June 17, 2019

Tip of the Week
Six-Step Training Progression. (This is an old article that I never used as a Tip, so I did some updating.)

Weekend Coaching
In our Thursday Beginning Class, we introduced the players to forehand looping - or, for most of them, rolling the ball with topspin. For some of the more advanced ones we had them both looping and following it up with a smash. (Key issue: drop shoulder some for loop, keep up for smash.) We also did some service practice.

On Saturday I fed multiball for two hours to John Olsen and Kevin Walton, getting them ready for the table tennis events at the World Senior Games in Albuquerque, New Mexico, June 19-21. We've been doing this most Saturdays for the last two months. We finish each session with me serving to them so they can work on receive, about 7 minutes each.

In the Sunday Beginning Class we introduced them to random drills. The main drill was putting the ball randomly to the forehand or backhand, and they had to correctly react, not anticipate.

In the advanced Talent Program we had our last session of the season, and held a practice tournament, followed by a party. Here's a group picture (and here's the non-Facebook version). The highlight was when I brought out the huge quantities of bubble wrap that our trophies came packed in. The kids put them on the floor in a long row - almost the length of the club! - and took turns running across, stomping on them. It was like firecrackers going off. Many of them will be traveling to Las Vegas early next week for a five-day training camp we're running there before the Nationals. (Afterwards, most will spend the summer training at the MDTTC Summer Camps.)

You Can't Please Everyone!
A while back a number of USATT people were unhappy with me when I disagreed with the USATT High Performance Director (Jörg Bitzigeio) and High Performance Committee over some of our national team selection procedures. Last week in my blog I praised Jörg for finding training and playing positions for our top players and juniors in overseas professional leagues - and, of course, some people on "the other side" were unhappy with that. I hope we're not about to turn into a two-party system!!!

But criticism comes with blogging. Here's a doozy - in my May 20 blog I wrote about Virginia Sung, the new USATT CEO. My intro statement about her was the following:

"I knew her from many years ago, but mostly as a seemingly very shy junior after she moved to the U.S. from China at age 14, when her English wasn't so good. (She's very fluent now, almost no accent.) She lived and trained here in Maryland for a couple of years; I had a few practice sessions with her. (She's a chopper.) She and I spoke for nearly an hour at the U.S. Open in December, and she seemed almost a different person - far more outgoing, highly savvy on current table tennis issues, and obviously very enthusiastic about the possibility of being the USATT CEO and leading our sport into a new era."

Afterwards I received an email from a lawyer (not related to Virginia or USATT in any way) that demanded I "Retract or delete the sexist, chauvinistic, agist comments describing Virginia Sung as a 'little Chinese girl' who 'didn't speak good English.'" Okay. First, I didn't say the things he quoted me as saying. Second, nothing I wrote was "sexist, chauvinistic, agist (sic)." But this type of drivel is often the norm when you are in a public position.

Japan Open
Here's the home page for the event held in Sapporo, Japan, June 12-16, with results, articles, pictures, and video. Xu Xin wins Triple Crown and a Clean Sweep for China! Here's the Japan Open Recap by Steve Hopkins.

Exclusive Interview | Liu Guoliang Talks China vs Japan Rivalry
Here's the ITTF video (6:02) with the Chinese coach and former superstar, in Chinese with English subtitles.

Coach Opening Position in Northern California
Fremont Table Tennis Academy (FTTA), a USA Table Tennis National Center of Excellence situated in the San Francisco Bay Area, is looking for a new coach to join its coaching team. FTTA is one of the top performing clubs in the nation with group and private lessons given daily to students, mainly kids but also adults, of various levels. A new coach can be part-time or full-time and should be able to deal effectively with kids. There are many upcoming kids aged between 6-15 years old who are looking to improve and playing seriously. If interested, please email FTTA Owner Shashin Shodhan at shashin@fremonttabletennis.com.

Understanding the Purpose to a Table Tennis Training Drill
Here's the article by Matt Hetherington.

How Important is Multi-Ball in Table Tennis?
Here's the article and video (76 sec) by Eli Baraty.

Beat Your Opponent with Quick Counter Topspins – with Paul Drinkhall
Here's the video (5:35) from Tom Lodziak.

How to Warm Up Correctly
Here's the article by EmRatThich.

Dumb Questions
Here's the article by Samson Dubina.

The Little Lunch Nutrition Plan for Serious Table Tennis Players
Here's the article by Coach Jon.

Tomokazu Forehand Slowmotion: Rotate the Whole Body
Here's the video (37 sec) of the 15-year-old world #4 from Japan. (He turns 16 in ten days, June 27.)

Coaching Videos from Jason and Alex Piech
These videos feature this fantastic coaching duo from Rogers, Arkansas - ages 12 and 9, and already rated 1746 and 1552! I linked to the Forehand video last week; the Backhand video is new.

Footwork Drills on Cut-Down Table
Here's the video (18 sec) where the table has been cut so players have to hit the ball to specific spots!

Las Vegas Referee Seminar
Here's the info page on the seminar to be held Monday, July 1, at the U.S. Nationals.

Hoarfrost Fondly Recalls Barnstorming Tours as Teenage Prodigy
Here's the USATT article.

Ping-Pong Diplomacy and US-China Relations: The Game and the Players That Changed the Course of History
Here's the article from the South China Morning Post, featuring Judy Bochenski Hoarfrost.

History of USATT – Volume 22
Here is Chapter 26 of Tim Boggan's History of U.S. Table Tennis, subtitled "International Play." Or you can buy it and previous (and future) volumes at www.timboggantabletennis.com. Volume 22 is 469 pages with 1447 graphics, and covers all the wild things that happened in 1996-97 - and I'm mentioned a lot! Why not buy a copy - or the entire set at a discount? Tim sells them directly, so when you order them, you get it autographed - order your copy now!

Maryland Crowns a New State Champion
Here's the article by Klaus Wood. (I added this to last week's blog one day late.)

Sky High June Open
Here's the article and results of the tournament in Aurora, Colorado, by Richard McAfee. In other Aurora news, Table Tennis Will Be on Display at Aurora Games.

WAB Club Feature: My Table Tennis Club
Here's the article on this Toronto club by Steve Hopkins.

Table Tennis Star From United Christian College in Hong Kong Proves Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Diagnosis Is No Barrier to Sporting Success
Here's the article from the South China Morning Post.

Westchester Table Tennis Center May 2019 Open Singles Final - Eugene Wang vs Kazeem Makanjuola
Here's the video (22:20).

Arnaud TTBelgiumTV VS Schlager and Kreanga Kalinikos @ Legends Tour
Here's the video (6:13).

Sid and Nandan Naresh on the Pickler and Ben Show
Here's the video (5:12) of the two junior stars.

Unimagined Talents of our Top Players: Yue Wu Bounces Ball Against Table Side
Here's the video (18 sec) of the USA team member.

2019 Star Elite Team Building Camp - The Table Tennis Dance!
Here's the video (3:34).

Grandma's Pong Trick Shots
Here's the video (3:21)!

***
Send us your own coaching news!