Site Products
Larry Hodges

Coaching Tip of The Week: Think Tactics, Then Let Go

Posted on

(By Larry Hodges)

Between points, think about what you want to do, especially at the start of the rally – what serve to use, what type of receives. Think about what shots you want to do during a rally against any given shot as well – looping, hitting, quick blocks, etc. Keep it simple. Your subconscious mind will get the message about what to do, and it will learn to reflexively go for the shots you are thinking about. However, before the rally starts, blank out your mind, and let the shots just happen – “Let go.” If you try to control your shots during a rally, you will not play well. The conscious mind isn’t nearly as fast or coordinated as the subconscious mind.

Stay “In The Loop” with Butterfly professional table tennis equipment, table tennis news, table tennis technology, tournament results, and We Are Butterfly players, coaches, clubs and more.

Latest News

Use More Forearm

March 9, 2026
Logan Forehand short backspin serve from Backhand to Backhand, robot plays long backspin Forehand, Forehand topspin from Forehand… Read More

Return to Ready Position Even When Blocking in Drills or Warmup

March 9, 2026
(By Larry Hodges, Member of US Table Tennis Hall of Fame One of the banes of my coaching… Read More

Lots of Changes in the Rankings

March 8, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins) Wang Chuqin has held on to the top position, but there was some shuffling throughout… Read More

WAB CLUB FEATURE: Rhode Island Table Tennis

March 8, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins) For most of the year, the Rhode Island Club is open 5 days each week for… Read More

WTT Champions Chongqing Preview

March 8, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins) We don't always do "preview" articles on WTT Champions events, but this particular event isn't… Read More

Contact More in Front of the Body

March 6, 2026
Robot plays long backspin to Backhand, Logan plays Backhand long push to FH, robot plays long topspin to… Read More

Want a More Aggressive Chop?

March 4, 2026
Robot plays long backspin to Backhand, Logan plays Backhand long push to Backhand, robot plays 2 times long… Read More

Geovanni Coello – Panamerican Masters Championship

March 3, 2026
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips, Geovanny Coello is in action as he wins the Panamerican… Read More
View All News

Get the latest from Butterfly

Stay “In The Loop” with Butterfly professional table tennis equipment, table tennis news, table tennis technology, tournament results, and We Are Butterfly players, coaches, clubs and more.