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Greg Letts

Ping-Pong Blog

By Greg Letts, About.com Guide to Ping-Pong

USATT Coaching Newsletter is Online

Thursday November 26, 2009
Something for Everybody...
USATT logo courtesy www.usatt.org
The very first edition of the USATT Coaching Newsletter (this is a .pdf file) has been published on the USATT website, and the people responsible should all feel free to take a bow - it's a very good read for anyone involved in table tennis.

There really is something for everyone in this issue, not just coaches. Here's a few highlights:

  • Larry Hodges argues that ratings can be a cancer on junior table tennis, and proposes some solutions to the problem. Actually, Larry's arguments apply just as well to anyone obsessed with protecting their rating at the expense of competing in events at their own level.
  • Donn Olsen introduces the idea of unlearning when training, and discusses how use unlearning effectively. I hadn't thought much about this aspect of training before, so I'm going to put this to good use in my own training sessions.
  • The idea of using targets in training young players is mentioned by Steve Hochman, a technique which is useful for players of all ages.

And yes, there's more good information inside the newsletter to look forward to. So what are you waiting for? Check it out!

Are Edge Balls Out of Bounds?

Wednesday November 25, 2009
Are You on the Edge? Photo © 2008 Greg Letts, licensed to About.com, Inc.
I recently had an interesting email from a reader, arguing that my interpretation of the rules regarding who wins the points if the ball hits the edge of the table is incorrect, and stating instead that the edge of the table is actually outside the boundaries of the playing surface.

Intrigued by his argument, I did a little research, and you can find my thoughts on whether the edge of the table tennis table is out of bounds here.

Is it OK to be a Basement Ping-Pong Player?

Monday November 23, 2009
Welcome to my "Basement" Photo © 2008 Greg Letts, licensed to About.com, Inc.
Despite the fact that the vast majority of ping-pong players around the world are those who enjoy a friendly battle against their family, friends or workmates, there perception exists amongst some serious table tennis players that these casual players are not playing "real" table tennis, and are somehow inferior.

Is this true? Is it really OK to be a basement ping-pong player? Check out my thoughts and then feel free to add your opinion to the article.

Serve and Return of Serve - Thoughts from the Australian National Coach

Friday November 20, 2009
Timo Boll - an example to follow Photo by Rémy Gros, by courtesy of the ITTF
Brett Clarke, the current Table Tennis Australia National Head Coach, has written two thought provoking articles regarding serve and return of serve at the advanced level.

Having analyzed world class play extensively, in his first article on returning serve (Note: this is a link to a .pdf file) Brett recommends copying the short backspin return technique of Chinese star Ma Lin, and the low bouncing backhand sidespin flick German heroes Timo Boll and Dimitrij Ovtcharov. Brett also outlines his method of teaching the short backspin return technique.

In his second article, Brett studies the importance of the short but fast serve, discusses why it is important, and suggests how best to practice this important stroke.

While Brett is discussing advanced techniques, players of all levels would benefit from reading Brett's thoughtful analysis of serve and serve return in the modern game.

ITTF World of Table Tennis - Episode 7 is Up

Thursday November 19, 2009
TT on the TV - well, itTV! Image courtesy www.ittf.com
Episode seven of the ITTF World of Table Tennis is now available for viewing from the ITTF website. In this episode, they have footage from the World Cup, talk with Werner Schlager about his academy, and see how table tennis is helping to build bridges between people in Jordan. Good viewing for readers with broadband connections.

Guide to Basement and Family Ping-Pong

Wednesday November 18, 2009
A $10 bat and a $200 bat - can you tell the difference? Does it matter? © 2009 by Greg Letts, licensed to About.com, Inc.
Strangely enough, most of what is written on the Internet about table tennis caters for that small percentage of serious players, and the vast majority of basement or family ping-pong players are left out in the cold. There is very little good advice online about how to play better ping-pong without spending a fortune on custom bats, expensive coaching, or attending training camps. Most information that you will find that is aimed at complete beginners is either written by other beginners (which results in some strange advice!), or is written in the expectation that the new player is planning to start playing with expensive custom equipment and become a serious table tennis player as soon as possible. (And yes, I've been as guilty of this as anyone in the past!)

But what about those ping-pong players who simply want to play for fun in their garage, family room or workplace, using their trusty Wal-Mart bats, but who would also like to play a bit better and beat their buddies more often?

If you are one of these players, then this Guide to Basement and Family Ping-Pong is for you. This guide is written by an advanced table tennis player for the ping-pong player who has only ever played for fun, who doesn't know the real difference between basement ping-pong and advanced table tennis (and who probably doesn't care!), but who still wants to improve his game and win more matches against his family, friends and work mates.

Follow the Bouncing Ball...

Thursday November 12, 2009
Don't just phone it in... Image copyright Apple
In the What will they think of next? category is this nifty product from Terranova Scientific, who have produced an iPhone application to measure the Coefficient of Restitution (COR) of table tennis balls, by "listening" to the consecutive bounces of the ball, and then calculating the COR by analyzing the time interval between the bounces.

Seeing as the current test for the COR of table tennis balls is done by dropping the ball from 305mm, and then measuring the height of the bounce (which is not as easy at it sounds - try it sometime), this could be a useful product for table tennis officials around the world. Initial pricing looks to be around $25 US.

The actual table tennis ball COR measurer iPhone application is not released quite yet, but you can check out the equivalent product for golf balls from the company here.

Now if they could only come up with a similar iPhone application to measure the fastest rubber...

Table Tennis Rubber Review - Killerspin Fortissimo

Monday November 9, 2009
Fortissimo - if it's too loud, you're too old! Image courtesy www.megaspin.net
Once again, the people at Megaspin were generous enough to send me some rubbers to review - this time it was 2 sheets of FORTISSIMO - one of Killerspin's latest rubber innovations. I've been using this rubber for a number of months on my main bat, so now I'm comfortable enough to offer my thoughts on Killerspin Fortissimo.

First Major TV Agreement for the Oceania Region

Wednesday November 4, 2009
Taking Table Tennis To The TV Image courtesy ITTF, www.ittf.com
Table tennis fans in Australia have received an early Christmas present with the news that Fox Sports in Australia are going to TV broadcast a number of the top ITTF events from 2010-2012, including the World Title Table Tennis events, the World of Table Tennis, and the Oceania Cup.

After many years of limited coverage of table tennis on television in Australia, this agreement is something to celebrate. Well done to all concerned in getting ping-pong onto TV screens in Australia at last.

More details about the agreement can be found on the ITTF website.

Should Table Tennis Beginners Use Junk Rubbers?

Monday February 23, 2009
Can You Handle The Pips? Photo © 2006 Greg Letts, licensed to About.com, Inc.
Most coaches and experienced table tennis players would recommend that new ping-pong people should stick to using inverted rubber on both sides of their racket, until the basic strokes have been mastered. But is this truism good advice? Or can table tennis beginners use junk rubbers?
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