Tom Lodziak

Do your serves complement your playing style?

Do your serves complement your playing style?

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I have a player I coach who has very strong drives. He can hit the ball hard and with good ball placement with both his forehand and his backhand. However, this player has a service problem. Yes, his serves are decent and spinny, and sometimes win him points outright. But in general his serves do not complement his playing style. He often gets stuck in pushing rallies and loses the point. In this blog post, I explain how you can use your serves to set up the type of rally you want and win more points. Keep reading

[Video] Tom in training…Help me improve! (Sep 2020)

[Video] Tom in training…Help me improve! (Sep 2020)

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I’m back in training, trying to improve me game. When life returns to normal, I will be entering a few tournaments and see how far I can get. To help me improve, I have enlisted the help of coach Ferenc Horvath. In particular I have asked Ferenc to help me develop my attacking game and my footwork. I have a habit of being too cautious when I play, so Ferenc is encouraging me to get into my beast mode. Keep reading

Training in uncertain times

Training in uncertain times

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In the UK, table tennis is slowly spluttering back to life. Some clubs and sport centres have reopened giving us some opportunities to practice. But competitive table tennis – leagues and tournaments – is still very limited. So what should our focus be during these uncertain times? Well if you do have the opportunity to play table tennis, I would suggest now is the ideal time to be focusing on improving your technique and sorting out any weak areas of your game. Keep reading

My new table tennis book

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I am pleased to announce the publication of my debut book – SPIN: Tips and tactics to win at table tennis. I have always wanted to publish a book. I’m sure the 23-year-old Tom would have anticipated some world changing political masterpiece. But life takes us in some unexpected directions, and a career obsessing about table tennis is certainly a more unusual turn of events. But now that my life is full of the joys of balls pinging and ponging, I wouldn’t want it any of other way. Keep reading

Table tennis is back!

Table tennis is back!

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The good news we have been waiting for … indoor sport in England can re-start at the end of July. Hooray! This is very welcome news, as it means I can start coaching again. I already have some sessions in my diary, although I expect demand will be a little less for a while. And … Keep reading

A life without table tennis (sort of)

A life without table tennis (sort of)

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Another month has passed. The lockdown is very gradually easing. But life is still on hold. So what have I been up to? Well, rather frustratingly I have not been playing any table tennis. I’ve not been able to get an outdoor table tennis table for my garden. The existing table stock quickly sold out … Keep reading

Table tennis at home

Table tennis at home

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Like many of you around the world, I am stuck at home because of the coronavirus outbreak. All the clubs and sport centres are closed. There is no coaching. No table tennis. To try and stay active (and sane!), I am making a series of short, light-hearted videos about how you can play table tennis … Keep reading

Coaching and coronavirus

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It truly is scary times we are experiencing. Both the public health scare of coronavirus and the social and economic impact of social isolation. I hope everyone is staying healthy and doing what they can to stay active and positive. As for me, most of my coaching has been cancelled, including the training camp I … Keep reading

Review: JOOLA Dynaryz ACC + AGR Rubbers

Review: JOOLA Dynaryz ACC + AGR Rubbers

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Over the past two weeks, I have been testing the new JOOLA Dynaryz rubbers. There are two versions – Dynaryz ACC and Dynaryz AGR. Both use the same hyper bounce and advance traction technology, which helps players generate more spin playing with the new generation plastic balls. In this review, I’ll give my impressions of playing with the rubbers – looking at topspin, blocking, pushing and serving. Keep reading

Tactics for beating a pusher

Tactics for beating a pusher

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In local league table tennis, you’ll often have to play against pushers. These are players who like to push again and again and again. The pusher’s aim is to frustrate you. They want to draw you into a pushing match or force you to attempt a risky attack. The outcome is often an unforced attacking error, frustration, more attacking errors and more frustration. How do you beat these annoying players? Here’s some tactics you can try… Keep reading