April 19, 2016

Trickshot Routine
Note to self: never, Never, NEVER spend an hour practicing a very physical trickshot routine (for the next ITTF Trickshot Competition) unless you are physically in great shape, and never attempt this at the age of 56. Oops, I just turned 56, AND I practiced a trickshot routine for an hour on Sunday night. Double oops.

I believe the next trickshot competition will be this fall, so I'm getting ready. I've worked out a top-secret routine that involves all of my best trick shots in one strange medley – balancing the ball in the air by blowing on it (sideways), tossing a ball in the air and smacking it in mid-air with another ball, backspin serve that comes back over the net, smacking objects from a distance, and the infamous 50-foot serve (from the side of the table, so the ball bounces on both sides). The problem is that the routine happens so rapidly that it's pretty physical – and you'd be surprised how tiring it is to do these same shots over and over. And then we get to the 50-foot serve – now that is exhausting. Near the end of the hour I couldn't actually do it anymore as my arm was just too tired, and I couldn't make the distance. So I continued practicing, but only faked the 50-foot serve for a time, though I got back to doing it at the very end.

I probably did the routine 200-300 times in the hour, and managed to pull the entire thing off three times. But now I'm toying with going in a different direction, where I focus on something more specific, rather than a routine that combines all these "skills." I've got a few options, but they are top secret. Since I regularly demonstrate in classes various trick serves, where I make the ball spin and curve like a puppet, I might go in that direction. But others have done this type of thing, so it'll have to be something pretty original. Or I might incorporate another trick I've recently mastered, tossing a ball into the air and smacking it with another. (Seriously, I can do this consistently now! Ask me to demo at the club or tournament.) But that alone won't be enough.

The aftermath of Sunday night's workout is my arm is a bit sore – not as bad as I'd thought it might be – but my whole body feels like it spent an hour doing all sorts of highly physical things it wasn't used to doing – which is exactly what happened. I've got sore muscles that I didn't know existed. I actually feel like I just ran a marathon! (Which I did – back in 1977, age 17, an age where one recovers much more quickly.)

During my 2.5 hours of coaching last night I was exhausted, though I made sure it only minimally affected my play. I was counterlooping for ten minutes with one kid, and near the end I could barely get my arm to move – so he got to go up against my fishing instead. I can already tell my body is going to be tired today, and I've got another 2.5 hours today.

So when do I practice these trick shots? I long ago decided I didn't want to do this in public, with everyone gathering around to watch. So I've been doing it late the last two Sunday nights, since The Walking Dead season is over, and Game of Thrones doesn't start until this upcoming Sunday. (Sunday nights is sort of my TV night – the rest of the week I mostly have it on news.) So when will I practice it? Probably any other night of the week, after the club closes. But it'll be top secret until the time comes!

Ask the Coach Show
The show returns tomorrow with a new show. Meanwhile, I discovered that back on April 3, besides episode 251, they had a "B" show that I didn't link to – so here it is.

• Episode #251B (12 min) - Power of Practice Winners Announcement

Top Europe Table Tennis Stars Qualify for Rio 2016
Here's the article and listing.

Timo Boll: "There’s Nothing Better for Me"
Here's the interview with the German superstar.

ITTF Opens up Bidding for Revamped 2017 ITTF World Tour
Here's the ITTF press release. If only USATT had lots of money…

Researchers Find Ping-Pong Can Slow Effects of Dementia & Alzheimer's
Here's the video (2:51) on "Table Tennis Therapy" from CBS 13.

Interview with Ann Campbell, Triangle TTC President
Here's the video interview (3:41) by Barbara Wei.

Pong Court on TV?
Here's the notice – "A prospective weekly TV series in which bitter rivals face off across a ping-pong table to resolve long-standing disputes – winner take all." The filming is at the Westchester TTC in NY, Monday, April 25, at 7PM. Free admission. (I think this is for real, though I'm slightly suspicious. But it's a fun idea.)

Incredible Rally with More Incredible Finish
Here's the video (38 sec).

Centaur Pong
Here's the picture!

Non-Table Tennis: "The Nature of Swords"
I just sold the story to Galaxy's Edge, one of the top "pro" markets, my fourth sale to them. The story is in the distant future, where mankind has died out, and all that are left are the magical swords they had created. The swords are intelligent and can fly about, and spend their carefree days sparring with each other and reminiscing about their former human masters – until one day one of them sets out to explore the world and investigate the fate of humanity. Galaxy's Edge is edited by Mike Resnick, 5-time Hugo winner and record 37-time nominee for his writing. 

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