May 11, 2015
Tip of the Week
Beetle Baily Cartoons
Beetle Bailey ran a table tennis cartoon yesterday (Sunday). Cartoonist Mort Walker has long had a partnership with table tennis, regularly running cartoons, often featuring epic matches between Beetle and Sarge. In the early years, apparently Sarge would win, but in recent years it's been all Beetle. Below are all the times they've featured table tennis that I can find. Considering the cartoon has been running continuously since 1950, I'm pretty sure there are plenty more, but they didn't start putting them online at beattlebailey.com until 1996. I'm determined to find them all!!! I found mention of a cartoon from Aug. 25, 1975 that is titled, "Blast it! I lost to Sarge in Ping-Pong Again!", and described as "The Chaplain counsels Beetle on his anger...and his ping-pong game," but I can't find it online. So I just ordered the 1975 Beetle Bailey collection (only cost about $7, including shipping), and will scan and put that online when it arrives. (NOTE added later - I received the comic book in the mail, but it was the wrong one, so I still haven't found this one.) (Yeah, today's blog is a bit short - very busy on various USATT and MDTTC issues, and editing the new coaching book by Samson Dubina. But I think there's enough here to keep you occupied.) (NOTE - I'll likely update this periodically with newer ones.)
- May 15, 2016 - Run For Your Life
- May 10, 2015 - Sore Loser
- April 25, 2014 - Beetle Serves Backspin
- May 17, 2012 - Poor Loser and the Cliff
- July 15, 2010 - Philosophical Pong with Plato
- March 21, 2010 - Sit Down Pong and an Acrobatic Sarge
- July 10, 2009 - The Threat!
- June 7, 2009 - How to Do Table Tennis Publicity
- October 11, 2007 - Contact Pong (and Sarge demonstrates forehand technique)
- June 3, 2007 - Sore Winner and Loser
- December 8, 2005 - Sarge Putaway - Now THAT'S a Forehand
- July 28, 2005 - Picnic Meatball Pong
- April 3, 2002 - Injured Winner
- October 1976 (Sarge Snorkel Comic Book Cover) - Big Paddle
- Feb. 2 (can't read year) - I Can't Play Ping-Pong By Myself
- May 29 (can't read year) - Sarge Feels Better Already
Here are other Classic Comics featuring table tennis.
Happy Mother's Day!
It's a day late, since I don't blog on Sundays, but better late than never!
- From the ITTF. (Here's the non-Facebook version.)
- From Michael Mezyan. (Here's the non-Facebook version.)
- From Zazzle (all sorts of Mother's Day paddles and balls)
North American Cadet Trials
Here are the results - Sharon Alguetti won Cadet Boys, Crystal Wang Cadet Girls. Here's the ITTF page, which has three articles at this writing.
Blocking
Here's the new coaching article from Han Xiao.
The Expert Table Tennis Playbook
Here's the newly updated TT Playbook from Expert Table Tennis, 33 pages. Here's what he wrote about it: "I created The Table Tennis Playbook, my FREE eBook, a couple of years ago now and it has been downloaded thousands of times by table tennis players the world over. However, it was clear to me that it needed a serious face lift and a bit of updating. It's now received that and looks 10x better than before."
Ask the Coach
Episode #122 (21:25) - What Strokes to Learn First.
Mr. Nice Guy: Three Reasons to Improve Your Club Reputation
Here's the article from Samson Dubina.
How to Glue Table Tennis Rubber on Your Racket
Here's the video (3:23) from Samson Dubina.
Chinese Training - Fan Zhendong
Here's the Facebook video (2:27).
Interviews with Liam Pitchford and Tetyana Bilenko
Here are two new interviews from MH Table Tennis.
- Liam Pitchford, #1 man from England, #49 in the world
- Tetyana Bilenko, #1 woman from Ukraine, #45 in the world
Zhang Jike: Bedridden after the Worlds
Here's the article from Tabletennista.
Back in the Game - Pam Fontaine
Here's the article on the star wheelchair player.
Pope John Paul Receives Table Tennis Paddle in 1979
Suzhou Worlds 2015 (Part 1 - Men's Singles)
Here's the video (5:23).
How Oregon's 15-year-old table-tennis star Judy Bochenski thawed the Cold War in 1971
Here's the article and pictures from Oregon Live. Judy's a USATT Hall of Famer and owner at Paddle Palace.
How to Float a Ping Pong Ball on Air - the Coandă
Here's the video (87 sec) - I do this all the time just blowing the ball in the air with my mouth.
ITTF Commentator Adam Bobrow vs. Jiaqi Zheng
Here's the video (73 sec) of his great point - with a little dancing mixed in!
Ping Pong Dash - Japanese Table Tennis Cartoon
Here's the page that shows all 15 covers from 2006-2010.
More Mike Mezyan Pictures
NOTE - If you are unable to see these pictures, all you have to do is join the Table Tennis Group - it's easy! Here are all the past, present, and (soon) future pictures he's collected. (I pick out his best ones for here - he has more.)
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