice until you can’t do it wrong.” This is another way of saying ingrain the fundamentals. You can never practice the fundamentals too much as that’s how you make it so you can’t do it wrong. Far too […]

Questions with Jenson Van Emburgh Before Heading Out to Paris

August 12, 2024

(by Steve Hopkins) Thanks for taking a few minutes to chat with us, Jenson. We’re looking forward to seeing you take on the world’s best at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games. *The opening ceremony begins on Wednesday, August 28, 2024, and the Games conclude on Sunday, September 8, 2024. What does representing your country […]

WAB CLUB FEATURE: My Table Tennis Club

August 11, 2024

(by Steve Hopkins) If you are looking for a quality table tennis environment in the Toronto area, My Table Tennis Club (MyTTC) has you covered. They have campus locations in is Markham (just North of the City), in Mississauga (to the Southwest), and in Kitchener (a Suburb to the West). The Markham headquarters is 9,000 square […]

The Slow, Spinny Loop

August 5, 2024

(by Larry Hodges) “It’s an unreturnable shot,” said US Team Member Perry Schwartzberg many years ago after failing repeatedly to block, hit, or counterloop against fellow team member Ricky Seemiller’s slow, spinny loop. World #3 Mikael Appelgren had a similar problem against Ricky, losing to him when the world’s best counterlooper couldn’t counterloop Ricky’s spinny […]