Introduction to Coaching
13 HRS AGO - One of the attractions I have to the sport of table tennis is the complexity of its nature. The Expand
13 HRS AGO - One of the attractions I have to the sport of table tennis is the complexity of its nature. The sport is highly technical and it is constantly evolving. I have been coaching over 30 years now and I have seen how the sport has developed and like many other sports it has become much more professional and with the progress in sport science, every facet is constantly examined in order to gain maximum efficiency and effectiveness.… Collapse
Ma Long Fans Left Wondering
1 DAY AGO - The first semifinal of the Men's Singles last night at the Bercy Arena in Paris saw Zhang Jike Expand
1 DAY AGO - The first semifinal of the Men's Singles last night at the Bercy Arena in Paris saw Zhang Jike shock the crowd by obliterating World Number 1 Xu Xin in straight sets, becoming the first player to reach the World Table Tennis Championships final where he will have his chance to defend his title. The match which followed would prove to shock the fans even more.
Ma Long on his campaign to win his first ever World Championships, a feat he failed at in 2011 4-2 at the… Collapse
World Championships 2013
1 DAY AGO - Congratulations to Li Xiaoxia of China, winner of the women's singles at the 2013 World Expand
1 DAY AGO - Congratulations to Li Xiaoxia of China, winner of the women's singles at the 2013 World Championships today. Collapse
May 17, 2013
3 DAYS AGO - Table Tennis Protocol
There are many aspects of protocol in table tennis. Most players lean these Expand
3 DAYS AGO - Table Tennis Protocol
There are many aspects of protocol in table tennis. Most players lean these things at their club, and so know to act "properly" at tournaments. Here are some table tennis protocols, and how it varies depending on the circumstances.
Handshakes vs. High Fives or Fist Bumps. Players are supposed to shake hands after a match. At tournament, this is standard. However, between practice partners, friends, and often among juniors, players sometimes give a high five instead, or even (occasionally) a fist bump. In practice, it's even more common. For myself, in tournament I essentially always shake hands. In practice, against players I know well, I usually give a high five. I do this with all our junior players, who I play regularly as a practice partner. I also make it clear that they know the difference, and that they should shake hands after a tournament match.
Nets & Edges. Always say "Sorry" or raise your hand in an apology after Collapse
May 16, 2013
4 DAYS AGO - Coaching Updates
I had some interesting coaching sessions yesterday. Here's a rundown on three Expand
4 DAYS AGO - Coaching Updates
I had some interesting coaching sessions yesterday. Here's a rundown on three of them, with their permission - plus a fourth who just won three titles!
Audrey Weisiger - She's the former USA Olympic skating coach I've blogged about before. She is determined to win against some of her fellow skating coaches, with one in particular in mind. As I blogged about recently, she's gone to long pips on the backhand, no sponge, and it's working really well. She is getting pretty good at keeping the ball in play, can block loops and drive back pretty consistently now, and can return my spinniest serves. (The coach she has in mind has a spinny serve, both forehand and backhand.) She also can do a consistent push-block against pushes, which comes back with topspin. She needs more work on the forehand. She can hit forehand to forehand pretty well, but her stroke tends to be too long, and she tends to wander off the table, which doesn't work well if you Collapse
Fukuhara Bows Out In First Round
5 DAYS AGO - A very tough day at the office for one of the sweethearts of women's table tennis the lovely Ai Expand
5 DAYS AGO - A very tough day at the office for one of the sweethearts of women's table tennis the lovely Ai Fukuhara from Japan, one of the leading players in the world as she bowed out in the first round of the World Table Tennis Championships in Paris. Her opponent was almost unknown, certainly to Fukuhara who had never met her in a match before. The South Korean Seong Hye Park was the victor in 6 sets over Fukuhara.
It is a sore loss for the Japanese player who had big goals… Collapse
May 14, 2013
6 DAYS AGO - J.J. Hardy and Brady Anderson at MDTTC
J.J. Hardy is the star shortstop for the Baltimore Orioles. Expand
6 DAYS AGO - J.J. Hardy and Brady Anderson at MDTTC
J.J. Hardy is the star shortstop for the Baltimore Orioles. (He's the reigning gold glove winner with 52 homers the last two seasons and a former All-Star.) Brady Anderson was the Orioles star center fielder for 13 of his 15 major league seasons, where he was a 3-time all-star, and once hit 50 homers in a season. They are true baseball stars.
But they are also pretty good at table tennis! With the Orioles having a day off from playing, they spent four hours at the Maryland Table Tennis Center last night, 4-8PM. I gave them a private coaching session the first two hours, and then they hit with our local juniors. I knew in advance that JJ was the Orioles best TT player - they have a table in their clubhouse, and NOBODY beats JJ. Brady is their #2. But how good could they be, considering they hadn't had coaching? I was expecting "basement stars," perhaps 1200 level at most. Boy was I wrong! Both came with their own sponge rackets Collapse
Question about Match Rules
6 DAYS AGO - If, in a group match, the losing player withdraws from the competition, does the winning player Expand
6 DAYS AGO - If, in a group match, the losing player withdraws from the competition, does the winning player forfeit that game? ----- Martin's Reply ----- The Collapse
Basic tactics for improving beginners' game
5/13/2013 - Hi ! everyone, as all of us know that the aim of Table tennis is simple that is to keep the ball Expand
5/13/2013 - Hi ! everyone, as all of us know that the aim of Table tennis is simple that is to keep the ball in play longer than our opponent. Well, to just say this is easy than actually doing so. So here are few basic tactics one should master to improve their game. One should know the four basic strokes i.e. FH and BH pushes and drives. One should try to vary the strokes, speed and the spin as if you play the same strokes again and again, your opponent is more likely to get used to them and be able to… Collapse
World Championships 2013 - Table Tennis - Womens Doubles Results
5/12/2013 - The World Championships 2013. Get the Women's Doubles table tennis results here...
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May 20, 2013
18 HRS AGO - Tip of the Week
Tools and Tactics for the Physically Challenged.
2013 World Championships - China Expand
18 HRS AGO - Tip of the Week
Tools and Tactics for the Physically Challenged.
2013 World Championships - China Dominates, But Was "Nice" in the Doubles
They just ended. Defending Champion Zhang Jike just defeated Wang Hao in the Men's Singles Final as I wrote this - I held back on posting this half an hour so I could get that result. You can get complete results here. It's a repeat of the 2011 Worlds, where Zhang also defeated Wang in the final. (Wang Hao won in 2009 over Wang Liqin. Singles and Doubles events are held every two years.) The final score was 7,8,-6,12,-5,7. Zhang was down 5-7 in the last game but won the last six points in a row.
As usual, China dominated the singles events. All four semifinalists in Men's and Women's Singles are Chinese. They could have dominated the doubles events as well. Both teams in the Women's Doubles final were Chinese. However, Taiwan won Men's Doubles, and North Korea won Mixed Doubles. What's going on?
As the Chinese Collapse
Coping with Pressure
1 DAY AGO - Hi all! Today I’m going to touch upon the mental side of the game – more specifically, how to Expand
1 DAY AGO - Hi all! Today I’m going to touch upon the mental side of the game – more specifically, how to ignore nerves and focus on the task in hand. Of course, you should apply this when the pressure is really on (eg. 10-10 in the final of a tournament), but you should also try these techniques in all of your matches in… Collapse
North Korea Take First WTTC Gold
2 DAYS AGO - I'm sure nobody ever suspected that North Korea would win a World Championships title but they Expand
2 DAYS AGO - I'm sure nobody ever suspected that North Korea would win a World Championships title but they played hard to prove everybody wrong. The duo of Kim Hyok Bong and Kim Jong found themselves on top of the World after they won the Mixed Doubles title at the 2013 World Table Tennis Championships.
With… Collapse
WTTC - 32 Left Standing
4 DAYS AGO - The Round of 32 in the Mens Singles draw is the place to be at the moment as the competitors Expand
4 DAYS AGO - The Round of 32 in the Mens Singles draw is the place to be at the moment as the competitors strive towards greatness at the World Table Tennis Championships in Paris. For some, getting there was less of a challenge, for others it was wrought with sweat and passion as they battled their very best to advance.… Collapse
The Best Table Tennis Bat in India
5 DAYS AGO - My most popular post to date has been The Best Table Tennis Bat for Beginners, one of the first Expand
5 DAYS AGO - My most popular post to date has been The Best Table Tennis Bat for Beginners, one of the first posts... Continue reading »The post The Best Table Tennis Bat in India appeared first on Expert Table Tennis. Collapse
May 15, 2013
5 DAYS AGO - Play With Creativity - Do Something Different!
In my blog yesterday I wrote about how some of our Expand
5 DAYS AGO - Play With Creativity - Do Something Different!
In my blog yesterday I wrote about how some of our players had trouble with Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy's serve. It was a pretty good forehand pendulum serve, but there wasn't anything seemingly special about it. He actually used less wrist motion than he should, and had just two versions - side-top and side-back - though he did vary the depth well. As I watched it, I began to see why they were having trouble with it, and there were two reasons.
First, he wasn't changing his grip to unlock his wrist, and so he had less spin than he could have. But because he has such quick wrists and a good grazing contact, it was sufficient spin to make it effective, and the different grip seemed to give players difficulty in reading it.
Second, he served it over and over from his forehand side. We're all used to players serving forehand pendulum serves from the backhand side, since that allows a player to more easily follow up against Collapse
World Championships 2013
6 DAYS AGO - A record number of table tennis players from every possible corner of the globe have descended Expand
6 DAYS AGO - A record number of table tennis players from every possible corner of the globe have descended onto Paris, France for the LIEBHERR 2013 World Table Tennis Championships.
449 Men and 352 Women (801 in total) representing 127 associations ensures Paris surpasses the record set by last individual championships hosted in Rotterdam, Netherlands in 2011 which saw 678 players from 114 associations battle it out for gold.
ITTF President Adham Sharara said: "These impressive numbers are a credit to our strong development program that we have been running for the past 10 years. More people and more countries than ever are now playing table tennis."
Antigua and Barbuda are the latest addition to the World Table Tennis Championships family, participating in the event for the first time by entering 2 men into the singles.
The World Table Tennis Championships sees the top 64 seeded players getting direct access into the main draw which starts on Wednesday, while the rest of the players Collapse
Adidas TenZone Ultra Review
7 DAYS AGO - TenZone Ultra is the latest rubber to be released by Adidas and they were kind enough to send me Expand
7 DAYS AGO - TenZone Ultra is the latest rubber to be released by Adidas and they were kind enough to send me a... Continue reading »The post Adidas TenZone Ultra Review appeared first on Expert Table Tennis. Collapse
Setting the Bar High for WTTC
5/13/2013 - The World Table Tennis Championships 2013 has officially begun in Paris, France. 132 countries, Expand
5/13/2013 - The World Table Tennis Championships 2013 has officially begun in Paris, France. 132 countries, 845 athletes all vying for top performances. In the midst of all the excitement I stayed up late to beat the time difference and sought out the goals of some of the hopeful athletes in the tournament. What do they aim for, how far do they expect to get? I was lucky enough this close to the event to get so far 10 responses from some outstanding players representing different nations, please enjoy and if more responses come in I will add them of course!
Let the games begin WTTC 2013 Paris
Soumyajit Ghosh, India. WR 189:
'I want to cause some upset here in Paris.'
Tiago Apolonia, Portugal. WR 44:
'My goal is to enter the last 32 and try my best against the number 1 seeded.'
Charlotte Carey, Wales. WR 406:
'Hoping to play my best, win my group and get as far as I can and cause some upsets!'
Adrian Crisan, Romania. WR 21:
'I hope I can make the last 16 and play Zhang Collapse
World Championships 2013 - Table Tennis - Mens Singles Results
5/12/2013 - The World Championships 2013. Mens Singles. Get the results here...
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The Perks of the Blog
1 DAY AGO - A very short post today… I was recently sent a free pair of table tennis cufflinks by online Expand
1 DAY AGO - A very short post today… I was recently sent a free pair of table tennis cufflinks by online retailer TiesPlanet.com.... Continue reading »The Perks of the Blog is a post from: Expert Table Tennis
The post The Perks of the Blog appeared first on Expert Table Tennis. Collapse
World Championships 2013
1 DAY AGO - Congratulations to Chen Chien-An and Chuang Chih-Yuan (Chinese Taipei), winners of the men's Expand
1 DAY AGO - Congratulations to Chen Chien-An and Chuang Chih-Yuan (Chinese Taipei), winners of the men's doubles at the 2013 World Championships today. Collapse
World Championships 2013
2 DAYS AGO - Congratulations to North Korean duo of Kim Hyok Bong and Kim Jong, winners of the mixed doubles at Expand
2 DAYS AGO - Congratulations to North Korean duo of Kim Hyok Bong and Kim Jong, winners of the mixed doubles at the 2013 World Championships today.
They beat the South Korean duo of Lee Sangsu and Park Youngsook by four games to two. Collapse
Great Moments In Table Tennis: 2003 WTTC QF – Schlager vs Liqin
4 DAYS AGO - By the time this article hits your screens, the 2013 World Championships in Paris will be Expand
4 DAYS AGO - By the time this article hits your screens, the 2013 World Championships in Paris will be underway. So what a perfect time to reflect on the last time the tournament stopped in Paris, and one of the great moments of table tennis history that it brought us.
Werner Schlager’s 4-2 victory in the final against Korea’s Joo Sae Hyuk has become more important over the subsequent decade as he is the last non-Chinese winner of the tournament.… Collapse
ITTF President Election
5 DAYS AGO - Adham SHARARA has been re-elected as the ITTF President today at the 2013 ITTF Annual General Expand
5 DAYS AGO - Adham SHARARA has been re-elected as the ITTF President today at the 2013 ITTF Annual General Meeting in Paris, France.
He overcame the challenge from European Table Tennis Union President Mr. Stefano BOSI and will add 4 more years to the 14 that he has already served in ITTF's top job.
Mr. Adham Sharara said:
"I am extremly pleased that as expected, the delegates of the AGM understood the importance of my work and understood very clearly our future plans.
The overwhelming support for my team and myself gives us extra motivatiion to try as hard as possible to make sure table tennis is in the top 5 sports in the world." Collapse
World Championships 2013. The Underdogs - Fair or not?
6 DAYS AGO - The World Championships 2013 are under way in Paris as I am writing this. I can't stop wondering Expand
6 DAYS AGO - The World Championships 2013 are under way in Paris as I am writing this. I can't stop wondering whether they will be any different than last year's. Will it be the usual suspects taking center stage, dominating our interest for yet another time? What about the underdogs? My heart goes out to them.I… Collapse
Disturbing the Conditions of Play
6 DAYS AGO - I was playing the other night and my opponent wore glasses. In the middle of a rally (at quite Expand
6 DAYS AGO - I was playing the other night and my opponent wore glasses. In the middle of a rally (at quite a crucial point in the game) my opponent's glasses flew Collapse
May 13, 2013
7 DAYS AGO - Tip of the Week
Beat Weaker Players with Fundamentals.
Coaching Opponent to Victory
I had an Expand
7 DAYS AGO - Tip of the Week
Beat Weaker Players with Fundamentals.
Coaching Opponent to Victory
I had an interesting practice match with one of our top juniors this past weekend. Going into the match he appeared irritated and tense. Against someone like that all you have to do is vary your shots like crazy - placement, depth, spins, etc. - and watch him fall apart. He was too irritated to even think, and served short to my backhand over and over, which isn't smart - I'm very good there, where I can push short or long, and flip either regular or banana flip (with extra topspin or sidespin). I often messed him up by faking a long push to the backhand and at the last second dropping it short to his forehand. When he guarded against the short ball to the forehand I'd flip to his backhand, taking his service game away. I won the first game 11-3. (I'd also beaten him I think 3-0 the last three times we'd played.)
Between games I went over and asked him what was wrong. He said Collapse
Choosing Your Training Partners
5/13/2013 - Some people may not have this luxury but sometimes the ability to choose who you train with can be Expand
5/13/2013 - Some people may not have this luxury but sometimes the ability to choose who you train with can be of great value. Currently I train with a core of players, one is a very high level player much higher than myself, one has a very good focus level and strict training regime with goals and all, one is my doubles partner and a couple are talented young junior players. So why would I choose this strange mix of players instead of just always training with someone better than me to get maximum… Collapse
Chinese Dominance - World Fights Back
5/12/2013 - In the leadup to the 2013 Mondial Paris World Table Tennis Championships we have seen the surge of Expand
5/12/2013 - In the leadup to the 2013 Mondial Paris World Table Tennis Championships we have seen the surge of Chinese players claiming the World Tour titles and maintaining a dominance which has reigned supreme over the last decade and beyond. Bercy presents an obstacle in that it marks 10 years since Werner Schlager, the last European to win a World Individual Champs, claimed the WTTC title.
With so many experienced, well trained and hard working Chinese players in the draw, what odds do the rest of the world have for facing this force and coming out on top? Well slim at best but here is my video promotion for the WTTC 2013 and beyond for the World to rise and fight against the ever-victorious Chinese National Team. Hope you enjoy! Collapse
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