WAB CLUB FEATURE: Sunny Culture & Sports Center

November 19, 2023

(by Steve Hopkins) Sunny International Culture & Sports Center is located at Scarborough, Sheppard, and Brimley Street in Scarborough – a city within the greater Toronto Metropolitan area. The club is just off of the Ontario 401 Express, about 25 kilometers to the North of the Toronto city center and easily accessible via public transportation. […]

BUTTERFLY FAVORITES: PongNow Interview with Bowie and Melba Martin

November 14, 2023

(by Steve Hopkins) In this BUTTERFLY FAVORITE, we have an interview with Bowie and Melba Martin that was originally created in December of 2020. _____________ PongNow is an interview series talking table tennis with some of the best players and personalities in the sport. This week, we have Bowie and Melba Martin – who […]

Coaching Between Games for Non-Coaches

November 13, 2023

(by Larry Hodges) Professional coaches always seem to know what to say to a player between games or in a timeout. That’s why they are professional coaches. A good coach has essentially seen it all and can see the patterns that lead to tactics that will work in that match. They also understand the psychology […]

Liang Jingkun Wins in Taiyuan

November 12, 2023

(by Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) World No. 2 (and top seed) Wang Chuqin fell in the opening round to World No. 43 Xu Yingbin. Xu then fell in the Round of 16 to Japan’s Shunsuke Togami. Togami had a great tournament, topping An Jaehyun in the opening round, Xu in the Round of 16, then Cho […]

WAB CLUB FEATURE: Tan’s Table Tennis Training Club

November 12, 2023

(by Steve Hopkins) Tan’s Table Tennis Training Club is the first full-time table tennis club in the greater Cincinnati area. The club is located just to the Northeast of Cincinnati in Mason, a few miles from the 275 Expressway and just off of I-42. The location provides easy access to greater Cincinnati and Dayton. The […]

Three Keys to Fast Reacting

November 6, 2023

(by Larry Hodges) So, you want to react to an opponent’s shot like the pro’s? That’s simple – as long as you follow the three principles to fast reactions. They are: 1. Ready position. If you have a good ready position to start from, it’s much easier to react quickly. Many players have poor ready […]

US Closes PanAm Team Events with Gold and Bronze

November 5, 2023

(by Steve Hopkins) Mark Hazinski (Men’s Coach), Rachel Sung, Sid Naresh, Lily Zhang, Jishan Liang, Amy Wang, Nandan Naresh & Gao Jun (Women’s Coach) On Saturday the US Women won their Semifinal Match over Brazil 3-0. The Women then followed up that win with a 3-1 Gold Medal victory over Puerto Rico. For TeamUSA’s […]

Lin Yun-Ju Wins in Frankfurt

November 5, 2023

(by Steve Hopkins) Entering the weekend with just four left in Frankfurt, we had already seen Lee Sang-su take out World No. 1 Fan, and Felix Lebrun fight through his quarter of the draw past both Lee and Dang Qiu. The other top seeds, Ma Long and Wang Chuqin were then joined by Lin Yu-Ju […]

Latest Rankings: Felix Fabuleux

November 4, 2023

(by Steve Hopkins) In the latest World Rankings, 17 year old Felix Lebrun has risen to No. 8. The young French star is currently the highest ranked European player (and the highest ranked penhold player). Lebrun won last week’s WTT event, and is still alive in this week’s WTT Champions event in Frankfurt (he will […]

Frankfurt’s Final Four: Felix Lebrun, Ma Long, Lin Yun-Ju, and Wang Chuqin

November 3, 2023

(by Steve Hopkins) In the last Quarterfinal of the day, Ma Long defeated Ovtcharov 3-0. Ovtcharov was the last German left in this German event, though local players Dang Qiu and Benedikt Duda did make it to the Round of 16. Ma Long has cruised thus far, winning three matches and only dropping one game. […]