The Spirit of Pong Paperback – May 14, 2015

I received this 2015 book last year as a random drawing prize at a little tournament in Athens, Georgia. I am an average long time competitive table tennis player with 136 official USATT tournaments played. I have met Larry Hodges many times in his club in Maryland and elsewhere at the tournaments all over the country. I can hardly imagine United States table tennis without this amazing table tennis activist, writer, recognized coach, over forty USA hardbat reigning champion and USA Table Tennis Hall of Fame member.I am also a metaphysical writer and, as such, I am challenging you to see this book in a little bit different light than other reviewers. Instead of “putting a fantasy hat on your head” why don’t you disconnect yourself from pure materialistic judgement about what Larry Hodges has written. If you can do that, you can perceive another reality of this beautiful game we all love. You can better your game by applying metaphysical principles existing beyond our five senses. Ask yourself how many times you hit and returned the ball with devastating force, speed, and accuracy without knowing how you did that. If that is happening only occasionally for you, try to create a routine.There is no doubt that top players can literally condense and stretch time, see, and execute much more in the blink of an eye than you and me. Larry’s book is full of these references, when his hero Andy “Shoes” Blue is doing exactly that. The night becomes a year, and a second can be stretched into minutes. You can also do this, play with time, analyze your successes and failures in altered state of mind. Any kind of meditation can you help with that. Model a variety of situations and your mind will remember and utilize your winning metaphysical scenarios without your conscious effort when you need them. And then your game might get another dimension, regardless of whether you will call it a subconscious action of your brain or an action of your trained spirit. For me, Spirit oversees my playing; how about you?This lovely little book is loaded with a lot of information about the giants of the game. It brought me all the way back into my childhood's admirations of them and my own dreams. I am happy that I was able to read and enjoy it. I must say that I was very surprised by Larry’s seeing and understanding of other realities. I always, as an independent observer and a little ping pong guy, saw Larry as a business-like and responsible table tennis giant ready for all those armies of talented and less talented kids who needed him. Kudos Larry for seeing the things not many people are even trying to see!

Disclaimer: I reviewed an earlier draft of the book for the author.If you're a ponger, you know that an American doing well in the World Championships is about as rare a Loch Ness monster sighting. But hey, if you thought the U.S. hockey team could win the gold medal in 1980, if you thought Argentina could beat the U.S. in basketball in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, and if you cried during the ending scene of "Rudy", then this book is for you.You really do have to keep your fantasy hat on while reading the book. Set aside that Chinese National Team fanboi-ism for a little bit and you'll be guaranteed a nice literary experience. The story is basically what it says in the back cover, an American who goes to China to learn the Chinese secrets of table tennis.Pros: I really liked the chapter with Ogimura. The physical preparation for table tennis really pumped me up to go out and do a few sprints and some push-ups. It was like a motivation CD that you listen to in your car before hitting the gym. Once you arrive, you're ready to get down to business. I also enjoyed reading the chapter with "The Dragon". It was really very funny for me. Again, keep your fantasy hat on. There was also a good bit of history in the book. I knew a little bit being a ponger but there were a few things that I had to search online for verification. The World Championship match was complete insanity. The development of the characters of Andy and Coach Wang were excellent in that a reader can identify with both of their motivations.Cons: The chapter with Rong Guotuan was a bit dark. I was not put off by it as I enjoy those kinds things in other books also. I just did not think it fit in well with the overall feel of the book. I suppose it would be like putting bacon in an ice cream cone. Some might like it and some might not.Overall, Larry did a great job mixing TT history, fantasy, and fiction in a 100-page package.

As a Table Tennis coach, It's been my longtime dream to go to the Mecca of Table Tennis, China, to learn the secrets of the sport from the Legends. This book provides an essence of what would that Dream be like. I finished reading it in one go and it was indeed a breezy read. The Body of Pong, The Mind of Pong, The Paddle of Pong, and most importantly the Spirit of Pong sections were beautifully written. I will be recommending this book to all the students in my academy. "Must Read" for all the TT enthusiasts around the world. Love All, tK

I was hijacked away by this book almost from its beginning looking forward each new paragraph. There is a motivation aspect through whole story encouraging players to try harder with their development as the story touches the hard "under the hood" part of professional table tennis player everyday life. Encourage all TT fans to give it a try!

A fascinating story of an American wanting to be the best in the world of table tennis, going to China for some magical and intriguing training sessions, and how he eventually achieved his hard-earned success. The best part is in the journey of it - vivid, colorful descriptions of the matches, processes, psyches, and sometimes point-by-point analysis. This was a real page-turner, and was one of the best binges I've been on.