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My first coach insisted I use a whipping wristy style forehand. I improved rapidly and could hit the ball really hard. I then took lessons from someone in the top 100 and they insisted my motion be concave up and I should really hit through the ball when I was looping. This method might work...

During the first 4 games you need to be taking data: what works, what doesn't work, what did you do to have the advantage during a rally even though it didn't pan out in the end. Then you need to do what seemed helpful. You also need to think what your opponent did to you and how to adjust...

I cannot imagine how this device would help anyone. Every ball is different. Each ball requires a different response. How do you know what to do? By practicing for 10s of 1000s of hours. If you use this product and get the correct acceleration, what are you going to do if the ball has...

For the Chinese speakers; He will go from 坏蛋 to 帅DAN!

I think that anyone who trained in the Chinese system 6-8 hours a day from a young age would be way, way better than they currently are. I also think these days if you want to be top 20 in the world, you had better start training full time with great players and coaching at a very, very young...

Great video Dan! I think your flick did indeed get better. The final step is something you hinted at which maybe you can work on next. When you flick your wrist goes back, then you wait then you go do the motion. ZJK waits with his wrist in a neutral position, then whips it back and forward...

Definitely. I know a lot of ex-professionals who detest playing. To them it is just a job. They cannot imagine why someone would show up to the club and play "for fun" as table tennis is anything but fun for them.

Interesting video. I think the reason why you didn't go pro or why 99% of the people don't go pro is from a lack of serious training from an extremely young age. If you do not get the proper coaching and put in insane hours as a very young kid, you have absolutely no chance to become "pro."...

Getting to 2500 in 2 years is insane. Very insane. Kanak didn't do it. Jimmy Butler didn't do it. Eric Boggan didn't do it. Even the GOAT, Ma Long didn't do it. I would bet no one in the history of table tennis has done it. And I can see some clown saying "well I did it" and when pressed...

The main point I am trying to make here is that if he has only been playing 2 years and feels he is 2500 USATT, he is perhaps the fastest improving player in the history of mankind. I have had friends make the US national team and medal at the Chinese National games. None of them would be...

Ma Long and XX win!

So you have been playing for only 2 years and you are 2100 TTR? That would mean 2400-2500 in USATT ratings for only playing two years. If you are improving that fast, I worry any advice I give you would slow you down. Keep on doing what you are doing. Ignore any advice from anyone. Once you...

So with respect to form, I have made a few HUGE mistakes listening to coaches and although I did what they said, the results were disastrous. My advice is that if you are improving, keep doing what you are doing. If there isn't something obviously wrong, you just need to practice more. Also...

What is funny about the ML/XX doubles final is that they are facing Xiang Peng who is wearing a Xuperman t-shirt and Huang YouZheng who is on the Beijing Team with Ma Long. I wonder if they will switch teams for fun and make it a Beijing vs Xuperman final. (I know they won't but it would be...

I think having some sort of system before the person serves is a good idea. If they serve this, I will do that. Your system depends on your own strengths and weaknesses. A second tip is to wait until the ball drops down for short serves before you make contact. This will force you to wait...

I think either Mark McGuire or Sammy Sosa (or maybe both) said in interviews that when they took PEDs, it wasn't the extra strength and muscle mass that helped them hit home runs. They said their eyes tracked the ball much easier which allowed them to hit the ball further. If you could tell...

I went to college with a kid who had so much money he probably could hire Ma Long and Liu GuoLiang to be his personal coaches and then hire a province team to be his practice partners if he wanted. He did fairly well during matches and I asked him if he wanted to try to go pro after college...

For sure you want to use many balls when coaching an absolute beginner. However you want yourself to rally with them for the 1st lesson so they can see your proper technique and then you give them feedback as they play. I would save real multiball (where you feed from the side) to do in a...

Teaching shadow strokes is 100% pointless in my opinion. It is also a good way to make a student think "why am I here? This isn't fun!" When I teach someone who is an absolute beginner, I try to do 2 things in a 1 hour lesson. First, I stand diagonally from them like a forehand to forehand...

Also I would bet a rather large sum of money you can start kayaking late in life and still have a chance to go pro. In table tennis if you start at 19 you have a 0% chance of going pro. The current theory in table tennis is it is best to start at age 2 like Harimoto, Matsushita and the Lebruns...