April 6, 2016

World Table Tennis Day and Local Table Tennis People
Yep, it's today. Here's the World Table Tennis Day Facebook page, with lots of postings about various activities around the globe. (Including this rather interesting picture!)

Here's the ITTF press release on Table Tennis for NepALL - Inauguration Ceremony, which is being held today – it says, "Kathmandu has the honour to be the capital of the World Table Tennis Day," and "Kathmandu hosts the main event of World Table Tennis Day and promotes Table Tennis among people with a disability in Nepal"

Some are taking this very seriously (good!). Here's the Pongathon schedule for Mayrhofen, Austria.

Now celebrating World Table Tennis Day is a good thing. I've had people ask, even demand to know what I or others are doing this day. You know what? Some of us are doing "World Table Tennis Day" stuff every day. Perhaps as part of this World Table Tennis Day you should look around and celebrate the people who are doing these things, day in and day out, always trying to make our sport better. Some are volunteers; some are paid; but if they are making the sport better, it's the same thing. Why not make a list of those in your area who are making a difference in our sport?

The U.S. is full of such people, as is every other country in the world. If I got started naming all the people who are trying to make the sport better – the "Thousand Points of Light" – I'd be writing all day and night. So here are some of the people in my area (Maryland, DC, Northern Virginia) who are making the sport better, with apologies to those missed or other mistakes – please email me if I did. (I feel weird including myself on some of the lists below, but I can't, for example, list the Capital Area League or the MDTTC coaching staff without including myself, could I?)

  • Capital Area Table Tennis League Staff: Superhuman commissioner Stefano Ratti and the rest of the gang: Richard Heo, Larry Hodges, Wen Hsu, Charlene Liu, Darwin Ma, and John Olsen.
  • MDTTC Coaches: Cheng Yinghua, Jack Huang, Zeng Xun ("Jeffrey"), Wang Qing Liang ("Leon"), Chen Bo Wen ("Bowen"), Yuxiang Jin, Larry Hodges, John Hsu, Wen Hsu, and Raghu Nadmichettu.
  • Other Active Local Coaches: Rao Nian, Donn Olsen, Charlene Liu, Changping Duan, Mike Levene, Marvin Thomas, Frank Cristofaro, Zhongxing Lu, and Zibing Wang.
  • MDTTC League Directors: Wen Hsu and Jessie Lin (Tue & Fri), Derek Nie & Klaus Wood (Sun Elite League). (With apologies to league directors at other clubs – I don't have a comprehensive listing.)
  • Local Tournament Directors and Officials:  Fan Yang, Lixin Yang, Mike Levene, Charlene Liu, Larry Hodges, Zibing Wang, John Miller and NA Table Tennis, and Paul Kovac.
  • Local Club Presidents or Owners:  Mike Levene, Herman Yeh, Tom Norwood, Fan Yang, Wen Hsu, Cheng Yinghua, Jack Huang, Charlene Liu, Changping Duan, Fan Yang, Zhongxing Lu, Eddie Record, Irving Goldstein, Jim Mossberg, Mossa Barandao, and Enrique Matta.
  • USATT: Han Xiao (USATT Player Rep, and member of Rules, League, and Compensation Committees, co-chair of Athlete Advisory Council), Dennis Taylor (USATT pro bono lawyer), Larry Hodges (Board of Directors, chair of League committee, Regional Associations Coordinator), Mike Levene (member of League Committee), Richard Lee and John Miller (directors of USA Nationals and U.S. Open).
  • Parents: Without their time and financial sacrifices, we wouldn't have many junior programs, would we?

Hall of Famer YC Lee Passes
Here's the USATT article.

How to Get "In The Zone" and Win – Like Tin-Tin Ho
Here's the new coaching article from Expert Table Tennis.

Teamwork: Friends or Enemies?
Here's the new coaching article from Samson Dubina. (On a side note, here's 18 sec of physical training by one of Samson's classes.)

How to Do the SNAKE
Here's the article and video (65 sec) by Adam Bobrow. Is this a coaching video or just a fun thing? Honest truth – it's a coaching video, with a rare but useful technique! Shots like this sometimes come up even for regular players, in particular when you are off the table and the opponent drops the ball somewhat short, so it barely bounces off the end. With the table in the way, it's almost impossible to return this ball low, and so what's your best option? The Snake! I've done this a number of times successfully in tournaments, and will probably start throwing this at my students occasionally. Coach Jack at MDTTC (a USATT Hall of Famer) does this all the time. Even a top player often has trouble with it, either making a mistake or (more likely) easing up on his next shot for consistency, which keeps you in the point.

Deng Yaping Forehand Skill Analysis
Here's an interesting video (8:15) in Chinese that highlights Deng Yaping's forehand. She is still considered by many the greatest woman player of all time, though her style of play may be dated – long pips blocking & hitting on the backhand, mostly hitting on the forehand.

Jon Taylor Named USATT Membership and Club Development Director
Here's the USATT article. Finally, someone (or someone's parents) with the sense that the redundant "h" is not needed! (He and Jon Gustavson.)

Experience and Youth to Be Served Up On USA Squad at Rio Trials This Weekend
Here's the USATT article on this weekend's North American Olympic Trials. (The Hopes Trials for under 12 players are also being held there.)

New Table Tennis Center Open in Long Island NY
Here's the USATT article on the Long Island Sports Center. I've added it to the listing of full-time table tennis centers in the U.S. – there are now 84 on the list, ten times the number from nine years ago.

USATT Team Trials Talk
Here are three new videos where top players talk about Competition, Olympics, and Training.

Teddy Bear Pong
Here's the picture!

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