Larry Hodges Table Tennis Page     March 2024
Here is my Science Fiction & Fantasy page

To Mom, RIP

To Dad, RIP

All 20 of my books. Click covers for further info.

 

Table Tennis: Steps to Success

In Six Languages!
Click on pictures to see larger version

English Chinese Korean
Indonesian Malaysian Hebrew

Note that while I keep an ongoing log of things here, my main table tennis website is now www.TableTennisCoaching.com, where I have a weekly blog that goes up on Mondays. 

In 2018 I was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by USA Table Tennis. I had already been inducted into the USATT Hall of Fame in 2003. 

In 2014 I was elected (for the second time) to the USATT Board of Directors. I was also chair of the USATT Coaching Committee from March, 2017 to March, 2019, as well as a four-year term in the 1990s. However, I chose not to run for re-election, so my term ended in March, 2019. I also decided to step down as chair of the Coaching Committee - it's someone else's turn! - though I agreed to stay on as a member. 

Check out my weekly table tennis blog, which goes up every Monday by 1PM. (From 2011-mid-2018 it was a daily, Mon-Fri.) TableTennisCoaching.com is now my main table tennis website - come visit. Often. 

The Daily Quarterly, a satirical website (similar to The Onion) did a hilarious "news story" on Oct. 16, 2011, about Brad Pitt starring as me in a film adaptation of my book, "Table Tennis Tales & Techniques." I blogged about this on Oct. 17 and Oct. 18. Many people believed it to be true, including the part where I was paid $3.5 million for the film rights. Here's Part 1, and here's Part 2

See the ITTF News Item on the ITTF Coaching Seminar I ran at the Maryland Table Tennis Center in April, 2011. They even ran my picture! It's also featured in the  May/June USATT Magazine, along with my article "Changing Bad Technique." (The Cary Cup Open coverage has an extensive passage about my winning the hardbat event, though I was mostly there to coach. There's also an ad for MDTTC training camps, so I'm all over this issue.) I expect to run another circa April, 2011. If interested, email me. 

I'm a table tennis player/coach/writer/organizer, but I'm also a science fiction & fantasy writer. My science fiction & fantasy page can be found here.

The International Table Tennis Federation recently named the first two ITTF certified coaches in the U.S. - and I'm one of them! (The other is Donn Olsen.) See the article on their home page. I was also named one of the initial 11 ITTF Course Conductors - see article - which qualified me to teach and certify ITTF coaches in the U.S.  I'll probably run a coaching seminar for other USA coaches in Spring, 2011. 

From Sept. 4-12, 2010, I was at the International Table Tennis Association Coaching Seminar in Colorado Springs along with many of the top USA coaches. It's the first time the ITTF has run such a seminar in the U.S. I'm now certified as an ITTF Course Conductor. See article

I was featured on tabletennis.com

The Washington Post did a feature article and video on the elite junior training at Club JOOLA when I was coaching there. I'm interviewed several times. The video is about 2 min 30 sec. Also featured on the video are Marcus Jackson, Amaresh Sahu, Peter Li, and Tong Tong Gong, all ranked at or near the top of their age group in the U.S.

In 2009, my third table tennis book came out, "Table Tennis Tales & Techniques." It's a compilation of my best work over the past 30 years, including lots of interesting (and humorous) stories and many coaching articles. It's packed with photos. Read the review by Tim Boggan!

I recently finalized my science fiction novel, "Campaign 2100: Game of Scorpions." (It covers the election for president of Earth in the year 2100, and features a third-party moderate challenge. One of the four main characters is a table tennis player, and there are three table tennis scenes.) It's 117,000 words, or 596 pages double spaced. I also write science fiction and fantasy short stories - I've sold 196, including 43 resales, and 15 "Twitter" stories (140 characters or less, about 25 words). See my Fantasy & Science Fiction Page.

Above: The Table Tennis Book Signing at the USA Nationals on Dec. 17, 2009. 
L-R: Richard McAfee, Dan Seemiller, Donn Olsen, Larry Hodges, Scott Preiss, Tim Boggan.

My article "The Table Tennis Fantasy Tour" is up at Fantasy Magazine! Feel free to comment.

I was interviewed online by Community Fridays. The interviewer, Emma Larkins, asked for the interview after one of the panels I was on at the Capclave SF Convention.

At the USA Nationals in Las Vegas, in December, 2007, I was caught off guard at the Hall of Fame Banquet when they announced I had won the President's Award for service to the sport of table tennis. (See below for some other plaques in my "growing" collection!)

As the editor of USA Table Tennis Magazine, I did 71 issues, through the March/April 2007 issue. (USA Table Tennis has gone through a lot of editors over the years.) Here's the USATT news item on my resigning as editor for twelve years of USA Table Tennis Magazine after the March/April 2007 issue. I'm also the founder of the USA Table Tennis League.

I now have 2250 published articles in over 180 different publications, including 1968 on table tennis. Many of these articles are linked online.

You might have read my book, Table Tennis: Steps to Success. Over 30,000 copies were sold. It has been translated into Chinese, Korean, Indonesian, Malaysian and Hebrew, and there are more translations planned. I did an update in 2007 for a reprint. See info page for ordering English version.

My first book was Instructor's Guide to Table Tennis, the official coaching manual for USA Table Tennis.

I have a Master's degree in Journalism, and a Bachelor's degree in Math, with concentrations in computer science and chemistry (all from University of Maryland). I'm a member of the following organizations: USA Table Tennis, USA Table Tennis Hall of Fame, Maryland Table Tennis Center, Classic Table Tennis Association, Science Fiction Writers of America, The Writers Center, Critters, U.S. Tennis Association, Quince Orchard Tennis Club, and American Mensa.

In the July/August, 2005 USA Table Tennis Magazine, I had a feature article I co-wrote with Cheng Yinghua, "The Secrets of Chinese Table Tennis ... and What the Rest of the World Needs To Do To Catch Up." (This was also translated and published in Slovenian!)

In October of 2004 I created a Celebrities Playing Table Tennis page - just what this world needs! Hundreds of photos of celebrities playing our favorite sport! It's been averaging 15,000 (that's not a misprint!) downloads per day! Many "celebrity" web pages and blogs discovered it and linked to it.

(Click on plaque for larger version.)

In December, 2003, I was inducted into the USATT Hall of Fame.  (I'd missed it by one vote the previous two years.) Here's the notice of my induction, the profile of me by Tim Boggan, and the online video of my induction - go to minute 9, then 13:50). I was inducted as a "contributor." (I'm the youngest person every inducted as a contributor.) Two players were also inducted - Eric Boggan and David Zhuang, and Marty Reisman received the lifetime achievement award. USATT has been around since 1933, and there are currently 109 members of the Hall of Fame. Here's a picture of me with my parents at the induction ceremonies, and one of my parents talking with USATT president Sheri Pittman

I was the 2007 USA Table Tennis Developmental Coach of the Year. After being nominated three times in past years but never winning, it was a pleasant surprise. I'm a USATT Certified National Coach, the highest level of certification.

I was an editor for a magazine that covered quality in industry ("The Quality Observer," 8 issues, a color glossy), and a computer programmer for one year before coming back to table tennis. 

From 1991 until 1998, I was the director and a  regular (sometimes full-time) coach at the Maryland Table Tennis Center in Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA. (I only coach there part-time now, plus some organizational work.) Go there to find info on training camps and tournaments, most of which I help out on.  MDTTC players dominated the Junior Olympics and Junior Nationals from 1991 to 2003, winning over half the gold medals and the most total medals for 13 straight years, but the last two years many of our players have spent the summer training in China or other places, so few have gone. We expect to be back at full force at the 2006 Junior Olympics/Junior Nationals, when they are held in Norfolk, VA, which is driving distance for a change.

I was the director of the USATT League which I founded in September, 2003. As of Sept. 1, 2009, over 9281 players had played 160,011 league matches in 268 leagues in 47 states and DC.

Here's a listing of U.S. Hardbat Champions - I've won 18 U.S. national titles at the U.S. Open and Nationals (15 in hardbat, but I normally use sponge). Check out the U.S. Open and Nationals Doubles listings! However, my main task at the Open and Nationals is online and magazine coverage.  I'm semi-retired from tournaments now.

Some web pages I maintain:

Left: Coaching the Maryland Team at the 2000 Junior Olympics/Junior Nationals in Orlando, Florida. For 13 consecutive years (1991-2003), we won over half the gold medals and more total medals than any other state.

I have a long history of using weird objects as a racket, from a clipboard to just about anything else. It's just for fun, but yes, I once did beat someone with an ice cube as a racket. I also beat a news reporter using his running mini-tape recorder as a racket, giving taped commentary throughout!

Here's how I got started - blame it on Marty Reisman! I also do local exhibitions. See my "cartoon" on the last presidential election! Can you name all ten people?

A now ... my "table tennis resume." 

USATT OFFICIAL POSITIONS

TABLE TENNIS COACH

Right: Coaching Todd Sweeris at the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials. He made the team.

Right: Director/Assistant Coach, Olympic Training Center, Resident Table Tennis Program, 1989. That's me on the far left.

TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR

CLUB DIRECTOR  

PROMOTER

WRITER/EDITOR

WEBMASTER

PLAYER - I've won lots of state titles, 34 National titles, and three World titles:

Below is a more complete listing of titles. 

Sponge (National titles in bold)

Hardbat (National and World titles in bold) For more info on hardbat table tennis, go to www.hardbat.com. I'm now semi-retired from tournaments, due to age, recurring injuries, lack of practice, and a recent tendency to play really, really bad.

Right: Larry Hodges smacking in forehand against Steve Berger and Marty Reisman, with partner Ty Hoff watching in mute admiration. (I normally use sponge.)

OTHER