"Top Spin" Receives Glowing Review in Wall Street Journal
(Courtesy of the Wall Street JournalMany movies start with a burst of energy, then lose their momentum along the way. "Top Spin" starts ultra-slowly, then picks up so much speed that I kept wishing it would slow down. The subject of this documentary by 
Mina T. Son and Sara Newens is table tennis. (Surprisingly, some of the fierce combatants in the film don't mind if you call it ping pong, though others draw a sharp distinction of terminology between the competitive sport and the game you play in your basement.) 

The prologue was shot in the gorgeously smooth super-slo-mo that's taken for granted in the age of digital cinematography-we see a surreal ballet in which a little ball floats between lighter-than-air martial artists with paddles in their hands. The rest of the movie was shot mostly at normal speed, meaning the games are so fast that... Read More
Turnkey Sports' Carolyne Savini Appointed to USATT Board
August 18, 2015 (Colorado Springs, CO) - USA Table Tennis (USATT) announced today that Carolyne Savini, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Turnkey Search, will serve the Board for a four-year term as an Independent Director. USATT's Nominating and Governance Committee appointed Ms. Savini earlier this month after an exhaustive search to fill the vacancy left when Jim Kahler's term expired in January.

"This is a truly exciting day for USATT," commented Peter Scudner, USATT's Board Chair. "While we are sad to see Jim leave the board after two outstanding terms, we are thrilled that our Nominating and Governance Committee was able to find and recruit a director of Carolyne's caliber. I am confident that her experience and network in the sports and entertainment industry will be extremely beneficial to our organization as we continue to grow and evolve." - Read More
Don't Miss Out on PerkSpot, Our Members Only Benefit Program!
(USATT) Don't miss out on your chance to sign up for our membership benefit program, PerkSpot!

USATT is proud to announce the rollout of our new discount program. Don't Forget to Sign Up for Your USATT Member Perks Program! All you have to do is setup your unique password, enter your membership number and you are on your way to saving!

You should have already received an email inviting you to sign up, if not, click here to register. - PerkSpot Registration

You can use PerkSpot to find hundreds of deals on everything from household essentials to once-in-a-lifetime vacations. PerkSpot is mobile optimized, so you... Read More
2015 Seattle Open Review
(Courtesy of Butterfly Table Tennis) The 2015 Seattle Open was hosted by the Seattle Pacific Table Tennis Club in Bellevue, Washington from August 22-23, and was sponsored by Butterfly Table Tennis.

Congratulations to Hau Guo, the 2015 Seattle Open Champion, In the finals, Guo defeated 2015 US Open Champion, Jinxin Wang, by a 3-1 score (-5, 10, 6, 3). Li Chueng and XinXu (Anthony) Zhao reached the semifinals.

For pictures and complete match results from every event at the 2015 Seattle Open, visit the event page by clicking here.

To watch streams of days one and two, visit the USATT Event Page.
Sanil Shetty - Interview
(Rahul Acharya) Recently, my family took a trip to India to visit family. However unlike previous trips, there was an added bonus to this particular visit. With the help of Rajul Sheth of ICC, my mom was able to contact Sanil Shetty, India's 2014 Men's Table Tennis National Champion. Sanil has made a name for himself, both nationally and internationally, in spite of critical health issues at an early age. Sanil was born with a hole in his heart and his parents were told that he only had a few months to live. Luckily Sanil responded well to homeopathic treatment and was fully treated by the age of 5.

Fortunately for me, Sanil would be in Mumbai during our stay. And for the icing on the cake, Sachin Shetty, Sanil's brother and one of India's Junior National Team coaches, arranged for my brother and I to play at Khar Gymkhana, a multi-sports facility where many of India's top table tennis players, including Sanil... Read Interview
11 Questions with Matthew Winkler of Table Tennis and More!
Q: Why do you play?
A: I play now for the competition and the exercise. I love the mental and physical exercise I get from playing. I also enjoy the battle to improve, which is extremely difficult at this point.
Q: Which is your favorite tournament?
A: I only played in it once, but the team tournament over thanksgiving was my favorite tournament. It allowed me to play a ton of matches, and against all players around my level. I don't get that opportunity often as there aren't many higher level players in Arizona. 
Q: Who is your primary nemesis?
A: Right now my primary nemesis is Prasanna Sundarajan, as he has beaten me in the finals of the last two Arizona tournaments. - Read More
2016 Men and Women National Team Selection Procedure
(USATT) In 2016, the Men's and Women's National Teams will consist of four athletes each. Only athletes eligible to represent the United States at the World Championships will be eligible for National Team membership.

Below is the 2016 Men's and Women's selection procedure:

1-Team Composition
a. The Men and Women's National Teams will consist of four athletes each. Only athletes eligible to represent the USA at the World Championships will be eligible for National Team membership. USATT will fund up to four (4) athletes/gender for National Team Program activities, depending upon USATT's needs for an event and the budget limitations... Read More and Download Document
2015 Shonie Aki Scholarship Award
(Courtesy of Carl DannerShonie Aki, a remarkable individual, great father, tireless worker and volunteer as well as a great friend to many, had a long history in table tennis. He was both a star player and a great organizer and trainer. 

Shonie began his successful playing career in 1959, and was among the top-ranked U.S. players for many years. He was the California State Champion three times and was the founder and organizer of table tennis clubs in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Berkeley. He successfully organized and ran many tournaments and events sponsored by the USTAA starting in 1960. Shonie became the President of the California Table Tennis Association in 1961 and was the Vice President of the USTTA Executive Committee from 1988 through 1999. He became one of the first inductees to the California Table Tennis Hall of Fame and later became... Read More and Apply
New Book - Expert in a Year: The Ultimate Table Tennis Challenge
(Larry Hodges) This new book (in print and kindle), which covers an attempt by a player, working with a coach, to go from essentially beginner to advanced player in a year. Here's the book description:

Sam Priestley was never Mr Sporty. After failed attempts at rowing and running he had all but given up on the possibility of becoming a sportsman. That was until childhood friend, and table tennis coach, Ben Larcombe convinced him to act as the guinea pig in an experiment he had concocted - The Expert in a Year Challenge.

Starting 1st January 2014 novice Sam was immersed in the world of competitive table tennis. He began training every day and over the course of the year notched up hundreds of hours of practice in an attempt to reach a seemingly... Read More
The Spin-Nospin Serve
(Han Xiao for Butterfly Table TennisToday, we're going to discuss one of the most classically successful serve combinations of the past couple of decades: the spin-nospin serve. This is actually a two-serve combination: a heavy backspin serve along with a nospin serve with the exact same motion. It is often extremely simple looking yet very deceptive and difficult to read, resulting in easy attacking opportunities for the server.

The goal of the spin-nospin serve combination is very simple, which is to provide a reliable third ball attack and limit the opponent's ability to receive aggressively. Compared to some other effective serves, it is generally not aimed at producing as many direct errors from the opponent. Most of the effectiveness is derived from... Read More

More Tips: The Two Minute Warm-Up (From Samson Dubina)Read More
History of USATT - Volume XVI - Chapter 5
(Tim Boggan1988: March tournaments:

Dave Williams (TTT, June-July, 1988, 67) reports on an unusual Southern California exhibition match:

"The Orange Coast College Table Tennis Club played host to an exhibition match between the Southern California All-Stars and a visiting team of Japanese Collegiate Champions. The match, held Mar. 24th at the Basil Peterson Gym on the campus of Orange Coast College, was played on three Stiga table under excellent tournament conditions. The Japanese team consisted of four men and two women... Read More

More TT in the US: Men's US Over 75 RankingsView Here
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