Tom Lodziak 
The most common serve in table tennis is a backspin serve, or backspin with some sidespin. The reason is simple. A backspin serve is harder to attack. Many players are not confident with flicks over the table, or even loops from behind the table. As the receiver, how can you return backspin serves more effectively? Keep reading
Having access to a table tennis coach is undoubtedly useful. You will improve quicker and a coach can help you solve any problems you are having with your game. But it’s not absolutely essential. You can still improve a lot without having any personal coaching at all. Here’s a few things you can do… Keep reading
Most table tennis clubs don’t have structured training. The format is usually something like this … You turn up. You find someone to hit with. There’s no coaching. You are free to do whatever you want. In this scenario, some players fall into the trap of training without a purpose. Keep reading
One of the great things about table tennis is that you really don’t need much equipment to play. But some of us, myself included, arrive at a training session with a bag jam-packed with stuff. How do we end up bringing so much with us, when all we really need is our table tennis bat? Let’s take a look inside my table tennis bag. I’ll explain what I think is essential and what is simply useful, but you can probably do without. Keep reading
When you play a league match, or a group stage of a tournament, what do you do when it’s not your turn to play? Some players sit and chat. Some players disappear outside. Some players spend the whole time looking at their phone. This is a missed opportunity. You can gather some vital information about future opponents if you pay attention to their matches. Keep reading
We all want to improve at table tennis. But often players approach their development in the wrong way. They don’t practise enough. Or they practise in the wrong way. They don’t learn from their errors. They don’t reflect on their performances. They don’t push themselves outside their comfort zone. In short, they don’t progress. But … Keep reading
When serving in table tennis, we have many options available. We have all the different service actions – pendulum, backhand, hook, tomahawk, windscreen wiper. We have all the spin variations – backspin, sidespin, topspin, no spin. We have all the placement variations – short, wide, half-long, long. So many options! But have you ever thought about how to pair your two serves? Keep reading
When playing table tennis matches there are a few unwritten behavioural conventions which players should observe. We can call this collection of behavioural conventions ‘table tennis etiquette’. Without these behavioural conventions, there would be a lot more conflict / players punching each other in the face! Keep reading
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
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