(by Larry Hodges) Know the rules, or at least the more important ones. Examine opponent’s racket at start of match. Don’t rub your fingers over the playing surface, which can get grease on it and anger your opponent. If he has pips, then perhaps rub your finger on one along the edge. If it’s antispin, […]
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The Power of a Stare
(by Larry Hodges) This really could mean two things. Some players try to unsettle their opponents by staring at them between points or when about to serve. I’ve never been able to decide whether this is proper gamesmanship or poor sportsmanship. You decide. But there’s a more important stare, and that’s the one that allows […]
Stop Trying to Fix a Stroke While Hitting a Ball
(by Larry Hodges) Have a problem with a stroke? Need to change the technique? Well, by golly, if you’re like most players, you’ll head out to the table and practice doing the stroke correctly. No!!! If you’re like most players, you’ll be struggling to both change the stroke and adjust to the new timing of […]
Should You Guard Against the Long or Short Serve?
(by Larry Hodges) You can ask three coaches this question and get three different answers. Some say guard against the deep serve and react to the short one. Some say the opposite. Some say guard against both equally. Make that four different answers, because my answer is, “It depends.” I once coached a top player […]
Leave Your Comfort Zone to Develop Strategically
(by Larry Hodges) Let’s get right to the point – you must lose to improve. Why? Because developing your game means adding new techniques. When you add these techniques, they won’t be developed yet, so they won’t be consistent nor will you be comfortable yet in using them. Most players have their “comfort zones.” If […]
The Surprise Test
(by Larry Hodges) When you miss a shot, how do you react? If your first reaction is anger or disgust, you are going about it all wrong. Yes, some top players do show anger or disgust when they miss a shot, but that’s usually a secondary reaction, one that hits them only after their first and […]
Hitting to the Same Spot Twice
(by Larry Hodges) It’s important to play to all three spots – wide forehand, wide backhand, and the middle (the mid-point between the opponent’s forehand and backhand, roughly their playing elbow). But often players inadvertently only play to two of them, and opponents, either consciously or (more often) subconsciously pick up on this and so […]
Down the Line Training
(by Larry Hodges) There are two reasons for practicing down-the-line shots. First, because in games you want to use the whole table so the opponent has to cover the whole table, and to do that you need to be able to play wide in both directions, crosscourt and down the line. Second, to quote USTT […]
What to Do in the First Game
(by Larry Hodges) The simple answer to this question, for most people, is obvious: WIN!. But there are really four things you should be doing in that first game. First, you want to force your game on your opponent. This means both finding ways to set up your shots and getting those shots going. If […]
Smother the Table When Blocking
(by Larry Hodges) The best advice I ever received about blocking was to think of it as “Smothering the table.” I don’t remember who told me this, but the advice really works. The point is that blocking should be a quick shot, and to do that, you have to stay close to the table, i.e. […]
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(by: Edgardo Vázquez /Puerto Rico National Coach ) Among the rising stars are Brianna Rodríguez and Owen Shemesh,… Read More
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(By Larry Hodges) In my day, there were players who received short serves much better with their backhand… Read More
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