Tom Lodziak

9 ways older players can compete with (and beat!) younger players

9 ways older players can compete with (and beat!) younger players

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As we age, we do decline physically. We are not as fast, strong and nimble as we once were. But the great thing about table tennis (at the amateur level at least), is that power and athleticism are not essential to win matches. If you’re a senior player (60 years+), what is the best way to compete with, and beat, younger players? In this blog post, I give nine areas you can focus on to help you get the better of your younger, fitter and stronger opponents. Keep reading

[Video] How to return Craig Bryant’s 4 killer serves

[Video] How to return Craig Bryant’s 4 killer serves

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Last month I posted a video “4 killer serves to destroy your opponents”, featuring service expert Craig Bryant.  I got several requests asking how you can return these serves. Luckily, I just about had enough footage of myself returning each serve (at least once!), so I have put together this new video explaining how to return Craig’s serves. Keep reading

How to prevent injuries when playing table tennis

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Almost every table tennis player I know has experienced injury at some point. Common complaints are back injuries, twisted knees and ankles, and repetitive strain injuries in the wrist, elbow, shoulder or hip. However, we can take positive steps to reduce the chances of getting injured. In this blog post, I explain a few different ways you can minimise the risk of injury when playing table tennis. Keep reading

New videos coming in 2019, featuring Paul Drinkhall and Craig Bryant

New videos coming in 2019, featuring Paul Drinkhall and Craig Bryant

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A busy year of table tennis is coming to an end. But do not despair table tennis fans, I’ll be back in 2019 with lots of new content. This includes two exciting new video series featuring Paul Drinkhall and Craig Bryant. In this blog post, I share more information about the videos, plus you can watch two short previews.. Keep reading

Create confusion by using disruptive shots

Create confusion by using disruptive shots

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One way to add an extra dimension to your game is to develop shots which disrupt the pace of the game. These are shots which unexpectedly change the speed, spin, length or direction of the ball. Examples include a chop block, fade, wiggly, push with sidespin, a smash with backspin – all sorts of weird and wonderful shots. In this blog post I explain why these types of shots are useful and when you should use them. Keep reading

JOOLA Rhyzer 43 / 48 / Pro 50 Rubber Review

JOOLA Rhyzer 43 / 48 / Pro 50 Rubber Review

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Over the past few months I have been trying out the JOOLA Rhyzer rubber range. There are three rubbers – Rhyzer 43, Rhyzer 48 and Rhyzer Pro 50. This is a new series of rubbers by JOOLA designed to cope better with the 40+ plastic table tennis balls. In this blog post, I give a review of the three Rhyzer rubbers – how they differ, who they are suited for and whether they are any good (spoiler alert – I LOVE THEM!). Keep reading

Responding positively to mistakes

Responding positively to mistakes

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We all make silly mistakes and unforced errors when playing table tennis. But there is often a big difference between how players respond to making a mistake. Some players dwell on the mistake and start making lots more mistakes. Other players seem unaffected and bounce back stronger. How can we be more like the player who responds positively to mistakes? In this blog post I share a simple mental trick to help you react better when you make a mistake during a match. Keep reading