Tom’s top 10 challenge

Tom’s top 10 challenge

I have set myself a new challenge. It’s a tough one. Maybe it’s beyond my ability level. But I am motivated to give it a shot. My new challenge is to break into the top 10 of the English veterans ranking list. Some would say I am deluded. They may be right. But, it’s a great goal to aim for in the next chapter of my table tennis life. Keep reading

Problems with your footwork? Start with your eyes

Problems with your footwork? Start with your eyes

A player I coach often complains about her poor footwork. The funny thing is that this player actually moves very well. She is fast. She has good balance. She can cover a lot of the table with her forehand. Her footwork is a lot better than mine! So why does she think her footwork is so bad? The answer is less to do with her feet and more to do with her eyes. Keep reading

Tom vs Europe – my first international tournament

Tom vs Europe – my first international tournament

I’m 35,000ft in the air. It’s a clear day, so I get some great views of the Norwegian landscape from my window seat on the plane. As we get closer to our destination, a slight panic starts to form. What the heck am I doing? This tournament sounded great fun when I signed up a year ago. Now I’m really not so sure. Maybe it would have been better to stay at home. Stick to local league matches. Stay in my comfort zone.

I’m about to take part in the 2023 European Veterans Championships in Sandefjord, Norway. Nearly 2000 players from across Europe will take part. There is a big German contingent. And Swedish. And French. These nations are super good at table tennis. Then there’s me. Tom Lodziak. A player with uncoordinated footwork, awkward technique and a mind full of self-doubt. I’ll be competing at a level higher than I have experienced before. What am I letting myself in for? Keep reading

The curse of the strong server

The curse of the strong server

Some players are so good at serving that it can become a weakness. This is what often happens at lower levels… A player will develop some strong, spinny serves. His opponents don’t have the receiving skills to return many of the serves. He wins many points outright with his serve. But problems arise when the strong server faces higher ranked players – players who are capable of returning his strong serves. Now his service game becomes a weakness… Keep reading

DON’T PANIC! How to learn from your serve receive errors

DON’T PANIC! How to learn from your serve receive errors

Learning to read service spin is a vital skill in table tennis. 50% of points start with your opponent serving. If you can’t read your opponent’s serves, you are at a major disadvantage and will likely lose. Even though reading service spin is essential, it doesn’t make it easy to do. In this article I focus on one aspect of reading service spin which is often neglected… learning from your errors. Keep reading

Can adult players change technique?

Can adult players change technique?

You can’t teach an old dog new tricks, so the saying goes. But can you teach an adult table tennis player a new technique? As a later developer myself – and having spent the past 10 years coaching a lot of adult players – I know how challenging it can be to change the way you play a shot. When you have spent years (or decades!) playing a shot in a certain way, it can be very difficult to change technique. But it’s not impossible… Keep reading

A few ups and a few downs – a review of my league season

A few ups and a few downs – a review of my league season

Another league season is finished. It feels like I have played a lot of matches over the past few months. Not only league matches, but also county matches and tournaments. I don’t mind admitting that I’m going to enjoy a brief break from competitive play! But how did I do in my latest league season? Am I making any progress or going backwards? Here’s a review of the past few months… Keep reading

Best table tennis bats for beginners

Best table tennis bats for beginners

As a coach, I often give advice to beginner players about what table tennis bat to buy. There is a lot of choice available and if you have never played before it’s quite difficult working out a good bat from a rubbish bat. Rather than giving my wisdom only to players I coach, I thought it would be good to share my thoughts on the best beginner bats to a wider audience. So here’s what I tell my beginners… Keep reading

Why some players improve faster than others

Why some players improve faster than others

Over the past 10 years, I have done a lot of coaching. Some of my players have improved a lot. Others have only improved a little bit. Ideally I would like every player to make massive improvement, but there is a limit to what any individual coach can do. How much improvement is made is ultimately down to the player. But there is a definite pattern. There are certain things some players do, which allow them to make a big improvement in a short period of time. This is what they do, and you should do too… 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