March 9, 2016

World Table Tennis Day
The biggest holiday of the year is exactly four weeks away – yep, World Table Tennis Day is on Wednesday, April 6! So  . . . what are you doing on that day? More importantly, what are we doing on that day?

When I say "we," I'm referring to all table tennis leaders. It would be helpful to have lots and lots of events that introduce new players to our sport. However, it'll only happen if people organize such events.

Two big questions, whose answers I'll cut & paste from the World Table Tennis Day pages, which is on the "Table Tennis for All" website.

  • What is the World Table Tennis Day (WTTD)?
    It is a celebration of the joy to play Table Tennis for fun, bringing people together where the focus is less on the competition and more on participation and fun. 
  • What is the purpose of the WTTD?
    To gather Table Tennis enthusiasts, attract people who usually don't play table tennis, promote the love for our sport, and ideally engage new players to the practice in the long term. 

There's also a Join Us page, which answers and gives info on the following:

  • Who can organize WTTD?
  • Does it have to be EXACTLY on 6 April?
  • What can be done on the WTTD?
  • Where can it be done?
  • Getting Started!
  • CONTACT US!

There's also a Downloads page, with a WTTD Toolkit; Promotional Package; a "Get Moving!" Guide (the IOC Guide to managing Sport for all programmes); and an Ideas for WTTD packet. 

March 8, 2016

Table Tennis in Campaign 2100: Game of Scorpions
Today's blog has one goal – to convince you, a table tennis person, to buy Campaign 2100: Game of Scorpions, my science fiction novel that came out today – because it has table tennis! So, let me convince you. (If you absolutely are not interested, then skip down to the segments below.) We'll get to the table tennis parts in a moment. (And we'll be back to regular table tennis blogs tomorrow.) 

We'll start with this 80-second video, which doesn't showcase table tennis, but was created by Nathan Hsu, who is rated 2474 and has been over 2500. A 2500 player could not possibly steer you wrong! A big thanks goes to Nathan for creating this, who wouldn't even take payment for it – so now I guess I'll have to coach him at tournaments or something.J

I blogged about the novel this morning in my science fiction blog, where I wrote about the two "Big Ideas" in the novel – moderation in politics, and the problems with a two-party electoral system. Again, no table tennis there, but it'll tell you more about the novel, which covers the election for president of Earth in the year 2100, where the world has adopted the American two-party electoral system, with an increasingly incredulous alien ambassador along for the ride. Sounds kind of timely, doesn't it?

Now we're going to talk about the table tennis in the novel! (There are a few minor spoilers.)

March 4, 2016

Regional Team Leagues and State Championships
Want to play in a Regional Team League? Or a State Championship? If there already are ones in your state, then you're all set! But if not, we need your help, either in organizing them, or talking to club leaders about doing so. (Sometime next week I'm sending an email to all USATT clubs on this, somewhat similar to the below, as the USATT League Committee Chair and a member of the Board of Directors. USATT CEO Gordon Kaye has been a great help in all of this, and instigated the State Championships initiative.)

Here is a listing of Regional Team Leagues currently in operation – email me if I'm missing any.

Here's a listing of State Championships held in 2015 (with the assumption that most will have similar championships in 2016). So far 2016 State Championships (or State Games) have been sanctioned in AL, AR, AZ, CA, FL, IN, MN, MO, NY, OK, PA, VA, and WI. (I plan to run ones in Maryland, tentatively June 25-26.)

March 3, 2016

Winning with the Tomahawk Serve
Here's a video (2:12) where Samson Dubina demonstrates the Tomahawk serve. He first demonstrates the sidespin version, then the side-backspin, and finally (92 seconds in) the sidespin-topspin version - which is the focus of what I'll be writing below. This brought back an interesting memory of the second player I ever beat in a tournament rated over 2000 - and shows the value of developing multiple serves and techniques, since you never know what will work against specific opponents. 

It was 1979 (or was it 1879? I'm getting old...), when I was 19 years old. I was a late starter at age 16, and at this point I was about 1850. I'd actually broken 1900 with a high of 1954 as an almost pure forehand hitter, but I was reworking my game by looping more, and so had dropped a bit. The only 2000+ player I'd beaten in a tournament at this point was Herb Horton, a 2002 chopper with antispin rubber on both sides, who'd graciously been playing me since I was a beginner, and so I was used to his game. (I felt bad about beating him when I was around 1800 since I only did so because of the many times he'd played me!)

March 2, 2016

Shadow Practice
This is one of the most under-used ways of training – practicing a stroke without the ball. If you want to perfect a movement (i.e. a new stroke), don't try to do so while also trying to contort the movement so that you can also hit a little white ball that's moving and spinning – not until you've got the movement down. Otherwise, since the correct movement is not yet ingrained, you'll end up changing the movement to react to the ball. So it's important to first get the movement down.

Once you do have the movement down, that doesn't mean you are done with shadow practice. Shadow practice allows you to hone the movement as well as practice strokes and footwork together. They are also good for physical training.

Here's a whole class shadow practicing (6:42), with Lily Yip and then Judy Hugh feeding multiball to one player while seven others mimic the strokes, rotating in when it's their turn. (See "11 Questions with Judy Hugh" below.) I used to do this in my classes, and think I will start it up again.

The topic of shadow practice has come up quite a bit recently, in private coaching, classes I teach, and via email. So here are three Tips on the subject.

March 1, 2016

Tip of the Week
Move Those Feet. This is a slightly rewritten version of a blog I did last week – but I put a note then that it would likely become a Tip of the Week, and here it is! This way it'll be included with all the other Tips of the Week, both for browsing and for upcoming compilations into books – "More Table Tennis Tips," comes out early in 2017. It'll be a sequel to Table Tennis Tips. While you can just read the Tips online as they come out, both volumes put the Tips in logical order of progression, and compile them together for easy reading.

Coaching a Seven-Year-Old
Here's what you need to know – 14 dos and don'ts. I have a new kid I've been working with, and this is pretty much a checklist.

February 29, 2016

Every four years on February 29 the Leap Year Bull Frog makes his rounds, delivering pogo sticks, trampolines, and pole vaulting poles to deserving boys and girls all over the world. On this solumn occasion advocates of the ancient religion of Leapianity spend their days in quiet contemplation of future leaps. As a deeply religious Leapian, I will spend my day visualizing many leaping smashes against lobs, along with attacking a todo list that is longer than the magical Leap Day Bull Frog can jump. (I hope that's not sacrilegious.) So no blog today. Back tomorrow, along with the Tip of the Week!

However, it wouldn't be Leapian of me to leave you with nothing on this holiday, so why not follow the World Team Championships, taking place right now in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia? 

February 26, 2016

Regional Leagues, Capital Area League Finals, Results, and the New Season
Let's start with what's probably of greatest interest to you – leagues in your area. Want to play in a league? Then why not join one of these?

But what if there isn't one in your area? Then start one! (If you are in the Washington DC Metropolitan Area, now is the time to sign up for the Spring season of the Capital Area League.)

How are team leagues different from tournaments? First, you aren't risking your USATT rating – yay! But second, and more important, you have the fun of playing regularly on a team, with thousands your teammates cheering for you! I blogged about team leagues back on Nov. 24, 2014. Here is the recently created USATT League Page, and the news item on Regional Team Leagues.

February 25, 2016

Rarely Used Shots
After losing a backspin counter-lobbing point to a student (you heard that right), it got me to thinking about such rarely used shots. So here is a listing of a few of the lesser-used shots that are central to exactly nobody's game - but are fun to try!