Hi, I’m Ben Larcombe. I’m 29 years old, I live in Tunbridge Wells (England), and I’m a professional table tennis coach.
I started Expert Table Tennis in 2012 as a place for me to share my thoughts about the sport I love. The site has evolved and grown considerably since then and now includes regular blog posts, two podcasts, a selection of coaching videos, a book, and a thriving online community.
Spend just a few minutes reading or listening to any of my work and you’ll realize that I’m super passionate about table tennis! I particularly enjoy teaching the fundamentals to new players and helping them to find the most direct path to ping pong prowess.
In 2015, my table tennis coaching hit the headlines after my YouTube video ‘Guy Plays Table Tennis Every Day for a Year’ went viral. It’s since received over 7 million views and has been featured on BBC News, The Huffington Post, and The Telegraph.
I now coach at St John’s Table Tennis Club in Tunbridge Wells. It’s a small club, aimed at beginners and improvers, that meets on Tuesday evenings in the sports hall of St John’s Church. I offer junior and adult group coaching. You can find out more about St John’s TTC and how to receive private coaching from me in Tunbridge Wells here.
Other than that, I’m a Bible-believing Christian and I have a wide variety of other interests including; sports science, online business, economics, and running (to name just a few). I’m also the co-founder of Pipehouse Gin!
If you’d like to find out more about me then why not follow me on social media? You can find me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
If you would like to get in touch you can do so here.
My Table Tennis Story
I’ve been involved in table tennis for almost 20 years! Here’s a brief summary…
- 1989 – Born in South London
- 1999 – Started playing table tennis at the age of 10 at a local leisure centre
- 2001 – Moved to Crusaders TTC and received coaching from Mike Pantin
- 2004 – First represented Surrey and finished the cadets ranked #107
- 2007 – Finished the juniors #76 and joined Grantham Academy
- 2009 – Studied Coaching and Sport Science at Nottingham Trent
- 2011 – Graduated and began coaching professionally in London
- 2012 – Started ExpertTableTennis.com
- 2013 – Reached a peak ranking of #123 in England (then got married)
- 2014 – Created ‘Expert in a Year’ with Sam Priestley
- 2017 – Started St John’s TTC in Tunbridge Wells
I don’t consider myself to be a table tennis expert; far from it! I’m just a coach that loves the game and loves to learn.