I got this video of Nigeria's Segun Toriola off the MyTableTennis.net forum and encoded it to flv. His style defies understanding -- very rhythmic, fast, and stylish. His retrieves are a bit unusual, with more emphasis on getting the ball than correct footwork, and his backhand is out of this world (I think Kalinikos Kreanga had a tough time against him in the 2002 World Cup). Lots of humor from Jean-Michel Saive, and I think you'll find Segun's hand-switching towards the end highly entertaining.

Note to self: spontaneity and hard-hitting are important.

My name is Azuka Okuleye and I'm 18 years old. I started playing table tennis in high school with wooden paddles formed from waste plywood and balls from roll-on deodorants. I've moved on since then to playing on a real table, with real paddles and real balls and the game of table tennis has opened my eyes to new things.

I used a light Halex Racket in the past but a friend from my local club at the YMCA gave me a Butterfly Racket (pictures at the bottom) which fits me very well. I hope to upgrade to a 7285 Viscaria FL as soon as I can control the ball better (it's on my wishlist!).

My strong points are my backhand loop and drive, and my returns. I've been told I play like a robot because I prefer to stand in one spot, stretching in either direction to retrieve balls. I think this is because I'm above average height (about 6ft 1+).

Unlike most people, I can always see the ball coming because my eyes move very fast (I read a lot). The problem is, my reflexes are much slower and I have some hand-eye coordination problems. Since I only get to play once a week, I practice in front of my mirror (you really should see me doing the Falkenberg) and try to play using what I learn every Wednesday.

I hope to regularly update this blog every week.