November 2, 2026
Tip of the Week
Jerky Strokes and Jerkyitis: World's Most Rampant Table Tennis Disease.
Weekend Coaching, Training, and a Governor’s Citation
Sidespin Surprise – I think I accomplished more in the ten minutes before one session than in the 90 minutes during the session. I was there early, as were some of the beginning-intermediate junior players. So, I started hitting with them. Then I gave them a sidespin serve, which they took turns missing – at first. But with a little help, they figured it out – but they were eyes-wide amazed. Now they all want to learn to serve with spin. I also served from twenty feet from the side, with a high, arcing sidespin serve that they at first struggled with, but then started smashing. It’s always good to introduce new and interesting things to keep them hooked on the sport.
Meanwhile, in my own training, I feel like I’m still recovering from that bad bout of flu almost two weeks ago. The problem wasn’t the flu, it was the nearly ten days I spent in bed during it and recovering from it afterwards. Training is exhausting! I have to take too many breaks to recover my breath. Today’s blog went up a few hours late because I had a training session at noon at the club, and for once I was able to do the entire hour without any long rest breaks. Keep in mind that I’m doing lots and Lots and LOTS of footwork drills!
I made an interesting breakthrough. Due to the injury in my side that I’ve battled with the last year or so, I don’t rotate as much backward when I’m forehand looping. I went back to more rotation, and bingo – my forehand power really shot up. I can now rip pushes almost as well as I could years ago. I’m also doing more backhand looping, so that’s a good 1-2 punch.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, Nov. 1, the Maryland governor’s office sent three representatives to award us a Governor’s Citation, signed by Maryland Governor Wes Moore. It says:
“Be it Known: That on behalf of the citizens of this State, in recognition of your outstanding commitment to promoting sportsmanship, teamwork, and community engagement through the sport of table tennis, and your dedication to bringing together players of all ages and backgrounds strengthens connections, we are pleased to confer upon you this Governor’s Citation.”
Here’s a picture of the award ceremony and certificate. The picture shows the three governor’s reps, plus MDTTC coaches Larry Hodges (me!), Vikash Sahu, Jack Huang, Lidney Castro, and Cheng Yinghua.
Major League Table Tennis
- MLTT Announces Plans to Expand to 12 Teams for 2027-28
- SPINDEX-RATED MATCHES NOW AVAILABLE AT EVERY PINGPOD LOCATION
- What to Watch: Week 4 in Houston, TX
- Home Page
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- Video
2026 Asian Championships
- Results
- Women’s Singles Final: Miwa Harimoto vs Chen Yi (7:59)
- Men’s Singles Final: Tomokazu Harimoto vs Li Tianyang (15:26)
Butterfly Training Videos
- Rachid El Bou Bou – Wide Angle Push (78 sec)
- Hong Lin – Kids Footwork Training (63 sec)
- Hong Lin – Backhand Loop Underspin to Topspin Transition (63 sec)
- Angel Naranjo – Two Backhands, One or Two Forehands (2:58)
- Shashin Shodhan Amicus Training Series – Falkenberg (2:10)
New from Biomechanics Applied to Table Tennis
- MODULE 1 | The Ball: Geometry, Material, and Behavior (6:41)
- MODULE 2: Ball trajectory, bounce, and rebound (5:35)
- MODULE 3: Biomechanics and Kinetic Chain (5:37)
- MODULE 4 — Contact Creates a New Ball (7:14)
- MODULE 5: Geometry Applied to Training (6:25)
- Table tennis geometry? The stroke is simply the solution! (21:06)
- Table Tennis Science Library (6:55)
- The Hidden Code of Movement: The body isn't a linear piston; it’s a system of levers. (7:52)
New from PingSunday/EmRatThich
- Stop Wobbling Build A Stable Backhand With Finger Control (8:04)
- Stop Hitting Hard, Start Hitting Fast With This Forearm Move (11:41)
- Final 2026 - SUN Yingsha vs KUAI Man | SUN Yingsha amazing ! (1:09:58)
- Stop Using Your Arm To Hit Table Tennis (3:11)
- Stop Chasing Short Balls A Better Forehand Receive (8:04)
- Fix Your Table Tennis Footwork With This Left Step (7:23)
- Fix Your Short Ball Footwork With This Step (8:04)
- Fix Your Footwork For Sudden Short Topspin (8:04)
- Stop Chopping Flat Add Spin To Your Defense (9:39)
New From the Table Tennis Teaching Channel
- Always Late to the Ball? Fix Your Stance & Footwork. (8:44)
- Penhold Backhand Too Inconsistent? Wang Hao & Coaches Explain the Basics. (8:26)
- Fast Long Serve Still Easy to Return? Fix These 3 Things. (9:18)
- Struggling With Serve Receive? Try This Simple Long Push. (8:41)
- Brushing the Ball but Still No Grip? Fix Your Forehand Loop. (11:55)
- You Can Loop Backspin, So Why Do You Miss the Next Backhand? (8:07)
New from Global TT Studio
- Move Your Weight, Not Your Feet! How to Stop Feeling "Stuck" in Table Tennis. (9:15)
- Look Stiff Playing Table Tennis? The Real Reason Your Strokes Fall Apart. (10:40)
- You’re Serving TOO Well: Why Your Heavy Spin is Ruining Your Own Attack. (10:57)
- Stop Pressing Down! 5 Mistakes Ruining Your Forehand Loop Against Backspin. (8:57)
- Never Push Straight On! Why Your Pushes Always Get Attacked (And How to Fix It). (11:35)
Stop Losing Power in Your Table Tennis Forehand!
Here’s the video (2:27) from Doctor Karol Table Tennis.
How to Actually Train Your Conditioning for Table Tennis (Without Running)
Here’s the video (8:29) from Peak Performance Table Tennis.
New from PingSkills
New from Steve Hopkins/Butterfly
- MLTT Week 4 Recap: Gold Rush Perfect in Houston
- Jang d’Arc? Jang Woojin is Surprise Winner in Montpellier
- Montpellier Says Adieu to Seeds Un, Deux et Trois
New from NCTTA
- Easy Way to Support NCTTA "Spare Change" to the Rescue
- Doris M Rice Foundation Gives Back to NCTTA Women's Teams
New from USATT
- USATT BOARD AT-LARGE DIRECTOR POSITION – PETITION FOR ELECTION
- Zhang and Moyland Finish With Silver at ITTF Americas Championships
New from ITTF
- Dakar 2026: Senegal Open Historic Day as Mixed Doubles Quarterfinals Take Shape
- Everything You Need to Know: Table Tennis Makes Olympic History in Africa at Dakar 2026
- Road to Dakar: Taking Africa’s Brightest Young Talents to the World
- Road to Dakar: Africa’s Officials Step Up on Home Soil
Ping-Pong Watch
Here’s where you can buy one ($44.99) from TopTee!
Ping-Pong Diplomacy: A Game That Ended Decades of Distance
Here’s the animated version (2:22)! See Volume 5 of Tim Boggan’s History of US Table Tennis for the full story. Here’s the direct link at Amazon.
Ping Pong the Animation
- Here’s an intro (23 sec) to the 11-episode series that came out eleven years ago.
- Here’s the trailer (1:46).
- Here’s the main page, with a link to episode 1.
Ping Pong Maestros
They have dozens of hilarious and spectacular videos on Facebook!
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