How much? My costly blade testing experiment

How much? My costly blade testing experiment

Every now and then, I get the itch to try new equipment. It’s the same for many of us. We get settled on our rubbers and blade, and then a thought starts to flicker inside our brain – what if there is something better? This summer, I got the itch big time. It started with a speculative email from a custom blade maker. Keep reading

Table Tennis Foundations Course

Table Tennis Foundations Course

If you want to develop into a decent table tennis player, you need to have good foundations. You need consistent strokes. You need to understand topspin. You need to understand backspin. You have to be confident when serving. You need to have confidence returning serves. You need a range of shots which can help you … Keep reading

How useable is your technique?

How useable is your technique?

In previous articles I have explained why it’s not necessary for local league players to have ‘perfect’ technique. To build on this discussion, I want to talk about a concept I use in my coaching sessions called ‘useable technique’. The idea is to develop technique – which might not be world class – but is highly consistent and useable in match situations. Keep reading

The dark arts of serving

The dark arts of serving

There are multiple aspects to service – technical, tactical, mental and psychological. We often talk about the first three – how to serve, serve tactics, mental preparation – but we don’t often discuss the fourth part – how to psychologically unsettle your opponent. Or what I call “the dark arts of serving”. In this article I share some of the psychological tactics which players use when serving. All of these are entirely legal to do. They are not guaranteed to unsettle your opponent, but they often do… Keep reading

Guide to buying a table tennis robot

Guide to buying a table tennis robot

I like table tennis robots. Not everyone does, but I think they can be very useful if you use them in the right way. In this blog post, I look at the different types of table tennis robots you can buy. I’ve split robots into three different categories: entry level robots, mid-range robots and top-of-the-range multi-spin robots. I also make recommendations on which table tennis robots I think are the best and give links to where you can buy. Keep reading

Best table tennis bats for intermediate players

Best table tennis bats for intermediate players

When players I coach progress from beginner to intermediate standard, I encourage them to buy a better bat. But what the heck should they buy? There are just so many bats available – all with different levels of speed, spin and control. For a player who is buying their first ‘proper’ bat, it can be quite an overwhelming experience. But do not worry, help is at hand. In this blog post, I share the advice I give to the intermediate players I coach (including specific recommendations). I hope my advice helps you too… Keep reading

Do you practise returning serves? If not, why not?

Do you practise returning serves? If not, why not?

How important is it to practise returning serves? Well, look at it this way … 50% of points in a table tennis match begin with your opponent serving. You have to read your opponent’s serve, get the ball back on the table and hopefully put your opponent under pressure. In a game up to 11, if you miss 3, 4 or 5 of your opponent’s serves, you are at a massive disadvantage. From this perspective it would be crazy not to practise returning serves. Keep reading