February 20, 2018

Tip of the Week
Forehands and Backhands: 1-2-3, not 1-2.

USA Team Selections
On Friday I spent much of the day studying the USATT Team Selection Process. (I blogged about this on Friday morning - somewhat jokingly though it's a serious matter.) There's a lot of nuance to this. For example, I often read complaints about how the teams are selected, but without distinguishing between how players are selected to be on the National Team (now called "TTTeam USA"), as opposed to who is selected to play at specific events, such as (for juniors) the World Junior Championships, Pan Am Junior Championships, or various ITTF junior tournaments. So there are really things involved in Team Selection - these two (who is on National Team, who plays in which events), plus the selection of coaches.

There's also the question of how much should be done by Trials, and how much by Selection. Many instinctively want it to be all Trials, until it's pointed out that due to injury, illness, or just having a bad day, the best player might not make the team, and then he's out for an entire year. So most agree that the High Performance Director (HPD), the High Performance Committee (HPC), or the National Team Coaches should be able to add perhaps one or two players. But then we start listening to the HPD and the HPC and they point out how a Team Trials isn't always realistic - it favors those who are good against other U.S. players that they are familiar with, it's a one-shot process that favors whoever is hot that day, and it leaves out players with great potential that are developing their game for the long term, while favoring those who play for the short term.

Plus, of course, who makes all these decisions, the HPD, the HPC, or the National Coaches?

There's also a distinction between how to put together a mini-cadet (12 and under), cadet (15 and under), junior (18 and under) and men's or women's team. For the various junior teams, you want to focus on developing them as future international players. For men's and women's teams, you want players who have become international players, or are on the verge. Do you favor younger players over older ones who are still better, but have less potential to improve with international experience? These are some of the questions that need answering.

Probably the biggest problem is that many are so opinionated on this that it's hard to have a serious dicussion. Many consider "compromise" a dirty word.

And so on Friday I created the perfect plan, the proposal to end all proposals, a proposition so precise in its ping-pong perfeduity (I just made that word up since I was running out of usable "p" words, but it sure sounds like a word), that all people will proclaim it's prodigious profoundness.

To be clear, I'm only set on two of the three selection items I've listed above; I'm still playing around with a third. I also want to think some more on this, and later on discuss it with the HPD and perhaps members of the HPC before submitting it as a proposal. I just want to make sure they've all done their laundry since some of those socks it'll knock off might smack me in the face. Or they may hate it so much they'll rub their dirty socks in my face. Either way, I'm going to get socked.

So I'm not going public with it yet. There's no rush as this year's selection procedures are set, and they won't be looking into 2019 plans probably until the fall.

The Inside Scoop on Shortz and Westchester
Here's the USATT article by Richard Finn. "Will Shortz has a lot of balls in play. He is probably best known as the Crossword editor of the New York Times. Shortz is also the Puzzlemaster for NPR, founder and director of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament and Chairman, World Puzzle Federation. Oh yes, he has also been the author/editor of more than 500 puzzle books. Wait, there is more. The 65-year-old Shortz is a passionate table tennis player and owns the runs the Westchester Table Tennis Center that opened in the New York City suburb of Pleasantville NY in 2011."

Watch Ping-Pong Make Its New York Philharmonic Debut
Here's the article, pictures, and great video (1:39) from the New York Times, featuring Michael Landers and Ariel Hsing. Dazzling!!!

Lindenwood College
Here are two USATT news items where they are featured.

You Don't Play Well in Tournaments Because...
Here's the article by Samson Dubina. "Find Out 5 Ways to Maximize Your Performance!"

Table Tennis Tidbits 17 & 18
Here are two more from Robert Ho - articles and video.

New Videos from EmRatThich

Chloe's Birthday
Here's the podcast (31:17) from PingSkills. Joke of the Week, On This Week, Tournament Wrap, Tip and Drill (Trill) of the Week, Forehand Placement, Training Relaxed Focus, Training Tools, and Topspin Against Backspin.

Excitement Builds for ITTF Team World Cup 2018
Here's the article from Table Tennis England. Here are ITTF World Team Cup articles. Event takes place in London, Feb. 22-25.

From Whiff Whaff and Gossima Beginnings, Table Tennis Continues to Be a Smash Hit as Sport Prepares to Come Home
Here's the article from Inside the Games.

National Collegiate Table Tennis Association Newsletter
Here's the February issue.

The Man Who Plays Table Tennis Using His Mouth
Here's the video (2:07). Here's another video of this incredible table tennis player, Ibrahim Hamato.

Very Young Timo Boll 1995
Here's the video (8:46).

Ma Long Under-Table Hidden Sidespin
Here's the video (16 sec) against Dimitrij Ovtcharov.

Happy New Year 2018 Table Tennis Lovers!
Here's the highlights reel (3:16). Somehow I hadn't seen this until now.

Blast from the Past: Primorac vs. Kim Taek Soo
Here's the video (22 sec) of this great point from the Gilbert Cup. 

History of USATT – Volume XX – Chapter 16
Here’s chapter 16 of Tim Boggan’s latest volume, which covers 1993-1994. Or you can buy it and previous volumes at www.timboggantabletennis.com.

Potato Thins Handsfree Table Tennis Commercial
Here's the video (30 sec, including about 5 sec of table tennis)

Cartwheel Pong
Here's the video (11 sec)!

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