Table Tennis

Table Tennis: Steps to Success is the first book to give you a self-paced program for learning the important skills and game strategies in table tennis. By following this unique step-by-step approach, you will improve the level of your game and learn to play like a champion.

Written by master teacher, coach, and player Larry Hodges, this table tennis book is part of the Steps to Success Activity Series--the most extensively researched and carefully developed set of sport skills instruction books ever published.

Each of the 15 steps featured in Table Tennis: Steps to Success provides a solid foundation of basic skills and concepts. As you progress, you will learn how to adapt your game using the advanced strategies and playing techniques. Each step (chapter)

- explains why the skill or concept is important,
- identifies the keys to correct technique,
- helps you correct common errors,
- explains how to practice each skill in realistic ways,
- lists specific performance goals for each drill,
- gives you a summary checklist for evaluating proper technique, and
- lets you proceed at your own pace.

Drawing upon his vast coaching experience and his extensive involvement with the U.S. Table Tennis Association, Larry Hodges presents useful advice in game strategies and tactics. He also covers two areas of the game that are very important, yet often overlooked--footwork and mental preparation.

In addition, you will learn how to

- select serves and return shots that will give your opponents problems;
- add excitement to your game by putting topspin, backspin, or sidespin on the ball;
- choose the proper stroke to match your particular
needs--whether for quickness, power, deception, or just fun;
- select the grip that is best for you;
- improve your practices and games by starting out with an effective warm-up routine;
- find and enter tournaments; and
- prepare for tournament competition so that you'll perform your best.

Table Tennis: Steps to Success features over 120 drills and 140 illustrations and will help students get started, make steady progress, practice match-winning skills, and correct problems as they develop. The result--successful table tennis players who will enjoy the game for the rest of their lives. So learn how to play an effective game of table tennis; let your opponents play "Ping Pong"!

See all the titles available in the Steps to Success Series.

Larry Hodges is the national coaching chairman for the United States Table Tennis Association (USTTA) and a past vice president. He is also director and a coach at the National Table Tennis Center in Gaithersburg, Maryland. As a certified National Coach, Larry has worked with the best players in the country. He managed and coached at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs from 1985 to 1989, and he has been the U.S. Junior Coach at the U.S. Open Table Tennis Championships since 1990. Larry has taught table tennis classes in colleges, recreation centers, clinics, and clubs all over the United States.

Larry is the editor of Table Tennis Today, the national magazine for table tennis. He is also the author of the book Instructors Guide to Table Tennis and more than 200 articles on table tennis. Larry has been playing serious table tennis since 1976. He has been ranked among the top 30 players in the United States and has won state championships in North Carolina, Maryland, and Colorado. He is also a former National Collegiate Doubles Champion. When he's not coaching, playing, or writing about table tennis, Larry enjoys reading and writing science fiction, playing tennis and basketball, and tutoring kids in math and English.