Table Tennis: Steps to Success (STS (Steps to Success Activity) Paperback – May 18, 2009

A disclaimer before I get started: I know Richard McAfee personally, he's been my coach for about 16 months. In that time he's turned me from a complete beginner into an 1800 player. More important than rating points though, coach has given me a lifelong love for the elegant sport of pong. The man has spent over 40 years playing with and coaching elite players around the globe. In talking to him and reading this book one gets the sense that he's broken down and analyzed every stroke he's seen in that time.That attention to detail and nuance have made this book an excellent resource for the aspiring pong player. Make no mistake: table tennis is not an easy sport, to master the intricacies of the various strokes takes dedication and hours of practice. The instructions and diagrams in the book clearly illustrate the mechanics of each stroke, and the drills get you on your way to mastering them. I've found these drills invaluable for improving me serve and backhand.If you don't live in Denver and can't get personal coaching from McAfee this book will go a long way towards improving your game.

I am a member of a small table tennis club (15 or less members), and everyone who has read this (we have shared it) has learned something from the book. It is a well organized, practical, and as much as is possible to write about a visual sport, helpful. The guy obviously knows how to coach; if I could live in Denver, I would definitely try to get some coaching time in from him. But I digress, back to the book, he has numerous useful photos showing various skills and how to practice certain drills to make you more proficient. All of our group loves his picture on serves (it shows a wheel and the angle of the paddle coming up from the wheel to give the proper angle for the paddle to come up to make contact with the ball. You have to see it to understand it. Anyway, it's a good book, well worth the money if you are in the lower or middle range of table tennis skills.

I refer to this book all the time while I prepare for teaching my students. The book is very easy to read and has plenty of pictures and diagrams to visually explain the concepts. This is the only accessible Table Tennis book I've seen that breaks down the steps that lead to a better performance.

We bought a ping pong table as a Christmas gift to ourselves, to add some healthy aerobic activity.It has been a great addition. But then we decided we needed some help in figuring out how to get better.We consult this book a LOT and also watch youtube videos. In the book is also a short list of exercises (with photos) so we do that before starting to play.

A good book to read, very basic and in details, some part may be better if simplified. Aaaaa aaa aaa

Great explanations and images to help improve your game, or to coach others in improving theirs. I highly recommend this book.

Excellent book.I can recommend it

The prior positive reviews must have been based on the hard copy of the book. The Kindle version has so many formatting problems that it is unreadable. I've asked for a refund.