A Tip of the Week will go up every Monday by noon.

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Published:

07/03/2023 - 19:34

Author: Larry Hodges

One of the toughest things is convincing developing and even advanced players to slow down for consistency. Too often they want to play at a rat-a-tat superspeed, believing that the way to develop fast rallying speed is to practice using full speed before they can control it, and that consistency will eventually come.

Wrong!!!

All this does is ingrain the habit of spraying the ball everywhere with erratic, inconsistent shots. Instead, find a pace that you can rally at consistently, and practice at that pace, so you can actually develop that consistency with good technique. As you improve, you can increase the pace. The goal is good technique and timing. Once you have those two ingrained, power is easy.

Published:

06/26/2023 - 05:17

Author: Larry Hodges

One of the hardest things for players and coaches to do is see things from the opponent’s point of view. They think about what they want to do, and about tactically playing into specific weaknesses of the opponent. But they aren't really seeing things as the opponent sees it.

It's easy for an experienced coach or player to figure out what the opponent's strengths and weaknesses are, and then work out the tactics to play him. What's harder is to continuously see things from their point of view as the game progresses. Tactics aren't static; they change as the match continues. If a serve works once, that may have been because of surprise. Only if you can see it from the opponent's point of view can you better figure out if he'll be ready for it the next time. The same is true of other tactics. Did he block your spinny loop off the end because he was caught off guard by it, or because he's actually weak against it? Will he adjust? How often should you use that serve or spinny loop to maximize its effectiveness without letting the opponent get used to it? What exactly do you do that "scares" the opponent?

These are the questions that can only be answered if you see things from the opponent's point of view. So, for the tactically minded, it's an important habit to develop.

However, this can also be overdone. You don't want to get so wrapped up with seeing things from the opponent's point of view that you lose track of what you want and should be doing. Ideally, you should be forcing your game on the opponent, and trying to make him adjust to you more than you have to adjust to him. But it's a balancing act - and finding that balance only comes from being able to see it from both sides, and with experience, learning to apply both.

Or become a mind-reader. That makes things a lot easier!

Published:

06/19/2023 - 15:16

Author: Larry Hodges

Many players reflexively reach for the ball when caught out of position. This means leaning toward the ball, with your weight on the foot in the direction you are trying to move - and so you can no longer move in that direction! And so, rather than move into position you are forced to lunge for the ball. If you'd instead stepped, you would be in a much better position to make a good shot. This is a fundamental problem that should be fixed. Instead, the first reflex should be to step to the ball, while staying balanced. Reaching should only happen as a last resort. (Stepping includes shuffling so both of your feet move together.)

The only "good" lunging is after you have already stepped to the ball, and still cannot reach it. (It means you were truly caught out of position, a separate problem you might want to address.)

One way to practice this is to imagine a loose-fitting hat on your head, or actually wear one. Try to move without the hat falling off. This forces you to stay balanced as you move to the ball rather than lunge. And then, if you still can't get to the ball, only then should you make a last-second lunge as your hat falls off.

Published:

06/12/2023 - 15:55

Author: Larry Hodges

Mike Tyson once said, "I tried to punch his nose bone into his brain." That's a rather graphic way of showing how to maximize power as well as killer instinct. (That's a separate issue.) But it is one of the reasons why he had such power. In boxing, they tell you to punch through the target. This forces you to accelerate your fist through the target, thereby maximizing power.

The principle is the same in table tennis. When you are looping or smashing, don't think of hitting the ball; think of accelerating through the ball. If you just hit the ball, then you lose much of this natural power. Don't try to spastically "muscle" the ball; it should be a smooth acceleration through the ball, leading to "natural power."

And if you want to add in some killer instinct, smack the ball so it goes right through the table! That way you not only get power . . . but you make sure it actually hits the table.

Published:

06/05/2023 - 14:58

Author: Larry Hodges

In the standard random drill, one player (the "feeder") plays backhand (or forehand) randomly anywhere while the other player (the "driller") keeps it to his backhand (or forehand). There are really two things going on here, as both players are actually doing a drill.

For the "driller," he's reacting to ("neuromuscular adaptation"), moving to (footwork), and stroking (technique) the ball. He's also learning to recover from the placements of the feeder. This is one of the most game-like rally drills you can do. Do the drill regularly and it becomes instinctive.

For the "feeder," it's key to remember that he's also doing the drill. However, his focus is on consistency and placement. Consistency is key, as with all drills. However, to get the most out of this drill, focus equally on placement. This is where you learn to go to the "three spots" - wide forehand, wide backhand, or elbow (midway between forehand and backhand). But it’s not just randomly playing the three spots – this drill allows players to learn what combinations work. For example, when you go at the middle, it forces the opponent to move out of position to play forehand or backhand – and so one of the corners open up. Sometimes the player overreacts to cover the open corner, and so the other corner is the one that opens up. This drill allows the backhand player to learn how best to maneuver the opponent around. Do the drill regularly, and it becomes instinctive.

In both cases above, the key phrase was "Do the drill regularly, and it becomes instinctive." When it becomes instinctive, you'll do it in a game, and your level will shoot up.