May 19, 2017

ITTF Election - Saive and Sharara vs. Weikert?
Here’s the article. Now it can be told!!! Until now, nearly everyone assumed that former ITTF President and current ITTF Chairman Adham Sharara was supporting his previous protégé and handpicked successor, current ITTF President Thomas Weikert. However, I’d learned a while back they’d had a falling out. In the upcoming ITTF election, Sharara is backing Jean-Michel Saive against Weikert.

This sort of throws a lot of cold ping-pong balls on many voters’ plans. Some want to get away from the Sharara years, and so opposed Weikert, thinking he was a continuation of that – and that a vote for Saive was a vote against both Sharara and Weikert. And if you like what’s happened during these years, which way do you vote to continue it?

In fairness to Saive, we have no idea how close he is to Sharara, and he might not have any control over who is supporting him. If elected, hopefully he'll be a fresh face who will take table tennis to the next level. Or perhaps Weikert will do so. 

The election will take place at the Worlds at the end of May. All ITTF member nations will vote anonymously, including USA. Note that the USATT CEO will make the final decision on who USATT votes for – I blogged about this on April 20 (see second segment). I'm told the election is looking to be very close. 

Both candidates have new election pages: incumbent Thomas Weikert, with a manifesto centered on seven points, and challenger Jean-Michel Saive and his 11-point program. (Does this mean Saive wins 11-7?)  Here are their original election announcements: Weikert and Saive. Note that there’s a single comment after both of their announcements, from me a month ago. Neither has responded. 

Table Tennis Books
What, you still haven’t bought a copy of Dan Seemiller’s Revelations of a Ping-Pong Player??? Or Samson Dubina’s 100 Days of Table Tennis??? Or Tahl Leibovitz’s Ping-Pong for Fighters??? Or any of Tim Boggan’s History of USA Table Tennis??? Or my books??? Then listen carefully to this carefully crafted message (6 sec).  

Maryland State Championships
The Maryland State Championships are June 10-11, 2017. Note that rating events are open to all – you have to be a Maryland resident only for Men’s and Women’s Singles, Open Doubles, and the many age events. Enter now!!! And note that you can enter online. (I’m the tournament director.)

USATT Insider
Here’s the issue that came out Wednesday.

Liu Shiwen Multiball Training WTTC 2017
Here’s the video (24 sec).

Ask the Coach
Questions answered at PingSkills.

EmRatThich Videos
Here’s a page with lots and lots of videos to browse over, many coaching related. I’ve been linking to many of them as they go up.

Jun Mizutani - Japanese Superstar and World #6
Here’s the highlights video (4:20).

Ladies’ Home Journal, 1902
Here’s the picture. (Here’s the non-Facebook version.)

AFL Footy Show
Here’s the video (2:28). “Jack Watts rates himself as a table-tennis star, so, we put his skills to the ultimate test!”

Xu Xin vs TableTennisDaily's Dan on Stiga's Mini Table
Here’s the video (4:18)!

How to Win a Point Immediately
Here’s the video (1:14) from 2010.

Baby Table Pong!
Here’s the video (43 sec) – they say start early, but how early???

Silicon Valley Pong
Here’s the cartoon.

***
Send us your own coaching news!