June 7, 2021
4 DAYS AGO - This week's blog will go up on Tuesday. I just got back from coaching at the US Junior Team Expand
4 DAYS AGO - This week's blog will go up on Tuesday. I just got back from coaching at the US Junior Team Trials at the ICC Table Tennis Center in Milpitas, CA, on a red-eye flight that landed at 8:06AM. I got home at 9:45AM. (Here are complete results.) But the Tip of the Week is up, What to Do in the "Big Points." And to help tide you over, here's Finding The What Happened Guy (12:57) from Adam Bobrow! Collapse
May 17, 2021
17/05/2021 - This week's blog will be up by 2:30 PM or I have to run for governor of California on the Expand
17/05/2021 - This week's blog will be up by 2:30 PM or I have to run for governor of California on the Table Tennis Ticket. Meanwhile, the Tip of the Week is up, Patient Decisiveness. And to help tide you over, here's Extremely Hard Ping Pong (11:29) from Pongfinity! Collapse
April 26, 2021
26/04/2021 - This week's blog will be up by 2:30 PM or I have to give up my Oscar for my performance as the Expand
26/04/2021 - This week's blog will be up by 2:30 PM or I have to give up my Oscar for my performance as the ping-pong playing nomad in PingPongLand, who travels the American West in my van, taking on challenges in the most riveting, action-packed movie of the year. Meanwhile, the Tip of the Week is up, Looping a Push is Not Going for a Shot. And to help tide you over, here's Crazy Pong - Do You Have This Ball Control? (1:22)! Collapse
April 5, 2021
05/04/2021 - This week's blog will be up by 2PM eastern time or I have to give back all the colored Expand
05/04/2021 - This week's blog will be up by 2PM eastern time or I have to give back all the colored ping-pong balls I stole yesterday from the Easter Bunny. Meanwhile, the Tip of the Week is up, Reading Service Spin. And to tide you over, here's King of the Frozen Table (7 min) from Pongfinity! Collapse
March 15, 2021
15/03/2021 - This week's blog will be up by 3PM or I have to wear a pink unicorn mask with sparkles Expand
15/03/2021 - This week's blog will be up by 3PM or I have to wear a pink unicorn mask with sparkles everywhere I go for the next month. (Blame Daylight Savings Time and late night reading.) Meanwhile, here's the Tip of the Week, Do You Really Play the Middle? And to tide you over, here's the Butterfly Manyball Dance Battle (30 sec)! Collapse
Stiga Pro Carbon Review
11/03/2021 - Stiga Pro Carbon ReviewAuthor: Kevin James, Last updated: 15/02/2020Hello, fellas! Today we'll be Expand
11/03/2021 - Stiga Pro Carbon ReviewAuthor: Kevin James, Last updated: 15/02/2020Hello, fellas! Today we'll be taking a look at one of the …
Stiga Pro Carbon Review Read More »
The post Stiga Pro Carbon Review appeared first on Ping Pong Bros. Collapse
March 1, 2021
01/03/2021 - This week’s blog will be up by 3:00 PM or I have will go outside and see my shadow, and Expand
01/03/2021 - This week’s blog will be up by 3:00 PM or I have will go outside and see my shadow, and we’ll have six more years of pandemic. Meanwhile, the Tip of the Week is up, Learn Something New Each Time You Play, and to help tide you over, why not enjoy some Beetle Bailey table tennis cartoons, including the new one that came out Sunday? Collapse
February 8, 2021
08/02/2021 - This week's blog will be up by 1:30 PM Eastern Time or I have to give up the Super Bowl ring I Expand
08/02/2021 - This week's blog will be up by 1:30 PM Eastern Time or I have to give up the Super Bowl ring I won in the Puppy Bowl last night. Meanwhile, the Tip of the Week is up, Locking Up Your Opponents. And to tide you over, here's Top 10 Best Table Tennis Trick Shots 2020! Collapse
February 1, 2021
01/02/2021 - Tip of the Week
Play the Middle Against Tall Players, Wide Angles Against Short Players.
$3000 Expand
01/02/2021 - Tip of the Week
Play the Middle Against Tall Players, Wide Angles Against Short Players.
$3000 Nittaku Ohio Open
I had a great time this weekend coaching at the Ohio Open - as always, they run nice events at the Samson Dubina TTA. The tournament staff was Steve Graber Josh Graber, Sam Dubina, Mike Boyd, Blake Cottrell, and of course Samson Dubina (who also acted as referee). Here are complete results, with Gal Alguetti over Sharon Alguetti in the Open final. Here's video (21:53) of Sharon Alguetti's five-game win over Yahao Zhang in the Under 2650 final. All the expected Covid precautions were taken, with everyone's temperature taken on the way in, social distancing, and masks required except when actually at the table playing. (As a precaution, I'll get Covid testing in the next day or so.) And they had free lunch and dinner for everyone on Saturday!!!
I was there coaching Stanley Hsu (12, 2286, #1 in 12 and Under in US) and Ryan Lin (11, 2038, #2 in US in 11 Collapse
|
May 31, 2021
31/05/2021 - Tip of the Week
How to Play the Attacker/Blocker with Dead Rubber.
Have a Happy Memorial Day
But Expand
31/05/2021 - Tip of the Week
How to Play the Attacker/Blocker with Dead Rubber.
Have a Happy Memorial Day
But remember who are being memorialized.
Recovering from Injuries - an Opportunity!!!
Recently, a top junior hurt his wrist and so his table tennis play became limited - he couldn't loop forehand or backhand without aggravating the wrist, which made things tricky, since he's a two-winged looper. But I pointed out to him and his dad (via Facebook) that this is really an opportunity! This is what I posted.
He definitely should see a sports medicine doctor and/or therapist, and take time to let the wrist heal. But that doesn't mean taking a break from training. It means he'll finally have time to really focus on the aspects that don't involve the movements that hurt his wrist. He can get himself into top-notch physical shape; work on his pushing (short and long); forehand flipping (less wrist needed than backhand flip); work on his blocking; do footwork drills where the Collapse
May 10, 2021
10/05/2021 - I got another late start today - Sunday late-night reading gets me every time. This week's Expand
10/05/2021 - I got another late start today - Sunday late-night reading gets me every time. This week's blog will be up by 3PM or I get arrested for that ping-pong ball I smashed into orbit, where it will soon fall back to earth at breathtaking speed, destroying everything in its path and for many miles from where it lands, possibly even starting a nuclear chain reaction that will destroy the planet and all life on it. Meanwhile, the Tip of the Week is up, How to Play a Player Who Attacks With Long Pips. And to help tide you over, here's Table Tennis Rollercoaster | Ping Pong Trick Shots (5:20) from XOLAY! Collapse
April 19, 2021
19/04/2021 - This week's blog will be up by 2:00 PM eastern time or I have to invade Afghanistan and battle Expand
19/04/2021 - This week's blog will be up by 2:00 PM eastern time or I have to invade Afghanistan and battle the Taliban with a ping-pong paddle. Meanwhile, the Tip of the Week is up, Imagine a Score or Situation. And to tide you over, here's TABLE tennis (6 sec)! But since that's pretty short, here's Zhang Jike coming out of retirement to play Hou Yingchao (10:31)! Collapse
March 29, 2021
29/03/2021 - This week's blog will be up by 2:30 PM or I have to capsize a huge shipment of ping-pong balls Expand
29/03/2021 - This week's blog will be up by 2:30 PM or I have to capsize a huge shipment of ping-pong balls in the Suez Canal. Any ship that tries to get through will smack into those ping-pong balls and sink like the Titanic hitting an iceberg. Meanwhile, the Tip of the Week is up, Power Player Control Shots. And here's the short film Pingpong Lucu (7:11) - it's in Chinese, but still interesting and funny to watch! Collapse
Best Multi-Game Tables
11/03/2021 - Best Multi-Game Tables (Reviews)We spent over 30 hours playing and testing over a dozen Expand
11/03/2021 - Best Multi-Game Tables (Reviews)We spent over 30 hours playing and testing over a dozen multi-game tables. We put each of the …
Best Multi-Game Tables Read More »
The post Best Multi-Game Tables appeared first on Ping Pong Bros. Collapse
Butterfly Amicus Robot Review
11/03/2021 - Butterfly Amicus Review & ComparisonExpert: Kevin James, Last Updated: 17/02/2020Butterfly is Expand
11/03/2021 - Butterfly Amicus Review & ComparisonExpert: Kevin James, Last Updated: 17/02/2020Butterfly is the undisputed leader in the professional table tennis robot …
Butterfly Amicus Robot Review Read More »
The post Butterfly Amicus Robot Review appeared first on Ping Pong Bros. Collapse
February 22, 2021
22/02/2021 - This week's blog will be up by 2PM or for the fourth time in a month I have to go out and Expand
22/02/2021 - This week's blog will be up by 2PM or for the fourth time in a month I have to go out and shovel snow. (Wait, I have to do that either way!) But to help tide you over, the Tip of the Week is up, Rote vs. Random Drills. And here's Frozen Ice Racket Challenge (6:17) from Pongfinity! Collapse
The Best Ping Pong Table For you in 2021
05/02/2021 - The Best Ping Pong Table To Buy in 2021 (And which to Avoid) Best High End Stiga Advantage Expand
05/02/2021 - The Best Ping Pong Table To Buy in 2021 (And which to Avoid) Best High End Stiga Advantage Check Price on …
The Best Ping Pong Table For you in 2021 Read More »
The post The Best Ping Pong Table For you in 2021 appeared first on Ping Pong Bros. Collapse
January 25, 2021
25/01/2021 - This week's blog will go up by 3PM or everyone learns the truth. I'm QAnon. Meanwhile, to Expand
25/01/2021 - This week's blog will go up by 3PM or everyone learns the truth. I'm QAnon. Meanwhile, to tide you over, here's the Tip of the Week, Finding Simple Tactics That Work. And here's Another Year of Ping Pong (10:53) with some really entertaining stuff from Adam Bobrow! Collapse
|
May 24, 2021
24/05/2021 - This week's blog will be up by 2:30PM or my mask gets Krazy glued to my face and I never can Expand
24/05/2021 - This week's blog will be up by 2:30PM or my mask gets Krazy glued to my face and I never can take it off. Meanwhile, the Tip of the Week is up, Inside-Out Backhands. And to help tide you over, here's the new table tennis music video Stashka - Dreams in One Ball (3:23). Collapse
May 3, 2021
03/05/2021 - This week's blog will be up by 1:30 PM or I have to wear a mask the rest of my life - even Expand
03/05/2021 - This week's blog will be up by 1:30 PM or I have to wear a mask the rest of my life - even though I'm vaccinated! (So should you.) Meanwhile, the Tip of the Week is up: Team Lineup Strategies. And to help tide you over, here's Pongfinity Ball With 100 Holes (5 min)! Collapse
April 12, 2021
12/04/2021 - This week's blog will be up by 2:30 PM or I have to take over running the US Nationals and run Expand
12/04/2021 - This week's blog will be up by 2:30 PM or I have to take over running the US Nationals and run it all round robin. Meanwhile, the Tip of the Week is up, Learn from a Match. And to tide you over, here's Riley Dog Pong (63 sec)! Collapse
March 22, 2021
22/03/2021 - This week's blog will be up by 2PM (eastern time) or I have to wear a pink "I'm a Expand
22/03/2021 - This week's blog will be up by 2PM (eastern time) or I have to wear a pink "I'm a Unicorn" mask at my next tournament. Meanwhile, the tip of the week is up, Rally Down Faster & Quicker Players. And to help tide you over, here's Quincy The Cat Plays Ping Pong And He Can Probably Whoop Your Tail, Too (14 sec)! Collapse
Joola Inside Table Tennis Table Review
11/03/2021 - Joola Inside Table Tennis Table ReviewAlso known as: Joola Inside 15, Joola Inside 5/8'' Expand
11/03/2021 - Joola Inside Table Tennis Table ReviewAlso known as: Joola Inside 15, Joola Inside 5/8'' competition grade tableAuthor: Kevin James, Review last …
Joola Inside Table Tennis Table Review Read More »
The post Joola Inside Table Tennis Table Review appeared first on Ping Pong Bros. Collapse
March 8, 2021
08/03/2021 - Tip of the Week
Experiment with Serves and Receives Early.
Sports Psychology, Weekend Coaching, Expand
08/03/2021 - Tip of the Week
Experiment with Serves and Receives Early.
Sports Psychology, Weekend Coaching, and Ohio, Oh My!!!
I may have to go back to college and get another degree, this one in psychology. I’m starting to do more sports psychology sessions with our up-and-coming juniors. I wrote about this in my February 15 blog, under “Weekend Coaching.” As a match coach, I’ve been both learning and teaching sports psychology for about 40 years (including many group sessions with the sports psychologist at the US Olympic Training Center during my four years there), but now I’m doing one-on-one sessions on it. From those years of coaching and learning, I have a whole basket full of mental tricks to help players overcome almost any sports psychology problem - but rather than deal with it during a tournament, it’s best to address it and solve the problem before the tournament begins.
I’ve actually found a unique mix - the sessions are actually joint Collapse
February 15, 2021
15/02/2021 - Tip of the Week
Pushing Short: When to Learn?
=>BEGIN USATT SECTION<=
Ongoing USATT Expand
15/02/2021 - Tip of the Week
Pushing Short: When to Learn?
=>BEGIN USATT SECTION<=
Ongoing USATT Sagas
I'm resigned to the fact that I'm going to need to have a USATT segment in every blog, just to keep up with all the crazy things going on. If you have no interest in USATT matters, skip over this segment - though you might find the final item, the $200,000 arbitration case (technically, $170,000-$200,000), a doozy. (Keep in mind that when I speak of USATT, I'm speaking of their leadership as a whole. There are individuals who are trying to fix these problems.) Here's the latest - and I hope there's nothing to write about next week.
USATT-NCTTA Grievance. I blogged about this in last week's blog. Here's the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association's news item on this, The USATT Motion and Grievance. It's still mind-boggling to me that USATT has chosen to pick this fight with NCTTA, one they will almost for certain lose, leading to great animosity Collapse
Table Tennis Events 2021 - World Ranking Events Calendar
04/02/2021 - Keep up to date with all the top table tennis events. Here's a list of events in 2021 which count Expand
04/02/2021 - Keep up to date with all the top table tennis events. Here's a list of events in 2021 which count for World Ranking points. Collapse
|
