Book Description
Whether you're a competitive tournament player or a serious recreational player, Winning Table Tennis: Skills, Drills, and Strategies will help you improve your game.

Dan Seemiller, 5-time U.S. singles and 11-time doubles champion, shows you all the shots and strategies for top-level play. The book features 29 drills for better shot-making, plus Seemiller's own grip and shot innovations that will give you an edge over the competition.

Featuring the most effective table tennis techniques and strategies, Winning Table Tennis shows you how to

• choose the right equipment,

• serve and return serves,

• use proper footwork and get into position,

• practice more efficiently,

• prepare for competitions,

• make effective strategy decisions in singles and doubles play, and

• condition your body for optimal performance. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Okay, as far as it goes
This is the best table tennis instructional book I ever read.But this isn't saying much considering this is just the second book I've read and the first was completely useless.

I can't remember the title of the first book but it used drawings to demonstrate strokes.The good thing about Winning Table Tennis is that it uses sequences of photographs which is much clearer in demonstrating how to hit a shot.

My biggest disappointment was that only about the first third of the book is about teaching table tennis techniques (strokes, footwork etc...).The rest of the book includes segments on warmups, losing weight, carbohydrates, proteins and workouts, which was not entirely relevant for most readers I would have thought...and certainly not the reason I bought the book.

Also, in illustrating strokes, any book has to realise that verbal descriptions are not that helpful.Instead, the heart and soul needs to be clear, comprehensive and sequential photographs.You can have a few words but these should not try to be comprehensive but rather just cover a few key points.This book only had photographs for some of the strokes, and the rest were completely written accounts - which wasn't good enough for me.

Last gripe.I know that the author Danny Seemiller is a very accomplished table tennis player, and I like his spunk in championing his own grip etc...but I thought the following sentence
"some elite playes, like J.O.Waldner and the author (Danny Seemiller), use sidespin bocks" was too self-serving and arrogant.I mean, sure he was no.17 in the world, but he was no Waldner.

I still gave it 3/5 because there really aren't enough table tennis books out there...and this was the best I've seen.

Helpful for Intermediate even Advanced Players
If you're looking for a "Teach yourself Table Tennis 101" type of book, this is not the one. In fact, this book is targetting to most intermediate and advanced table tennis players, although it covers some basic materials and standard strokes in a couple of chapters.

Most players focus on improving their looping and attacking skills. However, the author kept emphasizing the effectiviness of enhancing the match results by practicing serves and improving footwork. He did a good job on the chapter about the serves. He explained all the key important placements of the serves for various siturations and effects. For the footwork techniques, the lateral two-step, the up-and-back two-step, the backhand-corner two-step, and the lateral crossover are all covered in pictorial step-by-step details. Readers can easily follow and practice. The author also gave out some tips on tournament tactics, like ball placement, the short game, and varying the spin. Overall the book is good except the chapters on conditioning drills are a bit basic and weak.

(Reviewed by Otto Yuen, 14-Jan-2006)

Indispensable for TT players who really want to win.
This book is for players who already know how to play TT. It doesn't include the TT rules. Ideal for intermediate-level players who want to progress up to "professional" level. This book describes all the major strokes and footwork. It's the only book that describes the various services both forehand and backhand. (Table Tennis from A to Z by Messinis contains only a cursory and theoritical examination of the services.). But the best part about this book is the one about how to shape up yourself for the tournament. The warm-up/warm-down exercises are great. The chapter on nutrition is excellent. The chapter on strategy is brilliant. Furthermore, the "tone" of this book is quite reader-friendly: it's like hearing the author speaking by your ears. In short, buy this book and I guarantee you'll never regret it.

Great book to improve skills
As a new player this is the book to get. It does a great job describing the various skills of table tennis. It also tells you how to improve. Great book I am sure you will like if your serious about the game.

A must have for any new players.
This is a good book which goes through the basic and advenced strokes of the game including how to be a world champion. The only bad thing is having to read and understand all those confusing directions about where to moveyour paddle and your hand. ... Read more

Book Description
You have taken your first step to success in learning table tennis with the purchase of this book. Table Tennis: Steps to Success combines the knowledge and experience of master teacher Larry Hodges with the latest developments in learning how to become a proficient player.

Table Tennis: Steps to Success is a unique guide designed to maximize your table tennis progress. It is a breakthrough in sport skill instruction through its development of complete learning progressions—the steps to success. You will climb 15 steps on your way to table tennis success. Each step (chapter)

• explains why the concept or skill 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.

Each of the steps you will take is an easy transition from the one before. Your first few steps provide a solid foundation of basic skills and concepts. As you progress you will learn how to choose the proper stroke to match your various table tennis needs—whether for quickness, power, deception, or just fun.As you approach the top of your climb to success you will have gained confidence in your table tennis ability and experienced the satisfaction of becoming an accomplished player. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

EXCELLENT TABLE TENNIS BOOK
This book will tell you everything that you ever wanted to know about how to improve your table tennis game. Easy to read, and has many helpful drawings to illustrate the point being made. Covers the basics as well as advanced concepts. Each chapter contains many drills to help the reader master the different types of strokes and strategies.

OK, but better elseware
I could see that this could be a good book if you were brand new to table tennis and had a coach. Good drills for practicing with similarly leveled players. However, I feel book does not accurately describe how to truely improve your stroke. Descriptions tend to be vague and leave it to the player to experiment to get the result they are looking for. The danger for the player without a coach is that common early bad habits that are effective for begginers will become engrained. Also, the strategy section is not as good as in other TT books.

Excellent Book
I found the book to be very helpful and informative.I have just begun playing competitively for the past year and found that the graphics/steps really have helped my game. I'd recommend this book to anyone who is just developing their game.I have bought other table tennis books, but they lacked the graphics this book has, so I am very happy with this purchase.

The Best Table Tennis Book For Beginners-Intermediates
This book is one of the best book on table tennis that I have ever read.The clear and concise text makes this book very readable.While you may not turn into a table tennis champion overnight, following the instructions by Mr. Hodges by disciplined practice, a newcomer to the sport can learn the game, but it can also be used as a reference for intermediate players to correct their stroke or to improve it.
This book is useful not only because it explains the different strokes but it also contains sections on physical training and tactics against different style of play.
Table Tennis: Steps to Success is a must-have in any table tennis player's library.

An excellent slient coach!
I highly recommend this book as a supplementary material for references as technique guidelines and theory support.In fact, I dont' think anyone can actually learn any sport from any book, however well-written the book may be.Table-tennis is no exception.As is indicated in the book, to learn to play the game, you need to practice.With this book, however, you can correct your weakness, look up for any question you gathered during the practice.The book covers almost all the basic drills in the modern table-tennis game.

The book is divided into chapters.For beginners, I suggest you follow the steps and do the excersies in the end of every chapter.For those who already have some basic knowledge, just check the parts you're confused with.You can easily find your part because the index is very clarified.

This is a book for beginners and intermediate-level players.If you are an advanced player who already developed a mature playing style, I don't think this book will help you.In this case, you should check out other tactic books or tourement vedios.

As to the new 40mm ball games, the new rule doesn't change the basic techniques.Therefore, the book still works.What is changed by the new ball is mostly the equipement and tactics, which is not the main concern of the book. ... Read more

Book Description

Product Description
There are some twenty million table tennis players of varying degrees of proficiency in the United States. For them, and for the thousands of others who will soon discover the pleasures of the game, Dick Miles has written a book that takes table tennis apart stroke by stroke, analyzing the form and techniques of championship play so precisely that anyone reading it will come away with a new understanding of what he should do to improve his game. ... Read more

Product Description
Well, could he? What about an Iguanodon? Could he ice skate? Could a Wannanosaurus lift weights? In this book, you ll find all sorts of dinosaurs from nearly the biggest to just about the smallest, all drawn to scale in relation to the things around them, whether it s a golf club, a table tennis table, or a basketball court. There s also some extra information what period the dinosaur lived in, where its fossils were found, how big it was, and what it ate. So now, what do you think? Could he? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Could an Iguanadon go Ice Skating?
This books has it all. Dinosaurs doing daring feats. Your little one will hardly know that he's learning something with this alphabet book. From A to Z, dinosaurs of all sizes (shown in relation to everyday objects) fill these pages along with a pronunciation guide. How else would my two-year old know how to say Wannanosaurus? A fun book that can be read on many different levels to children of any age. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A Legends Handbook
Thanks to this book, I've managed to stay in the top league at my school. Tony C

The Lord of the Pings (and Pongs)
A fairly well written book considering how dry the subject matter is.Some of the jokes they use to lighten the load is very very funny stuff.

This book is a sure guide to success
Very interesting.I picked up the book and thought, "Hey, why not try to learn table-tennis." Now, at least I know my serves and I feel that I am progressing well for a beginner. ... Read more

Product Description
This book is written for middle school, high school, college and university table tennis courses at beginning and intermediate levels in the United States. It can also be used by table tennis fans and amateur players. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Insightful, Concise and Invigeratating
I enjoyed this book as a tool for beginners and advanced players alike. Table Tennis is a fun and competitive sport, this book has done the sport justice. I commend the author for such a fine job. ... Read more

Book Description
Science and Racket Sports III will contain the peer-reviewed papers and keynote addresses presented at the combined 3rd World Congress of Science and Racket Sports and 8th International Table Tennis Federation Sports Science Congress.
The conference presents cutting edge research in racket sports science along the five key themes of Notational Match Analysis, Sports Medicine, Biomechanics, Sports Psychology, and Sports Physiology, and embraces a broad spectrum of the issues being examined by contemporary sports scientists. ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is a journal article from Psychology of Sport & Exercise, published by Elsevier in 2005. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
Objectives: One aspect of social cognition that has received little research attention in sport psychology is the impact of non-verbal behaviour on sporting encounters. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect that opponents' clothing and body language have on the way in which they are perceived. Method: Experienced table-tennis players (n=18) viewed videos of four models warming up for a match. Each model portrayed one of four combinations of body language (positive versus negative) and clothing (sport-specific versus general sportswear). Following the presentation of each model, participants rated their impressions of the model and a measure of outcome expectations. Results: Multivariate analysis of variance revealed that models portraying positive body language received more favourable first impression ratings. Clothing had no impact on first impression ratings. In addition, participants reported lower confidence in their ability to defeat the opponent when they viewed opponents wearing table-tennis specific clothing and opponents portraying positive body language than when they viewed opponents with negative body language or wearing general sportswear. Conclusions: Preliminary support was found for the potential importance of non-verbal behaviour in sport. ... Read more