No Blog Next Week
I’ll be out of town Oct. 6-11 (Sunday through Friday). I’ll be competing in the Huntsman World Senior Games on Mon & Tue (Oct. 7-8) in Saint George, Utah. Then I fly directly to Houston for the US Table Tennis Hall of Fame Inductions and Banquet on Thursday (Oct. 10), where I’ll be doing the presentation for Dennis Taylor. I’ll write about this in my next blog in two weeks. I think you can still sign up – lots of US TT celebrities will be there!

Tip of the Week
How to Play the No-Spin Ball.

No Coaching, No Playing, Just Capclave . . . with Table Tennis
I was away all weekend at the Capclave Science Fiction Convention in Rockville, MD. So I didn’t do any real coaching this past week. This was a good thing, for as noted in my blog last week, I injured my right foot, and even coaching involves standing a lot, as well as hitting with students. I also had to take the week off from training for the Huntsman World Senior Games, which is unfortunate. I start up again tomorrow (Tuesday) – I figure it’s 50-50 whether I finish the session. If I don’t, I might not be able to play at the Senior Games. We’ll see.

At Capclave, I was in three panels, plus a book signing. The signing and three panels - which included table tennis! - were:

• Mass Signing. About 20 authors were together at tables selling and signing copies of our novels. One interesting thing – word has gotten out in the SF community about my table tennis and a number of people came by to talk about it. (It’s probably because this past year I’ve sold a lot of stories and had a number published, with table tennis in my bio each time. See how I’m promoting our sport?) I sold a number of copies of “The Spirit of Pong” and “Campaign 2100: Game of Scorpions” (which features table tennis quite a bit – here’s my blog on that). The latter is easily my best-selling science fiction novel. (Here are all my books, both SF and TT.)
• Important Rituals. We discussed how to create science fiction or fantasy cultures (human, alien, or fantasy creature) with rituals. One interesting argument came about regarding the definition of ritual. Is the “Riker Maneuver” (where Commander Riker from Star Trek steps over a chair to sit in it) a ritual or a habit? When Arya Stark of Game of Thrones recites the list of people she is going to kill each night, is that a ritual? Some argued a ritual needed a group and should normally be religious. I didn’t agree – I had a more lenient definition. At one point I pointed out how rituals are common in sports, as a mental preparation, and used several examples from table tennis. I wrote about this a bit in Become a Player of Routine – see the “Mentally” part.
• History: The Ultimate Source Document. We discussed how to use historical events to write alternate histories, or to explain certain events. I have many examples from my own writings – I’ve sold stories with First Contact (i.e., with aliens) at MLK’s 1963 March on Washington; when Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon; and at John Tyler’s Inauguration as the tenth US President in 1841. Regarding Armstrong, my story also explained why he neglected to say “a” in “That’s one small step for [a] man; one giant leap for mankind.” I also pointed out that my novel “The Spirit of Pong” featured many ghosts (!) of real historical players and coaches.
• Writing With Your Opposite. We discussed the two major fiction writing methods, outlining versus pantsing (where you just sit down and write, without much advance planning). I’m a partial outliner – I do rough outlines, then make things up as I go along.

Butterfly Training Tips

• FETHOMANIA 16: Drill 1 (43 sec) with Stefan Feth and Larry Thoman
• FETHOMANIA 16: Drill 2 (56 sec) with Stefan Feth and Larry Thoman
• Stroke Chemistry and Handspeed (1:12) with Jonathan Pino
• Olympic Welcome Experience (1:44) with Sally Moyland – “the process of getting all her attire for the Olympics.”

Banana Flick Tutorial with Robert Gardos
Here’s the video (2:49) from PongSpace. An excellent explanation and demonstration.

How to Progress from Beginner to World Level WTT for Young Players
Here’s the video (17:37) from Ti Long.

New from Performance Biomechanics Academy Table Tennis

• Can You Become a Table Tennis Pro in Just 540? Video 1 (11:19)
• 540 hours to make a table tennis player? Video 2 (1:26)
• 540 hours to make a table tennis player? Video 3 (51 sec)
• Lower limb coordination circuit focused on the oxidative system (2:23)
• Basic skills exercises for children (2:12)

New from PingSkills

• Challenging Your Training: Why 80% Success is Unrealistic
• Past Blog Entries
• Ask the Coach

Use These Tactics OR They Will Be Used Against You!
Here’s the video (21:33) by Seth Pech.

How to Play with Long Pimples | 3 basics Tips & Techniques
Here’s the video (5:27) from Pingispågarna.

The Pips Problem (and other such nonsense)
Here’s the article by Logan Rietz on how to play with or against pips.

Tomahawk Side-Topspin vs Side-Backspin
Here’s the video (11 seconds), set to music!

How the Manufacturing Pros Put Sponge on Your Racket
Here’s the video (15 sec in fast-motion)!

New from Taco Backhand

• 9 Minutes Of HARIMOTO From GREAT ANGLES (9:10)
• Tomokazu Harimoto DOMINATES Young Prodigy Sora Matsushima (1:41)

Major League Table Tennis
Follow the action!

• Home Page
• Major Pong Head (blog coverage)

New from Steve Hopkins/Butterfly

• Jha’s German League Streak Ends at Seven
• Early Action Continues at the 2 Million USD China Smash

My Experience At The 2024 Olympics (+ Q&A)
Here’s the article and video (13:21) by Anders Lind

New from ITTF

• Olympic Solidarity courses preparing coaches and players for the future
• ITTF Congratulates Hungarian Table Tennis Association on Centenary Milestone

Table Tennis Caricatures
Here’s where you can get them!

We Challenged Spanish Champ Alvaro Robles!
Here’s the video (12:56) from Table Tennis Daily!

I’m the Ping Pong Guy
Here’s where you can buy the shirt at Amazon!

***
Send us your own coaching news!

Tip of the Week
The Only Thing That Matters.

Weekend Coaching, Tips, Training, and My Right Foot
I had a busy week, both coaching and playing. I coached the Intermediate junior group on both Saturday and Sunday, and the Elite Group on Sunday. With the Intermediate group, besides the usual stroking and footwork drills, we did a lot of service practice. One kid, age about eight, had a breakthrough – he can now serve a heavy enough backspin serve that it stops on the table and rolls backwards. He’s pretty excited about it. Then I really opened his eyes by explaining and demonstrating a “heavy no-spin” serve – so now he’s practicing that. (The key to heavy no-spin is making it look like it’s actually heavy backspin, so the opponent opens his racket and pops the ball up. You do this by using the same fast motion as heavy backspin, but contact the ball near the handle.)

One kid was struggling with his forehand – he extended his arm almost straight from the shoulder. I had him bring it in, even exaggerate a much shorter stroke, and he quickly develop a much more consistent and reliable forehand – hit one hundred of them while doing side-to-side footwork.

With the Elite group, I spent a lot of time emphasizing to remember the “feel” of a good shot, and then repeat. This is especially important after making a poor shot. Instead of focusing on what happened with the poor shot, you should focus on repeating the good shots. The only time to think about the poor shots is if you can’t remember how to do it correctly and so have to analyze why you keep doing the poor shot. You might need a coach for that. A couple of players were standing too straight, so I quickly straightened that out – or should I say unstraightened it!

In a fit of energy last week, I went through my file of possible upcoming Tips of the Week and, during a looooong session at Panera’s, wrote nine new ones. Since I’d already written tips for every Monday through October, this gets me to the end of the year. They cover a wide range of topics, from “How to Flip Short, Heavy Backspin” and “How to Loop Deep, Heavy Backspin,” to “How to Do a Relentless Three-Point Attack” and “The One-Two Punch of Tactics.”

I continued my own training for my comeback this Fall for the Huntsman World Senior Games, the US Open, and possibly others. Alas, I faced three major problems this week. First, exhaustion – I was lightheaded several times while training and had to stop each time. That comes down to fitness – I train at a level that’s still beyond my current fitness level. Second, after going from 210 to 194 lbs. between Aug. 1 and Sept. 16 (last Monday), I seem to have hit a wall. I dieted all week, and yet my weight has seemingly stayed the same. I’m a bit confused by this, but it might be water retention or something, or maybe I was dehydrated last week. After the lightheadedness session, I went ahead and ate a couple of full meals that might have affected this. We’ll see.

And third, and worst of all . . . I hurt my right foot. (I had the same injury earlier this year.) I think I initially hurt it while practicing. But while hitting with the Intermediate players on Saturday it started bothering me. On Saturday afternoon I was about to play in the MDTTC Elite League (which I now run), but just before my first match, as I did some shadow-practice and the foot was worse, and I had to drop out. I hobbled about all day Sunday while coaching and hitting with players. I’ve cancelled my own training for at least the next 3-4 days. It’s not horribly bad – if I had a big match in a tournament I’d probably play with it, but I don’t want to aggravate it now and make it worse.

Major League Table Tennis
Follow the action!

• Talkin' Smash by JOOLA Ep14: Building the Major League Table Tennis Dream with Flint Lane and Matt Hetherington (39:19). “Major League Table Tennis has taken the US by storm, and it was a great opportunity as the second season kicks off to sit down and catch up with the MLTT Founder and Commissioner, Flint Lane. Flint is aiming to bring the dream of having a full time professional table tennis league in the USA alive. Season 1 saw an exciting new format for the sport, a number of high level foreign players, and numerous team matches across the country. Flint speaks about the conception to delivery of MLTT, and what his vision is - not just for MLTT, but for the growth of table tennis in America in general, as part of his efforts. New changes are afoot in Season 2 and the journey for Flint and his dedicated team continues!”
• MLTT Is Going Coast-To-Coast
• It’s MLTT Opening Day
• Home Page
• Major Pong Head (blog coverage)

Timothée Chalamet’s ‘Marty Supreme’ Casts Odessa A’zion, Penn Jillette, Kevin O’Leary and Abel Ferrara
Here’s the article from Variety Magazine on the upcoming Marty Reisman biopic. Here’s the IMDB listing.

Meet Dora Kurimay
Here’s the interview from Bold Journey Magazine. Dora’s a championship player, sports psychologist, and writer.

Butterfly Training Tips

• Forehand and Backhand Speed Work (52 sec) with Jabdiel Torres
• Two Table Falkenburg Looping (55 sec) with Angel Naranjo
• FETHOMANIA 15: Drill 3 (45 sec) with Stefan Feth and Larry Thoman
• FETHOMANIA 15: Drill 4 (38 sec) with Stefan Feth and Larry Thoman

7 Tips For Playing Table Tennis In A Hot Or Humid Playing Hall
Here’s the article by Álvaro Munno, from Racket Insight.

Warm Up Exercise
Here’s the video (2:04) from Pingispågarna.

One Tool to Perfect Your Long Serve with Robert Gardos
Here’s the video (4:34) from PongSpace.

2024 Pan American U11 & U13 Championships At Dominican Republic!
Here’s the article by Maggie Tian

Wang Chuqin DESTROYS His Opposition
Here’s the video (2:06) from Taco Backhand.

New from Steve Hopkins/Butterfly

• WAB Club Feature: Origin Table Tennis Academy
• ITTF Rankings: Lin Shidong Jumps into Top 10
• Kanak Jha Among Elite in German League, Team Falters in German Cup

California, Oklahoma, Ohio and Illinois Events Wrap Up 2024 State Championship Series
Here’s the USATT article.

ITTF News

• Americas Hopes Week & Challenge rises to new heights with record number of participants
• Call for Wild Cards to the 2024 ITTF World Hopes Week & Challenge now open

We Challenged Germany’s Best Juniors!
Here’s the video (19:11) from Table Tennis Daily.

The Man, The Myth, The Ping Pong Legend
Here’s where you can buy the shirt at Amazon!

Steve Rogers (Captain America) vs. Forge
Here’s the comic strip. If you go down a few pages there’s several pages of these two in a vicious ping-pong match, which ends when Forge (on left) slams the ball so hard it vaporizes. I’d never heard of Forge until now.

Angry Ping Pong Player
Here’s the clip art cartoon!

Hardest Ping Pong Table
Here’s the video (9:18) from Pongfinity! They take on eight challenges.

Non-Table Tennis – Capclave Science Fiction Convention
This weekend I’ll be at the Capclave Science Fiction Convention in Gaithersburg, MD. I’m a panelist – here’s my schedule and bio. I’ll also be doing two book signing – the mass signing on Saturday night (with all the panelists), and another at a time that hasn’t been finalized yet, but probably on Saturday.

***
Send us your own coaching news!

Tip of the Week
Written Coaching Material for Table Tennis.

Weekend Coaching and My Own Training and Dieting
When I told the kids in my multiball groups on Saturday and Sunday that, no matter what, they were not to hit my water bottle (which I’d conveniently placed on the table), they of course knew exactly what to do. Well, most of them. I did have to quietly whisper to the youngest in the group, a girl about age 6, that when I tell them, “Don’t you dare hit my water bottle!” that what I really meant was, “Hit my water bottle.”) I always find it best to keep it fun while teaching the foundations of the sport, and hitting targets (and my exaggerated exclamations of unhappiness when they do) are all just part of that. So is my constantly changing name. This past weekend I claimed I was “Coach Go Away,” and you can guess how that came off.

My water bottle took a beating. I also had to petulantly walk off a few times when they called me. (“Coach, go away!”)

But the kids had great training sessions. One kid made 100 forehands in a row for the first time while doing side-to-side footwork. The six-year-old girl? She hit the bottle 13 times in 90 seconds of multiball, and was quite excited about it. I also worked a lot on smashing and the often overlooked backhand footwork. The kids were excited and can’t wait for the next session.

As to me, I have my weight down to 194 this morning (from 210 on Aug. 1), and played five times this week. Alas, I had sort of a relapse in my playing – all this dieting, weight training (three times/week) and playing left me exhausted, and it showed in my match play. My legs (and the rest of me) felt dead. I played in the Elite League on Saturday, where I was in a group of six. I’d done weight training that morning, as well as coaching for 90 minutes, and was still dieting – and so I was exhausted. In my first match I started out poorly but got better and better and get a game and kept the fourth game close against a 2400 player. But that took the last bit of energy out of me, and I pretty much fell apart my next two matches, and then I defaulted out due to exhaustion.

Since Aug. 1 I’ve been living on about 1000 calories/day, instead of about 2500 I’d need to maintain my weight. (I sometimes “cheat” and do 1200.) It finally caught up to me on Saturday. So, that night I decided to splurge, and had my first big meal in six weeks, a big plate of Pepper Chicken (Chinese food). On Sunday I also splurged on Rocky Road ice cream. The result? Instead of losing three pounds this past week, I only lost two. NOOOOOOOOOO!!! But I’m back to dieting again, until I get to 180lbs. But I think that for now on I’ll have one weekly “splurge” meal. For the rest of the time I’ll stick to my diet. Breakfast is a chocolate or vanilla Slimfast shake (180 calories) and half a cup of Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice (50 calories). Lunch and dinner are either soup, Greek salad, or half a sandwich (each about 350 calories). And I snack on raw carrots, cherry tomatoes, and apples.

US Table Tennis Hall of Fame Inductions and Banquet
You can register at Omnipong for the 2024 US Table Tennis Hall of Fame Annual Awards Induction Banquet, to be held at the Houston International Table Tennis Academy in Houston, TX this year, on Thursday, Oct. 10, from 6-9PM, in conjunction with the 2024 Si & Patty Wasserman Junior Championships held that weekend (Oct. 11-13, Fri-Sun), which you can also enter through Omnipong. You’ll get to meet and talk to the honorees, as well as the many others who will attend. Cost is only $25. (It’s free to junior players who enter the 2024 Si & Patty Wasserman Junior Championships.) This year’s honorees are Patty Martinez Wasserman (Lifetime Achievement Award) and Hall of Fame inductees Stellan Bengtsson (Contributor), Glenn Cowan (Athlete), and Dennis Taylor (Contributor). Here is the 2024 Hall of Fame Program Booklet. I’ll be there! (I did the program booklet and will do the induction speech for Dennis.)

Illegal Chair of the USATT Board
It’s now been 588 days (84 weeks) since USATT elected Richard Char to an illegal third term as chair of the USATT board on Feb. 6, 2023. Here’s my July 1 blog about it. With the current rubber-stamp USATT board, there’s little that can be done about this and many other blatant bylaw violations and other serious issues until the next USATT elections, which are this Fall. I’ve blogged about these issues, and when the elections come up, I’ll post a comprehensive list. The irony is that, after ignoring all these problems, with the elections coming up there may be a belated realization among certain board members that perhaps, just maybe, they should deal with these problems, or perhaps do a few token protest votes. Sorry, too late. But over and over they’ve brought in lawyers to argue their case, and then argue that they’re just doing what the lawyers told them to do, pretending to forget that the lawyers were brought in to argue their case. It’s circular reasoning, where they start with a conclusion, and use that conclusion to conclude that their conclusion is correct. (Plus, “They are eating our dogs and cats!” Oops – sorry, wrong election.)

Job Opportunity:  Coach and Volunteer Development Officer
Here’s the help wanted notice from Table Tennis Ireland, the National Governing Body for Table Tennis within the provinces of Ireland.

Butterfly Training Tips

• FETHOMANIA 15: Drill 1 (49 sec) with Stefan Feth and Larry Thoman
• FETHOMANIA 15: Drill 2 (44 sec) with Stefan Feth and Larry Thoman
• Two Table Forehand & Backhand Looping (50 sec) with Angel Naranjo
• Underspin to Topspin Transition Looping (60 sec) with Jabdiel Torres

New from Ti Long

• 5 Tips - 100% Perfect FOREHAND FLICK (17:53)
• China Secret - Increase Win Rate from 60-90% (17:16)

How to Do a Fast Long Serve with Robert Gardos
Here’s the video (2:18) from PongSpace.

New from Taco Backhand

• THE KING OF PLACEMENT (2:10)
• Wang Hao The OLYMPIC CURSE (2:56)

How Much? My Costly Blade Testing Experiment
Here’s the article by Tom Lodziak. My thoughts on this – players should, at some point, go through a period where they try out the various rubber and rackets just so they know what the choices are. But once you find what works for you, stick with it unless your game changes or if there is something truly new to try out.  

New from PingSkills

• The Hidden Force Behind Every Victory
• Ask the Coach

Major League Table Tennis
Follow the action!

• Home Page
• Major Pong Head (blog coverage)

New from Steve Hopkins/Butterfly

• Lind Wins in Bulgaria
• Lin Shidong Surprise Winner in Macao
• Jaden’s Remarkable Progress: National And International Triumphs
• Canadian U19 Girls’ Team Shines At 2024 ITTF Pan American
• Irene Yeoh Dominates At Pan Am U15 & U13 TT Championships

New from USATT

• Irene Yeoh Secures Three Golds and One Silver at 2024 ITTF Pan American Youth Championships
• USA Captures 34 Medals at 2024 ITTF Pan Am U11 & U13 Championships in Santo Domingo
• Kou Lei and Yixiao Wang Crowned Singles Champions at San Diego Open

New from ITTF

• ITTF Welcomes Bids for Three World Championships: 2027, 2028, and 2029
• Reflecting on Paris 2024: Para Table Tennis’ Best Moments
• Reflecting on Paris 2024: Para Table Tennis’ Most Unforgettable Moments - Part 1
• Reflecting on Paris 2024: Para Table Tennis’ Most Unforgettable Moments - Part 2
• Joo Saehyuk shines spotlight on defense at ITTF Development Super Camp in Bangkok

Pong in Bed
Here’s the video (13 sec)!

The Best Ping-Pong Ball Tricks
Here’s the video (46 sec)!

HILARIOUS Moments In Table Tennis History!
Here’s the video (8:26) from Table Tennis Zone.

Adam vs. Lee Seul
Here’s the video (14:57) from Adam Bobrow! “My friend Lee Seul competed internationally for Korea, 6 years ago, mopped the floor with me... so I wanted to see if she's still got it! Enjoy.”

Non-Table Tennis - Philosopher Rex
My podcast flash story “Philosopher Rex” went up this morning at Manawaker Studio's Flash Fiction Podcast. A philosophizing T-Rex that meets our earliest ancestors - lemur-like creatures - during the final days of the dinosaurs, and how their attitudes toward each other change after this pivotal meeting. The reading (by one of their professional readers) is just over eight minutes. (The text version was previously published at Zooscape.)

***
Send us your own coaching news!

Tip of the Week
Plan Your One-Minute Break.

Weekend Coaching, Playing, Aching, and a New Player
COACHING. . . In the Beginning/Intermediate session, I spent a lot of time as a practice partner, with the players rotating so I hit with many of them. As usual, we did lots of footwork drills. I always explain the purpose of a drill, something many coaches don’t bother with. Kids are curious, and letting them know why a certain drill is important gives them a reason to work harder at it. A good example is the 2-1 drill, also known as the forehand-forehand-backhand drill or the Falkenburg drill. That’s a three-shot drill as follows: Backhand from backhand corner; forehand from backhand corner; forehand from forehand corner; and repeat. As I explain, this covers the three most common moves in table tennis – covering the wide forehand, covering the wide backhand, and the step around forehand from the backhand side. (The drill usually starts with the backhand.) We also did a lot of serve practice.

PLAYING. . . I went to the Potomac TTC last Wednesday and played three matches, against players rated 1600, 2050, and 2050. As noted in last week’s blog, I’m getting back into playing shape. I’m still struggling to rally as I used to and still miss easy shots. I won all three matches, 3-1, 3-1, and 3-2, and then had to stop out of exhaustion. I wanted to continue for fitness reasons, but I was feeling great strain in my back since my legs were dying, and so I was playing forehand shots with mostly my upper body, a quick way to get injured.

I also played in the MDTTC Elite League on Saturday. This was only the third set of matches since I started playing matches again a week ago, the first serious ones in many years, other than a few played at various camps. I played five matches. In the first one, I struggled to do anything in the first game, missing easy balls. But then some of my game began to come back, and my serves dominated, and I won my first three matches relatively easily. The key here, however, was serves – all three were junior players rated between 2000 and 2100, and they simply couldn’t figure out my serves. Alas, I’m still way out of shape, and after that my legs were dead and I was out of breath half the time, and I lost the last two against players about 2100.

ACHIING. . . I’m a bit disappointed in my fitness level so far, but I guess it takes time. On Aug. 1, I weighed 210; this morning I hit 196. I’ve been weight training three times a week since Aug. 20, but so far the only effect seems to be exhaustion. In fact, I’ve found myself having to lower some of the weights as my muscles are just too tired to lift some of the weights over and over that I was able to do last week. But hopefully the effects will show up soon. But the muscles are aching all the time, and I often have muscle cramps. (Yes, I'm drinking lots of water.) Perhaps the dieting affects this. A week before any serious competition, or when I get to around 185, I’ll go back to a normal diet. 

A NEW PLAYER . . . I spend a LOT of time eating and writing at Panera’s, usually going there for around three hours almost every day, typically 2-5 PM (i.e., a late lunch) or 6-9 PM. (Sometimes I’ll stay longer, eating lunch and dinner there.) Due to my dieting, I’m mostly getting soups, salads, half-sandwiches, and Diet Coke instead of my previous Dr Pepper.

On Sunday (yesterday), I went in around 2PM. As I walked over to a booth, I heard a voice saying, “You play table tennis?” I look over and it’s a boy, age 11. He’s sitting with his father and another boy his age. I say yes, and ask how he knows. He says he recognized the warm-up suit I was wearing as the ones the US Team wears, and the Butterfly logo. It turns out he’s a table tennis fanatic – plays constantly in his basement with friends and constantly watches it on YouTube, which is how he recognized my US Team warmups. But he’s never been to a table tennis club, never had coaching, and didn’t even realize there were table tennis clubs and coaches! I gave them the web address for MDTTC (www.mdttc.com) and told them about their programs, including the junior program. He was incredibly excited to discover there was a FULL-TIME TABLE TENNIS CLUB just a few miles away!!! Anyway, his dad said he’d take him there. (Demographic note – the boy and his father were white, his friend was black. Our junior program is dominated by Asian players, mostly Chinese and a number of Indian kids.)

Articles and Blogs
I did some accounting on my writing. As of today, I’ve had 2,294 published articles (this includes 21 books) and 2,017 blogs (including this one), so 4,311 published items in all!

• Table Tennis Blogs: 1,970
• Science Fiction Blogs: 47
• Published Articles: 2,294 - not including blogs, but including 1,996 table tennis articles, 215 science fiction & fantasy stories, and 83 other non-fiction.
• Books: 21
• Editor: 209 magazines or program booklets.

Player’s Playbook - Winning mindset on and off the field from a basketball and table tennis perspective
Here’s the info page for the Friday, Sept. 20 (5-6PM) seminar by Dora Kurimay and Keith Drysdale. “We will share inspiring stories and perspectives on developing a winning mindset in sports and life. We will explore how to choose your path (know what motivates you), stay dedicated, and achieve your goals.”

• How to reach your goals and develop a winning mindset on and off the court.
• We will share our stories as learning experiences.
• Understand your motivation and create a path that you want to follow.
• What’s your current situation? What’s holding you back?
• How to master your commitment and motivation.

Major League Table Tennis
Follow the action!

• Home Page
• Season 2 is Next Week
• Major Pong Head (blog coverage)

Butterfly Training Tips

• FETHOMANIA 14: Drill 4 (50 sec) with Steffan Feth and Larry Thoman
• FETHOMANIA 14: Drill 5 (43 sec) with Steffan Feth and Larry Thoman
• Two Table Falkenburg Looping (55 sec) with Angel Naranjo
• Multi Ball All Table Forehand Smash with Zhang Jike (51 sec) with Tiffany Ke
• Backhand, Middle, Backhand, Wide Forehand (55 sec) with Anav Gupta
• All Table Forehand Loop Footwork (59 sec) with Anav Gupta

Short Topspin Serve with Robert Gardos
Here’s the video (2:16) from PongSpace.

Basic Forehand Underspin (Backspin) Serve
Here’s the video (11:10) from Ti Long.

New from PingSkills

• 4 Points to Victory - The Match That Changed Everything
• Ask the Coach

The Voice of Table Tennis Adam Bobrow
Here’s the video (31:24) as Table Tennis Daily interviews the Voice of Table Tennis.

Alexis Lebrun DESTROYING Players For 4 Minutes Straight
Here’s the video (3:58) from Taco Backhand.

We Challenge African Champ Quadri Aruna!
Here’s the video (12:11) from Table Tennis Daily.

New from Steve Hopkins/Butterfly

• The Draws are out for WTT Champions Macao
• Lin Shidong Wins in Almaty
• Seidenfeld Secures Bronze – Solid Para Results for TeamUSA in Paris

The Evolution of the NCTTA App
Here’s the article.

USATT News

• Seidenfeld Secures Bronze for Team USA in Men’s Singles Semifinals
• Ian Seidenfeld Sweeps Alvaro Valera to Reach Semifinals at Paris 2024 Paralympics
• Leibovitz Concludes Seventh Paralympic Appearance in the Round of 16
• Quarterfinal Exit for Van Emburgh in Men's Singles
• Seidenfeld and Van Emburgh Advance to the Men’s Singles Quarterfinals in Paris

New from ITTF

• 2025 Continental Para Table Tennis Championships Host Cities Announced
• Merci Paris! A Dream Summer for Table Tennis and Para Table Tennis Concludes
• Laurens Devos Claims Third Consecutive Paralympic Gold, Extends Unbeaten Streak in Dominant Final
• Tokyo 2020 silver medallist, Viktor Didukh back for redemption
• Isau Ogunkunle Bags Bronze, Secures Nigeria’s First Singles Paralympic Medal Since Sydney 2000
• Najlah Imad Wins Historic Gold for Iraq in Para Table Tennis at Paris 2024
• France’s Para Table Tennis Campaign Falters at Paris 2024: Can Lucas Didier Deliver Gold?
• Italy's 20-Year Journey to Paralympic Glory at Paris 2024
• Yunier Fernandez Wins Cuba's First Paralympic Gold in Para Table Tennis at Paris 2024
• Can Norway's Aida Husic Dahlen Finally Capture Her First Paralympic Gold at Paris 2024?
• Natsuki Wada Claims Historic First-Ever Paralympic Gold for Japan in Women’s Para Table Tennis; Korea Republic’s Kim Gi Tae Also Shines
• Kelly van Zon Claims Fourth Consecutive Paralympic Gold in Thrilling Class 7 Final
• China’s Feng Panfeng Claims Historic Fifth Consecutive Paralympic Gold
• The Unstoppable Spirit of Alexandra Saint-Pierre 
• Daniel Gustafsson's Paris Paralympics Debut: A Defensive Masterclass
• Norway’s Tommy Urhaug Returns to Paralympic Glory After 12 Years
• Retro Candle: The Secret Weapon in Wheelchair Table Tennis
• Nigerian Power Couple Christiana and Kayode Alabi Shine in Para Table Tennis at Paris 2024

Table Tennis King Throw Pillow
Here’s where you can get one from Amazon!

Monster Pong
Here’s the crazy cartoon image!

Extreme Hill Bowling Challenge
Here’s the video (8:18) from Pongfinity! They mix table tennis with other sports (not just bowling), such as, “Ping-pong on a badminton court with tennis rules.”

***
Send us your own coaching news!

Tip of the Week
If Serving Practice is Drudgery Then Perhaps Your Serves Are Too Simple.

Getting in Shape and Out of Retirement
On Aug. 1, 2024, just one month ago, as I flew to Scotland for 18 days, I weighed 210. (I’m 5'10', age 64.) That tied me for the most I’ve ever weighed. I’ve been around 205 for most of the last few years. And it’s cost me – I’ve had a number of matches (in hardbat events) where I might have won except I simply couldn’t move as well as I should, and worse, I’d be out of breath during the match and my legs would simply die. I blew the biggest lead I’ve ever blown against a really strong player in one match when, at the end of the match, I was completely out of breath and my legs had the energy of wet spaghetti. It also was a reason why I avoided regular sponge matches – I was too out of shape to play effectively.

So, during the flight to Scotland, I decided to spend those 18 days not only sightseeing and attending the World Science Fiction Convention, but also to diet. Between that and an incredible amount of walking in Glasgow and Edinburgh - anything under 1.5 miles I walked, and some of the tours involved hours of walking - I actually began to get back into shape. When I returned on Aug. 18, I weighed 203. I’ve continued to diet, keeping to roughly 1200 calories a day. This morning I came in at 198. One key thing – since Aug. 1, I haven’t had any Dr Pepper, which I usually sip when working. I’ve been drinking a lot of Diet Coke. I’m also snacking a lot on apples, pears, cherry tomatoes, and raw carrots.

I’m coming out of “retirement” at the Huntsman World Senior Games, which start on Oct. 7. I’m playing the regular (sponge) age events - Over 60 Men’s Singles, Over 60 Mixed Doubles with Alecia Moll, and playing down a division in Over 50 Men’s Doubles with Joe Ryan. I’m also playing Hardbat Singles. The plan was to get to 195 before the Huntsman Games. But since I’m already at 198 five weeks in advance, I’m now aiming for 190, or at least close to that. We’ll see.

I can’t play Hardbat Doubles because that takes place on Thursday, and I have to fly out that morning to attend the US Hall of Fame Inductions and Banquet in Houston, TX that night (Oct. 10). (See segment below on this.)

I pretty much retired from competitive sponge play back in 2007, with a rating of 2193. (I used to be a lot better than that!) Since then I’ve focused on coaching (with sponge, which is my “normal” game) while playing hardbat events at major tournaments. I’ve played four sponge tournaments since 2007 (in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2019), mostly spur of the moment while not in shape and out of practice, which dropped my rating to an even 2100.

I’m also playing age events (with sponge) and hardbat events at the US Open in December. The plan is to get to 185 by that time, though I’m toying with 180. There’s also the $50,000 Classic World Cup in Suzhou, China, Jan. 8-11, where I’ll be playing hardbat, sandpaper, and wood events.

However, it’s not just about losing weight. When you get older, you lose muscle mass. So, starting on Aug. 20, I’ve been weight training three times a week, usually Mon, Wed, and Fri. I’m not an expert on this, but after some research, here is my routine: I speed walk the 0.7 miles to Planet Fitness, do a one-hour routine, then speed walk back. The routine includes 17 different exercises on 17 machines, including two that are done twice (Torso Extensions both ways and Glute with each leg), so 19 in all. I choose a weight for each so that I can barely do 15-25, so I have to stop and rest, and do 30 in all. Because of past arm, shoulder, and knee problems, for certain exercises I lower the weight and so do all 30 continuously. The 17 exercises/machines are:

1. Triceps Extensions
2. Triceps Press
3. Biceps Curl
4. Shoulder Press
5. Row
6. Pull Down
7. Chest Press
8. Calf Extension
9. Pectoral Fly
10. Rear Deltoid
11. Seated Leg Curl
12. Seated Leg Press
13. Leg Extensions
14. Torso Rotations (left and right)
15. Back Extension
16. Abdominal
17. Glute (each leg)

So, all this will get me in shape, but what about table tennis play? Since I only do group sessions now, I don’t get much from that. However, I played in the MDTTC Elite League this past Saturday. It was the first serious sponge matches I’ve played in years. My play was erratic, as expected, but I did beat a 2050 chopper 3-1, with every game close. I lost 3-0 against two other players in the 2050 range – but in both cases I played well in the third game, leading 10-6 and 10-8 before losing those games. Because I haven’t played serious matches in years my receive is weak, but it got better and better as the matches continued. In drills, I can block endlessly, but in matches I don’t block as well yet – but the blocking got better as the matches continued. I also was able to attack decently, especially when serving, but that too was erratic. The footwork isn’t quite fluid yet, and I still sometimes miss easy shots. But I could feel signs of my old game coming back. By the end of Saturday’s session I was at about 2000 level, but I feel like I can be 2100 in weeks. Then comes the long climb to 2200 level and beyond. Not easy at age 64!!!

Due to arm, knee, and foot problems, I’m playing all my matches with an arm brace; knee braces on both knees; and compression socks on both feet. I think much of the knee problems were because of excess weight and my legs not being strong enough. Both of these put a strain on the knees.

I’m also planning on doing a one-hour session once a week with Coach Lidney at MDTTC. I’ll be doing the usual footwork/stroking drills, but long, repetitive drills strain my arm and shoulder, so I have to limit those. But there’ll be a lot of multiball – I know which ones I can do without injury. I’ll also do drills where I have to withstand his attacks – I need to get back my brick-wall blocking defense and sudden forehand counter-attacks. I’ll also rest between drills by doing receive drills – need to get back the super-consistent receive I used to have.

When serving, my basic playing style is serve and all-out forehand attack. (I can loop and smash equally well.) My serves are a big strength, but I need to practice them a lot to get back to where they were. On receive, I loop deep serves with the forehand whenever possible, but mostly try to get into straight backhand-to-backhand rallies, where I’m super consistent (but sometimes too soft), while challenging opponents to either try to get through my backhand, or change directions and give me a forehand, which I’m waiting for. I flip most short serves, both backhand and forehand, while mixing in short and long pushes. In rallies, when forced off the table, I used to rely on steady fishing and lobbing, with counterloops mixed in and some chopping, but I suspect I’m no longer fast enough to do that, so I may focus on staying closer to the table.

I volunteered to be a free practice partner in our Elite junior sessions (where the players are 1600-2500, and I’d be with the lower half), but apparently there’s no room. So, for more match play, I’m going to play at the Potomac TTC on Wednesday nights, and look for at least one other time each week to play matches. Between match play three times/week, weight training, and losing weight, who knows – maybe I can give Kanak Jha a scare next time we play! Speaking of Kanak...

Kanak Jha in the German Bundesliga
Here’s discussion and links to video at the mytabletennis.net forum on his recent performances. Last week, from down 0-2 and 6-9 down in third, he defeated Yi-Hisin Feng (TPE, world #50) and Luka Mladenovic (LUX, world #89, who uses frictionless antispin on the backhand). This week he defeated Patrick Franziska (GER, world #10) and Darko Jorgic (SLO, world #15). Kanak’s current ranking is #70. Here is his ranking history. His peak was #19 in January, 2023.

5 Tips from Table Tennis Tactics for Thinkers by Larry Hodges
Here’s the review and five tips highlighted from tabletennis.ph (Philippines).

Team USA Para Table Tennis Men’s Singles Events Set to Begin
Here’s the schedule. I believe you can watch it on NBC | @peacock | Youtube @paralympics.

Table Tennis History Magazine
Here’s the fourth issue, September 2024, 54 pages, from Steve Grant. Some really great stuff in here!

US Table Tennis Hall of Fame Inductions and Banquet
You can register at Omnipong for the 2024 US Table Tennis Hall of Fame Annual Awards Induction Banquet, to be held at the Houston International Table Tennis Academy in Houston, TX this year, on Thursday, Oct. 10, from 6-9PM, in conjunction with the 2024 Si & Patty Wasserman Junior Championships held that weekend (Oct. 11-13, Fri-Sun), which you can also enter through Omnipong. You’ll get to meet and talk to the honorees, as well as the many others who will attend. Cost is only $25. (It’s free to junior players who enter the 2024 Si & Patty Wasserman Junior Championships.) This year’s honorees are Patty Martinez Wasserman (Lifetime Achievement Award) and Hall of Fame inductees Stellan Bengtsson (Contributor), Glenn Cowan (Athlete), and Dennis Taylor (Contributor). Here is the 2024 Hall of Fame Program Booklet. I’ll be there! (I did the program booklet and will do the induction speech for Dennis.)

Major League Table Tennis
Here’s the upcoming Fall-Spring 2024-2025 schedule.

Classic Table Tennis World Cup
Ready to try out hardbat, sandpaper, or plain wood? Want an excuse to see China? Then why not enter the 2025 Classic Table Tennis World Cup, Jan. 8-11 in Suzhou, China! I’ll be there, doing coverage and playing in Over 60 events.

Butterfly Training Tips

• FETHOMANIA 14: Drill 1 (39 sec) by Stefan Feth and Larry Thoman
• FETHOMANIA 14: Drill 2 (48 sec) by Stefan Feth and Larry Thoman
• FETHOMANIA 14: Drill 3 (47 sec) by Stefan Feth and Larry Thoman
• Hit Sequences (65 sec) with Catalina Ramirez
• One or Two Backhands, One or Two Forehands (59 sec) with Anav Gupta

New from PongSpace

• Short backspin Serve with Robert Gardos (2:23) with Robert Gardner
• Explaining the Forehand Opening (3:59) with Damien Provost

Table Tennis Multiball Training
Here’s the video (4:10) from Pingispågarna.

264 Exercises & Adjustable Spin - Arc - Placement and Random
Here’s the video (21:58) from Ti Long.

Mental Training Tip – Visualize like an Olympian for Your Table Tennis Glory
Here’s the article by Alan Chu, Ph.D., CMPC

Ask the Coach
Here are the latest questions and answers from PingSkills.

Ping Pong Players Exhibit Superior Brain Structure and Function, Study Finds
Here’s the article from Psychology Post. Here’s the actual study from Science Direct, Long-term table tennis training alters dynamic functional connectivity and white matter microstructure in large scale brain regions.

Was Table Tennis Better Before? Ma Long The GOOAT Old Footage
Here’s the video (2:23) from Taco Backhand.

77-year-old Table Tennis Champion Player on Overcoming the Odds
Here’s the article featuring Cindy Ranii from Spectrum News.

New from Steve Hopkins/Butterfly

• ITTF Rankings Entering September
• Singles Up Next at the Paris Paralympics
• Surprise Finalists in Muscat
• TBT Top 10 Coach & Player Videos Of 2023!

New from the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association

• BE "in the know"--NCTTA Rules for the 2024-2025 Season
• Table Tennis and the Parkinson's Wellness Initiative

New from USATT

• Team USA Para Table Tennis Men’s Singles Events Set to Begin
• USA Table Tennis Streamlines Tournament Sanctioning Process
• Seidenfeld and Leibovitz End Para Doubles MD18 Bid in Round of 32

New from ITTF

• Tokyo 2020 silver medallist, Viktor Didukh back for redemption
• Class 11 Singles Kick Off today at Paris 2024 Paralympics
• Three Olympians Set to Clash in Paris 2024 Paralympic Table Tennis for the first time
• India’s Patels Set Sights on Gold as Singles Campaigns Begin
• Thailand's Journey: From Underdogs to Para Table Tennis Powerhouse
• Singles Takes Centre Stage Tonight at Paris 2024 Paralympics
• Slovakia's Jan Riapos Secures Fifth Paralympic Gold in Memorable Doubles Triumph
• All our Paris 2024 Paralympic Medallists!
• China makes History: Zhao Shuai and Mao Jingdian are the First-Ever Mixed Doubles Paralympic Gold Medallists
• Historic Night at Paris 2024: China Dominates as First Gold Medals Awarded in Emotional Doubles Showdown
• Thrilling Showdowns Await: Para Table Tennis Singles Draw Revealed for Paris 2024
• First Gold Medal Matches Underway at Paris 2024 Paralympics
• From Prison to Podium, Table Tennis Saved Tahl Leibovitz from Homeless Life of Crime
• Doubles Makes a Comeback In Front of Magnificent Parisian Crowds
• Welcome to Club 8 of Para Table Tennis
• Fabien Lamirault Sets the Paris 2024 Cauldron Ablaze at Spectacular Opening Ceremony
• Bly Twomey Rising Faster than a Shooting Star
• Para Table Tennis Takes Centre Stage in Paris 2024: Media Guide Now Available!
• How Para Table Tennis Became a Lifeline

Forehand Flick Levels 1 to Lebrun
Here’s the video (12 sec)! (A flick and a flip are the same thing.)

Crazy Anime Table Tennis Cartoon
Here it is! What should the caption be?

It’s a Table Tennis Thing, You Wouldn’t Understand
Here’s where you can buy the shirt at Amazon!

College Challenge: Level 1-20
Here’s the video (15:58) from Adam Bobrow!

***
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Tips of the Week
Since I’ve been out of town and not blogging for the last five weeks you may have missed the Tips of the Week that still went up every Monday. Here they are!

• July 22 - Eleven Points on Match Etiquette
• July 29 - Strategy Requires Thought. Tactics Requires Observation.
• Aug. 05 - The Slow, Spinny Loop
• Aug. 12 - Practice Until You Can’t Do It Wrong
• Aug. 19 - The Loaded Push
• Aug. 26 - What to Do in a Laugher Match

Travel
I’m back!!! It’s been a busy traveling summer. Here’s where I’ve been:

• July 3-8 – US Nationals in Huntsville, Alabama.
• July 19-27 –  “The Never-Ending Odyssey” science fiction writing workshop in Manchester, New Hampshire.
• Aug. 1-18 – World Science Fiction Convention in Glasgow, Scotland (Aug. 8-12) and lots of sightseeing and tours, many of them featuring old castles, many of them thousands of years old.

And now it’s back to normality, where I coach and write about table tennis, and write science fiction.

US Table Tennis Hall of Fame Inductions and Banquet
You can now register at Omnipong for the 2024 US Table Tennis Hall of Fame Annual Awards Induction Banquet, to be held at the Houston International Table Tennis Academy in Houston, TX this year, on Thursday, Oct. 10, from 6-9PM, in conjunction with the 2024 Si & Patty Wasserman Junior Championships held that weekend (Oct. 11-13, Fri-Sun), which you can also enter through Omnipong.

I’ll be there. I’m going to the Huntsman World Senior Games in St. George, Utah, Oct. 7-10, but missing the last day as I’ll be flying to Houston on Oct. 9 for the Hall of Fame Banquet. Come on out and join us! You’ll get to meet and talk to the honorees, as well as the many others who will attend. Cost is only $25. (It’s free to junior players who enter the 2024 Si & Patty Wasserman Junior Championships.)

This year’s honorees are Patty Martinez Wasserman (Lifetime Achievement Award) and Hall of Fame inductees Stellan Bengtsson (Contributor), Glenn Cowan (Athlete), and Dennis Taylor (Contributor). I’ll be doing the presentation for Dennis. I also did the program booklet, as I’ve done every year starting in 2009. Here is the 2024 Hall of Fame Program Booklet. Major League Table Tennis is a Presenting Sponsor of the Dinner. 

The US Table Tennis Hall of Fame, established in 1979 courtesy of Steve Isaacson, is a 501c3 Non-Profit Organization with the mission to honor the athlete and contributors of the sport of table tennis in the United States. The Hall of Fame Board is chaired by Sean O’Neill.

USA Players at the Paralympics
Here’s the USATT news item on the USA Paralympic players, Returning Medalists Set to Compete at Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, featuring Tahl Leibovitz, Ian Seidenfeld, and Jenson Van Emburgh. Here’s info on where you can watch it.

Review of Table Tennis Tactics for Thinkers
Here’s a review of Table Tennis Tactics for Thinkers from Tampa Bay Table Tennis that someone recently pointed out to me.

Every Table Tennis Shot Explained in 4 Minutes
Here’s the video (4 min and 3 sec, close enough!) from Louis Levene.

Coaching and News from All Over
Since I’ve been away five weeks, rather than try to list every interesting article, here are links to some of the main news and coaching pages that have been active in that time, and you can pick and choose. I’ll get back to linking to individual articles next week.

• Butterfly News and Video Tips
• ITTF News
• Major League Table Tennis
• NCTTA News
• PongSpace
• Ti Long
• PingSunday/EmRatThich
• Performance Biomechanics Academy Table Tennis
• Pingispågarna
• Taco Backhand
• PingSkills Ask the Coach
• Tenis de Mesa from Sevilla (AI table tennis cartoons)
• Adam Bobrow

1 in a Trillion Moments in Table Tennis
Here’s the video (4:39) from Table Tennis Central.

PingPod Table Tennis Startup Expands To Licensing Software And Franchising
Here’s the article from Forbes Magazine.

Tabletop Diplomacy
Here’s the article about Ping-Pong Diplomacy from University of Virginia.

How to Destroy Your Enemy’s Serves
Here’s the video (16 sec)!

Ping-Pong Cat
Here’s the new video (12 sec)!

Old Man Challenges Pongfinity!
Here’s the video (4:02) from Table Tennis Daily!

Ping Pong... but the Floor is Lava
Here’s the video (9:22) from Pongfinity!

Ping Pong Table Tennis Silly Cartoon Animals Kangaroo Dog Throw Pillow
Here’s where you can get one at Amazon!

***
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There's a call for table tennis players in the New York area (or willing to relocate during filming) for the upcoming bio-pic about Marty Reisman, "Marty Supreme." Here is a recent article by The Hollywood Reporter about this project, and here's the IMDB page. The film stars Timothée Chalamet as Marty Reisman. Here's the call for table tennis players, including info on how to audition. Below are some of the roles they are looking for, though they also will want others. Here's an additional note in Japanese about the Japanese player wanted - who would play Endo, a character presumably inspired by Hiroji Satoh, who change the sport by winning the 1952 Worlds using sponge, including a huge upset win over Reisman. (Update - here's a Japanese version of the calling.) 

BELA:  Male. 30s-40s. Hungarian Jewish. Professional table tennis player. Does not need to be Hungarian, open to all Eastern Europeans. EASTERN EUROPEAN ACCENT IS A MUST, but speaks English.  MUST BE OKAY SHAVING HEAD!  MUST BE A PROFESSIONALLY COMPETITIVE TABLE TENNIS PLAYER WITH AT LEAST A 1700 RATING OR EQUIVALENT RATING PENDING GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION.  SUPPORTING.

ENDO: Male. 20s-30s. Japanese professional table tennis player from Japan.  NO ENGLISH REQUIRED. MUST SPEAK JAPANESE. MUST BE A PROFESSIONALLY COMPETITIVE TABLE TENNIS PLAYER WITH AT LEAST A 1700 RATING OR EQUIVALENT RATING PENDING GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION.  SUPPORTING.

TED: Male. 40s - 50s. White. BRITISH professional table tennis player..  MUST HAVE AUTHENTIC BRITISH ACCENT. MUST BE A PROFESSIONALLY COMPETITIVE TABLE TENNIS PLAYER WITH AT LEAST A 1700 RATING OR EQUIVALENT RATING PENDING GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION.  SUPPORTING.

SWEDE: Male. 20s-30s.  White.  Swedish professional table tennis player.  LOOKING FOR AUTHENTIC SWEDISH TALENT WITH AUTHENTIC SWEDISH ACCENT.  MUST BE A PROFESSIONALLY COMPETITIVE TABLE TENNIS PLAYER WITH AT LEAST A 1700 RATING OR EQUIVALENT RATING PENDING GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION.  SUPPORTING.

PASCAL: Male. 20s-40s.  White.  French professional table tennis player.  LOOKING FOR AUTHENTIC FRENCH TALENT WITH AUTHENTIC FRENCH ACCENT.  MUST BE A PROFESSIONALLY COMPETITIVE TABLE TENNIS PLAYER WITH AT LEAST A 1700 RATING OR EQUIVALENT RATING PENDING GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION.  SUPPORTING.

STASIO: Male. 20s-40s. White. Czechoslovakian competitive table tennis player. LOOKING FOR AUTHENTIC CZECH TALENT. MUST BE A PROFESSIONALLY COMPETITIVE TABLE TENNIS PLAYER WITH AT LEAST A 1700 RATING OR EQUIVALENT RATING PENDING GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION.  SUPPORTING.

LOU: Female. 20s-50s. White.  American.  professional table tennis player from New York.  MUST BE A PROFESSIONALLY COMPETITIVE TABLE TENNIS PLAYER WITH AT LEAST A 1700 RATING OR EQUIVALENT RATING PENDING GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION.  DAY PLAYER.  MUST BE BASED IN NY.

MISCELLANEOUS HARD BAT TABLE TENNIS PLAYERS: If you don't fit one of the categories above but are interested in the project and have a 1700+ rating, please submit!  We're looking for HARD BAT players that are NY/Tri-State Area locals or willing to work as a NY local hire, for various other roles.  All genders.  All ethnicities.  Age 18-70s.  MUST BE NY LOCAL OR WILLING WORK AS A NY LOCAL HIRE. MUST PLAY HARD BAT. 

Next Blog Will Be Aug. 26, 2024
I was called for jury duty today (leaving shortly), and I’m traveling almost non-stop for the next five weeks. So, I’m putting my blog on hold until I return. HOWEVER – the Tip of the Week will still go up every Monday – I’ve written them through August, and have others outlined for September. Here is this week’s Tip of the Week, as well as last week’s, since I was also out of town and didn’t blog that week.

• July 08, 2024 - Stop Trying to Fix a Stroke While Hitting a Ball
• July 15, 2024 - The Power of a Stare

On a side note, my (non-TT) story, “The Annual Albert Einstein Race to the End of Time,” went up last week at Flash Fiction Magazine! Highly competitive trillionaires race expensive timecars to the end of time – but when one of them is impatiently sidetracked on a wrong timeline to the past as other racers pull ahead, he learns a valuable lesson. And while I’m gone, don’t forget to browse and maybe a few of my table tennis books!

Next Blog
Next blog will be July 15 Aug. 26, since I’ll be out of town next Monday for most of the next five weeks.

Tip of the Week
Should You Guard Against the Long or Short Serve?

Illegal Chair of the Board
It’s now been 511 days (73 weeks) since USATT elected Richard Char to an illegal third term as chair of the USATT board on Feb. 6, 2023. Here’s my email to the USATT Board in February on the matter. I also blogged about it on Feb. 12, 2024 and Feb. 19, 2024, where I also wrote about other abuses of power.

The key issue is simple. The bylaws say a chair cannot serve more than two consecutive full terms. It defines a full term as any term over one year. The current chair became chair of the board on June 1, 2020, and continued as chair until the next election, on Dec. 6, 2021, 18 months later. Since 18 months is more than a year, that’s a full term, with his second term starting on Dec. 6, 2021.

As explained in the email, in the Dec. 6, 2021 election, the board voted to make the election “effective as of Jan. 1, 2021,” eleven months earlier, so that the chair, who had already served a full term, could claim that he had not served a full term – thereby creating the fiction that his first full term started seven months after it actually began. But the bylaws are specific – 8.3: “The Chair shall hold office until the Chair’s successor is elected and qualified.” (The successor includes himself if reelected.) That election took place on Dec. 6, 2021, after 18 months on the board – a full term. (This is in addition to three months as chair of the Interim board.) He then served a second full term, which Char claims was his first, and then was elected to an illegal third term on Feb. 6, 2023.

A little clarification. They held the election on Feb. 6, 2023 to continue the fiction that his first full term had started on Jan. 1, 2021; in reality, his second term would have ended on Dec. 6, 2023. But by holding that election, his second term was from Dec. 6, 2021 to Feb. 6, 2023, which is 14 months, and since that’s over a year, it’s a full term.

Here’s an even simpler way of looking at this. According to the bylaws, a chair stays chair until the next election for chair. It doesn’t say anything about “effective as of” dates; it says until the next election, and no vote of the board can change that unless they change the bylaws. Char was chair continuously from June 1, 2020 to Dec. 6, 2021. That’s a full term. He was chair from Dec. 6, 2021 until they held an election on Feb. 6, 2023. That’s a second full term. He was then elected to an illegal third term on Feb. 6, 2023.

As I wrote in the email, it’s likely that some board members did not understand the implications of the wording at the time. The USATT lawyers, who were brought in by the CEO (who backs the chair) essentially represent the CEO and chair (instead of the whole board) and argue their case to the board instead of apprising the board of the actual situation. That’s an ongoing problem that needs to change. (The previous USATT lawyers represented the whole board and apprised them of the actual situation rather than just argue the case for the CEO or chair.) Whenever I confront board members about these bylaw violations and other issues, they invariable say some variation of, “We’re just doing what the lawyers told us to do.”

History will not look fondly on this chair and a majority of the current board that has gone along with these shenanigans, the lawyers who rationalized them, or the CEO who wrote an email supporting this. Neither will voters in the USATT elections this Fall. (Plus, of course, the CEO shouldn’t be involved in decisions about who chairs the very group she reports to.)

USATT Board Member Denied Access to USATT Financials
USATT Board member Thomas Hu, who was elected to the board by the membership and has an MBA, said he didn’t understand something in the budget during the budget meeting late in 2023, including the formulas and the assumptions that went into creating the budget. He asked for the detailed financials. Response? On the recommendation of the USATT lawyer (brought in by the CEO who oversees the budget in question), the board voted that Thomas had a “potential conflict of interest” because of his 1/3 ownership of PongSpace (an organization devoted to promoting table tennis) and his position as CEO of AYTTO since 2017 (a non-profit devoted to promoting youth table tennis), and he was denied access to detailed financials.

I’ve been in the sport since 1976 and this is the first time in their history that I know of where a USATT board member was not allowed to see the full USATT financials. So, do you think this is a matter of finding he had a conflict of interest and then barring him from seeing the financials? Or do you think it was a matter of not wanting him to see the financials and so finding a way to bar him from seeing them? I think the answer is fairly obvious. (Here are the minutes of the Dec. 18, 2023 board meeting – see “Conflict of Interest Determination.”)

By taking this action, they prevented a board member from fulfilling his duties. According to Bylaw 7.2, Board members do the following – bolds are mine:

c. Review and approve USATT’s strategic plan and the annual operating plans, budget, business plans, and corporate performance;

f. Oversee the financial reporting process,

h. Approve capital structure, financial strategies, borrowing commitments, and longrange financial planning;

i. Review and approve financial statements,

n. Monitor USATT’s operational and management performance. At the minimum, the following should be reviewed on an annual basis: i. Key performance indicators; ii. CEO performance; iii. Strategic Plan; iv. Investments and accounts; v. Fundraising strategies and goals;

US Nationals
I’ll be at the US Nationals, July 3-8, in Huntsville, AL. There are only 621 players, a big drop-off from the 810 last year in Fort Worth, TX. Here’s the player listing by rating and by event. As usual, I’ll be coaching (though we have fewer players from my club going this year than normal) and playing a couple of hardbat events, Over 40 and Over 60. I’ll be doing some sightseeing as well. Here’s an article from WHNT in Northern Alabama, Table tennis nationals coming to the Rocket City

I’m doing a scientific experiment this year. I injured my back while warming players up at the Junior Trials a month ago. Since then I haven’t played except for feeding some multiball. So, I’m out of shape, out of practice, and have various nagging injuries (back, shoulder, neck, knees). How will I do? If I win anything, it’s mind over matter.

First Galactic Table Tennis Championships
Here’s the Butterfly news item on it, by Steve Hopkins.

Two Weird Table Tennis Things
I had a weird dream a few nights ago. I was at the US Nationals. Hundreds and hundreds of players and tables, all battling it out . . . except instead of hitting ping-pong balls back and forth, everyone had a box full of bugs and were throwing live bugs across the table at each other!!! No ping-pong paddles, it was more like snowball fight from across the table.

A few weeks ago I made up a joke during a training session. What do you call a stupid table tennis player who sings? A Ding-Dong Ping-Pong Sing-Song. (Okay, you can throw bugs at me now.)

World's Longest Table Tennis Rally
Here’s the video (6 min) from Table Tennis Daily!

Butterfly Training Tips

• Forehand Underspin Power Looping (62 sec) with Lingshuai Meng
• Backhand Push to Topspin Loop Transition (92 sec) with Rachid El Boubou
• Forehand Loop Around the Net Loop (63 sec) with Bob Chen
• Forehand & Backhand Attack of Serve (50 sec) with Tiffany Ke
• Forehand Loop from Underspin (53 sec) with Hong Lin
• Forehand Smash & Footwork (56 sec) Tiffany Ke
• Forehand & Backhand Transition (79) with Geovanny Coello
• Backhand Counterloop (78 sec) with Rachid El Boubou
• FETHOMANIA 10: Drill 1 (42 sec) with Stefan Feth and Larry Thoman
• FETHOMANIA 10: Drill 4 (46 sec) with Stefan Feth and Larry Thoman
• FETHOMANIA 10: Drill 5 (38 sec) with Stefan Feth and Larry Thoman
  (Note – Drills Fethomania Drills 2-3 were linked in last week’s blog.)

New from PongSpace

• Speed Up Drill (2:32) with Damien Provost
• Yang Xiaoxin's Serve Analysis (1:41)

Use Pre-Point Routines: Mastering Crunch Time Like Timo Boll
Here’s the article by Alan Chu, Ph.D., CMPC.

The Secret to Improving Forehand Push Skills
Here’s the video (4:45) from Ti Long.

Top 3 Most Effective Serves in Table Tennis
Here’s the video (10 min) from Rational Table Tennis Analysis.

New from Table Tennis Daily

• Tomokazu Harimoto Evolution (Age 4 - 20) (9:24)
• Table Tennis Serve Evolution 1940-2024 (13:20)
• 0% Sportsmanship but it gets increasingly more disrespectful (4:33)

New from PingSunday/EmRatThich

• Will China win GOLD in Paris Olympics 2024 (2:57)
• MA Long vs LIU Shiwen | Who is better? (27:25)
• When Ping Pong Turns into Ping Pong Rage 2024 ! (5:03)
• Xu Xin vs Sun Yingsha | Who is better? (22:30)
• Amateur Xu Xin version with only forehand (8:05)
• Chen Meng vs Fan Zhendong | Who is better? (33:29)
• (For Team India) Team China prepares for Paris Olympics 2024 (4:47)

Ask the Coach
Here are the latest questions and answers from PingSkills.

Inspiring Best Points
Here’s the video (9:25) from Performance Biomechanics Academy Table Tennis.

Bowmar Sports Tournament Highlights

• Sally Moyland Junior WTT San Francisco (2:26)
• Daniel Tran – US Junior Trials Highlights (2:19)

New from Steve Hopkins/Butterfly

• Hodges’ Newest SciFi Book Introduces Aliens to Our Sport
• Dusseldorf Wins 34th TTBL Championship
• Japan Sweeps WTT Events in Tunis
• WTT Youth Contender Series Visits Westchester, New York

Sandbagging in Utah – Part 4
I hope this is the last I have to write or link to about this! Nam Nguyen - Sincerely Apologized - Apology Accepted by Players and Tournament Staff.

Amy Wang Talks Stepping Up from Developing to Professional Level
Here’s the article from JOOLA.

Classic Table Tennis World Cup
Here’s their YouTube page where you can watch all the matches from this past January! Care of the International Classic Table Tennis Federation (ICTTF).

Ping Pong Players Exhibit Superior Brain Structure and Function, Study Finds
Here’s the article from PsyPost.com.

Are Ping Pong Players Better Than The Rest Of Us? Here’s What The Research Says.
Here’s the article from Early Chirp.

ITTF News

• Sydney 2000: Table Tennis Delivers a Fourth Olympic Spectacle
• One Month to a New Olympic Champion: Who Will Claim Mixed Doubles Gold in Paris?
• Table Tennis Captivates Atlanta 1996
• One Month to Go: Paris Ready for Table Tennis Glory
• ITTF Demonstrates Remarkable Advancements in ASOIF Governance Review
• Barcelona 1992: A Stage for Table Tennis Legends

Dan and Lloyd on Top of the World After Breaking Longest Table Tennis Rally Record
Here’s the article from Table Tennis England by Paul Stimpson.

Beware of Long Pimples
Here’s where you can buy the shirt at Amazon!

What’s Your Table Tennis Style?
Here’s where you find out! I’m “Tremendous Lobber.”

Teqball Scissors Kick
Here’s the video (13 sec)!

Hey Man Wanna Play Some Ping Pong?
Here’s the cartoon (8 sec)!

10 FUNNY Table Tennis Moments That Will Make You LOL
Here’s the video (5:27) from SF Sports and Entertainment!

Pongfinity vs. Football Goalkeeper
Here’s the video (6:44) from Pongfinity!

Recent Publications
First Galactic Table Tennis Championships (10,000 words) was published a couple weeks ago at New Myths Magazine, as noted in my last two blogs. Aliens from around the galaxy come to Beijing for the championships! Note that I put a permanent link to it in the menu on the left.

My story First Step (6,600 words) was published just today at Abyss & Apex Magazine. Sorry, no table tennis!!! When Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon in 1969, he said, "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind." But he apparently left out the "a," and so the quote didn't really make sense. It turns out he didn't leave it out. This is the story of what really happened when mankind first landed on the moon, and about the super-slow, high-tech aliens they found there. It’s up to Buzz Aldrin, using perhaps the most unique communication technique ever invented, to save humanity from being burnt to a crisp.

And don’t forget to buy some of my table tennis books! Perhaps the best-selling Table Tennis Tactics for Thinkers, or my most recent, Table Tennis Doubles for Champions.

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Tip of the Week
Leave Your Comfort Zone to Develop Strategically.

First Galactic Table Tennis Championships
If you didn’t read it last week, you can still read First Galactic Table Tennis Championships – it’s FREE!!! Aliens from around the galaxy come to Earth for the championship. I had a LOT of fun creating all those aliens, plus there’s lots of intrigue – bribery and blackmail! I also worked in a number of my own experiences into the story, including my infamous quarter-pounders with cheese debacle when I won the 1980 North Carolina Open. Here’s the review at PingSunday.

I have another story that came out on Friday, “Don’t Look!” at the Sci-Phi Journal. And just this morning I sold “Life and Death and Bongo Drums” to the “Ruth and Ann’s Guide to Time Travel” Anthology. (Alas, no table tennis in these latter two.)

Illegal USATT Chair
It’s now been 505 days (72 weeks) since USATT elected Richard Char to an illegal third term as chair of the USATT board on Feb. 6, 2023. I’ve twice emailed the board on this. I blogged about it on Feb. 12, 2024 and Feb. 19, 2024. History will not look fondly on this chair and a majority of the current board that has gone along with it, nor the CEO who wrote an email supporting this. Neither will voters in the USATT elections this Fall. (Plus, of course, the CEO shouldn’t be involved in decisions about who chairs the very group she reports to.) I’ve blogged about various USATT issues quite a bit, and will do so again as the elections approach.

Sandbagging in Utah – Part 3
I wrote about this in my last two blogs, with links to the petition on Change.org and to the Facebook Discussion. Mario has posted an apology on Facebook and says he’s returned the money.

Major League Table Tennis
Follow the action!

• Major League Table Tennis Announces the Formation of Minor League Table Tennis
• Major Pong Head (blog coverage)
• Home Page

Butterfly Training Tips

• Multi ball Speed Play (57 sec) with Arantxa Cossio Aceves
• Backhand, Middle, Backhand, Wide Forehand (62 sec) with Kef Noorani
• FETHOMANIA 10: Drill 2 (50 sec) with Stefan Feth and Larry Thoman
• FETHOMANIA 10: Drill 3 (43 sec) with Stefan Feth and Larry Thoman

Yang Xiaoxin's Serve Analysis
Here’s the video (1:4) from PongSpace.

New from Performance Biomechanics Academy Table Tennis

• Champion Ryu Seung Min. Footwork training (1:19)
• Kong Linghui. China's first classic world and Olympic champion (4:27)
• Ma long 15 years. First Junior World Cup Chile 2003 (7:37)

What is the Difference Between ‘Topspin’ and ‘Loop’ in Table Tennis?
Here’s the article by Tom Lodziak.

Illegal Serve - the Biggest Problem in Table Tennis
Here’s the video (10:21) from PingSunday/EmRatThich. (The illegal serve issue doesn’t come up until 1:50.)

Penhold Grip: How To Learn and Practice with the Penhold Grip
Here’s the video (6:15) from Pingispågarna.

Ask the Coach
Here are the latest questions and answers from PingSkills.

New from Steve Hopkins/Butterfly

• US Nationals Preview: Action Starts in 10 Days
• Ovtcharov Back On Top in Lagos

ITTF News

• Table Tennis' Smashing Debut at Seoul 1988
• Preparations in Good Order as Paris Qualifiers Prevail in Ostrava
• Olympic Day 2024: Celebrate Movement with Table Tennis
• Rome Ready to Host the Largest Table Tennis Event in History
• Leading Names on Duty in Ostrava Aiming to Repeat Tokyo Success in Paris
• Table Tennis Serves Up a Historic 10th Olympic Edition in Paris
• ITTF-Oceania Annual General Meeting: Moore Re-Elected President, Houston Appointed CEO
• ITTF World Rankings Deliver Tickets to Paris 2024

Old Ping-Pong Comic Covers
Here are three that I saw recently.

• King’s Comics #34, January, 1939 - Popeye and the Hatching Ping-Pong Ball
• The Barker #9, Autumn, 1948 – Not sure what’s going on here
• Little Dot #106, 1966 – She gets hit by lots of balls

It’s Only Ping Pong Said the Loser
Here’s where you can buy the shirt or mug at Amazon.

Level 1-10 (India)
Here’s the video (15 min) from Adam Bobrow!

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