Tom Lodziak 
In this week’s blog post I’m going to address some issues raised by a reader of my blog called David from the USA. David has been playing table tennis for many years, but has become a little disillusioned because of illegal serves, white t-shirts and poor venue lighting. In the blog post, I’ll give my thoughts on David’s concerns and what the table tennis community can do about it… Keep reading
![[Video] Improving my counter topspin – with Eli Baraty](https://www.tabletenniscoach.me.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Countertopspin-350x197.jpg)
Usually when my opponent attacks, I go into blocking mode. But I’d like to do a bit more than always ‘block’. I want to get better at attacking my opponent’s attacks. So I got together with top coach Eli Baraty to develop my counter topspin skills. In the video Eli takes a look at my technique and gives me tips on how improve my counter topspins… Keep reading
A lot of players struggle against long pimples. It’s a common issue, especially at lower levels. When I first started playing, I was completely confused in my first matches against long pimples players. I didn’t know what the heck was going on! But in quite a small period of time, I was able to make rapid improvements and start beating the players I was losing to. So in this blog post, I’m going to share three simple steps you should follow to get good against long pimples players. Keep reading
![[Video] Amazing around the net shot – with Craig Bryant](https://www.tabletenniscoach.me.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Around-the-net-shot-1-350x197.jpg)
In this video, Craig Bryant (a former international player) shows us how to do an “around the net” shot. This is when the ball is played wide and instead of returning the ball over the net, you let it drop a little lower and spin the ball around the net. It’s a fun shot to practice and if you ever manage to do it in a competitive match, you’ll shock your opponent with a spectacular and unreturnable shot. Keep reading
Over the past month I have been trying out the Bribar Winning Loop table tennis bat (cost £29.99 – £36.99). This is one of Bribar’s best ever selling bats, aimed at beginners / developing players. In this blog post, I share my experience of playing with the bat, suggest who it is suitable for and whether you should buy or not…
In local league table tennis in the UK, we have a strong tradition of handicap competitions. This is where players are given points advantage / disadvantage based on rankings. I usually do pretty well in handicap matches. Our league team has won the the league handicap competition three times in the past five years (maybe our handicap ratings are too lenient!). In this blog post, I share some tactics I have used over the years to help me win handicap matches. Keep reading
![[Video] Blocking tactics to mess up your opponents](https://www.tabletenniscoach.me.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Blocking-tactics-350x197.jpg)
In this video I show you how to use your block shot to frustrate and beat your opponents. You normally use a ‘block’ to return your opponent’s topspin attacks. But don’t think of the block as merely a passive, defensive shot. If used well, you can turn defence into attack, force your opponents to make mistakes or even hit outright winners. Keep reading
Returning serves is hard. It’s the thing most players at the beginner and intermediate levels struggle with the most. But there are ways you can get better at returning serves, even if you have only just started playing table tennis. In this blog post, I give some simple advice about how you can return more serves, plus I share a BIG NO-NO, something you should never do… Keep reading
![[Video] How to do a forehand fade – with Craig Bryant](https://www.tabletenniscoach.me.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/FH-fade-350x197.jpg)
In this video Craig Bryant (a former international player) demonstrates how to do a forehand fade attack. A forehand fade is a variation of the traditional forehand topspin. You contact around the side of the ball to create some sidespin which sends the ball wide and this can really mess up your opponent. In the video, I also take on Craig in a forehand fade game. Can I beat Craig’s forehand fade? Keep reading
I am very happy to announce that I have my first sponsorship deal! It all started when I published a video on how to do a chop block with Craig Bryant. Craig is sponsored by Bribar Table Tennis and when they saw the video they got in contact with me. We had a good chat and shared lots of ideas about how we could work together. And the outcome of our conversation is that I am now (proudly) a Bribar sponsored coach. Keep reading