January 5, 2017

TT-Flex
I tried out the TT-Flex at the club yesterday, the new invention of Samson Dubina. Here's the video (4:02, though you can get the idea about it in the first few seconds). "TT-Flex is a full body strengthening system that targets the exact table tennis movements you need to enhance your game!" It hooked up easily to a table leg, and worked as advertised. It was similar to some oversized rubber bands I'd been given years ago to use to rehab from arm injuries, except, of course, this ties in directly to a weighted metal racket, with various hole placements to work on specific shots. It seems a pretty interesting way to exercise and develop the shots.  

I showed it to one of my junior students, who wanted to try out the weighted racket in rallies. Not easy – it's got those holes for the rubber bands! But he learned to hit the ball at the bottom of the hitting surface, where there's no holes, and spent ten minutes chopping and chop-lobbing to my smashes. I'll show it to others in my adult training class on Sunday.

Cold?
I almost didn't blog this morning. I've had what seems a minor cold for about ten days now – including a continuous sore throat. Believe me, having a sore throat ten straight days is irritating! I haven't seen a doctor or taken anything for it yet, since it's mostly been a minor irritant, but now I'm toying with doing something about it. I'll probably spend much of today in bed, reading and willing the sore throat to go away. Later I'll stop by the supermarket and look about buying something for it. (I have already have throat lozenges, but I'm sick of them.) Fortunately, I only have one hour of coaching scheduled for today. (My Thursday junior class starts up again next Thursday, and then Thursday nights will get busy again.) 

6 Mistakes You Probably Make When Practicing Third Ball Attack
Here's the article from Table Tennis Spot.

USATT Insider
Here's the new issue, which came out yesterday morning.

Same Name, Once Again Ma Long Heads List
Here's the ITTF press release.

Television Figures Released - millions upon millions watched table tennis at Rio 2016
Here's the ITTF article. "A quite staggering 552,300,000; that was the number of viewers, the net reach of the table tennis events at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games."

Behind the Back Power
Here's the video (9 sec) – why haven't you perfected this shot? (I have a student who insists on practicing this shot for several minutes every session!)

Paralympic Floor Pong
Here's the video (43 sec, including slo-mo replay).

Dab Shot
Here's the video (31 sec) - Watch this just before playing me or one of my students. It'll completely mess up your strokes!

Toddler Pong
Here's the video (29 sec)!

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