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Tip of the Week – Serving Long

August 5, 2019

(By Larry Hodges) Serving deep has one major advantage and one major disadvantage. The advantage is that it forces an opponent to contact the ball as far from his/her target (your side of the table) as possible. The disadvantage is that it allows an opponent to attack more readily, especially with a loop drive. (Note […]

Do You Want to Know an Opponent’s Rating Before a Match?

July 29, 2019

(By Larry Hodges) If you know your opponent’s rating before a match, you have several advantages: You can use tactics and techniques that will generally defeat that level; If the opponent is lower rated, you can go in with confidence; If the opponent is higher rated, you can go in feeling you have nothing to […]

Coaching tip of the week: Take the Shot

July 8, 2019

(By Larry Hodges) Many players hesitate in taking an aggressive shot because they are afraid of missing. On the contrary, if you are afraid of taking a specific shot, then (unless it’s a championship match), any good coach will tell you that’s a reason to take that shot, so you’ll learn to do it under pressure – […]

Tip of the week: Learning to Win

June 24, 2019

(By Larry Hodges) One of the most common problems players face in their table tennis is the inability to recognize the difference between learning the shots, and learning to win. There’s a big difference. Many players have a good idea of what to do out at the table – but just don’t have the strokes. […]

Tip of the Week – Six-Step Training Progression

June 17, 2019

(By Larry Hodges) Developing your table tennis game is a steady progression from the simple to the more complex. Many players, however, get stuck at the beginning or intermediate stage, and never move on toward developing the more advanced parts of their game. It’s a common syndrome–players spending year after year trying to completely perfect […]

Should You Play Differently at Deuce?

June 10, 2019

(By Larry Hodges) The simple answer is Yes and No. Yes, as in there’s no point any longer on holding back on anything tactically. If you have a tactic, serve, or other shot that the opponent has trouble with, which you’ve been using sparingly so he wouldn’t get used to it, now’s the time to […]

What to Think About Between Points . . . and What NOT to Think About

June 3, 2019

(By Larry Hodges) This is a simple one. Between points, your only thoughts should be tactical. Don’t think or worry about the score, about how important the match or the next point is, about nets and edges, or anything else except tactics. The very act of thinking about your next tactic should clear your mind […]

Why You Should Develop a Backhand Loop

May 27, 2019

(By Larry Hodges) Many players never develop a backhand loop. Some rely on the forehand loop, and so mostly push on the backhand, with the idea of pushing back wide to the backhand to take away the opponent’s forehand loop. Or the player may instead develop a backhand drive (i.e. more of a hit, less […]

Tip of the Week – Recipe for Table Tennis Success

May 20, 2019

(By Larry Hodges) Who knew that cooks could be so good at table tennis! With a little tongue in cheek, and yet the touch of truth, here are fifteen ingredients to table tennis success. 1. Put in lots of practice thyme. 2. Always turnip on time for practice. 3. Lettuce be thankful for all the hard practice you’ve […]

Tip of the Week: First Block and First Counterloop

May 13, 2019

(By Larry Hodges) Do you often have trouble blocking or counterlooping against your opponent’s opening loop against backspin? If you are like most players, of course you do – and there’s a simple reason for it. Most players practice blocking and counterlooping in rallies where they start the rally by serving topspin. And so they […]

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