Calderano Wins in Tunis

August 6, 2022

(by Steve Hopkins) Calderano entered the event as the second seed and he played a nearly flawless tournament – winning 3-0, 3-0, 4-0, 4-1. The tournament’s top seed, Tomokazu Harimoto fell early – losing to 18 year old French phenom Alexis Lebrun 3-0. Lebrun’s run may have been the biggest story of the tournament, as […]

Classic Hardbat World Championships: Alexander Flemming – Who Will Clash with “The Flash”?

August 6, 2022

By Larry Hodges Alexander “The Flash” Flemming was a top sponge player in Germany before he got into sandpaper. He once finished third at the German Nationals in Men’s Singles and won Men’s Doubles twice. But in 2012 he tried out one of those “oldfangled” sandpaper rackets . . . and now he’s the World […]

Classic Hardbat World Championships: Interview with Steve Claflin

August 5, 2022

Interview with Steve Claflin Founder and Director of the Classic Hardbat World Championships By Larry Hodges How did you get started in table tennis? Weren’t you a top junior player once? I am from Port Huron, Michigan. Port Huron had a weekly club and my parents made sure the entire family played every Monday. I […]

Coaching Tip of the Week: Serving – the Trick Part of Table Tennis

August 1, 2022

(By Larry Hodges) Serving is considered the “trick” part of table tennis, and this is where you can be most artistic. While you don’t want to rely too much on trick serves to win, having a few tricky ones really helps – both in scoring a few “free” points and making your other serves more […]

WAB CLUB FEATURE: South Jersey Indoor Sports Club

August 1, 2022

(by Steve Hopkins) South Jersey Indoor Sports Club (“SJISC”) is a multi-sport facility in Voorhees Township in Camden Country New Jersey about 15 miles to the east of Philadelphia. The club offers table tennis as well as badminton and pickle ball. There are 15 table tennis courts (8 badminton courts, and 10 pickle ball courts) […]

Latest Rankings: Fan on Top, Harimoto Jumps to No. 4

July 30, 2022

(by Steve Hopkins) In the latest rankings, Tomokazu Harimoto jumped up to No. 4. China still holds the top three slots with Fan Zhendong in first, Ma Long in second, and Liang Jingkun in third. To make room for Harimoto, Moregard drops to No. 5 with the rest of the top 10 in order Hugo […]

Coaching Tip of the Week: Develop an All-Around Game

July 25, 2022

(by Larry Hodges) Long ago, I used to coach developing players to return serves aggressively. But then I noticed something – players who did that often never learned to handle the opponent’s attack as well, while those who were more willing to push serves back long as they developed became comfortable when the opponent attacked, […]

WAB CLUB FEATURE: Han-In Table Tennis Club

July 24, 2022

(by Steve Hopkins) With their location in Palisades Park, New Jersey, Han-In table Tennis is centrally located in the largest population center in North America. They are just off of I-95, near the New Jersey Turnpike and the George Washington Bridge – and just across the Hudson River from Upper Manhattan. Han-In offers a table […]

Euro Summer Series (II): Harimoto Takes Title in Budapest

July 24, 2022

(by Steve Hopkins) The second event in the Euro Summer Series, The WTT Champions European Summer Series 2022, has come to a close in Hungary. Before this Final, Tomokazu Harimoto and Lin Gaoyuan were 2-2 in head to head match-ups. Had you looked at the scoreboard any time during the first half of the Final, […]

ITTF Weekly Rankings: Movement in the Top 10

July 21, 2022

(by Steve Hopkins) For the first time in a long time, the top players in the World are in action and there is some movement in the Top 10. Fan Zhendong is still firmly atop the rankings (with nearly twice as many points as second place). Ma Long is in second and Liang Jingkun still […]