March 23, 2026

Tip of the Week
Reverse Serves.

Weekend Coaching and Other Toothy Issues
Just a short blog today – I have a three-hour dental appointment this morning to fix the tooth that broke a few weeks ago during my South America tour.

On Saturday I spent an hour working with two kids, both seven years old. One was mostly a beginner, the other a little more advanced. Both had decent forehand strokes, even the beginner. But both had problems with consistency – the first because he was a beginner, the second because he liked to smack every ball too hard. So, how to fix this problem?

Two things. First, I had them take turns hitting with me (live, not multiball) where as soon as they missed twice, they sat down and the next player played. This gave them incentive to keep the ball going. The beginner, who didn’t have a long attention span, became much more focused, while the other player finally slowed down to keep the ball in play. Second, as we rallied, I said, “Bump-bump, bump-bump, bump-bump, bump-bump,” timing the “bumps” to when the ball hit the table and racket. This greatly helps their timing. It’s one of those little things that really helps when working with beginners. Both managed to get 50 in a row. As I regularly explain, when you can hit the ball consistently with a good stroke at a slow pace, hitting at a faster pace becomes much easier. Hitting at a fast pace where you miss a lot is a good way to practice missing a lot.

On a side note, I have a science fiction story called “The Unbeatable Teleporting Alien Table Tennis Foe . . . and Elephants” that’s a finalist at the Odyssey New Myths “Driven” contest. They are looking for stories about people who are “driven” to do something – and my hero is driven to be the Galactic Table Tennis Champion! But in the final he plays a teleporting alien. No matter where and how fast he hits the ball, the alien instantly teleports there and smacks a forehand. How can he beat this incredible player? He gets killed the first two games in this best of five – and then he discovers something that makes things even worse! (I can’t give that big plot twist away.) I’ll post when/if the story gets published. So, what does the “elephants” in the title mean? That’s another twist near the end – and again, I can’t give it away!

Ping-Pong Paddles Can’t Talk!
I’ve been actively working with the illustrator on my upcoming children’s picture book. The cover should be finalized in the next week or so. The book comes out in June. Here’s the text from the back cover. First comes the rhyming part (for the kids). Then comes a short paragraph (for the parents).

He’d practiced his ping-pong, he’s fully prepared!
But in his first tournament poor Kevin was scared.
He has to play Li, a formidable foe.
She smiles and laughs—but plays like a pro!

He’ll be embarrassed! To quit would be wise.
He stares at his paddle . . . it opens its eyes!
It smiles and opens its mouth wide to say—
Oh, come on! No paddle can talk . . . can they???
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“Ping-Pong Paddles Can't Talk!” is about a nervous boy and his (talking?) paddle in their first tournament, where he plays a friendly girl who is really good. They have an adventurous match. Along the way, he learns about the sport, and about facing your fears, working toward a goal, honesty, and friendship.

Coaching Opportunity – PongPlanet Table Tennis Club (San Francisco Bay Area, California)
Here’s the info page.

Forehand and Backhand Tips from Fan Zhendong
Here’s the video (2:03) from China’s Fan Zhendong, Men’s Singles Gold Medalist at the 2021 & 2023 Worlds and 2024 Olympics.

4 Mental Tips for Better Table Tennis Performance
Here’s the large cartoon graphic!

Interview with Kanak Jha
Here’s the video (2:36) with US #1 Kanak Jha.

Coaching and News from All Over
Since I’m off to the dentist soon, here are links to table tennis sites that have new items. Have fun!

Table Tennis Shirts from PrintBlur
Here they are!

Proof It’s You and Not Your Racket
Here’s the video (12 sec) from Pingpongmaestros!

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