Ben Larcombe's Archive

Here are all the posts written by Ben Larcombe.

10 Christmas Gift Ideas for a Table Tennis Player (2017)

November 23, 2017 by Ben Larcombe 3 Comments

It’s now just over a month until Christmas, which means it’s time to start thinking about buying presents (and writing your own Christmas lists too). So what are the best Christmas gifts for a table tennis player?

In this article, I’ll go through some of my favourite table tennis gift ideas and show you a few of the things that have made it onto my Christmas list. The first five are stocking fillers (small/cheap gifts). The next five are bigger and more expensive presents.
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3 Basic Footwork Drills for Intermediate Table Tennis Players

October 19, 2017 by Ben Larcombe 4 Comments

5 Basic Footwork Drills for Intermediate Table Tennis Players

In my opinion, adult beginners don’t spend enough time working on the basic footwork drills. If I think back to my own table tennis training as a 12 or 13-year-old, I probably spent over 50% of my table time doing a variety of regular drills.

These basic drills are important as they allow you to master so many different elements of the game; correct stroke technique, solid movement patterns, consistency, accuracy, rhythm and timing, balance, general ball control. The list goes on.

Learn to Play Table Tennis On Your Knees – Like a 6 Year Old!

October 12, 2017 by Ben Larcombe 1 Comment

learn to play table tennis on your knees - like a 6 year old kid

There are probably lots of reasons why adult beginners generally find it more difficult to develop a correct technique than children. But one potential issue relates to the massive height difference.

That height difference – and its effect on how we learn to play table tennis – is what I’ll be writing about in this post. Specifically, I want to see if adults learning to play table tennis on your knees has any advantages for picking up the correct stroke techniques.

Pretend You’re a Goalkeeper to Correct Your Table Tennis Stance

October 5, 2017 by Ben Larcombe 6 Comments

pretend you're a goalkeeper

Recently, I’ve been coaching table tennis to a number of complete beginners and, as you’d expect, that has involved me having to hammer home all of the basics; grip, stance, footwork, etc. Stance, in particular, is always a battle. New players tend to like to stand at the table just as if they were waiting for a bus!

I’ve already got a popular article all about the correct stance but for this week’s Thursday afternoon blog post I’ve decided to share a specific coaching aid that I use to help players remember it.

Why You Need a Weekly Routine for Your Table Tennis Training

September 28, 2017 by Ben Larcombe 4 Comments

weekly routine table tennis training

I’ve got a bit of a love-hate relationship with having a weekly routine. On the one hand, I love the freedom and flexibility of having a virtually empty calendar. On the other, I do find that I get a lot more stuff done when I create and follow a strict schedule.

For the last three weeks, I’ve been following quite a regimented weekly routine and I’m definitely achieving more and making better use of my time. That’s the inspiration behind this blog post.

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