Site Products
Larry Hodges, table tennis coach

Experiment and Learn

(by Larry Hodges)

Once you have reached a certain level, it’s easy to rest on your laurels. That doesn’t mean you don’t work hard to improve your game. It means that you work hard only to improve the parts of your game that you have already developed.

Instead, be a learning player. You should experiment and learn something new every time you play. If you don’t, then you are stuck in a rut and will find it difficult to improve as fast as you could if you kept learning. Experiment! Try out new things. In particular, try out different serve variations, different receives, deceptive moves on a shot, changes of pace, and different placements. I played a much stronger player recently and got a game off him for one reason only – I discovered that if I occasionally dead-blocked to the middle of the table, he got soft, while if I did it to his forehand or backhand side, he was all over it. Guess what I did? But I wouldn’t have learned that if I hadn’t experimented, and now I have a new weapon against him – and probably against other, similar players.

Experimenting doesn’t mean you spend most your practice time trying out all sorts of shots. There’s a time and place for everything. In most drills, you need to focus more on repetition so you can perfect the shots. But mastering a shot doesn’t mean you shouldn’t also be experimenting.

So, what are you experimenting on and what have you learned?

Latest News

Latest Rankings: Chuqin to 1, Calderano to 3

September 16, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) China’s top two paddlers swapped spots in the latest World Rankings, with Wang… Read More

A Chopper’s Delight

September 16, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins) When the Sugarhill Gang released “Rapper’s Delight”, few could have imagined either the immediate or… Read More

MLTT Is Back in Charlotte!

September 15, 2025
(by: Major League Table Tennis) See the Carolina Gold Rush Next Weekend Get ready for an action-packed three… Read More

Chopping and Playing Choppers – It’s All About the Mindset

September 15, 2025
(By Larry Hodges) Member of US Table Tennis Hall of Fame I’ve coached many choppers during a match,… Read More

WAB CLUB FEATURE: Folsom Table Tennis Club

September 14, 2025
(By Steve Hopkins) The Folsom Table Tennis Club has two locations nestled in the greater Sacramento region of… Read More

WTT Champions Macao: A New Number One ?

September 14, 2025
(By Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) The surprises ended on the final day, as the higher seed won each of… Read More

ITTF Pan American U11 & U13 Championships: Recap

September 14, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins, photo USATT) The ITTF Pan American U11 & U13 Championships concluded last week in Antigua… Read More

WTT Champions Macao: Anders Lind Makes Semis

September 13, 2025
(By Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) Anders Lind headlined the penultimate day with a 4-3 upset win over World No.… 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.