March 17, 2025

NEXT BLOG – APRIL 28– SEE SEGMENT BELOW
BUT TIPS EVERY MONDAY

Tips of the Week

Cataracts and Next Blog April 28
I’m putting my blog on hold temporarily, tentatively starting again on April 28. However, there will still be a Tip of the Week every Monday. (I’ve already written enough to get through June.)

Why? Because my eyes have gotten so bad that just reading text on a screen (even enlarged) gives me headaches. I’ve blogged about my upcoming cataract surgeries (Mar. 25 and Apr. 8), but as the dates approach, my eyes are getting progressively worse. I’ve mostly given up on reading which to me is like giving up on eating – I usually read a few hours every day. But after 5 minutes of reading I get a headache. It’s the same for staring at a computer screen. I’m mostly seeing out of my left eye, which puts a strain on it. My right eye was measured at 20-150 a couple months ago, but seems to be worse now. My left eye was measured at 20-70 and also seems to have worsened. I usually write every day, but that’s mostly on hold now.

One other side effect of the surgeries – I’m not supposed to do anything physical for two weeks after each surgery. Since they are two weeks apart, that means one month. Physical activity puts pressure on the eye and can damage them in the two weeks after the surgery. I demonstrated feeding multiball to the doctor, and he said it’s too much. So, during that month I can’t play table tennis, feed multiball, lift anything over ten pounds, and other restrictions. I even have to wear heavy sunglasses if I go outside to protect the eyes after the surgeries. I do have the okay to go for long walks, but have to walk leisurely, no brisk walking.

So, until about April 28 or so I won’t be reading or staring at my computer screen too much, and starting March 25, playing table tennis or much of anything else. It’s going to be a boring time! (We have a tournament next weekend, March 22-23, so no group sessions that weekend, so I’m done with coaching until two weeks after the second surgery.) The only good news – I can watch movies or TV as watching them is not as painful as reading text on a screen. I’m thinking of watching from start to finish one of the two following shows that I’ve never seen, either The Sopranos (86 episodes, about 55 min each) or Star Trek Voyager (172 episodes, about 45 min each). I might have time to do both! (On a related note, my shoulder’s been bothering me again, so taking these five weeks off may be helpful there as well.)

One hopeful thought - even straining to see the ball, I was playing at about 2100 level. When I can actually see the ball clearly again instead of just a blur, maybe I'll be 2200 level again, not bad for age 65. 

And just for the record, after writing the above and below and proofing it, I once again have a headache...

My New Book - Psychologie, Mental et Tennis de Table
My 23rd book is out – but there’s a catch. It’s in French!!! It’s on sale at Amazon in France - Psychologie, Mental et Tennis de Table. That roughly translates as “Psychology, Mental and Table Tennis.” The print version is 97 pages, with a kindle version coming later. David Salomez, who translated my Table Tennis Tactics for Thinkers into French, had the idea of taking my 50 best Tips of the Week that involve sports psychology, translating them into French, and putting them together as a book. (I okayed it and we worked out a split of the profits.) I might put it together in English later – not sure. I wrote a forward to it (which includes pointing out that I’m not a sports psychologist, that I’m writing from the perspective as an experienced coach with many decades of experience who’s also taken a lot of sports psychology sessions and read books on it, while recommending further reading, such as Dora Kurimay’s page and books. When my eyes feel up to it, I’ll add the new book to my book listing.

Here’s the book’s description, as written by David and Google translated into English – and I didn’t see it until literally this morning:

“An iconic figure in table tennis in the United States, Larry Hodges' reputation is well established internationally. Author of several table tennis books, including the best-selling Table Tennis for Thinkers, Larry offers no fewer than 50 tips for developing your mental strength and approaching each competition and/or match better equipped psychologically!”

US Nationals
Entry form is out and you can now enter. As I’ve done with every US Open and Nationals starting in 1999, I proofed the entry form (which these days they call the prospectus). Normally I have fun doing so, but this time it was painful due to my cataracts, and I had a massive headache during and afterwards. It’s the last serious reading I’ll be doing for a while. I’ve already entered – I’m playing lots of senior (with sponge) and hardbat events.

Weekend Coaching
Between my eye and shoulder problems, it wasn’t a fun coaching weekend. Trying to watch a blurry little white ball flying about where one eye is almost blind and the other half blind causes eye strain, plus I’m trying not to aggravate the shoulder. We did the usual footwork drills, with an emphasis on active feet. I reminded players the importance of getting the feel of the stroke and contact right, and when you do it right, remember the feel of it and repeat. One kid learned how to serve backspin so the ball comes backwards. Some of the younger kids are getting good at hammering out fast serves that smack into targets I put deep on the table. I ended the sessions by mentioning I’d be away for a month, and explained briefly about the cataract surgery. Interestingly, one kid with glasses stayed after and grilled me all about the surgery – I think he’s a budding optometrist.

***
Send us your own coaching news!