April 8, 2016

What Programs Should a Club Have?
There's an obvious difference between what a full-time club and a part-time club may have. I'm going to write about some of the programs my club has, a full-time one (MDTTC). Most full-time clubs have similar programs; part-time programs should pick and choose which ones they may be able to sustain - or more importantly, ones that will help sustain and grow the club. These programs bring in new players, keep current ones, and bring in revenue for the club. If you are interested in learning about any of these programs, or how you can run one, email me. (With the tournament I'm running this weekend, and other commitments, I might need a few days to get back to you.)

  • Private Coaching. This is a no-brainer – even a part-time club should have at least someone who gives private coaching for those who want to learn. They greatly help the club by bringing in new players and keeping current ones interested. MDTTC has seven full-time coaches and a few part-time ones.
  • Training Camps. These are for all ages, but especially kids. Most full-time clubs run at least a few during the summer and school breaks. MDTTC runs camps all summer, Mon-Fri, plus one on Spring Break, the Christmas Camp, and numerous one-day camps when school is out.
  • Group Coaching. Many players like to train with others, plus it's cheaper. MDTTC has adult group training (Sun nights 6:30-8:00PM – I teach this one – and Tue & Fri Lunch Break 1-2PM) and group junior training (see below).
  • Junior Training. This is where you probably get the most training, and where the coaches get busy, and where you develop top players. MDTTC has a whole series of junior programs.
    • Beginning/Intermediate Junior Classes (Sun 4-5:30 PM, Tues 6-7PM, Thurs 6-7PM)
    • Intermediate and Advanced Group Training (Over 1700, Sat 4:30-6:30PM)
    • Group Training for Girls (over 1750, Fri 5-7PM)
    • Talent Development Program (application only, ages 6-12, Sun 5:30-7:00PM)
    • Afterschool program – we (usually me) pick some of the kids up, and then do training and homework at the club.
  • Leagues. Without a league, a club will likely be stuck with a "winner stay on" mentality, which isn't really that great a system. It's better to have various leagues for all levels, so when new players come in you can put them right into a league for their level. MDTTC has five leagues!
    • Tue & Fri Singles Leagues, for all levels.
    • Wed Recreational League.
    • Elite League, for players over 1900.
    • Capital Area Team League.
  • Tournaments. Most successful clubs run tournaments. MDTTC runs four per year – I'm back to being the tournament director. We have one tomorrow. I'm also planning a fifth, a Maryland State Championships probably on June 25-26.
  • Pro Shop. Players need equipment – and it brings in revenue for the club. MDTTC has a nice pro shop, one of the top-sellers for Butterfly in the country.
  • Newsletter. It lets players know what's going on! I edit the MDTTC Newsletter.
  • News Coverage. You need to get the word out. Established clubs often can prosper just on word of mouth, but you get more with news coverage, and all clubs benefit from this. It's a simple matter of having someone at the club regularly emailing news releases to the press. I do this for MDTTC; here's MDTTC's coverage, sharing the page with our newsletter. (We've had a few more recent ones that will likely be updated later today.)
  • Other Activities. Space Rental and Birthday Parties are just two activities a club can do to bring in revenue. MDTTC does both. Other clubs share their facility to split rent. For example, back in the 1980s I helped run the Northern Virginia Club, which shared its facility with a fencing club. I've seen a few clubs that had chess clubs – a lot of TT players seem to like chess – after all, table tennis is just chess at light speed!

In Remembrance of Mark Nordby
Here's the USATT article and gallery, and growing comments section. It's still hard to believe – he was only 48.

2016 ITTF North America Olympic Qualification Tournament
Here's the USATT home page for the event, held April 8-10 in Markham, Canada (near Toronto), with schedule, results, articles, and starting this morning, livestreaming. Here's the ITTF page. The North American Hopes Trials are also being held

Table Tennis Edge - Returning Serve - The App
Here's the video (1:28) on this. Looks interesting –it shows you video of a player serving different spins, and you have to try to read it instantly as part of a game. "If you struggle to read table tennis serves, this app is for you!!!"

4 Ping Pong Skills to Take You from Beginner to Winner!
Here's the new coaching article from MH Table Tennis.

Three Steps to Building a Better Table Tennis Player
Here's the new article from Coach Jon.

Lily Zhang Is Ready for Another Olympic Shot in Rio
Here's the article.

Table Tennis for NepALL a Huge Success on World Table Tennis Day
Here's the ITTF press release.

Free Table Contest
Here's the contest from JOOLA.

Ask a Pro Anything - Zhang Jike
Here's the video (4:26) from Adam Bobrow.

World Table Tennis Day 2016 at LYTTC
Here's the video (3:15).

Doubles Madness at Danish Championships 2016
Here's the video (43 sec, including slo-mo replay).

International Table Tennis
Here's my periodic note (usually every Friday) that you can great international coverage at TableTennista (which especially covers the elite players well) and at the ITTF home page (which does great regional coverage). Butterfly also has a great news page.

Not Even Forrest Gump Could Survive This Ping-Pong Ball Gatling Gun
I want one!

Galaxy Note 3 Ping Pong!
Here's the video (11 sec) – can you do an inside-out, around-the-net sidespin loop with your smart phone, as Matt Hetherington demonstrates here twice in a row?

Railroad Pong
Now that's some dangerous pong! (Here's the non-Facebook version.)

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