What is the Most Expensive Table Tennis Bat You Can Buy?
1 HR AGO - Table tennis bats can be expensive. I remember at the start of the Expert in a Year challenge Expand
1 HR AGO - Table tennis bats can be expensive. I remember at the start of the Expert in a Year challenge telling Sam that mine cost almost £200, and that you have to replace the rubbers regularly, and I don’t think he could…
The post What is the Most Expensive Table Tennis Bat You Can Buy? appeared first on Expert Table Tennis. Collapse
January 28, 2015
2 DAYS AGO -
Busy Day
I'm leaving to coach at 1PM, finishing at 7:15PM. It's going to be a long Expand
2 DAYS AGO -
Busy Day
I'm leaving to coach at 1PM, finishing at 7:15PM. It's going to be a long coaching day! (It's not all coaching; I have to pick up four kids from school for our afterschool program, and I have a meeting from 5-6PM.) Then, when I get home, I get to go to work on USATT and MDTTC stuff. Besides finalizing a Regional Association proposal for USATT (which includes state & regional associations, state championships, team leagues, and training centers & coaching programs), I have to put together the monthly MDTTC Newsletter.
Blogging Policy on USATT Issues
I'm putting together a "Blogging on USATT Issues" policy that I can use as a guideline for what and when I can blog about USATT issues, since I'm on the USATT board. I'll share this with the USATT CEO for his input. (I also have to check the USATT bylaws for anything on this.) It's not just for me - others from USATT sometimes blog (here's the USATT blogging page) and I Collapse
Online Training for Table Tennis – Technique Program
21/01/2015 - Here is a sample of how your training footage or tournament footage is analyze when you sign up Expand
21/01/2015 - Here is a sample of how your training footage or tournament footage is analyze when you sign up for the “Technique Program” that is part of the Online Training Program
The post Online Training for Table Tennis – Technique Program appeared first on Dynamic Table Tennis. Collapse
January 19, 2015
19/01/2015 - Writing Sabbatical This Week
As I wrote on Friday week, I'm taking a writing sabbatical this Expand
19/01/2015 - Writing Sabbatical This Week
As I wrote on Friday week, I'm taking a writing sabbatical this week, so this will be my last blog until Monday, January 26. I plan to write "Parents Guide to Table Tennis," and if I have time after that, work on my table tennis fantasy novel "The Paddle of Pong." It's going to be a busy week. Besides all the writing and the usual coaching, there's a bunch of USATT stuff going on, including a USATT board teleconference on Wednesday night. Tonight (Monday night) I'm doing an exhibition at SmashTT at 8:30PM (come join us!), after which we're having a meeting of the Capital Area Super League Organizing Committee. On Saturday night I'm helping with a fund-raiser for Cystic Fibrosis at MDTTC, where I'll be doing an exhibition and clinic with Sameer Shaikh, and helping run a recreational tournament. (The tournament is NOT for USATT members or advanced players.)
Tip of the Week
The Lost Art of Messing People Collapse
And five open heart surgeries later
17/01/2015 - The amazing story (and interview) of Navin Kumar, the Bionic Man with a Carbon Fibre heart and an Expand
17/01/2015 - The amazing story (and interview) of Navin Kumar, the Bionic Man with a Carbon Fibre heart and an undying love for table tennis. Matt was kind enough to take time and post this interview in his blog. Thank you Navin for the wonderful interview and sharing your story.
Read the full interview at Matt's blog here.… Collapse
TableTennisDaily Stiga Carbonado Blade Reviews
16/01/2015 - My good friend Dan from TableTennisDaily has been busy with some of Stiga's most high performing Expand
16/01/2015 - My good friend Dan from TableTennisDaily has been busy with some of Stiga's most high performing sponsored players. In the three detailed video reviews below, Dan gives us some insight into the capabilities of Stiga's new Carbonado blades and the Textreme blade whilst holding his own against none other than Xu Xin, Fan Zhendong and Kristian Karlsson. Great reviews Dan!TableTennisDaily has asserted itself as the leading table tennis forum on the web with an incredible amount of hard work put in by Dan Ives. Be sure to head over and check it out at www.tabletennisdaily.co.uk Collapse
Will We See A Defensive Player at The Top?
16/01/2015 - Over the decades, defensive players have provided an incredible amount of entertainment in table Expand
16/01/2015 - Over the decades, defensive players have provided an incredible amount of entertainment in table tennis, displaying consistency and a high level of athleticism, but it has been quite some time since a defender has really challenged a place in the top 5 players in the world.Joo Se Hyuk has been the defender of this generation, peaking at number 5 in the world rankings on a couple of occasions but only for a month each time and of course making his incredible performance at the 2003 World Championships where he won a silver medal and 2011 World Cup where he defeated Boll to win bronze.Joo Se Hyuk in the Chinese Super LeagueSo here is the real question. How long will it be till a defender becomes number 1? Is it even possible? The Chinese National Team are incredibly well trained to face defensive players and have many defensive practice partners to learn from. While Joo is still as wonderful as ever to watch out on the table, the peak of his career has certainly passed. Or has it?I am Collapse
January 15, 2015
15/01/2015 - Multiball Training
Have you done any multiball training recently? No? Well, why not? Don't you Expand
15/01/2015 - Multiball Training
Have you done any multiball training recently? No? Well, why not? Don't you want to get better?
There are some myths about multiball training. Some believe it's only for beginners - and yet the Chinese team spends about 1/3 of their training time with multiball. Some think it's only for advanced players - but multiball is the best way to teach the basics. It's for all levels. Ironically, often beginners do multiball when they first learn, and advanced players do it for more intensive training, while intermediates don't do it - and it's one reason they stay intermediate players rather than advanced. It takes intensive training to become an advanced player, and multiball is one of the central ways of doing that.
Before we go further, here's my Tip of the Week on Multiball Training.
So how do you go about doing this if you don't have a coach, or can't afford one? Simple - find a practice partner - like anyone who wants to improve in Collapse
January 13, 2015
13/01/2015 - Capital Area Super League
Interest in the Capital Area Super League seems pretty high, with lots Expand
13/01/2015 - Capital Area Super League
Interest in the Capital Area Super League seems pretty high, with lots of players discussing it at MDTTC and (I'm told) other clubs. Of course the main obstacle for something like this is that it's "new," i.e. something that hasn't been done much in the U.S., though it's the backbone of European table tennis, where they often count memberships in the hundreds of thousands. I envision team leagues like this all over the country. The people who don't see this are the same ones who eight years ago didn't think there were enough players in the U.S. to support full-time training centers. Just as full-time centers created their own base of players, team leagues will do the same, once organized and given the chance. It'll take time - but it has to start somewhere. As I've blogged repeatedly, we need a prototype regional team league that can be copied all over the country, and that's one of the things I hope to do here - Collapse
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January 30, 2015
3 HRS AGO - Serving Combos
I was playing a match with one of my students recently and decided to test him on a Expand
3 HRS AGO - Serving Combos
I was playing a match with one of my students recently and decided to test him on a bunch of serving combos. He knows my serves very well, so individually he has no problems with them. But when I throw certain combos at him, he (and most others) struggle with the second one. Below are ten of my favorite combos. All can be done as listed or by reversing the order. Some are mostly variations of others, so there's some overlap. I'm assuming both players are righties for this, but lefties can use similar variations.
Keep in mind that the more you do these serves, the better you get at them, at figuring out what combos work best against different players, and at following them up. For example, after a short serve to the forehand, I might serve long to the backhand (usually a serve that breaks to the right), anticipating a crosscourt return to my backhand. Since I've been doing this for decades, I've learned to read my opponent very quickly and see early on Collapse
January 27, 2015
3 DAYS AGO - Tables for Kids
One of the problems table tennis coaches face is that kids aren't really big Expand
3 DAYS AGO - Tables for Kids
One of the problems table tennis coaches face is that kids aren't really big enough to play table tennis on a regular table until they are about 6 or 7 years old. Before that the table is simply too high, often about shoulder height. Tennis had a similar problem in that their courts were too big for kids, who were expected to cover the same amount of ground as Roger Federer. They solved it with QuickStart Tennis (5:35). As a long-time tennis player on the side, I've actually helped with these tennis programs, where they often have a court full of kids in the 3-5 year old range. There's no reason why table tennis can't also start in that age range - except for the size of the table. In fact, with smaller rackets and courts, table tennis should be easier than tennis for these kids!
Sean O'Neill has been a strong advocate for shorter tables for younger kids. He argues that shorter tables is both good for very younger players (such as the 3-5 age Collapse
My Latest Table Tennis Artwork "The African Roar"...A Rare Breed Of Lions Has Be...
20/01/2015 - My Latest Table Tennis Artwork "The African Roar"...A Rare Breed Of Lions Has Been Expand
20/01/2015 - My Latest Table Tennis Artwork "The African Roar"...A Rare Breed Of Lions Has Been Born...His Roar Has Been Heard Across The Table Tennis Jungle Announcing Himself To Everyone Loud And Clear....Noble..Majestic..Elegant...Aruna Quadri. Collapse
The Importance of A Loose Elbow in Table Tennis
18/01/2015 - This may sound like a very odd topic title, granted it is a little strange, but it is important. A Expand
18/01/2015 - This may sound like a very odd topic title, granted it is a little strange, but it is important. A lot of new and developing players have trouble learning strokes and a common problem is the tightening of the elbow. Sometimes the swing is too big, or the elbow is locked when playing a shot which results in the stroke centering around a swing from the shoulder.Why Is a Loose Elbow Important?Firstly let's talk about the consequences of a tight elbow. A tight elbow results in tightening of the tricep and also forearm and prevents the ability to maintain good touch. A grip on the handle too tight can also have a similar effect.In a game where touch is so important and minute changes can create big differences in the impact on the ball and the results, the over-tightening of muscles can have a detrimental effect. Here are some examples.A tight full arm swing is much harder to control and focuses on the shoulder too much, this reduces accuracy and the ability to transfer speed into the Collapse
Harmeet defeated by Sathiyan
17/01/2015 - Indian National Table Tennis Championship result... This was a dramatic match between Harmeet Expand
17/01/2015 - Indian National Table Tennis Championship result... This was a dramatic match between Harmeet Desai and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran. Few points that happened - -Harmeet could not secure a single game away from him (I was rooting for him but it was unfortunate). -There was load shedding in the middle of the match,… Collapse
My Latest Table Tennis Artwork " A Table For Two".. A Classic Fairytale Story Re...
16/01/2015 - My Latest Table Tennis Artwork " A Table For Two".. A Classic Fairytale Story Expand
16/01/2015 - My Latest Table Tennis Artwork " A Table For Two".. A Classic Fairytale Story Re-Imagined Through My Eyes.. Collapse
Yip Repeats Success as Coach of the Year
16/01/2015 - Lily Yip was US National Coach of the Year in 2013 after a successful year, but 2014 was quite Expand
16/01/2015 - Lily Yip was US National Coach of the Year in 2013 after a successful year, but 2014 was quite something else with a string of historic events for the USA with Yip leading the teams. Having been at Lily's club for some time now it is clear that Lily Yip is no ordinary coach. She is one to go far beyond the call of duty for table tennis, it is her passion and her life.In 2014 Lily packed up and left her club where she dedicates hours each day to coaching her young students and keeping her club maintained to the highest standard. She headed away to China with Lily Zhang for the Road to Nanjing Training Camp, then across to Korea for the Korean Junior Open where Zhang made history by reaching the final of the Under 21 event.Lily Zhang and Coach Lily Yip at the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing 2014The exhausting schedule continued with Yip travelling to Japan for the next Junior Circuit Event. I distinctly remember after the final stint in China, Lily returned to the club for just a single Collapse
Are You Not Table Tennis Entertained ?
14/01/2015 - Are You Not Table Tennis Entertained ?
January 12, 2015
12/01/2015 - Today's blog will be later than usual, but should be up by 11:30AM. Ever have one of those Expand
12/01/2015 - Today's blog will be later than usual, but should be up by 11:30AM. Ever have one of those nights where you work late, then get into a late-night email discussion with someone who seems totally set on doing things the same old stagnating way while you want to do it differently to break out of this cycle of stagnation, and finally get to bed very late (i.e. early morning), only be awakened at 4AM when a car outside begins honking continuously for an hour as if someone had tried to break into it? Yeah, one of those nights. But the Tip of the Week is up: Develop Your Primary and Secondary Skills. Collapse
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January 29, 2015
1 DAY AGO - Short Blog Today
I woke up this morning with a sore throat and a headache - a double whammy. My Expand
1 DAY AGO - Short Blog Today
I woke up this morning with a sore throat and a headache - a double whammy. My voice is hoarse and I think someone punched me all over my body while I was sleeping. I think I have a slight cold (yeah, lots of Kleenex), while the headache might be from late-night work and lack of sleep. I was going to write about yesterday's adventure (2.5 hours of coaching, meeting with USATT player rep Han Xiao on my Regional Associations proposal, snowball fights, and the power of chocolate brownies as incentive for juniors to work hard), but I think I'm going back to bed. But remain assured that even sleeping, I never stop thinking about USATT issues and ways to turn our sport into the greatest thing since sporks. (Someday perhaps I'll write about my ongoing contention with my students that the spork is humanity's greatest invention, better than their smart phones and even better than Tenergy, but not now.)
Peter Scudner New USATT Board Chair
USATT members should Collapse
January 26, 2015
4 DAYS AGO - This morning's blog will be up by noon. Unless USATT issues or fate intervene!
Is It Possible to Master Table Tennis in 12 Months?
20/01/2015 - It’s been over a month since I last wrote a blog post! That’s pretty shocking. The Expand
20/01/2015 - It’s been over a month since I last wrote a blog post! That’s pretty shocking. The Christmas and New Year period is always a busy one but this time it has been even more hectic due to it coinciding with…
The post Is It Possible to Master Table Tennis in 12 Months? appeared first on Expert Table Tennis. Collapse
The Importance of A Loose Elbow in Table Tennis
18/01/2015 - This may sound like a very odd topic title, granted it is a little strange, but it is important. A Expand
18/01/2015 - This may sound like a very odd topic title, granted it is a little strange, but it is important. A lot of new and developing players have trouble learning strokes and a common problem is the tightening of the elbow. Sometimes the swing is too big, or the elbow is locked when playing a shot which results in the stroke centering around a swing from the shoulder.Why Is a Loose Elbow Important?Firstly let's talk about the consequences of a tight elbow. A tight elbow results in tightening of the tricep and also forearm and prevents the ability to maintain good touch. A grip on the handle too tight can also have a similar effect.In a game where touch is so important and minute changes can create big differences in the impact on the ball and the results, the over-tightening of muscles can have a detrimental effect. Here are some examples.A tight full arm swing is much harder to control and focuses on the shoulder too much, this reduces accuracy and the ability to transfer speed into the Collapse
The Bionic Man, Ping Pong's Ultimate Inspiration
17/01/2015 - A dedicated reader of my blog, Arnab Ghosh was kind enough to send me this interview he did with a Expand
17/01/2015 - A dedicated reader of my blog, Arnab Ghosh was kind enough to send me this interview he did with a truly inspirational character. Navin Kumar has survived 5 major heart surgeries and now survives with a carbon fiber bionic heart and is rediscovering his passion for table tennis. Check out Arnab's blog HERE and enjoy this inspiring tale of a remarkable man.Tell us a little bit about your condition.I was born with a congenital heart condition that has required 5 open-heart surgeries throughout my life to correct. My heart is now mechanical and made of the same carbon fiber material that you see in some table tennis paddles and I also have a pacemaker implanted inside me which is cool because occasionally I get to have software downloaded inside me so I feel like my old childhood bionic hero, The Six Million Dollar Man. A year and half ago I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease which affects me 2 ways – muscle stiffness and right hand tremors.Navin Kumar Cheerful to be playing Collapse
January 16, 2015
16/01/2015 - Today's blog will be up by noon (eastern time). (Note to self: No more late-night movies, no Expand
16/01/2015 - Today's blog will be up by noon (eastern time). (Note to self: No more late-night movies, no matter how much you want to see the local premier of "American Sniper" - which has a scene near the end in a VA Hospital where they are playing table tennis!) Lots to write about today, so stop by around lunchtime. Collapse
Interview with Panagiotis GIONIS
16/01/2015 - OOAK Table Tennis Forum was honoured by Panagiotis GIONIS, who kindly agreed to an interview! With Expand
16/01/2015 - OOAK Table Tennis Forum was honoured by Panagiotis GIONIS, who kindly agreed to an interview! With thanks to forum member Pipsy, who organised this interview! Panagiotis GIONIS (born January 7, 1980) is a Greek defensive table tennis player (chopper) and a dentist. He is member of the Greek National […] Collapse
January 14, 2015
14/01/2015 - This morning's blog will be up by 11AM. I was on the phone on USATT business from Expand
14/01/2015 - This morning's blog will be up by 11AM. I was on the phone on USATT business from 10:30PM-1:15AM, and then working on USATT stuff until 4AM. By noon today all of USATT problems will be fixed, membership will hit a million, and all the major network TV stations will be pre-empted at that time for a special briefing from the President on why table tennis now tops his domestic agenda. (Am I still in bed dreaming?) Collapse
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