(By Larry Hodges) Few things are more frustrating than missing an easy smash that costs you a game or match. Especially under pressure, it’s easy to miss them. But if you follow three rules, you will never miss another one. Really! The three rules for never missing a smash are simple. Until the point is […]
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Coaching Tip Of The Week: Do You Have a Quadruple Threat Receive?
(By Larry Hodges) Many players get used to receiving any given serve the same way, because it’s safer that way. This is especially true against short serves, where many players predictably push everything back long. Others reach in and predictably flip over and over. But this makes things easier for the server, since he knows […]
Coaching Tip of the Week: Three Types of Anticipation
(By Larry Hodges) There are three main types of anticipation in table tennis. You develop all three by practice and observation. Often the key to all of these is to learn when your opponent has committed to what he’s doing, especially his direction, so you can anticipate and react to his shot earlier than if […]
Coaching Tip of The Week: Mind Games: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
(By Larry Hodges) There are mind games in all sports. Some are okay; others are not. The key difference is whether the mind game involves some sort of table tennis skill or tactic, as opposed to just finding ways to bother or even cheat the opponent. If an opponent plays mind games and it’s bad […]
Coaching Tip of the Week: Five Ways to Take Away an Opponent’s Big Shot
(By Larry Hodges) Attack first. Most attackers want to attack first. Push well. This means low, deep, heavy or varied, quick off the bounce, and to wide angles, with last-second changes of direction. Go to his strong side first, when you get to choose the shot. If his strong side is the forehand, then go […]
Coaching tip of the week: Don’t Practice Hesitation
(By Larry Hodges) To improve, it’s important to do footwork drills. Some are simple, such as side-to-side forehand-forehand drills. Others are more complicated. For example, you might do a drill that starts with your partner pushing to your backhand, you backhand (or forehand) loop to his backhand, and then he blocks to your forehand. Advanced […]
Coaching Tip of the Week: Don’t Warm Up Your Opponent During a Match
(By Larry Hodges) A common mistake I’ve seen is for a player to find something that seems to work in a match, and then go to the well too often – they use that tactic so often that the opponent gets used to it. This is a double-whammy – if you do this, not only […]
Coaching Tip of the Week: Sometimes Challenge an Opponent’s Strength
(By Larry Hodges) Sometimes it’s a good tactic to go after an opponent’s strength. After all, his game is probably based on getting that shot into play, and so you are probably going to have to face it – so rather than have the opponent choose when he’ll use it, why don’t you pick choose those times? For example, […]
Coaching Tip of the Week: The Grinding Mentality – How to Play It and Against It
(By Larry Hodges) Here is how I would describe the “grinding” mentality. It means a willingness to play as many shots as needed, never missing, while refusing to make a single weak return, whether pushing, chopping, or counter-hitting, with a focus on returning anything that’s not smashed or loop-killed, and relying on your reflexes to […]
Coaching Tip Of The Week: Analyze an Unorthodox Style from the Opponent’s Point of View
(By Larry Hodges) Many players fear playing unorthodox styles because they both aren’t used to and don’t know how to play them. Often they spend so much of their mental energy trying to figure out what they should do that they don’t consider it from the opponent’s point of view. Doing so is a shortcut […]
Wait Function – Practice Your Serve & Follow-Up
June 25, 2025
WAIT FUNCTION: Serve short backspin or side backspin to Forehand, Robot plays long backspin push to Forehand, Forehand… Read More
Forehand Counterloop
June 24, 2025
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips, Bob Chen breaks down how to execute the Forehand Counterloop… Read More
Stay Lower
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Forehand topspin against backspin that comes half long to Forehand – aim to Backhand (imagine 2nd ball bounce… Read More
Mental Training Tip – Finding Your Champion Mindset: Lessons from Hugo Calderano’s Historic Victory
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(by Dr. Alan Chu, Ph.D., CMPC) When Hugo Calderano stepped onto the court for the 2025 ITTF Men’s… Read More
MLTT Featured Team: Portland Paddlers
June 23, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins, photo MLTT) The Portland Paddlers are navigating the current of the West Division of the… Read More
WTT Star Contender Ljubijana: Calderano Wins Again
June 23, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) Hugo Calderano has done it again – winning the WTT Star Contender Series… Read More
Calderano, Jorgic, and both Lebruns reach Semis in Slovenia
June 23, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins) Top seeded Hugo Calderano met stiff competition at the WTT Star Contender Series event in… Read More
WAB CLUB FEATURE: Bridgeport Sports Club
June 23, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins) At over 14,000 square feet, the Bridgeport Sports Club one of the largest table tennis… Read More
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