June 1, 2026

Tip of the Week
A Forehand Stance While Blocking.

Weekend Coaching and MDTTC Party
I fed a lot of multiball this weekend. I’d say the focus was on accuracy, especially when looping where I had them try to hit my water bottle. We also did a lot of down-the-line work. One key issue that comes up a lot when forehand looping against backspin is finding the balance between looping with spin and more arc, and looping with more speed where you drive the ball mostly forward with a lower trajectory. With softer sponges like Tenergy, looping is easier as it springs the ball out with lots of arcing topspin. With harder sponges, players tend to rip the ball more, ending the point with one shot. In multiball, where the ball mostly comes out the same every time, kids discover they can rip the ball over and over. But in a game situation, where the ball is more unpredictable, this type of shot is less consistent. So, players have to find the balance between the two.

We had our season-ending party on Saturday, with over 100 people attending, about 60 of them junior players. Lots of pizza, Chinese food, deserts, etc. Then I sent them out on the tables to hit with mini-paddles, over-sized paddles, hardbat, and so on. But as usual, the most popular activity was the two-table game. As I’ve done for decades at these parties, I pushed two tables together so it’s an 18-foot table. I put a chair on each side of the table in the middle, with a barrier between them as the net. Lots of counterlooping, fishing, and lobbing! They’d play singles, doubles, winner-stay-on (games to 2, no deuce), and the surprising favorite this time, around-the-table, where they’d play round after round with players who missed sitting out until it was down to two players, who’d them play one point for that round’s championships. (When it’s down to three players, they have to really move!) I set up two long tables in this way, and at one point over 40 kids were playing on the tables. Here’s a picture I took near the end when many had already left.

Ping-Pong Paddles Can’t Talk!
The last illustrations were finalized over the weekend. It’s been a long process as I had to go over each picture for accuracy. At one point I realized the two main players had switched hands in some illustrations, and those pictures had to be redone. There’s a great picture of the main star, Kevin, smashing while his rival, Li, dives for the ball – but initially she was drawn playing righty when she’s a lefty. There was also a problem that it seemed to show him hitting off the end, so that had to be fixed. I was picky about getting the grips and strokes right and other aspects. But it’s done! The illustrator, who is in India, is compiling the final pages, and tomorrow I should be doing a final proofing. It should be out by Monday, June 15. If you live near the Maryland Table Tennis Center, come to the MDTTC Open, June 27-28. I’ll be there selling (and autographing) all 27 of my books, including this one, all discounted.

For those who missed my earlier blogs on this, it’s a humorous Seussian rhyming children’s picture book that introduces table tennis to kids. It features a nervous boy (Kevin) and his talking paddle in their first tournament, where he meets and plays a girl (Li) who is really good, and they have an adventurous match. Along the way, kids learn about the sport, with themes on facing your fears, working toward a goal, honesty, and friendship. About 80 pages.

Portland Paddlers 2025-2026 Major League Table Tennis Champions
Here’s the video (3:59), created by Sean O’Neill.

Butterfly Training Tips

Give Me 7 Minutes To Fix Your Forehand
Here’s the video (7 min) from Andrea Levenko.

The Pendulum Serve
Here’s the video (60 sec) from Glam Hub

Zhang Jike Leg Workout: 3 Home Exercises for Explosive Power
Here’s the video (11:37) from Peak Performance.

New from Acceleraq
How to Backhand Flick (3:45) with Dutch National Table Tennis Team Member, Milo de Boer.

New from Biomechanics Applied to Table Tennis

New from the Table Tennis Teaching Channel

Novak Djokovic on Mental Strength
Here’s the video (1:33).

GlobalTTStudio
Here’s a site I just found with a lot of good coaching videos.

New from PingSunday
Lots of new videos this past week. (Some are members only, but most are not.)

New from PingSkills
Ask the Coach.

New from Steve Hopkins/Butterfly

Moyland Captures Back-to-Back WTT Youth Contender Titles
Here’s the USATT news item.

Waldner History
Here’s the video (7:04) featuring Jan-Ove Waldner, one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. From Tenis de Mesa from Sevilla (but in English).

Doris M Rice Foundation Generously Donates to NCTTA Scholarship Fund
Here’s the NCTTA news item.

New from the ITTF

Two Humorous Table Tennis Sites

Bear vs. Hardhat Worker
Here’s the video (13 sec)!

Table Tennis Greeting Cards
Here they are, from Red Bubble!

Mostly Non-Table Tennis – Three New Publications
Over the last three days three science fiction & fantasy stories I’d sold were published. One of them you can read online, and has a table tennis scene. The stories are:

  • Global Warming is a Hoax Says the Alien in the Spare Bedroom. You can read this one online – and it has a table tennis scene where two aliens play! It also has a great image at the start of the story which accurately shows the alien in the story. But look closely at the picture on the right and you can see it’s of two players playing table tennis.
    Synopsis: Jimmy keeps discovering there’s an alien living in his spare bedroom – but there’s a problem. Unless he’s looking directly at the alien, he forgets about it after ten seconds. There are millions of these aliens freeloading in homes around the world – and they have an agenda.  
  • Perfect Person. This one you’d have to order a copy to read.
    Synopsis: When Sam dies he goes to Heaven – but it’s vacant and run-down because, after thousands of years, he’s the first person to ever qualify. (Hell, on the other hand, is jammed and takes up all of the heavenly resources.) He sets about fixing things up . . . but it’s rather lonely when it’s just you and an ancient, computerized Saint Peter.
  • Trojan Alien. For this one you have to order the anthology, either print or kindle The stories in the anthology are all “drabbles,” only 100 words – but they pack a wallop in that space! The story involves the US president and his cabinet debating what to do about a horse-shaped satellite aliens have left in orbit around the Earth.

Non-Table Tennis – I'm Interviewed by Anomaly Magazine
Here’s the interview, with three questions about my science fiction writing.

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