March 10, 2016
Service Practice Tricks
What tricks can you make the ball do when serving? Can you put two balls on the far corners of the table and knock them both off with two fast, deep serves? Serve backspin so the ball comes back into the net – or even bounce back over it? Can you serve sidespin serves that bounce on the far left court and then curve into the right court and off the right side-line? Can you start with a forehand pendulum serve and then, at the last second, contact the ball with the backhand side (often with a quick, down-the-line topspin serve)? Can you toss the ball under your leg when serving? These are some of the "fun" serving tricks you might try. Hint – this'll be part of an upcoming Tip of the Week – some of these tricks are useful to practice as they give you the control to do effective serves. (Okay, not the under-the-leg one – that's not legal since you can't hide the ball from opponents, right?)
14 Months of Books
I know, I know, to half of you the very title makes your eyes glaze over. Sorry!!! But here's a listing of the 43 books I read from 2015 to the present (so just over 14 months), not in the order that I read them. They include eight books on table tennis, with my reviews on six of them. (But don't forget about my books!) And somehow I still manage to read the Washington Post every day, as well as Scientific American, The Bulletin of SFWA, Table Tennis Insider, and about five other magazines . . . there was a time when I used to devour a new book every day or so, but these days I just don't have the time, plus I'm also into doing crosswords at lunch, which take up time I could be reading. (Confession – I'm in a rush to finish this morning as I'm off to see my tax accountant. I'll try to be more substantive tomorrow.)
TABLE TENNIS (8)
- The Metaphysics of Ping-Pong (2015) by Guido Mina di Sospiro. Here's my review.
- Mental Strength – with Jan-Ove Waldner's Tips for Peak Performance (2013), by Gregor Schill and Malin Pettersson. Here's my review
- 100 Days of Table Tennis (2015) by Samson Dubina. Here's my review (see right side of page – more a promotional segment).
- Ping Pong for Fighters (2014) by Tahl Leibovitz. Here's my review.
- Ogi: The Life of Ichiro Ogimura (2009) by Mitsuro Jojima. Here's my review, which includes ordering info at the end.
- Ping-Pong Diplomacy (2015) by Nicholas Griffin. Here's my review.
- My Secret Life as a Ping-Pong Wizard (2005) by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver. Children's book.
- The Mystery of the Lost Racket (2013) by Enzo Pettinelli. Children's book.
NON-FICTION (6)
- Napoleon: A Life, by Andrew Roberts (900+ pages)
- The Quantum Moment by Robert Crease and Alfred Goldhaber
- Leading Change by John Cotter
- The Third Chimpanzee by Jared Diamond
- Putting It Together by Mike Resnick (book on writing)
- How to Write Funny, edited by John Kachuba
FICTION (29 - all science fiction or fantasy)
- Quantum Night by Robert J. Sawyer
- Seven Eves by Neal Stephenson
- Tuf Voyaging by George R.R. Martin
- Ancient Shores by Jack McDevitt
- Coming Home by Jack McDevitt
- The Cassandra Project by Jack McDevitt and Mike Resnick
- Barsk: The Elephants Graveyard by Lawrence Schoen
- The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
- The Princess Bride by William Goldman
- The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick
- The Martian by Andy Weir
- Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
- Foundation by Isaac Asimov (reread this series)
- Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov
- Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov
- Eagle Against the Stars by Steve White
- The Wizard and the White House by Mike Maggio
- I Am Not a Serial Killer by Dan Wells
- Mr. Monster by Dan Wells
- Summer Knight (The Dresden Files book #4) by Jim Butcher
- Death Masks (The Dresden Files book #5) by Jim Butcher
- Blood Rites (The Dresden Files book #6) by Jim Butcher
- Dead Beat (The Dresden Files book #7) by Jim Butcher
- Proven Guilty (The Dresden Files book #8) by Jim Butcher
- White Night (The Dresden Files book #9) by Jim Butcher
- Alternate Presidents, edited by Mike Resnick
- Unidentified Funny Objects, edited by Alex Shvartsman
- After Death, edited by Eric Guignard (I have a story in this one, "The Devil's Backbone")
- Time Travel SF, edited by Mike Ashley
Coaching Articles from Samson Dubina
Here are two new ones.
- Table Tennis Recognition – "Learn about the importance and pitfalls of recognition."
- The Future of Table Tennis – Samson gives his "5 predictions about the future" of coaching and technique, involving ball placement, style of play, variations, fitness, and multi-tasking.
Ask the Coach Show
Episode #238 (21:50) - Using Your Wrist for Forehands (and other segments).
Message to Athletes: Hard Work is Never in the Spotlight
Here's the Under-Armour commercial (92 sec) where Michael Phelp's training regimen is highlighted. It's no different for table tennis. Stop by any top table tennis center and you'll find those special few who put in the time with such a regimen. Even if you can't do it like these few, if you put in some of these "training in the dark" hours, you'll improve for when you are in the spotlight.
Team Leader Selection Procedures for 2016 Paralympic Games
Here's the USATT info page.
Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Athlete Hopeful
Here's the video (2:03) about table tennis wheelchair player Jesse Cejudo of Phoenix, Arizona.
This Ping Pong Prodigy is Off to China to Become an Olympic Star
Here's the video (3:44) from the BBC of 9-year-old Anna Hursey from Wales.
Joseph Randle Hit People with Car over Beer Pong
Here's the story. "Former Dallas Cowboys running back Joseph Randle has been ordered to receive mental health treatment at an inpatient facility, and you will understand why when you hear the alleged details from one of his latest arrests." John Olsen, who sent this to me, wrote, "I think you should have it as a morality play, beer pong is evil, ping-pong is good!"
Table Tennis Love
Here's the image from Mike Mezyan!
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