Site Products
Larry Hodges

Coaching Tip of the Week – Use Practice Matches to Practice

(By Larry Hodges)

Exactly as the heading says – this is the time to try out new things, develop new techniques, and improve your game. If a player has trouble looping, for example, many will fall back on more successful shots in practice – and so continue to have trouble looping. Instead, use those very shots that need to be developed in practice matches so that they will eventually be developed enough to use in more important matches.

So, take a good look at where your game is, and where you want it to (realistically) be in the relatively near future. Then play that way in practice until you can do it well.

One thing that really helps when trying out new things is to find a weaker player to work on using new techniques in a game situation. For example, if you need work on looping against backspin, play games against someone, usually a weaker player, where you can serve backspin, he likely pushes it back, and you get to work on looping against backspin. If you play a strong player, he’ll likely make stronger returns (flips, short pushes, or long pushes that you aren’t quite ready for yet), and you won’t get as much practice. (Plus, the games likely won’t be competitive.) Or just play improvised games where the receiver always has to push back long, and then you both get to work on looping backspin!

Stay “In The Loop” with Butterfly professional table tennis equipment, table tennis news, table tennis technology, tournament results, and We Are Butterfly players, coaches, clubs and more.

Latest News

Keep Your Racket Above the Table Surface

October 22, 2025
Serve, short game, flip with defense to offense (wait function) Jhon serves short backspin, robot plays short backspin… Read More

Use a lot of Wrist and Forearm

October 21, 2025
Serve, short game, flip with defense to offense (wait function) Jhon serves short backspin, robot plays short backspin… Read More

Never Use “Full Power”

October 21, 2025
(By Larry Hodges) When you see a ball you can put away, mentally (and possibly physically) your eyes… Read More

Pan Am Teams: Argentina and Puerto Rico Score Gold, TeamUSA Settles for Two Silvers

October 20, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins) The Americans were the second seed in the Men’s Team event, and they performed exactly… Read More

WAB CLUB FEATURE: Greater Vancouver Table Tennis Club

October 20, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins) Founded in 2019 by Wilson Peng Zhang, the Greater Vancouver Table Tennis Club (GVTTC) is… Read More

Butterfly Training Tips with Maybelline Bravo – Backhand Loop & Pivot Forehand Loop

October 20, 2025
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tip Maybelline is executing Backhand Loop, then a pivot and Forehand… Read More

Nishant Lebaka – Forehand Smash Changing Position

October 19, 2025
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips, Nishant Lebaka is focusing on his Forehand Smash from the… Read More

Kou Lei – Combo FH Push to Attack

October 18, 2025
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips, Kou Lei is working with on of his students on… Read More
View All News

Get the latest from Butterfly

Stay “In The Loop” with Butterfly professional table tennis equipment, table tennis news, table tennis technology, tournament results, and We Are Butterfly players, coaches, clubs and more.