Choosing the right tactics

Choosing the right tactics

In a recent video, I asked viewers to give me some suggestions of tactics I should try against Jarek – a player who goes back from the table and returns all my hard attacks. I had a fantastic response with over 100 suggestions of tactics to try. Now, I am left with another problem. I have a long list of tactics, but which ones should I choose? Keep reading

Patience, placement and pressure

Patience, placement and pressure

A player I coach, Paul, had a frustrating experience in his league matches last week. Paul is in his early 60s and is very competitive – maybe a little too competitive – and this can often result in him rushing his shots, playing too aggressively and making too many errors. He is so eager to win, he often defeats himself. And this is what happened last week. Keep reading

Don’t neglect your defence

Don’t neglect your defence

Modern table tennis is all about attack. Topspin, flick, smash. Attack this. Attack that. Don’t push! Attack, attack attack. When players train, they almost always focus on their attacking shots. A pushing drill? Nah, that’s for wimps. A blocking drill? Pfft, waste of time. Is defence important any more? Is there any benefit in practising our pushes, blocks, chops and lobs? Well, yes, I believe there is a huge benefit. Let me explain why… Keep reading

Problems with your footwork? Start with your eyes

Problems with your footwork? Start with your eyes

A player I coach often complains about her poor footwork. The funny thing is that this player actually moves very well. She is fast. She has good balance. She can cover a lot of the table with her forehand. Her footwork is a lot better than mine! So why does she think her footwork is so bad? The answer is less to do with her feet and more to do with her eyes. Keep reading

Hammer the obvious weakness

Hammer the obvious weakness

During a pre-match warm-up your opponent’s forehand looks solid. He keeps the rally going for a long time and he plays with confidence. But when playing backhand to backhand, he makes several mistakes. The timing of the shot is off. The swing is inconsistent. He seems tense. The backhand appears to be an obvious weakness. What should we do with this observation? Keep reading

Defeated by KenSpin

Defeated by KenSpin

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

Give your opponent something to worry about

Give your opponent something to worry about

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

Joining the dark side – when is the right time to switch to pimples?

There is a feeling among some in the table tennis community that switching to a pimples rubber is somehow cheating. I don’t believe this is the case at all. Playing effectively with a pimples rubber takes a lot of skill, adds variety to the sport and gives opponents a different type of challenge to overcome. In this article I explore when you should join the ‘dark side’ and use short or long pimples. Keep reading