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Table Tennis Tales & Techniques

The Best of Larry Hodges!

274 pages, packed with illustrations


Retail price $19.95

By Larry Hodges ©2009

  • USATT Certified National Coach

  • Member, U.S. Table Tennis Hall of Fame

  • 2002 USATT Developmental Coach of the Year

  • Editor of USA Table Tennis Magazine for 12 years

  • Author of Table Tennis: Steps to Success

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Table Tennis Tales & Techniques contains the best published work by Larry Hodges over the past 30 years - a combination of interesting & funny stories, and coaching articles.

 

"The value of this book can be seen not only in Larry’s encyclopedic knowledge of professional techniques, but in his intense yet uniquely imaginative approach to coaching. His great strength is: he’s not afraid to be himself—that is, different. Mirroring his passion for writing, for creating, Tales and Techniques shows an original mind proving that an absorption in Table Tennis can, for everyone, be FUN!" -Tim Boggan, former USATT President and member of U.S. Table Tennis Hall of Fame (Read the rest of Tim's Review.)

 

Table of Contents

Humor

Page #

Tactics 

Page #

How Marty Reisman Ruined My Life

8

How to Play Choppers

70

Real People

8

How to Play The Bomber

72

Gosh, I’m Playing Bad!

8

How to Play Combination Rackets

75

Table Tennis Political Cartoons

10

Playing the Middle

78

A Table Tennis Primer

12

Tactics for the Slower of Foot

78

Why Sponge is Valuable

15

Learning to Win

80

Table Tennis Dog Cartoon

15

Coaching Between Games

82

Death of a Backhand

16

Table Tennis Gems

84

Travel Pains

17

 

 

Loo Fuoy Robot

18

How To Improve 

 

Bizarre Table Tennis

20

Killer Practice Sessions

86

Ping-Pong Ambition

24

Six-Step Training Process

92

Humorous Poems

26

Improving at Table Tennis

96

  

How to Move Up a Level

98

Serving 

 

Ten-Point Plan to Serving

30

Miscellaneous Coaching 

 

Serves to Help You Win

32

Everything About Spin

100

The No-Spin Serve

36

All About Gluing

111

Deception on Serves

37

Ten-Point Plan for Tournaments

113

Serving Long

38

Back Shoulder

115

Serving Short

40

Relaxing the Arm

116

The High-Toss Serve

42

Size in Table Tennis

117

Contact Low

44

Confidence Then Consistency

119

  

Shadow Practice

120

Receiving 

 

Returning Short Serves

45

Hardbat 

 

Looping Deep Spin Serves

48

Classic + Modern Table Tennis

122

Stopping the Third-Ball Attack

49

Hardbat Poem

123

  

 

Rallying 

Miscellaneous Articles 

 

Ten-Point Plan to Rallying Success

50

Exhibition Tricks

124

Develop the Basics

53

Sands Hotel Hostage Crisis

130

Counterlooping

56

Table Tennis Goes to the Movies!

133

Lobbing

58

Table Tennis in TVLand!

138

Smashing Lobs

60

What Time Is It?

140

Topspin Defense

62

How Fast Was His Smash?

142

Backhand Counter

63

Secrets of Chinese Table Tennis

144

Are You Backhand Oriented?

65

 

  

Tips of the Week

160

Footwork 

They Said It

215

Stepping Around Backhand Corner

67

Junior Training Proposal

266

Two-Step Footwork

68