August 12, 2015

Tuesday Coaching

Yesterday's focus for the new kids was the backhand. We started with forehand practice to re-enforce what they'd learned the day before. Then, after a short demo, I had them line up and shadow practice backhands. Then it was lots and lots of multiball. Some of the kids are too short for a standard backhand, and so have to move their contact point to the left side of their head or they wouldn't be able see the ball, with the racket in the way. 

I had one scare. Near the start of the morning session one kid I was feeding multiball to kept popping up his backhand. To show that they were too high, I smashed one very hard - and felt a twinge in my shoulder. I hadn't warmed up, since I was only feeding multiball. I was worried all day about it. I had a private coaching session after the camp where I hit live with a pretty strong player, and the shoulder was fine. (Note to self: be careful!!!)

As usual, we did a lot of serving practice. Older and more experienced players often find serving practice boring, but to younger kids, it's both a struggle and a challenge, and just as interesting as rallying. To make things even more interesting, I often put targets on the table, or bring out the net-height device that puts a bar over the net (height adjustable) and they have to serve under it. (John Olsen created this. Here's a picture with the bar set low, and set high.)

Toward the end of a session I introduced them to the serving game: 3-4 players (without rackets) line up on one side of the table, with a paper cup on the table in front of each of them. Another player serves ten times, trying to serve fast and hit the cups or at get the serve past the players. The players on the far side try to catch the serve. If they do, the server gets zero points for that serve. If the serve gets past them and hits the floor, the server gets a point. If the serve hits a cup and then the floor, the server gets three points. 

During the lunch break I did a quick run to Toys 'R' Us and bought a nerf football for the kids to throw around during break in our parking lot, without damage to the cars. They had a good time with it at first while it was cloudy, but then the sun came out, and under the sudden barrage of photons they retreated back to the club's air conditioning. (Side note - the air conditioning at MDTTC is set considerably higher than it was early in the summer, so it's nice and cool inside.) 

After the break in the afternoon session I introduced a new "game" that I hadn't done in years. I lined up five balls on the floor, and challenged the kids to pick up all five with a ball net with one scoop. When they were able to do five, we upped it to six, and so on. I demoed that I could do ten. After a few tries, Audrey, age six, matched it, getting all ten with one scoop!!!

After the session I had a one-hour private session with Sameer. We did the usual routine, with lots of footwork and looping from both wings, and had him do a lot of attacking into my backhand block, which suddenly came alive. We did a bunch of multiball, focusing on looping against backspin, backhand smashing, and random topspin. Then we played several improvised games, where he served backspin, I pushed to his backhand, and he backhand looped anywhere, and then we played out the point. 

Forehand and Backhand Flip

Here are two new videos showing the forehand flip (68 sec) and backhand banana flip (69 sec). Players often practice these only in games. Why not take turns feeding multiball to each other, as in this video, to work on these and other specific techniques?

Ask the Coach Show

Episode #165 (33:50) - Improving Your Game Play (and other segments).

Para Pan Am Games

They are in Toronto, Aug. 7-15, with table tennis from Aug. 8-13. Here are results so far:

New USATT Perks Program

Here's the USATT article. Here's the first paragraph: "USATT is proud to announce the rollout of our new discount program. This Thursday you will be receiving a welcome email from PerkSpot. Your personal account will already be established. All you have to do is setup your unique password, enter your membership number and you are on your way to saving!"

World Theatrical Premiere of Documentary TOP SPIN in Los Angeles on August 21

Here's the USATT article. 

Training at the Werner Schlager Academy in Austria

Here's 15 seconds of players in training. And here's 43 seconds of world #39 Stefan Fegerl training there.

Zhang Jike, Fan Zhendong, and Fang Bo Preparing for the China Open

Here's the video (50 sec), set to music.

Fast Play

Here's video (8 sec) of some really fast and wristy shots!

More Mike Mezyan Pictures

NOTE - If you are unable to see these pictures, all you have to do is join the Table Tennis Group - it's easy! Here are all the past, present, and (soon) future pictures he's collected. (I pick out his best ones for here - he has more.)

Popeye Ping-Pong

Here's the cover of an old Popeye comic book, where you find out what comes out of a ball when you crack it. (Here's the non-Facebook version.)

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