8/31/09

The New York Table Tennis League

Editorial League - The NYTTL is getting more exciting. The last match between DA and ITTC was an example how leagues are a very attractive event for all kind of players. Literally the club activity suddenly stopped because of the match between both teams. All players eventually stop playing their matches to watch the games. Even some visitors, new players, enjoyed the expertise and experience of the League Players. Click here to read The New York Table Tennis League Newsletter (Newsletter #7, August 28, 2009) to find out more.

8/18/09

LATTF Initiative - A New Era
by Bruce H. Liu

A nice crowd of 40 table tennis people from the Greater Los Angeles area came for the LATTF Initiative. August 16, 2009 might become a historic date for the sport of table tennis in the Greater Los Angeles area. Read More

8/12/09

Paddle Battles
Courtesy of Star Tribune
By HAYLEY TSUKAYAMA, Star Tribune

Get the laundry off that basement pingpong table. Guess which rec-room pastime might be the next big thing?

You could say it started as an underground movement. Read More

6/01/09

Maryland Table Tennis Center's Elite Sunday League
Courtesy of Maryland Table Tennis Center (MDTTC)

Good News! The 2008 -2009 Winter/Spring season of Maryland Table Tennis Center's Elite Sunday League has successfully concluded on May 17, 2009. Read More

4/23/09
3M Table Tennis League

Description of the 3M TT League:
The 3M TT League is part of the 3M Club; and is a mixture of friendly-competition and fun.  It's primarily for 3M Employees and their associated friends/family in the Twin Cities (Saint Paul, Minnesota) area; so, a non-3M employee must know or contact someone in the League, in order to be sponsored and join the League. Read More

4/20/09
Downtown Minneapolis Has a League of its Own
By Mitchell Seidenfeld

Corporate employees and residents of Downtown Minneapolis will be excited to know there is a new table tennis league in town. The Minneapolis Athletic Club, an exclusive Onyx-level Lifetime Fitness health club located inside the Grand Hotel, is hosting a... Read More

3/10/09

1st San Francisco Hardbat Fest of 2009

This past Saturday afternoon, February 28, 2009, between 1:30 and 5:30PM, eight hardbatters, one "liha" enthusiast (plain wood paddle – no rubber, no sponge, no sandpaper), plus a favorite acquaintance of mine came together at the Potrero Hills Neighborhood House gymnasium in San Francisco to participate in the first SF Hardbat Fest of 2009.

Organized by John Lam and hosted and supported by the Twin Dragons, Mike and Dan Marinas, a giant round robin was conducted with each player slated to play the other eight. With three tables dedicated to the event, all 36 matches – each a 21 point, best 2 out of 3 game contest... Read More

3/10/09

LEAGUE DIRECTOR TIP OF THE WEEK
By Mitchell Seidenfeld

Tip #5: Coaching Tips Add Value to Community Leagues

Ten minutes of instruction at the beginning of a league night adds tremendous value for participants of your community league. Consider presenting information on these topics: grip, ready position, adjusting racket angles to return spin, FH Drive, BH Drive, FH Push, BH Push, Shuffle-Step Footwork, how to identify strengths... Read More

3/02/09

An Old Game Going Strong
Courtesy of The Register-Mail

GALESBURG, IL - Way before there was Wii, there was pong.

And way before that, there was ping pong.

No electricity required: Just paddles, table, a net and the little plastic ball. Read More

2/04/09

Tong Tong Gong: Sunday Elite League at MDTTC
By Tong Tong Gong

Every Sunday morning, ten o’clock sharp, my dad and I have to drive one hour 20 minutes to MDTTC to play the Sunday Elite League. This time we played in a big round robin, it didn’t mix well, sort of like combining black and white and hoping for blue. I was the... Read More

1/28/09

Northern California TT Club, home to JiaQi Zheng, the current No. 4 U.S. Women's player, Creates Excitement with new Point-Handicap League
By Robert Palgon

For the past two weeks there has been a lot of additional excitement and newfound fun on Saturday afternoons at the Ping Pong Dojo Table Tennis Club in Milpitas, CA since... Read More

12/09/08

LEAGUE DIRECTOR TIP OF THE WEEK
By Mitchell Seidenfeld

Tip #4: Offer to teach a beginner table tennis course through a Community Education or Parks and Recreation department in your area.

A great way to establish a new playing location in your area is to organize a beginner table tennis course through the community education or parks and recreation department. When you teach a table tennis course through one of these organizations you achieve several... Read More

11/10/08

Leagues at Life Time Fitness in Minnesota
By Mitchell Seidenfeld

Table Tennis leagues are up-and-running at two Life Time Fitness clubs in Minnesota. Between the two clubs, one in Fridley, MN and one in Bloomington, MN, there are a total of seven leagues, over 140 participants... Read More

10/24/08

LEAGUE DIRECTOR TIP OF THE WEEK
By Mitchell Seidenfeld

Tip #3: Build Your Mailing List

I’m not an expert on database management or any other computer-related activity, but one thing of which I’m certain is that you must begin to build your mailing list now. You can do it with specialized electronic mailing list (e-list) software, an excel spreadsheet, or a pencil and paper. Read More

9/16/08

LEAGUE DIRECTOR TIP OF THE WEEK
By Mitchell Seidenfeld

Tip #2: Use the Universal Point-Handicap System for recreational table tennis leagues

The United States Golf Association knew, as far back as the early twentieth century, that by leveling the playing field for golfers of differing abilities they would encourage growth in their sport. They created an enduring handicap system that has allowed golfers of different skill levels to compete against each other, measure... Read More

8/29/08

LEAGUE DIRECTOR TIP OF THE WEEK
By Mitchell Seidenfeld

Tip #1: Affiliate your club or organization with USATT

One of the first things you should do if you are looking to organize a table tennis club or program is to affiliate your organization with USATT. When you affiliate with USATT your club or organization becomes eligible to receive these ... Read More

8/05/08

Butterfly Leagues Talking Points
By Mitchell Seidenfeld

As part of our effort to promote the development of Community Leagues, we believe that it is important to provide as much information as possible to potential league directors. We hope these talking points will give you confidence to go out and find new playing locations, recruit and retain recreational players, and make leagues a catalyst for the growth of our sport. Read More

7/11/08

Aurora (CO) Table Tennis Spring League
By: Richard McAfee

The Aurora Table Tennis Club is a proud member of the Butterfly League Program. We just completed our Spring Table League with fifty-four players competing over the last eight weeks. League play is on Thursday Nights and players are placed... Read More

4/29/08

Building U.S. Table Tennis...
By Mitchell Seidenfeld

Can we build table tennis in the U.S. and Canada? Absolutely! We can do it one community league at a time. When you organize a community league you are doing more than providing a place for people to play; you are building a table tennis community. In Butterfly League Table Tennis we call the entry-level leagues Community Leagues. For the purposes of this article, we will define "community leagues" in a broader sense to include any kind of league that relies on a particular community of players. We can ...Read More

2/28/08

Minnesota Community League Crowns Fall and Winter Champions
By: Mitchell Seidenfeld

Back in September Dan Fowell was just one of twenty-four table tennis enthusiasts who had joined the Bloomington, Minnesota Community League looking for fun and better ...Read More

1/16/08

Westinghouse Table Tennis League is Underway
Courtesy of Ed Mercier / Westinghouse Table Tennis Club

A new Westinghouse table tennis league is off to a roaring start thanks to the encouragement and support of both Butterfly and Mitch ...Read More

1/14/08

STTC Butterfly Sunday League

Courtesy of Masaaki Tajima

Across the country, more leagues are forming with different formats and purposes than ever before. Some failed like others in the past due to myriad of reasons, but leagues are necessary in ...Read More

8/15/07

What Is Butterfly League Table Tennis?

The Butterfly League system is comprised of four levels of leagues: Community; Competition; Elite; and Super. Read More

5/16/07

Five Great Reasons to Start a Community League

1. Community Leagues are fun for everyone!

2. Every Community Should Have a Table Tennis League.
3. Community Leagues are a great way to organize regular play.
4. Community Leagues can generate income for you or your non-profit organization.
5. Community Leagues are the best way to fuel the growth of table tennis in the U.S.

Read more about the 5 Great Reasons.