Tip of the Week
Pushing: Five out of Six Doesn't Cut It.

Tip of the Week
A Levels Approach to Tactics.

Tip of the Week
A Journey of Nine Feet Begins at Contact.

Tip of the Week
Exaggerate the Opposite Motion on Serves.

Tip of the Week
The Short Serve & Short Receive, and Looping.

Tip of the Week
Fifteen Important Deep Serves.

Review: Ping-Pong Paddles Can’t Talk! – A Delightful New Children’s Book
Here's the review from Butterfly! 

Tip of the Week
The Value of Down the Line.

Last Blog Until September 7 and Upcoming Schedule
I just returned from the US Nationals, but I’ve got three more events coming up, almost back-to-back-to-back. I will still put up a Tip of the Week each Monday. Here’s my upcoming itinerary.

• July 17-25 - The Never-Ending Odyssey Science Fiction Writing Workshop. This is normally in Manchester, NH, but they’ve decided to alternate each year between Manchester and online. This year it’s online. It’s an all-day thing for nine days, with morning, afternoon, and night events. I’ve been going to this annually for many years.
• Aug. 2-28 – Sightseeing in Europe (Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Czech Republic, Slovakia), including competing in the Czech Classic Open in Ostrava, Aug. 22-23 (hardbat, sandpaper, wood). I toured much of Europe and Egypt back in 2019, but didn’t get to the above countries.
• Aug. 29-30 – World Science Fiction Convention in Anaheim, CA. Literally hours after returning from Europe I fly out for two days!
• While I’m away, don’t forget to buy some of my books!!!

Short Blog Today
During the recent US Nationals I hurt my neck. It didn’t really affect my play at the time – but it got worse and worse afterwards. The last two mornings I struggled just to get out of bed without injuring it further. I can barely hold my head up straight and I’m feasting on Ibuprofen. I will likely see a doctor this afternoon, alas. But I can’t spend too much time at my computer like this, so this blog will be shorter than usual.

US Nationals . . . and Age is Not Just a Number
Apparently, age is not just a number. After spending much of the last two years battling injuries, and going into the Nationals with knee and shoulder issues, it all finally caught up to me. I normally play with sponge (since that’s what I coach!), but at the Nationals I was mostly in hardbat events. I was also in Over 65 Men’s Singles (with sponge, seeded #7), but dropped out of it due to the knee and shoulder issues. (Looping with sponge puts more pressure on the shoulder.) While I did some coaching at this Nationals, I was mostly a player this time. 

In hardbat singles my playing style is basically all-out forehand attack. But I was simply unable to move well enough to do this. It was a combination of the knee problem and age. Normally I’m very aggressive with following up my serve with a forehand attack whenever possible, and I also return most serves with my forehand when possible. But this time? I simply couldn’t move effectively. If I crowded my backhand corner as I usually do, I couldn’t get to balls to my wide forehand. If I were more centered so I could cover those, I couldn’t step around my backhand to play forehands as I like to do. Rather than attack, I’d often serve and immediately go on defense against returns to my backhand, and similarly with serves to my backhand. I also struggled just trying to reach serves that were short to my forehand – flipping them used to be a big strength. And so, rather than playing my “A” game, I spent most of my matches on the defensive, mostly backhand chopping/blocking/chop-blocking with my fast racket, which is not designed for defense. Normally, in hardbat, I play over 70% of my shots with my forehand. Here, it was literally the exact opposite.

The result? I struggled in match after match. I won at least four matches where I basically just persevered, and could have easily lost all four. I did make the final of Over 40 Hardbat (which I’ve won ten times before at the US Nationals and US Open), but in the final there (where, if healthy, I would still have been the underdog but would have had a chance), and in the semifinals of Over 60 Hardbat (where I was top seed and three-time defending champion), I just couldn’t play my normal game nor could I persevere. So, I got a silver and a bronze.

I’ve concluded that at age 66, I can no longer compete successfully in hardbat with the style I’ve played all these years. And so I plan to go to a slower blade. This will weaken my forehand somewhat, but will make my backhand stronger, both in regular backhands, as well as chopping, blocking, and chop-blocking (which is my favored defense on the backhand). We’ll see how it works. As to sponge play, I both hit and loop on the forehand, and if the shoulder is okay, I can play okay. The key is that with sponge, my backhand blocking is far more effective than I am on the backhand with hardbat. (During my peak years with sponge, on my serve and often on receive, I was also an all-out forehand player.)

Here are complete results of the US Nationals.  

Minions Playing Table Tennis

• Minions playing table tennis in one of their movies (link should take you to it, about two seconds long)
• Minions playing table tennis with lots of volleying (15 sec).
• Video of Minions playing table tennis (10 sec).
• Repeating Gif Image of Minions playing table tennis.
• Here's a picture from the Minions movie, where they are playing two-on-one table tennis. (Here's the non-Facebook version.)

Adam vs. World's BEST 11-year-old
Here’s the video (20 min) with Adam Bobrow!

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Tip of the Week: What is the Goal of the Receiver?

Next Blog July 13
As noted below, I’ll be at the US Nationals in San Jose, CA.

BREAKING NEWS - I'll be doing a Book-Signing at the Butterfly Booth at the US Nationals on Saturday, July 4, at 1PM. Stop by and say hello!

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
(Click on image for larger version.)

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!

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Tip of the Week
June 22, 2026 - Shadow Practice Your Shots.

US Nationals
The US Nationals are coming up, 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’ve been training with both sponge and hardbat with Coach Lidney Castro at MDTTC. This week I’ll be practicing hardbat with Wang “Leo” Tiancheng. 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!)

As always, I’ll have an advantage on most of my competition because I practice my serves and they don’t. Sssh!!! (You probably don’t either.) However, due to several extended breaks due to injuries, I’m more out of shape than I’d like, and tire too easily. This is a problem because, despite my age (66), I still play a rather energetic style, racing around the court attacking with my forehand, while most of my peers play more restful two-winged games. Late in matches my legs and shoulder start to tire and all the will power in the world won’t make those muscles move as fast as I’d like them to go. I’ll also likely be out of breath much of the time. I have made one adjustment in my game this past year, both sponge and hardbat – I receive a lot more with my backhand than before, even against deep serves that I normally look to forehand attack.

Ping-Pong Paddles Can’t Talk!
There are 8.3 billion people on Earth. In its first week, Ping-Pong Paddles Can’t Talk! sold 116 copies. This means there are still 8,299,999,884 of you who have not bought a copy. There’s still time to get on the bandwagon and get yours today!!!

I’ll be selling them (and all my books) at the MDTTC Open on June 27-28. I’m also doing a reading and signing at the Butterfly booth at the US Nationals in San Jose, on July 4 or 5. (Butterfly will be selling the book sometime this week and at their booth at the Nationals.) If you’re a table tennis blogger who’d like to review a copy, email me.

One thing I’ve verified – since it’s hardcover, 80 pages, it’s perfect for chopping and hitting against backspin! I should be able to take down most USATT members with it. Perhaps I’ll take challenges at the Nationals.

As a reminder, it’s a table tennis book for kids AND for the kid in all of us. Ping-Pong Paddles Can’t Talk! is a humorous Seussian rhyming children’s picture book that introduces table tennis to kids. It features a nervous boy (Kevin) and his talking paddle in their first tournament, where he meets and plays a girl (Li) who is really good, and they have an adventurous match. Along the way, kids learn about the sport, with themes on facing your fears, working toward a goal, honesty, and friendship. 80 pages in full color (no AI), ages 7-12 and up. 

Butterfly Tips

• Tashiya Piyadasa – Modified Random Drill with Tashiya Piyadasa (63 sec).  
• Episode 11: Ask The Expert Live With Logan Rietz | How to Choose the Best Table Tennis Shoes (article and video 19:05)

Can Players Trained in the U.S. Compete With Chinese Players?
Here’s the article by Bob Chen.

New from PingSunday/EmRatThich
11 new videos this past week and numerous articles!

Can AI Really Replace a Table Tennis Coach?
Here’s the video (8:14) from Ti Long.

The Hardest thing About the Forehand Flip
Here’s the video (3:01) from Acceleraq.

New from Global TT Studio

• Easiest Deceptive Serve: The "Vanishing Racket" Trick That Destroys Opponents (14:12)
• The Hybrid Push: 5 Pushing Secrets to Shut Down Any Attacker (13:24)
• Stop Brushing Upwards! Why Your Forehand Topspin Loops Keep Flying Long (11:04)
• Why You Keep Missing the 2nd Loop: The "Wait" Rhythm for a Killer Loop (9:00)
• Return Serves Like a Block: A Simple Trick to Tame Any Topspin Serve (9:30)
• The "Delayed Backswing": A Pro's Secret to a Killer Forehand Loop (11:00)
• Stop Getting Stuck! How to Attack Half-Long Balls and Lefty Wide Serves (9:30)

New from the Table Tennis Teaching Channel

• Zhang Jike: Your Strokes Don’t Always Have to Be Perfect—Unless You’re Building the Basics
• Zhang Jike Coaches a Student: Mastering Short-Long Ball Transitions (9:08)

How to Play Dirty with Short Pimples (Without Breaking the Rules)
Here’s the video (2:21) from PP Table Tennis/Pingispågarna.

My South Korean Tournament Nightmare
Here’s the article and video (26 min) from Tom Lodziak.

Training with Quadri Aruna Part 2
Here’s the video (17:40). Here’s Part 1 (26:01) from seven months ago. See numerous other Quadri Aruna videos and other videos at TonysTableTennis.

New from Steve Hopkins/Butterfly

• United States Smash Preview
• Shunsuke Stuns in Slovenia

New from ITTF

• World Cup Season: Table Tennis and Football's Enduring Love Affair
• ITTF Executive Board Confirms Reinstatement of Athletes with Belarusian Passports
• ITTF Executive Board Approves Constitutional Implementation Programme, Confirms Nominations Committee Appointments

Ping Pong - Official Trailer
Here’s the video (1:46) for Ping Pong the Animation, which you can rent or buy at Amazon Prime.

Duck Pong
Because who wouldn’t want a shirt with ducks playing table tennis? (They’re actually geese, but “Duck Pong” has a better ring to it.)

Ready, Set, MATCH!
Here’s the video (51 min, with 5 min of table tennis). It’s cartoon animals competing in various sports. The link should take you to 8:05, where the table tennis starts, which ends at 13:08. It’s in Russian, but it’s still pretty interesting and seemingly well done.

Non-Table Tennis - The Eye in the Sky of the Blueberry Pie
The anthology “SciFi To Go: Food for Thought” is on sale at Amazon in both print and kindle. It includes my humorous flash story, “The Eye in the Sky of the Blueberry Pie.” When a planetary-sized blueberry pie comes plummeting down on Earth, scientists and religious folk debate who sent it while normal people prepare to get smooshed.

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