PongNow: Mal Anderson

Posted on August 8, 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 we have, Mal Anderson, USATT Photographic Historian and Hall of Fame member. Get to know Mal and some of his 72,000 American Table Tennis photos.    Mal Anderson was a […]

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Dude Perfect (and Adam Bobrow): Ping Pong Trick Shots

Posted on August 6, 2020

(by Steve Hopkins) Dude Perfect is a group of YouTubers specializing in trick shots.  Some of their past videos have included card throwing, water bottle flips, blindfolded archery, golf with a soccer ball, and many others.  This week, Dude Perfect focused on table tennis trick shots and they were joined by ITTF announcer and table […]

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Ask The Experts: Larry Thoman No. 352

Posted on August 6, 2020

Butterfly Table Tennis Question and Answer Question: Hello, I purchased the Practice Partner 20. Is there a way to adjust so when the machine throws the ball it’s without any spin. Just to shoot out normal, with no spin? Are there any particular adjustments. Answer:  This Ask the Experts question was answered by Larry Thoman. He […]

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More NBA (table tennis) Updates

Posted on August 5, 2020

(by Steve Hopkins) The NBA restart is underway, and table tennis side games continue. Most recently, fans were treated to photos of  Dallas Mavericks Luka Doncic and Boban Marjanovic (photo above) making a full size table look really, really small.   Not to be outdone, the Utah Jazz posted photos of their team table tennis […]

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BUTTERFLY FAVORITES: The Control of Tiago Apolonia

Posted on August 5, 2020

(by Steve Hopkins) This is a 2014 video posted by TT Tributes.  The focus of the video is the control of Portugal’s Tiago Apolonia.  Tiago is known for great technique and great movement.  He is an exciting and mobile player who has developed a game with many safe and careful shots.  His style makes for […]

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Coaching Tip of the Week: How to Vary Your Receive Against Short Backspin Serves

Posted on August 3, 2020

(By Larry Hodges) Most players return short backhand serves with a simple push, without much thought to it. This makes the player predictable and vulnerable to third-ball attacks. The key is to vary the return. Let’s take a look at just how many effective returns you can actually do against a short backspin serve – […]

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USATT Launches Challenge Series

Posted on August 3, 2020

(by Steve Hopkins) USA Table Tennis conducted its first Challenge Series event last Thursday (July 30).  The series has been dubbed “America’s First Virtual Table Tennis Challenge”, though the virtual aspects of the matches refer to the fan’s experience from home.  The challenges will feature Thursday matches between US National Team members.  The first match […]

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WAB CLUB FEATURE: Massachusetts Table Tennis and Badminton Club

Posted on August 2, 2020

(by Steve Hopkins) Massachusetts Table Tennis and Badminton Club (MATTBC) is located in Waltham, about 12 miles to the West of downtown Boston.  The club is just off of I-95 and with easy access via public transportation is centrally located for the greater Boston area. The club is one of the biggest professional table tennis-badminton club […]

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PongNow: Scott Preiss

Posted on July 31, 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 we have, the Ping Pong Man, Scott Preiss.   Scott Preiss is a table tennis player, coach, promoter, and entertainer.  His Ping Pong Man events have provided exhibitions to thousands. and […]

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BUTTERFLY FAVORITES: Hitoshi Ueda Forehand Touch Serve Returns

Posted on July 31, 2020

(by Steve Hopkins) This is a recent video posted by Japanese player Hitoshi Ueda.  It shows  two techniques for forehand short serve returns.  *I am sure there is a lot of great commentary that I am missing (with my language barrier), but the instruction is pretty straight forward (visually) in the video.  Arrows and repetition […]

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