September 30, 2016

Coaching Happenings
Here’s a rundown of some coaching issues that came up this week.

During a junior class yesterday, one 6-year-old beginner was struggling to get his serve on the table. He kept smacking it out toward the net, and it would either go into the net, or way off the end or side. I kept explaining that his target was on his side of the table, just a few feet from him. Finally I put a quarter on the table near his end-line and told him that that was his target. Two amazing things happened. First, he became focused on hitting the quarter, and his serve began to hit both sides! Second, about five minutes later, he became so good at serving that I had him try the same thing with a downward stroke – and within a minute he was serving with backspin! Not heavy backspin, of course, but enough that he was pretty excited.

Another beginning kid was struggling with his forehand pendulum serve. I suggested he try a backhand serve – and within minutes he was serving a pretty nice sidespin.

One kid kept swatting balls all over the place. Later, at the very end of the class we had one of those “Hit the bottle of worm juice and I have to drink it” (well, Gatorade), and this kid became so fixated on hitting it that his stroke straightened out, and three times he made me drink it.

In private coaching, one player said he’d been having trouble with lefties – turns out the problem was he was so used to playing his backhand crosscourt that when he played a lefty he’d mostly go right to the player’s forehand (giving an easy attack). When he did go down the line, he struggled since he wasn’t used to doing it. So we did a bunch of down-the-line practice, my forehand to his backhand. (We’re both righties.)

I blogged on Wednesday about one player who was struggling with his forehand loop until I had him spend a few minutes watching some of our top juniors looping in drills – and then his loop magically straightened out.

I might have some interesting stories next week. This afternoon I’m going to a business where they have hired me to run a clinic for them from 12-4PM for 18 players!

Backspin and No-Spin Serves
Here’s the coaching video (3:15) by Brett Clarke. I can’t find the original, just this one on the Sri Lanka page.

Footwork Training
Here’s the video (90 sec).

Best Serve for Backhand Dominant Player
Here’s the video (13:46).

I Am a Coach Because…
Here’s a good meme for coaches. (Here’s the non-Facebook version.)

Kanak Jha and Other USA Table Tennis Olympians at the White House
Here are four pictures.

Olympic Champion Ding Regains World Number One Spot
Here’s the ITTF press release.

Insane Behind-the-Back Knock Off Bottles Serve
Here’s the video (15 sec)!

Severus Snape’s Forehand vs. Ron Weasley (the Ball)
Here’s the repeating gif!

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