September 16, 2016
All About Table Tennis Books
As readers here know, Dan Seemiller’s autobiography came out this past week, Revelations of a Table Tennis Champion. It’s what all the “cool” kids table tennis players will be talking about at the club now, so go get your copy now. Don’t make us send you to the nerdy kids table. (See how that works for both schools and table tennis clubs?) Here is the text from the back cover:
Dedication, Determination, Heartbreak, and Achievement
If you are in the Olympic sport of table tennis, then you know Danny Seemiller, USA’s greatest modern champion. In “Revelations of a Table Tennis Champion,” the five-time U.S. Men’s Singles Champion takes you through his 50 years in the sport, from the early days of training, the breakthroughs, the agonizing defeats and the great triumphs. You’ll learn why the three-sport star – baseball, basketball, and football – changed his focus to table tennis. You’ll experience his trips around the world, from being marched at gunpoint to achieving his boyhood dream of defeating the Chinese.
But playing is only half his story. Danny, a long-time coach first in Pittsburgh and then in South Bend, Indiana, was the U.S. Olympic and World Team Coach for ten years, and was named the USOC Coach of the Year for Table Tennis three times. He served five years as president of USA Table Tennis, ran dozens of major tournaments through the years, and was instrumental in bringing the 2018 World Veterans Games to the United States. He is a member of the USA Table Tennis Hall of Fame, and in 2012 became the youngest recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award.
This is his story.
However, there other books out there for those of you who have already ordered and read Dan’s book in the three days it has been out. I collect table tennis books, with 239 in my table tennis books collection. I also of course write table tennis books – here are my books. (Buy them!!!) Here’s a short compilation of relatively recent ones. I’ve included a few older ones in the history/biography segment.
Table Tennis Instructional Books
- 100 Days of Table Tennis (2015) by Samson Dubina. Here's my review (see right side of page – more a promotional segment). I thought I'd done a review of this in my blog, but apparently not.
- Expert in a Year: The Ultimate Table Tennis Challenge (2015) by Sam Priestley and Ben Larcombe.
- Table Tennis Tips (2014) by Larry Hodges. This covers three years of my Tips of the Week (2001-2013), in logical progression.
- Ping Pong for Fighters (2014) by Tahl Leibovitz. Here's my review. (This book is both instructional and biographical.)
- Get Your Game Face On Like the Pros (2014) by Dora Kurimay. Here's my review.
- Table Tennis Tactics for Thinkers (2013) by Larry Hodges. (Here's the French version.) This is my best-selling book.
- The Table Tennis Playbook (2013) by Ben Larcombe.
- The Next Step (2013) by Alex Polyakov.
- Mental Strength – with Jan-Ove Waldner's Tips for Peak Performance (2013). Here's my review.
- Breaking 2000 (2012) by Alex Polyakov. Here's my review.
- How to Win at Table Tennis (2012) by Greg Letts.
- Table Tennis Tips from a World Champion (2011) by Werner Schlager and Bernd-Ulrich Gross.
- PATT Notes: Volume One (2010) by Donn Olsen with Kyongsook Kim.
- PATT: A Principles Approach to Table Tennis (2009) by Donn Olsen with Kyongsook Kim.
- Table Tennis Tales & Techniques (2009) by Larry Hodges. This includes both technique articles, essays, and humorous table tennis stories.
- Table Tennis: Steps to Success (2009) by Richard McAfee.
- Advanced Coaching Manual (2009) by ITTF.
- Table Tennis: Level 1 Coaching Manual (2003) by Glenn Tepper.
Table Tennis History and Biography Books
- Revelations of a Table Tennis Champion (2016) by Dan Seemiller.
- History of U.S. Table Tennis, Volumes 1-18 by Tim Boggan (see reviews linked to some of the books).
- Ping-Pong Diplomacy (2015) by Nicholas Griffin. Here's my review.
- Adventures of the Ping-Pong Diplomats (2012) by Fred Danner. Here's my review.
- Ping Pong Fever: The Madness that Swept 1902 America (2012) by Steve Grant. Here's my review.
- Ogi: The Life of Ichiro Ogimura (2009) by Mitsuro Jojima. Here's my review, which includes ordering info at the end.
- Winning Table Tennis (1976), by Tim Boggan.
- The Money Player (1974), by Marty Reisman.
- Victor Barna (1974), by Philip Reid.
Table Tennis Novels
- The Spirit of Pong (2015) by Larry Hodges. You can read for free the first two chapters.
- The Mystery of the Lost Racket (2013) by Enzo Pettinelli. Children's book.
- Boys Look at the Stars (2011) by Enzo Pettinelli.
- Doubles (2009) by Anne Borrowdale.
- My Secret Life as a Ping-Pong Wizard (2005) by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver. Children's book.
- The Mighty Walzer (1999) by Howard Jacobson.
Other Table Tennis Books
- The Metaphysics of Ping-Pong (2015) by Guido Mina di Sospiro. Here's my review.
- USATT Club Development Handbook (2015) by Yang Yu. Here's my review.
- Professional Table Tennis Coaches Handbook (2013) by Larry Hodges. Do you want to be a professional table tennis coach? Here's how!
- Everything You Know is Pong (2010) by Roger Bennett and Eli Horowitz
Paralympic Table Tennis
Here’s the ITTF Paralympic Page. Like the Olympics, they are in Rio, Brazil, and are Sept. 8-16, so they finish tomorrow.
Olympic Champions Ma & Ding Return to Action at China Open
Here’s the ITTF press release.
China Open
Here’s the ITTF page for the event, Sept. 14-18 in Chengdu, China.
Capital Area Table Tennis League
The new season of the Capital Area Table Tennis League starts this Saturday! The first meeting will take place at the Maryland Table Tennis Center. This is for players in the Washington DC/Maryland/Northern Virginia area. This seas there are 23 teams and 110 players. I originally founded the league, or at least got the ball rolling in its development, but others quickly stepped forward and have been the real driving force, in particular Commissioner Stefano Ratti. However, Stefano is spending a season in Italy, and in his absence Mossa Barandao (with scheduling) and acting commissioner Rich Heo and the rest of the committee have stepped up and done an incredible job. The league committee is made up of Richard Heo, Larry Hodges, Wen Hsu, Mossa Barandao. Darwin Ma, John Olsen, and Stefano Ratti.
How Well Do You Know Your Table Tennis?
Here’s the new quiz from Pong Universe by Matt Hetherington.
"My Coaching Table"
Here’s the video (13 sec) of Coach Brian Pace showing the newly built Broward Table Tennis Club in Davie, Florida, and his coaching table. It’s like having your very own cubicle!
2016 German League: Daniel Habesohn vs Tiago Apolonia
Here’s the video (4:40, with time between points removed). Apolonia of Portugal is #17 in the world. Habesohn of Austria is world #95.
Ping Pong Boring
Here’s the video (3:14) of a new compilation of table tennis trick shots!
Losing is Like God Blowing His Nose on Me
Here’s the cartoon! On Wednesday I gave the Eric Boggan quote, and wrote, “Somewhere out there is an artist who can illustrate this in a cartoon.” Steve Worthington stepped forward!
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