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Larry Hodges' daily blog will go up Mon-Fri by noon USA Eastern time (usually by 10 AM, more like noon on Mondays when he does a Tip of the Week and has three days to cover). Larry is a member of the U.S. Table Tennis Hall of Fame, a USATT Certified National Coach, a professional coach at the Maryland Table Tennis Center (USA), and author of eight books and over 1500 articles on table tennis. Here is his bio.
NOTE - Larry is on the USATT Board of Directors and chairs the USATT Coaching Committee, but the views he shares in his blog are his own, and do not necessarily represent the views of USA Table Tennis.
Tip of the Week
Weaknesses Can Be Strengths.
Regional Hopes Camp and Trials at MDTTC
April 27-29, 2018
The camp had 37 players, ages 7 to 14, including many of the best 12 and under players in the northeast and other regions - including the California invasion that snagged both golds. Most were here for the Regional Hopes Trials on Sunday, April 29, which was for players born in 2006 or 2007. The camp was run by USATT National Team Coaches Pieke Franssen (head coach), and Wang Qingliang, assisted by coaches Michael Lauro, Jeffrey Zeng Xun, Lidney Castro, Rajul Urvashi, John Hsu, and myself. Players from ten states took part - MD, VA, PA, OH, NY, NJ, MA, NC, MN, CA. Here's the group picture!
A huge thanks goes to the ITTF and USATT, to USATT High Performance Director Jörg Bitzigeio, and to Coach Pieke for organizing and running these regional camps and trials all over the country. (This was the sixth and final one in the U.S. this year.) Thanks also goes to the local organizers and coaches, as well as to the players, and their parents and coaches. Without all of them supporting the Hopes program, it wouldn't happen. (Wen Hsu, Wang Qingliang, and I were the local organizing staff for this one.) Thanks also to Referee Paul Kovac and Umpire/Coach Michael Lauro. Thanks also to all the local kids who kept joining me at the control desk - by the end of the tournament they were printing match sheets and keying in the results! (I may be out of a job soon.)
The Hopes Trials started at 9:30AM on Sunday, April 29. Unlike most tournaments, there was no geographical separation - the draws were done strictly by ratings and the snake system. Winners of the Sunday trials will join other qualifiers to represent Team USA in the ITTF North American Hopes Tournament in Canada in May - here's the USATT Hopes info page with more info. (On a side note, this was the 200th USATT sanctioned tournament I've run (!) - and only the second that wasn't a two-day tournament. Yep, 398 days of running tournaments.)
Breaking news - it was processed for ratings on Monday afternoon.
Results are below. Congrats to the boys' and girls' medalists! On the boys' side, it was Raghav Thiruvallur (ICC) over Jackson Beaver (MDTTC), with Darius Fahima (LYTTC) and Connor Lee (LYTTC) getting bronze. On the girls' side it was Purvi Soni (ICC) over Mariolaine Encabo (LYTTC), with Ivy Liu (LYTTC) and Nicole Deng (NOVATTC/MDTTC). Here are pictures of the medalists:
Congrats also goes to the rating champions. In Under 2300 it was Ronald Chen over Stanley Hsu; in Under 1900 it was Varun Mangeshkar over Lance Wei; and in Under 1500 it was Feng Xue over Saraansh Wadkar.
But before the Hopes Tournament there was the two-day Hopes Camp! The schedule for that was 4:30-6:30PM, 7:30-9:30PM on Friday (with a pizza party in between), and 12-2:30PM, 5:30-7:30PM on Saturday. Pieke's flight was delayed, and so he arrived almost an hour late - but no problem, he'd already sent his schedule ahead to the coaches, and so Coach Wang ran the first hour. We had 17 tables, with several tables often used for multiball. Several times I had 3-4 players and would do multiball with two at a time, running them through numerous high-speed footwork drills, with the other 1-2 players picking up balls. Other times I was a roving coach, where I'd regularly remind players to move their feet, to place their shots wider and deeper, to stay closer to the table, and much else.
The drills were creatively varied. Twice Pieke called the players together to go over eight drills at a time, written in large letters on a huge sheet of paper on the wall. He'd go over each drill and have players demonstrate it. Then he had all the players turn their backs to the wall and randomly call them by name and challenge them to describe, say, "drill #5." The kids quickly became very good at remembering them. Then they'd go out on the table and do the eight drills.
Drills ranged from numerous stroking and footwork drills, to serve and receive drills, and combinations of the two. The stroking and footwork drills ranged from simple consistent drives, where players had to do a certain number in a row (often 35 to 50), to more patterned sequences that had the players moving and attacking from all parts of the table - both the corners and the middle. (The drills were sometimes adjusted for some players, such as the three choppers in the camp.)
The serve and receive drills often had the players playing off a specific shot or variety of shots over and over. For example, one player might serve short anywhere over and over and the other player had to attack it, sometimes to a specific spot. Or they'd have the option of attacking it or pushing short or long. Or the server had to serve deep anywhere, and the receiver had to attack it. Sometimes the server or receiver had to do a specific type of serve or receive, but about every fifth time were allowed to do something different so the opponent had to be prepared to react and adjust.
Regarding deep pushes, Pieke told them he wanted them to try to push to the last five inches of the table. I've always told players in practice to focus on pushing to the last six inches of the table. So I had a standing joke with a number of locals that we'd compromise, and they aimed for the last 5.5 inches of the table! You don't really need all your long pushes in a match to go to the last five or six inches, which is somewhat risky - but if you practice that, challenging yourself to go as deep as possible even if it means missing (remember, this is practice), you really get a feel for depth and learn to consistently push deep in games.
Pieke also stressed the importance of making the correct decision more important right now than actually making the shot or winning the point. He used the example of deep serves, where he said a player who attacked a serve in practice but missed is doing much better than a player who didn't try to attack the deep serve. If you miss, you can always adjust and get better, but if you don't even try to attack it, then you can't get better. He made clear that choppers were a bit different, but otherwise if you wanted to be a top player, you have to attack the deep serve.
Many of the sessions involved up-down tables (winners move up, losers down), where players would play various games - sometimes to 11, one time best of five with all games starting at deuce, another time handicap singles where they spotted points based on their ratings. There were many improvised rules, such as the player had to serve short, or long, or the receiver had to return the ball in a certain way or to a certain location, so the players would get practice for all of these situations.
There was also a lot of physical training. There were relay races where players had to side-step; in another, the players were paired up and one player would sidestep side to side randomly while the other player had to stay with him; there was fast-stepping (from a ready position, feet move up and down as fast as possible); frog jumps; and of course jogging and various side-stepping to warm up. During one exercise Jackson Beaver said, "I'm tired!" Pieke responded, "If you say you are tired, that tires you out. Never say that!" Partly into the next exercise Jackson yelled, "I'm energized!" And yes, the players were more energized after that. Energy is more a state of mind than of fitness.
Like most successful coaches, Pieke was great with the kids, often joking around with them while making it clear when they could joke around, and when it was time to train hard. It's a fine balance all coaches have to find. Many are too serious all the time, and it can wear down a player. If you keep it fun while still demanding they fight and do their best, and that they demand excellence from themselves, then they will progress far. He and Wang were a great team, often taking turns calling the kids together and explaining the next drill, with Mike Lauro also doing some lectures and demos. I was more in the background, just feeding multiball or walking around coaching. It was a great three days, both for the kids and for the rest of us.
Here are the main results, with complete results at Omnipong.
Hopes Boys - Final: Raghav Thiruvallur d. Jackson Beaver, 10,7,10; SF: Thiruvallur d. Darius Fahima; Beaver d. Connor Lee, -9,4,-3,7,11.
Hopes Girls - Final: Purvi Soni d. Mariolaine Encabo, 7,7,7; SF: Soni d. Ivy Liu, 7,7,-10,7; Encabo d. Nicole Deng, -10,6,13,-10,7.
Under 2300 - Final: Ronald Chen d. Stanley Hsu, 5,9,-12,4; SF: R.Chen d. William Huang, 7,-9,9,-5,9; Hsu d. Spencer Chen, 9,8,-10,10.
Under 1900 - Final: Varun Mangeshkar d. Lance Wei, 4,10,6; SF: Mangeshkar d. Mu Du, 8,-7,4,4; Wei d. Andy Wu, -13,9,-7,6,9.
Under 1500 - Final: Feng Xue d. Saraansh Wadkar, 8,9,ret.; SF: Xue d. Kay O'Hara, -7,11,7,9; Wadkar d. Danny Wan, -5,9,7,9.
World Team Championships
The World Team Championships started yesterday in Halmstad, Sweden, April 29 - May 6. Here's the News Page. You should be able to follow the action online with results and video. Here are some news items from USATT (first four) and Butterfly.
Videos from EmRatThich
He put up 12 news ones - why not stop by and spend a few hours?
Tom's Table Tennis Tips
Here's the latest newsletter from Tom Lodziak, which links to a number of coaching articles.
Across the Net
Here's the May newsletter from the Melton TTC in Australia. (Here are their archives of past newsletters.) This issue includes articles such as Commonwealth Games Wrap, ITTF Museum Opens, There Was Movement at the Station (historical article about Ogimura at the 1959 Worlds), ITTF World Veterans Championships (which are in Las Vegas, June 18-24), Third-Ball Attack (coaching article), The Things You Say (what one says in table tennis and what they really mean), and On the Web, which features PingSkills and TableTennisCoaching.com!
Everything You Need to Know About Ping Pong/Table Tennis
Here's the article from Table Tennis Hub.
Alameda Hopes Camp and Tournament
Here's the article.
Flashback to the 2015 Worlds
Here's the video (41 sec) of this point between Ma Long and Fang Bo.
Mini-Table Match with Mini-Paddles - Omar Assar vs Lee Sangsu!
Here's the video (48 sec). Who wins between the world #17 from Egypt and #8 from South Korea?
Ever Wonder What Trick Shots REALLY Look Like?
Here's the video (49 sec) from Adam Bobrow!
People Jumping Over Ping-Pong Tables
On videos more than a few seconds long I linked directly to when they start their jump. Not all succeed! (I've put "Fail!" by the three at the end who didn't make it.)
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Regional Hopes Camp and Trials
This weekend I'll be coaching at the Hopes Regional Camp at MDTTC (Fri & Sat), and then running the Hopes Regional Trials on Sunday. There's going to be a lot packed into the next few days - we're gonna need a bigger weekend!
This afternoon I'm picking up Coach Pieke Franssen at Dulles Airport at 3:32 PM. He was supposed to come in earlier but his flight was delayed, and so he's on a different flight. It's going to be a tight squeeze as the camp starts at 4:30PM, and the airport is about 45 minutes away without traffic - but we'll be driving during rush hour, which means it could take anywhere from 1-2 hours. We'll see! But Coach Wang Qingliang will run the camp until we arrive.
Coach Pieke is the USATT head coach for the camp. He's from the Alameda TTC in California, and has already run several of the regional Hopes camps. Assistant coaches in the camp will be Wang Qingliang, Jeffrey Zeng Xun, Lidney Castro, Mike Lauro, and myself. Wen Hsu and I are the local organizers. There are 38 kids in the camp, most of them in the 11- to 12-year-old range, but there a number of others who were invited. The depth of the camp for this age group is very strong, with 11 over 1800, 16 over 1700, and 20 over 1600.
The schedule is as follows:
I'll be running the Hopes Trials, for boys and girls. To take part in those players are required to be in the camp as well. We also have three rating events, Under 2300, Under 1900, and Under 1500. The rating events are open to anyone under age 16. You can still enter the rating events!
We'll be using 15 tables for the camp. With 38 players, we'll have 22 players on 11 tables, and 16 doing multiball on four tables. On the four multiball tables the coaches will feed fast multiball to two players - lots and Lots and LOTS of footwork! - while the other two pick up balls. I'll be one of the ones doing multiball coaching. I'll be feeding mostly topspin as feeding backspin aggravates my shoulder injury (see segment below), though I can feed backspin as part of a pattern, such as a backspin followed by three quick topspin - it's doing it repetitively that causes the problem. But if it does aggravate my arm - well, some of you might give your right arm to coach at such a camp, and I literally might do so!!! (I'll be careful.)
Coach Pieke put together a very detailed schedule for the camp, which I received this morning and will be going over later today. Hopefully I'll have energy to write all this up on Monday for my blog and as a USATT news item - we'll see!
Shoulder Update
I consulted with the shoulder surgeon yesterday morning. (I blogged about this on Wednesday.) Here are his recommendations, which I plan to follow.
World Championships Start Sunday
The World Team Championships start this Sunday in Halmstad, Sweden, April 29 - May 6. Here's the News Page - they already have 32 articles posted! You should be able to follow the action online with results and video.
Learning From the Best Table Tennis Coaches
Here's the article by Eli Baraty. "This Weekend, I was privileged to work with some of the best coaches in Europe!"
Ping That Pong
Here's a new table tennis blog I just discovered. It's mostly made up of guides and lists. When you read "The Top 8 Greatest Table Tennis Players of All Time," some of you will be shocked at who's #8!
USATT Insider
Here's the issue that came out on Wednesday.
WAB Club Feature: Princeton Pong
Here's the article by Steve Hopkins.
Van Inh Le to Represent Australia at the World Veterans Table Tennis Championship
Here's the article. He's the defending Over 70 Men's Singles and Doubles Champion.
Truls is Ready to Take on the World
Here's the video (15 sec). "Based on this epic shot, Truls Moregard is ready for his first ever World Champs." Moregard of Sweden is world #319, but #8 in Under 18. (Did you notice who continues to be #1 in Under 18?)
USATT Video Library
Here it is! Why not spend a weekend going through this? You're gonna need a bigger weekend!
Animated Big-Glasses Boy Serving
Here's the picture! (Here's the non-Facebook version.)
The Avengers and Table Tennis
I saw it last night - it was great!
Bears Playing Table Tennis Videos and Teddy Bear Pong
Here's a collection of both!
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I'm Off to See the Surgeon - in Song
I see him at 11AM this morning. (I blogged about this yesterday - it's just a consultation about whether I should get shoulder surgery.) Then I buy advance tickets for The Avengers: Infinity War tickets (via Moviepass, which requires I go in person) for the 8:30PM showing at Germantown. Then I spend the day doing the MDTTC Newsletter and a bunch of other TT stuff. Then I teach a junior class from 6:30-7:30PM. Then I see The Avengers! And now, in honor of my upcoming visit to the surgeon, I give you . . .
I'M OFF TO SEE THE SURGEON
By Larry Hodges
(Sung to the tune of We're Off to See the Wizard, with Apologies to Harold Arlen, the munchkins, Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Lion.)
I'm off to see the Surgeon
The wonderful Surgeon of Oz
I hear he is a jock of a doc
If ever a doc there was
If ever, oh ever a doc there was
The Surgeon of Oz is one because
Because, because, because, because, because
Because of the great operations he does
I'm off to see the Surgeon
The wonderful Surgeon of Oz!
Then I got to thinking - what about players who come to see me, a table tennis teacher?
I'M OFF TO SEE THE TEACHER
By Larry Hodges
We're off to see the Teacher
The wonderful Teacher of Pong
He's beyond reproach as a coach
If ever a coach there was
If ever, oh ever a coach there was
The Teacher of Pong is one because
Because, because, because, because, because
Because of the wonderful coaching he does
We're off to see the Teacher
The wonderful Teacher of Pong!
Two Upcoming ITTF Level 1 Coaching Courses in the U.S.
The Secret Life of the Table Tennis Counter Driver
Here's the article from Coach Jon.
World Championships Prediction Contest
Here's the info page, with $200 in prizes for those who most closely predict the first four finishers at the upcoming World Championships in Men's and Women's Teams, and who will finish higher, USA (world #44) or Canada (#53) Men.
Help Wanted: ITTF Equipment Manager
Here's the info page. But you might have to relocate - "The position will be preferably based in one of the ITTF offices in Switzerland or Singapore, but other flexible arrangements will be considered."
Ma Long is Unstoppable Against Chop!
Here's the video (2 min). Here he is against world #21 Ruwen Filu of Germany.
Two Great Points
Here's the video (90 sec) - Ma Long (near side) vs. Jun Mizutani, and Zoran Primorac (near side) vs. Michael Maze, probably the best modern lobber.
The Story of Ibrahim Hamato
Here's the video (2:07) - playing table tennis with his mouth. (I think this is a new version of one I posted before, but it's always fascinating to watch.)
Double Bottle Serves
Here's the video (32 sec)!
Dude Jumps Through Ping Pong Table
Here's the video! (23 sec, but link takes you to jump 12 sec in.)
Tom & Jack in Table Tennis Game
Here's the video (4:01)!
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Frozen Shoulder Syndrome
I've been seeing a physical therapist three times/week, 90 minutes/visit, for two months, where I go through rigorous massage and shoulder stretching routines. I also do a 20-minute stretching routine twice a day.
Yesterday I saw the doctor again for an update. He put me through a number of tests. The good news was that my shoulder flexibility has gone from 50% normal to 70%. The bad news is that the shoulder hurts just as much as before - no improvement there. I can play with the pain - it's not that bad - but I'd just be injuring the shoulder further.
I'd already been diagnosed with a frayed rotator cuff, tendonitis, and bursitis in the shoulder, and with an extreme lack of shoulder flexibility due to muscle stiffness. Yesterday the doctor gave me a final diagnosis - Frozen Shoulder Syndrome. If I were to quit table tennis completely and only do normal things with the shoulder, it would gradually go away in 1-3 years - but that's not really an option, is it? So here are my real options.
OPTION ONE: I continue the stretching routines, and the shoulder will most likely return to near normal - but it would take many months, and could take a year, and it may never get well enough to play serious table tennis again.
OPTION TWO: Surgery. Tomorrow morning I'm meeting with a shoulder surgeon to go over this option. But the doctor told me that if I go this route, the shoulder most likely will be back to normal about two months after the surgery. Based on what I know right now (but before meeting with the surgeon), this sounds like the best option. But I am a bit surprised at the two-month recovery period from surgery to serious table tennis. He may have meant two months to "normal" activities. Table tennis isn't normal.
For now, I still can't do private coaching, though I'm doing a number of group sessions, and regularly feed multiball. But as noted in past blogs, if I feed backspin repetitively, it aggravates the shoulder. I've practiced left-handed backspin multiball, and can do a decent job of it, but probably not for high-level players. I can do easy hitting with beginners, but have to be careful not to reach for a ball - which is tricky since beginners hit the ball all over the table. I've actually hit with beginners a few times recently where I held my right arm in with my left, and any ball that I'd have to reach for I'd just let go. (It means a lot of footwork for me, getting to every ball without reaching!) But advanced players, while they have more control, hit faster, and one sudden bad move and I'd kill the shoulder. I have been doing demos in classes with other coaches, but I'm just blocking and doing easy stroking.
Tactics for Beating Weird Players
Here's the article by Tom Lodziak.
PingSkills Podcast
Here's the podcast (32:49), where they cover:
"Extra Events" – Building Excitement at a Small/Medium Club
Here's the article featuring Rhode Island Table Tennis, by Steve Hopkins.
World Team Championships History | China Claiming Record 20th Gold in 2016
Here's the video (55 sec).
Out of this World Table Tennis Rally between Xu Xin & Zhu Linfeng
Here's the video (65 sec).
Incredible Point Between Joo Saehyuk and Chuang Chih-Yuan
Here's the video (48 sec). Check out Chuang's footwork about halfway through, when he forehand loops from the extremely wide forehand, and follows with another forehand loop from the extreme backhand!
Meet the Chinese National Women's Team
Here's the video (7 sec)! I couldn't find a similar one for the Men's Team.
Addressing Needs, International Umpires Course Staged in Minsk
Here's the ITTF article.
What Is the Most Expensive Ping-Pong Paddle?
How about this $2712 one? (Also talks about expensive rubbers.) Here's another article on it.
Dog Watching Table Tennis
Here's the video (14 sec).
Donald the Penholder vs the Robot
Here's the cartoon! (Here's the non-Facebook version.) "O Pato Donald" is apparently the Spanish version of Donald Duck.
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Coaching Is Like Awkwardly Programming a Computer
How is this true? When coaching, you are trying to change the habits of the student's subconscious, which is what controls his conditioned shots. The student's conscious mind might be a partner in doing this, but it is the subconscious that is really the student.
If the student really was a computer, you'd just program him properly. Is he hitting forehands without rotating his body? Just go into his forehand programming, click the "rotate body" button, and you're done. But in real coaching there's no "rotate body" button, so you have to do it more awkwardly. Here's what really happens.
STEP ONE: Tell student's conscious mind he needs to rotate his body on forehands.
STEP TWO: Student consciously rotates his body while hitting forehands.
STEP THREE: Student's subconscious mind notes that body is rotating while hitting forehands, and protests, since this isn't "normal," and so gives student feeling of awkwardness, which the student attributes to not being used to rotating his body while hitting forehands.
STEP FOUR: Student's subconscious gradually stops protesting as it gets used to this weird and newfangled idea of rotating the body while hitting forehands, and stops protesting as much. Student starts to feel more natural with the shot.
STEP FIVE: Student now rotates body somewhat naturally on forehands since this is now the "norm" for his subconscious. All is well.
STEP SIX: Student takes a week off from playing. Subconscious starts to yearn for those days of playing table tennis, causing subconscious to want to go back to playing as well.
STEP SEVEN: Student returns to playing. But subconscious remembers those good ol' days of not rotating while hitting forehands, and goes back to that.
STEP EIGHT: Go back to Step One.
Table Tennis Match Play
Here's the article by Eli Baraty. "How important is match play?"
Table Tennis Tidbits #25
Here's the USATT article by Robert Ho: "Ishigaki: Moving Up in the Whirl?"
National Collegiate Table Tennis
They have a number of articles on the College Nationals held this past weekend. (I linked yesterday to USATT articles.)
Ormeau - Point of the Day!
Here's the video (46 sec).
Pong and Song
Here's the video (2:40) from Jules Apatini. Music starts about ten seconds in, singing about 30 seconds in.
$100 Robot Challenge!
Here's the video (3:43) from Samson Dubina. I posted his challenge before, but this is a new video. It's pretty funny to watch the kids in the camp try to return the robot's feeds!
Love All - A Table Tennis Story
Here's the article as they try to fund this unique project. "If you were in a room with lots of people, and you realized that everyone around you believed the Earth was flat, how would you feel? This is the kind of situation millions of table tennis athletes face as they struggle for table tennis' identity as a "real" sport, despite it being one of the most physically and mentally challenging sports. NO FILM exists which dives deep into this subject that affects the perception of the most played sport in the world. Help us make one!"
History of USATT – Volume XX – Chapter 25
Here’s chapter 25 of Tim Boggan's latest volume, which covers 1993-1994. Or you can buy it and previous (and future) volumes at www.timboggantabletennis.com. Chapter 25 covers "1994 International Tournaments." Note that Volume 21 is now out. This volume is 438 pages with 1667 graphics, and covers all the wild things that happened in 1994-95 - and I'm mentioned a lot! Why not buy a copy - or the entire set at a discount? Tim sells them directly, so when you order them, you get it autographed - order your copy now!
Street Pong
Here's the picture from China! (Here's the non-Facebook version.)
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Tip of the Week
Are You a 10-8 or an 8-10 Player?
Happenings
National Collegiate Championships
They were held this weekend, Apr. 20-22, in Round Rock, TX. Here are some links.
$2700 3-Star Butterfly MDTTC April Open
Here's the article, results, and photos on the tournament I ran last weekend.
Progressive Training Explained
Here's the video (3:11) from Samson Dubina.
Table Tennis Push Techniques
Here's the article from EmRatThich.
New Videos from EmRatThich
Here's been busy!
World Table Tennis Day: Nominated for 2018 Sports Business Awards
Here's the ITTF article and photos.
ITTF and Twitter Announce Live Stream of 2018 Challenge Series
Here's the article.
ITTF Legends Tour 2018 Teaser
Here's the video (1:04). This year's ITTF Legends Tour players are Werner Schlager, Jean-Michel Saive, Kalinikos Kreanga, Zoran Primorac, Mikael Appelgren, and Jiang Jialiang.
Trick Shots from Pongfinity
Here's the video (2:02)!
Little Door Trickshot
Here's the video (41 sec) as Liu Guoliang smacks three balls - one to open a tiny door, one to smack away a ping-pong ball, and one to lose the door.
Captain Jack Sparrow vs. Ragetti
Here's the picture! (Here's the non-Facebook version.) Sparrow is of course the main character from the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise, while Ragetti is a recurring comic character.
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Forehand Blocking
Here's the last point of the match (18 sec) where 14-year-old Japanese whiz Harimoto Tomokazu (world #13) recently upset world #1 Fan Zhendong at the ITTF-Asian Cup. The camera angle shows just how fast these players play. But to me the key thing here is what Tomokazu does at the start of the rally when Fan loops to his forehand - he blocks. Yes, at the highest levels of our sport, where nearly everyone tries to counterloops everything on the forehand (and often on the backhand) - he forehand blocks. And this is a well-placed block. He has an angle into the forehand, so Fan has to be ready to cover that - and so when Tomokazu instead blocks down the line, he forces Fan to play his backhand, followed by an awkward, out-of-position forehand, which sets Tomokazu up to win the point. (Fan would have tried to counterloop.)
One of the most under-used shots in table tennis (at all levels) is the down-the-line forehand block - most players automatically go crosscourt, both because of the angle (which forces the opponent out of position) and because it's easier. And that's probably the best shot at least half the time. But with the opponent reflexively moving to cover that angle, he's almost always vulnerable to a down-the-line block to his backhand. It was one of my bread-and-butter shots when I competed regularly. When I play practice games with students it drives them crazy, not just because it catches them off guard, but because they claim few of their other opponents block forehands down the line. And because players tend to copy other players, few of them have developed this shot. Jeez, talk about a simple way to improve!
It's always been a debate whether it's better to become so good at one thing, such as counterlooping, that you become overpowering with that one shot, where you don't even have to hesitate as you decide what shot to do; or whether it's better to develop multiple shots, so you can do the appropriate shot at any given time, such as a well-placed forehand block.
A pure counterlooper would have tried to counterloop Fan's first loop, and it not only would have been a difficult shot, it likely would have forced the player to step back, thereby giving Fan time to play another super-powerful forehand, where he likely would dominate. But there is the argument that trying to have too many shots means none are as dominating. But in this case, Tomokazu's shot flexibility allowed him to play just the right shot, which rushed Fan and took away his powerful forehand.
Years ago I was coaching one of the top 12-year-olds in the country against another kid who was a year older and a little better. The opponent was being developed as a "pure" counterlooper - it didn't matter whether you blocked, looped, or smashed to his forehand, if the ball went long, he was supposed to loop it back. In this match, my player fell behind in the first game, 5-10. Then he served short to the forehand, bringing the opponent in over the table where he made a weak return. My player ripped a powerful forehand to the opponent's forehand, and the opponent reflexively blocked it back for a clean winner, winning 11-5.
When the opponent went over to his coach between games, I couldn't believe what happened - the coach started screaming at him, saying he was insulting him as a coach and more - all because he had blocked that forehand rather than attempt to loop it back!!! Suffice to say that knowing his tactical inflexibility - and taking advantage of the fact that the opponent was now crying and could barely play - I had my player loop all over the table (wide forehand, middle, wide backhand) at varying speeds, and of course the opponent missed his counterloops over and over, and my player won the next three games.
I don't necessarily disagree with the way the other coach was developing his player (which is basically how Fan and Ma Long play, the two best players in the world), just the extremism of it. His player had been caught too close to the table and so, rather than throw away a point he made a perfect, reflexive block. But the way the coach reacted was inexcusable. A better reaction would have been, "Nice shot, but remember you are supposed to counterloop everything on the forehand side." And then, in their next training session, he could work at the root of the problem - that the player had gotten stuck too close to the table, and so was unable to counterloop. Or perhaps, in that one situation, he should block.
Perhaps the coach should learn from 2003 World Men's Singles Champion Werner Schlager, who also sometimes blocked on this forehand. Here's video of him against defending World Champion Wang Liqin in the quarterfinals of the 2003 Worlds, leading 7-4 in the seventh, when he gets caught too close to the table - just as the player above - and so rather than trying to force a forehand counterloop, does a simple down-the-line forehand block (just like Tomokazu above), catching Wang off guard (he makes a soft backhand loop) and wins the point.
Adoni Maropis Stars in "Taken" Friday Night
=>NOTE - it got rescheduled, with Dateline on in its place. It will now play in late May - I'll post when it's coming up.
In the episode on NBC at 9PM tonight (Eastern time), actor and table tennis star Adoni Maropis will be starring as the "arch villain." Here is the episode description: "The team captures an accused bomber and sets out to prove that he's been set up." Adoni is a full-time hardbat and sandpaper player, who has won Hardbat and Sandpaper Singles at the Open and Nationals several times, and has a 2103 rating with hardbat against sponge players. Here's what he wrote on Facebook about the episode:
"I play the arch villain who is a bald gun dealer... errr... I mean a Greek gun dealer who happens to be bald. The lead, Clive Standen... and Jessica Camacho were class acts and fun to be around. Anyway, I hope you enjoy. I was hoping to meet Jennifer Beals... who I told my mother I would marry after seeing her in Flashdance many moons ago... but I had no scenes with her. Oh well, another time perhaps."
Should You Play Chinese or European Style in Table Tennis?
Here's the video (5:42) from Keenan Southall. It has some great insights. However, one thing I strongly disagreed with is where he said of European styles, "You don't need to be as strategic," and "Not a lot of strategy is required." I don't think there's a real difference in the strategic needs of these two styles - I would say it takes just as much strategy to offset the Chinese style and force your European game on them as vice versa. However, putting aside this disagreement, he has some great stuff here.
Poker Face
Here's the coaching video (2:28) from Samson Dubina.
New from EmRatThich
The 2018 Commonwealth Games and Other Items
Here's the podcast (40:49) from PingSkills. Topics covered:
National Collegiate Championships
They are this weekend, Apr. 20-22, in Round Rock, TX. Here are links:
Table Tennis and the Brain
Here's the article from PongBoss.
Sharon Alguetti: Work Hard, Play Hard
Here's the video (3:19).
Side-to-Side Multiball Looping Practice
Here's the video (74 sec) of a great way to work on footwork and forehand. I sometimes do similar drills. The kids here look pretty good!
WAB Club Feature: Allen & Sons Table Tennis Club
Here's the article by Steve Hopkins on this club in the greater LA area.
USATT Insider
Here's the issue that came out on Wednesday.
Politics and Sport Don't Mix, Theory Disproved, Universal Party Support for World Championships
Here's the ITTF article.
World Table Tennis Day: Bridge Building, Laying Foundations
Here's the ITTF article.
World Table Tennis Day in Poland
Here's the video (2:34).
Nittaku ITTF Monthly Pongcast - March 2018
Here's the video (20:18).
Maria Sharapova About to Smack a Forehand
Here's the picture. (Here's the non-Facebook version.) Strangely, even though she plays tennis right-handed, she plays table tennis lefty! (Here's another picture of her playing table tennis, also playing lefty. There are many more - Google Maria Sharapova table tennis pictures.)
Ball in Cup of Water Shot
Here's the video (15 sec). How many tries would it take you to do this?
Shirt of the Week: "TABLE TENNIS: NOT FOR THE TIMID"
Here's the t-shirt! Nice graphic. Note that it comes in your choice of 16 colors. (No, I have nothing to do with it, just found it browsing.)
Family Table Tennis Showdown
Here's the video (6:30)!
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Tip of the Week
If You Miss a Practice Session, You Will Know. (This normally goes up on Mondays, but I was away on Mon and Tue, and had so much on Wednesday that I decided to postpone it one more day.)
USA Nationals
It's that time of year again - time to enter the USA Nationals! You can enter online or with a paper entry form. They are in Las Vegas, July 2-7.
There are 91 events this year. They include:
But the Nationals is much more than just playing and competing. You also get to mingle with your friends and peers from around the country, as well as perhaps a contingent from your club - a built-in cheering section when you play. (But make sure to cheer for them when they play as well!)
You get to spectate as the best players in the country battle it out, with you right there at courtside. You can follow your favorites around like a groupie! (Okay, go easy on that.)
There's also the equipment booths. It's like the Garden of Eden for table tennis players as the various manufacturers and distributors exhibit their stuff on huge, seemingly endless tables - Butterfly, JOOLA, Paddle Palace, Newgy, and more! There will be unending rows of sponge, rackets, shoes, balls, clothing, books (including mine!), robots, playing bags, and all sorts of knick-knacks from towels and racket cases to mini-paddles and keyrings. Plus there's the "shirt shop," where all players get a free US Nationals t-shirt, which (for additional cost) you can upgrade to something really nice. (I always do.)
There's also the Hall of Fame Banquet on Thursday night (July 5) - I hope to see you there, considering I'm winning some award! Come and see Li Ai, Dhiren Narotam, Norm Bass, Henan Li Ai, and Doru Gheorghe as they are inducted into the USATT Hall of Fame. (I blogged about this yesterday.) You'll get to meet and hobnob there with the greats of our sport - Dan Seemiller, Sean O'Neill, Insook Bhushan, the Sweeris's, Sakai's, Tim Boggan - heck, seemingly half the people from the USATT Hall of Fame will be there! (Here are links to the annual Hall of Fame program booklets from 1979 to 2017, which show that year's inductees and their credentials, etc.)
If you want to be pampered, for just $50 you have access to the Players' Lounge: Unlimited snacks, drinks, Wi-Fi, Games, and a place to relax between matches. Or the VIP package for $99, which includes the Player's Lounge plus a personalized locker and a Finals ticket.
There are also other reasons to go to Las Vegas, something about gambling and shows, but I wouldn't know about that as I'm always at the hotel or playing hall, or traveling from one to the other - well, mostly.) This year I plan on doing a bit more sightseeing, perhaps doing a Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam trip ($142 - I'm planning on going on Sunday, July 8, the day after the Nationals), or visit the Mob Museum or the Mandalay Bay Shark Reef Aquarium.
There's also a USATT Board meeting during the Nationals - feel free to show up and watch as we solve the problems of our sport (or don't)! I'll be attending that and other meetings, as well as coaching. I'll also likely run a USATT coaching clinic, tentatively on Serve and Receive Tactics. I won't be playing due to shoulder problems.
Now admit it - you are either going, or you are thinking about going. C'mon, you're a table tennis player, you don't want to miss the Nationals!!!
Attacking the Half-Long Ball in Table Tennis
Here's the article by Matt Hetherington.
Dog Eat Dog Table Tennis
Here's the article by Coach Jon.
4 Quick Picks: Table Tennis Flicks
Here's the article, which features Balls of Fury, As One, Top Spin, and Ping Pong Playa. "If you are a lover of all things ping pong, these are the movies for you."
National Collegiate Table Tennis
They have five new articles!
Wie Love Ping Pong: Michelle Wie Raises Money for Hawaii Junior Golf
Here's the article by Steve Hopkins. "The celebrity participants included Michell Wie along with LPGA compatriots Danielle Kang and Paula Reto. … Other celebrity participants included actor Daniel Dae Kim, from the CBS series Hawaii Five-O, Miki Ueoka a doctor at Queens Medical Center, Jerry Foltz of the Golf Channel, and Hawaii News Now weather man Guy Hagi."
Raincoat Boat Pong
Here's the video (24 sec)!
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USATT Hall of Fame Inductions and Lifetime Achievement Award
They have been announced, and so today is sort of a "WOW!" day. Why?
I'm this year's recipient of the USATT Lifetime Achievement Award! (The official title is "Mark Matthews Lifetime Achievement Award," named after 1931 and 1932 U.S. Open Men's Champion, then called Marcus Schussheim.)
This year they are inducting five new members to the USATT Hall of Fame - most years it's two or three, but this year we're inducting a basketball team!!! This year's inductees are Li Ai, Dhiren Narotam, Norm Bass, Henan Li Ai, and Doru Gheorghe. The induction ceremony for all six of us will take place at the USA Nationals in Las Vegas, on Thursday night, July 5.
This could also be called the "Resident Training Program" (RTP) induction ceremony, as four of the honorees were from that program at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, circa 1985-1992. I was part of it from 1985-1990, at varying times the manager, director, and (mostly at the end) one of the coaches, and as chair of the RTP Committee. Li Ai and Dhiren Narotam were players there. Henan Li Ai was the head coach for about five years.
I worked closely with Doru Gheorghe during his years as USATT Executive Director and as Chief Operating Officer and High Performance Director. However, I don't believe I've ever met Norm Bass, but I'm dying to meet him at the induction ceremony - he's not just a table tennis player, but he's a former major league baseball player (a pitcher) and NFL football player! (Here's his autobiography, Color Him Father: An American Journey of Hope and Redemption.) Maybe he can show me how to throw a slider?
Since I mentioned basketball above, I must mention that Dhiren was good at it - very good, as I played with and against him many times during our years at the RTP. I have many fond memories of playing on Dhiren's team. I couldn't dribble to save my life, and when I'd get the ball, if I was covered, I'd be stuck - but Dhiren, aged 13-16 during those years, would always get open so I'd have someone to throw the ball to. But I was, and always will be, the King of the Two-Footer, as long as I wasn't covered and had enough time to take careful aim.
Since this is my "day" (along with the other five), I'm going to go ahead and post the bulleted list on me from the USATT announcement. Feel free to skip ahead to the more interesting articles afterwards!
2018 Mark Matthews Lifetime Achievement Award:
Larry Hodges
This year's recipient of the annual Lifetime Achievement Award goes to Larry Hodges. He has done just about everything in the sport, despite starting at the late age of 16 way back in 1976. However, it was as a writer, a coach, and a table tennis entrepreneur that he truly made his name. Rather than a long narrative, a simple bullet point list will suffice to show his credentials. (Previous recipients are on the Hall of Fame Profiles page, at bottom.)Writer and Editor
- Author of 8 books, about 1600 articles, and (at tabletenniscoaching.com) over 1800 blog entries on table tennis.
- Editor of USA Table Tennis Magazine for 12 years, 71 issues.
- Editor of nearly 200 table tennis program booklets and newsletters.
Coach
- USATT Certified National Coach and ITTF Level 2 coach.
- Two-time USATT Coach of the Year (Developmental and Science Awards), three-time runner-up for Coach of the Year.
- Many-time coach of USA Junior National Teams, coaching them at camps and at tournaments around the world.
- Coached over 250 gold medalists at the U.S. Junior Nationals and Junior Olympics.
- Ran over 100 five-day training camps. That's 500 days just running table tennis camps, and is in addition to running weekly group sessions for many years.
- Manager/Director/Coach, USATT Resident Training Program at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, 1985-1990.
- The majority of his 8 books and 1600+ articles on table tennis are coaching related.
- Founder, head coach, and daily blogger since 2011 at TableTennisCoaching.com.
- Professional coach at Maryland Table Tennis Center since 1992 with about 30,000 coaching hours. He's been late for a session exactly two times.
Promoter, Director, and Official
- Pioneered the idea of full-time table tennis training centers by opening the Maryland Table Tennis Center in 1992 (with Cheng Yinghua and Jack Huang), the first successful full-time table tennis center in the country. The model has been copied all over the U.S.
- Instigated & created (with Robert Mayer) the USATT League Rating System, now used in clubs all over the U.S., processing more matches than the USATT tournament rating system.
- Created the Club Catalyst and Creation Program, which in 1990-1991 increased the number of USATT clubs from 226 to 301, and membership from 5500 to over 7000.
- Arranged over 100 TV showings on CNN, Headline News, ESPN, Nightline, and on local stations, and many hundreds of newspaper articles.
- Director of over 200 USATT sanctioned tournaments, nearly all of them two days long. That's over 400 days just running tournaments.
- USATT certified umpire
- Wrote the original draft to cancel the infamous Paddle Point Rule.
Player
- Reached #18 in the country, won Open Singles at 18 tournaments, and was National Collegiate Doubles and 2-time Team Champion. Though he normally uses sponge, at the U.S. Open and Nationals he was 2-time Hardbat Singles Champion, 5-time Hardbat Over 40 Champion, and 14-time Hardbat Doubles Champion.
- Has played or coached at 42 consecutive North American/U.S. Open Teams (1976 to present), 34 consecutive U.S. Opens, and 34 consecutive U.S. Nationals.
- Is about 2100 with a clipboard!!!
USATT Positions
- Member of USATT Board of Directors, 1991-1992, 2015-2018 (current)
- Chair of USATT Coaching Committee, 1991-1995, 2017-2018 (current)
- Editor of USATT Magazine, 1991-1995, 1999-2007 (12 years, 71 issues)
- USATT Club Programs Director, 2000-2007
- USATT Co-Webmaster, 1999-2005
- Assistant to the USATT Executive Director, 1989
- Chair of USATT League Committee, 2015-2017
- Chair of USATT Club Committee, 1990-1991
- Chair of USATT Resident Training Program Committee, 1990-1992
- Member of USATT Coaching Committee, 2010-2013
- Member of USATT Club Committee, 2012-2013
- Member of USATT Junior Committee, 1990-1995
- Member of USATT Senior Committee, 1990-1995
- Member of USATT Grassroots Committee, 1990-1995
- Member of USATT Ratings Committee, 1990-1995
- Member of USATT Hall of Fame (inducted 2003)
- 2007 USATT President’s Award for Contributions to Table Tennis
Butterfly MDTTC April Open
Here are the results, are of Omnipong. I ran the 3-star tournament this past weekend. (I should have linked to the results in my mini-Monday blog - they were up already.) The tournament has already been processed - here are the ratings. I did one thing at this tournament I hadn't done before - I set up a table next to the control desk and exhibited and sold all 13 of my table tennis and science fiction books - I ended up selling 18.
USATT News Items
The USATT news page has 12 new items since my last blog. Here they are!
New from Samson Dubina
Table Tennis Grips: Pros and Cons
Here's the article by EmRatThich.
New Videos from EmRatThich
Training with Calderano Hugo - Serve, Backhand, Forehand, Slow Motion
Here's the video (3:53) from Arnaud Scheen. Calderano is the world #12 from Brazil.
I’m Now a Full-time Table Tennis Coach!
Here's the article by Tom Lodziak.
Candidates for ITTF Athletes Commission
Here's the ITTF article. There are 21 candidates for five positions, including USA's Jasna Rather and New Zealand's Matt Hetherington (who currently coaches and trains at the Lily Yip TTC in New Jersey and is USATT's Media & Communications Director). USA's Ashu Jain is currently the Vice Chairman of the Commission, with Vladimir Samsonov the Chairman. Others of interest among the 21 include Wang Liqin, Zoran Primorac, Jean-Michel Saive, Krisztina Toth, and Claude Bergeret.
Who Will Create History at the 2018 World Table Tennis Championships?
Here's the ITTF video (46 sec). The World Team Championships are April 29 - May 6, in Halmstad, Sweden.
Grand Opening of Glen Head Table Tennis Center & Chess Academy
Here's the video (14:18). I linked to two previous ones, but this is probably the best of them.
Table Tennis and Soccer Have Fused into Headis
Here's the video (65 sec). But don't they get a lot of concussions? Unless it's a ping-pong ball or nerf ball, I'm going to say no to hitting a ball with my head. You also head the ball in soccer - no thanks - but that's only occasionally, while this is nonstop.
A Small Outdoor Tournament?
Here's the picture! (Here's the non-Facebook version.) As near as I can count, there are 57 rows of ten tables (including that block of tables on the back right), or 570 tables, but there might be more above or below the picture. I'm guessing this is in China.
Your Next Opponent
Here's the picture! Click on it for more versions. (Here's the non-Facebook version.)
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Why?
But to tide you over until Wednesday, here's Ukulele Pong (14 sec), with Mary Lieu!
