June 29, 2026
Next Blog July 13
As noted below, I’ll be at the US Nationals in San Jose, CA. But a Tip of the Week will still go up every Monday. As noted previously, I’m rerunning past tips now – after writing 750 over 15 years, I’m all tipped out! But I think some of these earlier ones are classics.
Tip of the Week
June 29, 2026 - Seven Placements and the Wide Angles.
United States Smash 2026
It’s taking place now, June 26-July 5, in Ontario, CA (near LA), with many of the best players in the world competing.
- Here’s the ITTF page with results, news, and video.
- Here’s the USATT page with news and results.
- There’s also ShatouHub, “an unofficial fan-made utility for following US Smash with less time-zone and source confusion. It keeps the official WTT/US Smash links visible, adds local-time reminders, and gives fans a simple companion room after they have found the official stream.”
Bookselling at the MDTTC Open
I set up a table and sold my books at the MDTTC Open this past weekend. (Here are complete results.) I sold both my table tennis and science fiction books, as well as my travel book, “Larry's Adventures in Europe and Egypt: Seven Weeks Following Tour Guides with Little Flags and Funny Hats, and the Quest for the Elusive Dr Pepper.” (From 2019, when I visited 12 countries and saw all the major sites.) It sells surprisingly well, and lots of players of all ages spent time paging through it with all the pictures. My new children’s book, “Ping-Pong-Paddles Can't Talk!”, was also on sale and the kids took turns reading it. I sold 54 books. (Click on picture for larger version.)
US Nationals and Upcoming Schedule
I fly out to the US Nationals this Thursday. They are July 3-9 in San Jose, CA. I’m playing in six events. Over 65 Men’s Singles (seeded #8, with sponge); Hardbat Men’s Singles (seeded #7); Over 40 Hardbat (seeded #2); Over 60 Hardbat (seeded #1); Hardbat Doubles (seeded #1, with Ryan “The Nightmare” Gibson); and Sandpaper Singles (unseeded). I just hope my shoulder and knee hold up! (I’ve been to every US Nationals and US Open since 1985, and every US/North American Teams since 1976. Have to keep these strings going!)
After the Nationals, I’ll spend two days visiting relatives in nearby San Francisco. I return home on July 12. Here’s my upcoming schedule:
- July 2-9 - US Nationals, San Jose, CA
- July 10-12 - Visiting in San Francisco, CA
- July 18-25 - “The Never-Ending Odyssey” Science Fiction Writing Workshop
- Aug. 2-28 - Touring Europe (Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Czech Republic, Slovakia), including competing in the Czech Classic Open in Ostrava, Aug. 22-23 (hardbat, sandpaper, wood)
- Aug. 29-30 – World Science Fiction Convention in Anaheim, CA. Literally hours after returning from Europe I fly out for two days!
Major League Table Tennis
- New Atlanta Blazers Coach Koji Itagaki Ready to Build a Contender in MLTT Season 4 by Sean O’Neill
- Home Page
- Schedule
- News
- Video
Butterfly Training Tips
Why are these training tips so important for you? While I write a lot about the sport, including numerous coaching tips, there’s nothing like actually seeing it. Watch and learn what the stars do, and you too can become a star!
- Arantxa Cossio Aceves – Forehand & Backhand Loop from underspin (64 sec)
- Angel Naranjo – Banana Flip and Backhand Loop (59 sec)
- Tiana Piyadasa – Full Table Random (62 sec)
- Anav Gupta – Variation Backhand Opening (61 sec)
- FETHOMANIA 27: Drill 4: Get Your Left Arm More Involved (68 sec)
New from PingSunday/EmRatThich
- How to Generate Explosive Power in Your Forehand Topspin (22:49)
- Sanwei Multilayer W Review: A Rare 11 Ply All Wood Blade with Outstanding Control (6:05)
- Forehand Hitting Technique: Why It Is Harder Than a Loop and How to Master It (12:45)
- Mastering Forehand Loop Against Backspin: Coach Xiao Han's Practical Friction Training Method
- Forehand Drive vs Forehand Loop: How to Transition Between Them Effectively (10:24)
- Coach Xiao Han's Forehand Push Technique: The Secret of Control, Spin, and Precision (16:09)
- Fast Down the Line Serve: The Waldner Style Weapon (11 min)
New from the Table Tennis Teaching Channel
- A Rare Look at Pro-Level Half-Long Ball Training with Coach Sun (13:26)
- Zhang Jike vs Dimitrij Ovtcharov 2026 (10:51)
- Can’t Loop Backspin? Stop Letting Them Push (10:53)
New from Biomechanics Applied to Table Tennis
- Table tennis starts with the ball, not the stroke? (6:54)
- Training with Robert Gardos: His Philosophy and 5 Basics for Improvement (4:57)
How I Built a Champion | Inside My Coaching System
Here’s the video (17:27) from Ti Long.
Pushing the Ball
Here’s the video (3:26) from Acceleraq with Yang Xiaoxin.
Doctor Karol Table Tennis
Here’s his page, based in Poland, with lots of coaching and other videos (in English).
New from Steve Hopkins/Butterfly
- MLTT Meet the Teams: Texas Smash
- United States Smash: Early Action
- Rhode Island Looks Local with Veterans Fundraiser
- United States Smash: Qualifiers
USATT News
- Liang and Moyland Upset World No. 15 Pair to Reach U.S. Smash Round of 16
- Main Draw Begins at 2026 U.S. Smash as Americans Take the Table
- Americans ready to Begin 2026 WTT U.S. Smash as Qualifying Gets Underway
- USA Table Tennis Launches New Membership Passport Program to Foster Connection and Build a Vibrant Table Tennis Community
ITTF News
- Ping-Pong Diplomacy at 55: China and USA Unite Ahead of WTT US Smash 2026
- IPC Visit to Ostrava Marks Major Step Forward for Para Table Tennis Classification
- Let's Move: Table Tennis Joins the World on Olympic Day
Table Tennis Caricatures from Etsy
Here’s where you can have one made!
Skeletons Playing Table Tennis Shirt
Here’s where you can buy one! I just ordered one (denim color).
Pug Pong
Here’s the video (10 sec)!
Cat Pong
Here’s the video (14 sec)!
Two Wild Videos From Tenis de Mesa from Sevilla!
- Wild animated table tennis (57 sec)
- Now no one can beat me in table tennis (24 sec)
10 Ultimate Challenges with the Jan Ove Waldner!
Here’s the video 11L35) from Table Tennis Daily!
***
Send us your own coaching news!
