Tom Lodziak 
I had my latest humbling experience yesterday during a county veterans match. I was outclassed and defeated by a pusher. Yes, that’s right. I lost 3-0 to a player who stands close to the table and likes to push, push, push. He is also able to play decent topspin lobs away from the table. But it wasn’t the lobs which I found difficult. It was the pushes. Keep reading
I have spent the past year competing in numerous veterans tournaments. It’s been a tough experience, but with a couple of modest successes. In this post I give an honest assessment of my progress. Have all of these tournaments been worthwhile? Have I improved? Should I keep trying? Or is it time to retire from tournament play? Keep reading
It’s time for my end-of-year table tennis quiz! How good is your table tennis knowledge? I have 20 questions about table tennis during 2022. Each question has four possible answers for you to choose from. At the end of the quiz you can see how your score compares to others on the quiz leaderboard. Good luck! Keep reading
Some coaches are very strict about the way you hold a table tennis bat. You MUST grip the handle like THIS. If you do not, then DISASTER will happen! I’m a lot more relaxed. Why? Probably, because I don’t have an optimal grip myself. However, there is one important thing you should do, regardless of how you hold your bat … Keep reading
Giving useful advice to a team-mate during a match is a difficult skill to master. I don’t profess to be an expert in this area, but I have been doing it long enough to have a decent idea about what definitely doesn’t work and what type of advice is more likely to lead to an improved outcome for the player. Keep reading
Is it true that you should only serve long occasionally? Most players and coaches would say that you should serve short, or half long, most of the time and only use a long serve now and then. But there are times when using lots of fast, long serves is absolutely fine, and strategically the best thing to do. Here’s some scenarios… Keep reading
Most table tennis rallies are very short. The point is often over in the first few shots. Serve, return, attack, done. The point is won. Table tennis is high-paced and frantic. Therefore you need to assert yourself on your opponent as quickly as possible in each point. How do you do this? Let’s look at how you can dominate your opponent in the first five shots of each rally. Keep reading
In the past few weeks I’ve been feeling pretty good about my game. So how would I get on in my latest VETTS Masters tournament? The standard at these tournaments is very high. Many of the best 40+ players in the country attend. The first time I attended one of these, in February this year, I was comprehensively trounced. This time I was determined to do better. Keep reading
When serving, most players usually try to generate very heavy spin. This is undoubtedly a good thing. A heavy spin serve can be very challenging to return. But players often neglect using no-spin serves. In this short article I explain the benefit of using no-spin serves and give some tips on how to use them effectively. Keep reading
Worrying too much about winning or losing a table tennis match can really increase your anxiety levels and lower your performance. How can we overcome this? In this article I explain how setting yourself an alternative goal can limit your anxiety and make you play much better. Keep reading