WAB FEATURED CLUB: World Champions Table Tennis Academy

May 31, 2020

(by Steve Hopkins) The World Champions Table Tennis Academy (WCTTA ) was the USA’s first full-time, professional table tennis Academy. Located in Santa Clara, California – in the heart of the Silicon Valley – the WCTTA offers private lessons, group training sessions, training camps, league competitions, and other special events. Created to serve the community, WCTTA […]

Open Doors: Texas Table Tennis Center (Houston)

May 30, 2020

(by Steve Hopkins) The Texas Table Tennis Center (TTT) opened last week in Houston, Texas. Beginning Wednesday, May 18, the State of Texas allowed gyms to reopen and TTT opened for the first time two days later on May 20th. When they opened, they did so with reduced capacity. The tables were rearranged with mostly […]

Seemiller – The American: 2020 Trials Feature

May 29, 2020

Seemiller: The American (by Steve Hopkins) One of the most storied players in American table tennis history, Dan Seemiller. He first qualified for the US Team in 1972, was the top ranked player in the country by 1974, won five US National Championships, and logged an amazing international record that at one point included completing […]

WAB FEATURED CLUB: Canadian Elite Table Tennis Centre

May 24, 2020

(by Steve Hopkins) The Canadian Elite Table Tennis Training Centre (“the Centre” or “Elite”) is a table tennis club and training center in Mississauga, Ontario. Mississauga is just to the West of Toronto, about 30 kilometers from the city center. The facility is just off the Ontario 401 Express, easily accessible to the greater Toronto area. […]

PongNow: Two-Time US Open Champion Thomas Keinath

May 23, 2020

by (Steve Hopkins) The PongNow interview series discusses table tennis with some of the best players and personalities in the sport. In this edition, professional player and coach Thomas Keinath shares stories about playing for the German National Team, about pursuing the Olympics, about playing at the US Open (where he won two singles titles), […]

ITTF Releases COVID-19 Recommendations

May 22, 2020

(by Steve Hopkins) On Friday, the ITTF released a document titled COVID-19 Guidelines. The Detailed Guide (PDF) and the One-page instructions (PDF) are available through the ITTF website. The recommendations are very similar to recommendations provided by other sports and other businesses. Personal hygiene is stressed. Masks should be worn, cover one’s mouth when coughing or sneezing. […]

Open Doors: San Antonio Table Tennis Club

May 22, 2020

(by Steve Hopkins) The San Antonio Table Tennis Club (SATTC) opened last week in San Antonio, Texas. Beginning Monday, May 18, the State of Texas allowed gyms to reopen and SATTC followed the guidelines and opened their doors. The rules initially allowed for gyms to open at 25% occupant capacity. As the club only has […]

Butterfly R40+ Ball: A Non-Pro Review

May 21, 2020

(by Steve Hopkins) I recently had opportunity to play with the Butterfly R40+ Ball. The R40+ is a new product, and was not widely released before the current health crisis shut down the sport in most locations. I generally start my reviews by noting that I’m not a pro. I am a 2000-level club player and a […]

Kanak’s Voice

May 20, 2020

(by Steve Hopkins) On Tuesday night’s finale of NBC’s musical competition series “The Voice”, there was a segment promoting the Olympics. The show hosts were paired with Olympic athletes and given a quick preview of those athlete’s sports. The hosts then tried to participate. Blake Shelton tried Olympic Curling, John Legend tried Artistic Swimming, and […]

BUTTERFLY FAVORITES – The Beauty of the Butterfly Blade

May 19, 2020

(by Steve Hopkins) We pulled this video out of the archives from late 2017 (the video is titled “How Butterfly Table Tennis Blades are Made”). It was designed to demonstrate the detailed craftsmanship, consistency, and quality. But for this time of crisis in some areas of the US, this is a nice memory of the […]