January 27, 2025

Tip of the Week
Do You Serve a Lot of Net Serves? Good!!!

Weekend Coaching, Tips, Eyes, and Shoulder
Over the last few weeks several new players have joined our junior training program. I’ve worked a lot with each of them, working on developing their fundamentals. I think one of the key things here is focusing on grip and stance – if you get both of those right, the rest often falls into place as if you were holding two ends of a rubber band. Get either wrong, and the rubber band (the player) gets twisted. (Here’s my Tip from almost 13 years ago on this, Grip and Stance.)

On the forehand, it’s also important to focus on the idea that you rotate the shoulders back, thereby giving yourself a big hitting zone to the side. Once that becomes a habit, the rest becomes easy.

You know the quickest way to teach spinny serves? Let the kids take turns trying to return my serves. (I keep saying, “My serves cannot be returned.” Eventually someone gets one back, I act all surprised and disgusted, and the kid all excited.) When they see these serves, they all want to learn them, and instead of us trying to teach them, they want us to teach them. Then I start them off by just tossing the ball up, spinning it with their racket, and catching the ball, and repeat. It’s amazing how fast they pick it up. Soon they are serving backspins that stop on the table or even roll back into the net.

I had another long afternoon writing up Tips of the Week. I keep a file of Tip ideas, and periodically write them up. I have enough Tips now written for through April.

As noted previously, I’ve developed cataracts – no wonder I’ve had difficulty reading spin, especially sponge serves! My left eye is 20-70, my right eye 20-150. I was hoping to have the surgery in February but there weren’t any openings. So, here are the dates: they will do the right eye on Mar. 25, the left eye on Apr. 8. For each eye, there’s a one-day and one-week post-op, plus a pre-op for each eye, plus the original eye testing where it was determined I needed the surgery, and the pre-cataract evaluation with the surgeon who will do the operation. I also have to do a regular physical in advance of the surgeries. In all, I will have eleven different appointments for this. Two done, nine to go!

Meanwhile, starting last week I’m meeting with a physical therapist twice a week to work on my shoulder, plus a series of exercises I have to do daily. They did an MRI of it last week – I see the doctor about it on Wednesday, where he’ll be able to give a better diagnosis. The current diagnosis is, “Incomplete rotator cuff tear or rupture of right shoulder.” 

Junior Team Trials, Tombstone, African Safari, and This Year’s Travel
I have a lot of travel planned this year. Below is my schedule so far. If you are at any of these events and have copies of any of my books, bring them along and I’ll sign them!

I have two events coming up in February, back-to-back. The US Junior Trials are at the Westchester TTC in New York, Feb. 13-17. I believe we have nine MDTTC players competing, with four coaches, including me. So, for the next few weeks I’ll watching these players closely. But I’ve also been restless, and made plans for two more trips. Immediately after the Junior Trials, I’m flying out to Tombstone, AZ, for several days of Wild Wild West fun! (I actually have to fly to Tucson, then take a bus or possibly Uber to Tombstone, 75 miles away.) I fly out the morning of Tue, Feb. 18, and return on Fri, Feb. 21, just in time to coach that weekend. Maybe I’ll intervene in the O.K. Corral gunfight re-enactment – let the Clanton’s win!

I’ve also decided to do a once-in-a-lifetime African safari. I am waiting until after the cataract surgery to finalize the plans, but it’ll likely be a seven-day tour in Kenya and Tanzania in early June. Here’s the one I plan on doing. I also plan to visit the St Teresa Table Tennis Club in Nairobi, Kenya.  

My Current 2025 Travel Schedule, both TT and SF

  • Feb. 13-17             Thu-Mon, US Junior Trials #1, Westchester, NY
  • Feb. 18-21             Tue-Fri, Tombstone, AZ
  • May 23-26             Balticon – Baltimore SF Convention (panelist)
  • Early June              African Safari - Kenya, Tanzania
  • June 28-July 4       US Nationals, Ontario, CA
  • July 18-26             TNEO Science Fiction Writing Workshop, Manchester, NH
  • Aug. 1-3                National Senior Games, Des Moines, IA (tentative)
  • Aug. 9-19              World SF Convention (Aug. 13-17, panelist) & sightseeing in Seattle, WA
  • Aug. 29-31            US Open Teams, Myrtle Beach, SC (tentative)
  • Sept. 19-21            Capclave SF Convention, Rockville, MD (panelist)
  • Oct. 6-9                 Huntsman World Senior Games, St. George, UT
  • Nov. 7-9                US Table Tennis Hall of Fame Inductions and Si & Patty Wasserman Junior & Open, El Monte, CA
  • Nov. 28-30            North American Teams – 50th straight year, starting in 1976 (except for cancelled 2020)
  • Dec. 15-20?           US Open in Las Vegas

Best Tips from Fan Zhendong – Tip #1 – Forehand Topspin
Here’s the video (2:04), with English sub-titles.

Butterfly Training Tips

The Multiball Battle
Here’s the video (2:15) from Pingispågarna

Four Effective Ways to Return Underspin Serves in Table Tennis
Here’s the article and video (5:55) from Yasiris Ortiz/Paddle Palace.

3 Things to Help Improve Your Backhand Long Pips Attack with Yang Xiaoxin
Here’s the video (3:09) from PongSpace.

Talkin' Smash by JOOLA Ep16: Developing Your Own Playing Style and Strengths
Here’s the video (28:26) with Vitor Ishiy and Matt Hetherington.

New from PingSkills

Bowmar Sports Tournament Highlights

CITTA Dreams League: Empowering Young Players With Competition and Growth
Here’s the article by Rachel Wang.

Major League Table Tennis
Follow the action!

New from NCTTA

First 2025 Adult National Ranking Tournament Begins
Here’s the USATT News item. Here are the results from Omnipong. “As the first of two annual ranking tournaments, this event determines the initial eight roster spots for the 2025 National Teams.” But there’s something really wrong when you run an event like this and only 23 players show – 14 in Men’s, 9 in Women’s.

New from Steve Hopkins/Butterfly

All Japan Championships
Here’s the video (12:04) of the Men’s Final between Sora Matsushima and Hiroto Shinozuka. Here’s video (14:08) of Matsushima’s upset of Tomokazu Harimoto in the semifinals.

Brianna Burgos, Fabiola Diaz, Alondra Rodriguez, And Oscar Birriel Join National Teams
Here’s the article on the Puerto Rican National Team.

Interview with Danish Superstar Jonathan Groth
Here’s the video (61 min) with the world #18 from Table Tennis Daily.

New from ITTF

Ping-Pong Whisperer
Here’s where you can buy the shirt at Amazon!

This Is How You Loosen Up Before a Match!
Here’s the video (26 sec) of Felix and Alexis Lebrun running around the table as they rally. The funny thing is . . . this really is a good way to loosen up.

Playing on the World’s Biggest Ping-Pong Table
Here’s the video (10 sec)!

Pro Table Tennis Player Beats Me With His Phone?!
Here’s the video (7:54) from Table Tennis Daily, where he takes on world #26 Anders Lind of Denmark.

New from PingPongMaestros

Non-Table Tennis – Science Fiction & Fantasy Publications
I have a whole mess of short stories just published or about to be published! Here’s a short listing. (Yes, I get paid for each of them.) I was also interviewed.

  • I was interviewed by Celestial Echo Press on Thursday. Last November they published my story, “Life and Death and Bongo Drums,” in Ruth and Ann’s Guide to Time Travel anthology.
  • My story “Dragon Cuisine” was published Thursday in Dragon Soul’s Dragon Legends anthology. A young dragon seeks his fortune, and battles his food – humans – but a wizard turns him into a huge, dragon-sized frog.
  • My story “Legacy” was published on Tuesday in the Alternative Liberties anthology. It’s a political satire about the ending of Trump’s second term in office – with nuclear holocaust, killer robots, galactic conquest, and a big twist.
  • My story “Thank You Miss Kittykat!” was tied for “Second Runner-up” in the Amazing Stories Reader’s Choice Awards. Humans genetically engineer dogs and cats for high intelligence and opposable thumbs. There’s a war, with humans and dogs allied against the cats. The cats win, and now we are the pets.
  • This Thursday, Jan. 30, I have two stories coming out, “The Dragon, the Knight, and the Red-Eyed Flying Unicorn” AND “Small Dragon’s Gold,” both in Dragon Soul’s Dragon Legends anthology.
  • This Friday, Jan. 31, my story “Mad Molly and the Nuclear Bomb” comes out at Rainy Weather Days.
  • I have another twelve (12!) stories in other upcoming publications. I’ve been busy, both in TT and SF!

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