February 1, 2013

Table Tennis Tactics for Thinkers Update - Print Version

More problems. For some reason, even though I've got the pictures at 300 dpi (dots per inch), the automated software at the print on demand publisher insists they are only 199dpi. I can't tell from the online proofs if they are correct. So I'm going to have a proof copy sent to me so I can inspect it myself and see if the pictures are coming out okay. If so, then it'll be ready for regular publication, hopefully by the end of next week. (Addendum, added ten minutes after posting blog: I just ordered the proof version, which will be expressed, to arrive by Tuesday.)

Table Tennis Tactics for Thinkers - Kindle Version READY!

I've given up for now on trying to include pictures in the Kindle version, since no matter what I do the captions won't stay in place, and appear randomly over the text on different pages. So I've taken most of the 90 of them out, except for a couple of illustrations that have no captions. (There's a chance I might come back to this and figure it out when I have time - so if you would like the photos, wait for that version or order the print version when it comes out in a week or so.) However, the pictures were more decorative than anything else, illustrating what the text covers but not really necessary. For example, when I talk about the tactics of looping, I show several pictures of top players looping, but that's not really needed. So here it is!

Table Tennis for Thinkers - Kindle Edition (no photos), $9.99

Final numbers for Table Tennis Tactics for Thinkers: 21 chapters, 240 pages (plus covers), 101,779 words, 567,431 characters. The Kindle edition is set up so you can go to any chapter from the links in the table of contents. (You can then return to the front by going to Menu => beginning, and the table of contents will be the next page.) 

I'm not going to go too public on this yet, not until the print version is ready. Also, I'm not going to do a huge advertising blitz on it until I have my other books online - Table Tennis Success (formerly Table Tennis: Steps to Success); Table Tennis Tales & Techniques; Instructor's Guide to Table Tennis; Professional Table Tennis Coaches Handbook; and (already online in both print and Kindle versions) Pings and Pongs: The Best Science Fiction & Fantasy of Larry Hodges. I've already started the process of putting the Tales & Techniques book online, but it's going to be a tricky process of putting it in the proper format.

Also, I've  begun looking into the possibility of putting all 12 (soon to be 13) of Tim Boggan's History of U.S. Table Tennis volumes in Print on Demand format. I'm guessing it'll take about two hours each, so 24 hours of work. Not sure if I have time, considering I'm also trying to get my books online. But Tim's are actually easier because they have relatively wide margins, so little few internal fixes needed. But putting the covers into the proper format will be a hassle, plus I have to make some internal changes and create new PDFs, and a bunch of other small stuff. (Putting them into ebook format would be an incredibly difficult task, and we'd run into the same problem with the photos.)

Tim will be moving in with me on Tuesday for a couple of weeks as I put together the pages and do photo work for his History of U.S. Table Tennis, Volume 13. I won't be able to work on anything else while he's here since we'll be working all day, and then I'll be coaching at night.

Learn the World's Fastest Serve

Here's a video (1:04) of Asuka Sakai of Japan in slow motion doing the hyperbolic serve, the fastest serve in the world. Here's your chance to get ahead of the curve and learn this serve before anyone else. Ben Larcombe of Expert Table Tennis Academy emailed about the serve, with these tips:

  • Asuka generally serves diagonally from the forehand corner. This is the longest point on the table and gives the ball the most amount of time to get up and over the net.
  • There is a huge amount of acceleration from the elbow and wrist just before contact. The arm is not travelling at a steady speed throughout the movement.
  • The ball bounces very close to Asuka's baseline. Anything other than this will probably result in the ball skidding into the net.
  • Body rotation is important. During the service action Asuka's hips turn 90 degrees and his shoulders almost 180 degrees. 
  • Asuka's bat finishes way over across his body giving the impression that there must be topspin and sidespin on the ball. 

Pongcast Episode 23

Here's the newest Pongcast (14:23). This one features the Austrian Open, Timo Boll visits Hollywood, ping-pong dating, and Jun Mizutani's boycott.

Jorgen Persson in Slo-Mo

Here's an action video (1:30) of Jorgen Persson in slow motion.

Amazing Between the Legs Shot

Here's a video (0:25) of Jonathan Groth of Denmark making an emergency between the legs shot against Bojan Tokic. He wins the point!

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