How to change a table tennis habit (even if you’re 80)

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I coach a player in his 80s (he wants to remain anonymous, so I’ll call him Harold). When he was younger Harold was a defensive player. But it’s not easy for Harold to play this way any more. So I have worked with him to change his playing style. This has not been easy. In fact it’s been very difficult. But Harold has made huge progress. And he has succeeded in changing many of of his defensive habits. In this blog post, I’ll explain how Harold has managed to change his habits and how you can change your table tennis habits too. Keep reading

How to add more variety to your service returns

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How do you return a backspin serve, which lands short, in the middle of the table? You actually you have far more options than you think. You can be very creative in how you return a short backspin serve. I picked up some great tips in a group coaching session I attended this week, which was run by Craig Bryant. In this blog post I share some of the things I learnt from Craig about how to improve the variation of your service returns. Keep reading

Review: Table Tennis Daily Academy

Review: Table Tennis Daily Academy

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This week, I want to share with you a very, very, very good coaching website, which is still relatively unknown. (Shhhh, let’s keep this as our secret!). A few months ago I noticed that Dan Ives – the mastermind behind the Table Tennis Daily website – had launched a new coaching website with professional player Tom Maynard. Interesting, I thought to myself. This could be good. Dan very kindly gave me access to Table Tennis Daily Academy. I’ve now been using the site for a few weeks and I want to share my views on whether it’s any good and if you should sign up… Keep reading

The danger of meddling with your equipment too often

The danger of meddling with your equipment too often

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One of the challenges every table tennis player faces is choosing which rubbers and blade to use. One researcher worked out there are over 262 million possible combinations! With this much choice it is understandable why many table tennis players continually meddle with their equipment. But actually, too much time spent worrying and meddling with your equipment can really mess up your game. In this blog post I argue it is better to stick with what you have, than changing equipment too often. Keep reading

Changing your pushing mindset

Changing your pushing mindset

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Many players I coach come to me with the same issue. They have a pushing problem. In matches they will push, push, push, push, push – waiting and hoping the other player will make a mistake. Does this sound familiar? Is this something you also struggle with? In this blog post, I will explain how you can change your pushing mindset and become more attacking. Keep reading

Best table tennis rubbers and blades for advanced players

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What are the best table tennis rubbers and blades for advanced players? There are literally hundreds of rubbers and blades you could potentially buy, and a lot of them are very good. In this blog post I give my recommendations on really good table tennis rubbers and blades you can buy. I also give advice on how to do your own research and testing. This blog post is really aimed at those players who have moved beyond the intermediate level and are now becoming advanced table tennis players. Keep reading

How to destroy opponents with long serves

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If you play table tennis at an amateur level, especially at lower levels, you can dominate your opponents with long serves. These are serves which land very deep on your opponent’s side of the table, ideally with a lot of speed and spin. In this blog post, I explain why long serves are effective (especially at lower amateur levels) and how to do devilish long serves which can give your opponents nightmares. Keep reading

Tactics for beating weird players

Tactics for beating weird players

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If you play in local league or amateur tournaments, you will come across all kinds of weird and awkward styles. These are players with strange looking strokes and movements. They may not look great, but somehow they have developed an unorthodox playing style which works for them and can be infuriatingly effective. In this blog post I give four tactics to try when playing against weird players. Keep reading

I’m now a full-time table tennis coach!

I’m now a full-time table tennis coach!

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I have great pleasure to announce that I am now a full-time table tennis coach. Over the past few years I’ve been doing both my day job and table tennis coaching on the side. But my coaching has been going so well, it has become viable to do it full-time. I am hugely excited by this. In this blog post, I share some of my plans for the future and also explain how my new career has got off to a disastrous start! Keep reading