Tom Lodziak

How to compete with younger players – lessons from Vladimir Samsonov

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One of the most inspiring moments of the table tennis event at the Rio Olympics was Vladimir Samsonov getting to the semi-final of the men’s singles. Modern professional table tennis is increasingly physical, favouring younger bodies. To reach an Olympic semi-final at the age of 40 is a phenomenal achievement. What can we learn from Vladimir Samsonov’s success? How can we keep on competing with younger players and play close to our best when past our physical peak? In this blog post, I share four lessons I’ve learnt from watching Samsonov. Keep reading

Magnificent Ma Long – the greatest table tennis player of all time?

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Ma Long wins again! At the Rio Olympics Ma Long once again showed why he is the top ranked player in the world. In the men’s singles final, he crushed his Chinese rival and reigning Olympic champion, Zhang Jike, 4-0. Gold medal to Ma Long. What a performance! Is Ma Long the greatest table tennis player of all time? Here’s my thoughts… Keep reading

Ignore the haters, TTX sounds great fun!

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The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has launched a new version of table tennis, called ‘TTX’. The new game has a bigger ball, simplified rackets with less spin, time limited matches and extra points for clean winners. Not everyone is happy about the new game, but I think TTX sounds great fun. In this blog post I explain why you should play a game of TTX too. Keep reading

Tactics for beating a looper

Tactics for beating a looper

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As you progress from an intermediate player to an advanced player, you will start playing more and more loopers. These are players who like to play big topspin shots (loops), whenever they can. If you push a ball, they loop! If you block a ball, they loop! Even if you topspin a ball, they loop! What the heck are you supposed to do against this looping onslaught? Do not despair. Loopers are not unbeatable. Here’s a few of my favourite tactics to use when playing a looper. Keep reading

How to deal with too much conflicting table tennis advice

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Last week I received a panicked email from a player I coach. In her own words, she was “completely muddled with all the different pieces of advice from different people”. She was beginning to doubt if her fast, attacking topspin game was the right way to play. An experienced player had told her she should play slow and spinny. A coach said she should flat hit rather than spin the ball. Another coach gave her some tactical advice which was the opposite to the advice she had received from a completely different coach. How was she supposed to make sense of all this? Read on to find out my advice… Keep reading

7 step plan to improve your forehand topspin

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A lot of players at the intermediate level struggle to attack backspin balls. It’s one of the key skills which prevent them from playing at a higher level. I’ve faced many opponents who are great at attacking a topspin or a blocked ball, but give them some backspin and their attacking game falls apart. If only they could learn to attack these backspin balls too, they would be quite formidable. In this blog post, I share my seven step plan for getting much better at attacking backspin balls. Keep reading

“Is it ok to use illegal serves?”

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During a recent coaching session, a player asked me whether it’s ok to use illegal serves. He said very few players have a legal serve in his local league. And umpires, who are usually other players, rarely enforce the service rules. He said his opponents have an advantage because they can serve however they want. What should he do? Continue to serve legally or use illegal serves too? Read on to find out my answer… Keep reading

How to practice with a player of lower ability

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Do you often find yourself practicing with players of a much lower-ability level? It can be quite a frustrating experience, but it doesn’t have to be a complete waste of time. There’s actually quite a few things you can do when practicing with a player of a much lower ability-level which will benefit your own game. In this blog post, I share some ideas on how to make practising with a weaker player more rewarding. Keep reading

5 training drills for switching between forehand and backhand strokes

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Switching from backhand to forehand strokes, or forehand to backhand strokes, is a key skill in table tennis. During matches, the direction of play switches frequently. Rarely will your opponent play the ball to the same position for two consecutive shots. In this blog post, I explain how to improve switching between forehand and backhand strokes and share five simple training drills. For each training drill, there’s a video demonstration featuring myself and Nila, a player who I coach. Keep reading

Best cheap table tennis bats for your holiday

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The holiday season is approaching. If you have children (I have two), you’ll probably be looking for numerous activities to keep them, and yourself, entertained. Table tennis is definitely one activity to add to the list. If you’re just playing for holiday fun, you really don’t need to spend too much money on table tennis bats. In this blog post, I share the best ‘cheap’ table tennis bats. These aren’t necessarily the cheapest, but the best quality available for a low price. Keep reading