March 9, 2026

Tip of the Week
Return to Ready Position Even When Blocking in Drills or Warmup.

Weekend Coaching and Giving Kids a Reason to Want to Be Good
One of the toughest things for good coaches when working with younger kids is finding that balance between disciplined training, and keeping it fun so they’ll want to keep coming back. As I blogged about on February 23, you have to give them a reason to want to get good. This past weekend I had an interesting experience regarding this in one of our group sessions.

I was doing multiball with four kids. I was taking them three at a time where they’d rotate in a circle, doing 3-4 shots each, then the next one, with the fourth player on ball pickup. For example, one would do backhand, forehand from backhand side, then forehand from forehand side, then circle around while the next player was up. If you do this fast, the players are drilling or moving almost continuously. I was also putting targets on the table for them to hit. Toward the end, I put a round box on the table, and challenged the players to knock it off the table. To do so takes a number of hits, with each hit knocking the box from a quarter to a full inch at a time.

The four in my group, ages roughly 7-10, got a bit exuberant and loud. I had to stop a few times to get them to quiet down and play more “serious.” And yet . . . I couldn’t help but notice that they were getting great practice. They were loud, but they were also focused on hitting that box. They were practicing their footwork, their strokes, and their accuracy. And they were having fun. As much as I’d prefer they quiet down a bit, I liked the enthusiasm. And guess what it reminded me of? The same type of loud enthusiasm from many of our past star juniors when they were starting out, such as Stanley Hsu, Ryan Lin, Mu Du, and so many others. It also reminded me of the many stories about great players from the past, such as Waldner and Appelgren, who were deemed “uncoachable” as juniors because they also seemingly “goofed off” when training, i.e., were loud and exuberant rather than quiet and focused.

As they get older, kids do take it more seriously and are more quiet and focused as they train. But when they’re younger, that’s almost counter-productive, in the long term. 

China Global TV Network
On Tuesday, March 3rd, I spent three hours with the China Global TV Network, along with Coach Cheng Yinghua. They broadcast in English. They are doing a special on the 55th Anniversary of 1971’s Ping-Pong Diplomacy. Cheng and I were interviewed extensively, and they filmed us hitting for a long time at MDTTC. They also took us out to a Chinese restaurant for lunch and filmed more interviews there. I’ll post when the show is online.

Knee and Long Pips
Due to my ongoing right knee problems, I’m toying with going to long pips (no sponge) on my backhand. (I’d still normally use inverted on both sides when I’m hitting with players as a coach.) I tried it out for the first time this weekend for a few minutes – and I felt really comfortable with it. On the backhand I’m a control player who mostly blocks, and so this fits in with my game, where I generally attack all-out with my forehand. I’ll likely try it out a few more times in the coming weeks – though I have to be careful about my knee. One thing I realized – part of the reason I re-injured my knee last week was I’d gone to a less-tight knee brace that didn’t give much protection. I’m back to a firmer, bigger, more expensive one and will stick with it. (The injury isn’t that bad, since I stopped before aggravating it more, but still worrisome.) One side issue – should I play doubles at the Nationals I July? I could be an unreliable partner if I reinjure my knee, or my side, shoulder, or foot (which have also given me problems the last two years). Even with long pips, I am still better if I can get my attacking forehand into play, especially in doubles.

Major League Table Tennis

Table Tennis: The Ultimate Brain Sport
Here’s the video (5:17) from PingPiPi.

Fethomania!
New drills from Stefan Feth and Larry Thoman, care of Butterfly.

New from Matt Hetherington/JOOLA

The Secret to Backhand Power
Here’s the video (26 sec) from Ultimate Table Tennis with Germany’s Dimitrij Ovtcharov, former world #1 and 2017 World Cup Men’s Singles Champion.

Forehand Basics with Milo DeBoer Table Tennis Techniques
Here’s the video (3:28) from Acceleraq (formerly PongSpace).

This One Finger Mistake Ruins Your Grip
Here’s the video (26 sec) from Pingdom.

The FIRST Table Tennis Serve Every Beginner Should Learn
Here’s the video (8:04) from Andreas Levenko – forehand pendulum backspin and no-spin serves, which many intermediate players should learn as well!

World’s Fastest Server Strikes Again
Here’s the video (20 sec) from Matt Hetherington, featuring Japan's Asuka Sakai.

Day in the life of a Table Tennis Coach
Here’s the video (14:02) from Vlad Totkalo.

New from PingSunday
19 new videos in the past week!

New from PingSkills
Ask the Coach.

Why Defensive Table Tennis Is Disappearing?
Here’s the video (6:33) from SeriousSportsScienceStories.

The Olympic Final That Shocked China
Here’s the video (4:38) from Beyond the Podium, featuring Ryu Seung-min, the 2004 Men’s Singles Olympic Gold Medalist.

New from Steve Hopkins/Butterfly

New from ITTF

How to Win at Table Tennis in 1939 Camel Cigarette Ad
Here it is – I just bought it on Ebay for $20. But they may have other copies.

Highly Animated Ball and Paddle Talking in Spanish
Here’s the video (11 sec) and a highly exuberant table tennis discussion – but I have no idea what they are saying! If you know Spanish and can do a translation, email me, and I’ll post it here and attribute you!

Shots Table Tennis Cartoons
Here’s another week of table tennis cartoons.

Magical Forehand Combos
Here’s the video (11 sec) from Pingpongmaestros!

Theocracy vs. Autocracy
Here’s the cartoon – with Iran the ball. It pretty much sums things up.

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