tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36647550937520598812024-02-23T18:03:33.564-08:00MHTableTennisLearn to become the best table tennis player you can be with former New Zealand International and US-based Coach Matt Hetherington.MHTableTennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11133201322697272982noreply@blogger.comBlogger313125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3664755093752059881.post-54024343326784355162024-02-22T08:02:00.000-08:002024-02-22T08:02:43.903-08:00Talkin' Smash powered by JOOLA Ep9: The Career Journey from Brazil to the World with Thiago Monteiro<p>I had the pleasure of sitting down with long-time JOOLA Athlete and Brazilian Olympic Table Tennis player, Thiago Monteiro. He was coaching at the Pan Am Cup in Texas, so it was a great opportunity to fly him out and have him with us here at JOOLA HQ in Rockville, MD!</p><p></p><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi05kbAUovSJRIRLDoZrUO13iPNtD3VJmAWtNarkXejZF5z1X0bJRwNDsd-S1jIbptDl37u9RthHNz29Ob1Ij-Dklm1AUUlIyUT0jsKdZJ65Ewo6Og1yZ4V0u-6Rn3EAhOdnCOHSQXKp2CpA3AG8CBOOIXX3G3a8b3rYZ3y7vknYmeaV9Bw9K64m3KkdZ2t/s4800/Ep9%20Thumbnail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="4800" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi05kbAUovSJRIRLDoZrUO13iPNtD3VJmAWtNarkXejZF5z1X0bJRwNDsd-S1jIbptDl37u9RthHNz29Ob1Ij-Dklm1AUUlIyUT0jsKdZJ65Ewo6Og1yZ4V0u-6Rn3EAhOdnCOHSQXKp2CpA3AG8CBOOIXX3G3a8b3rYZ3y7vknYmeaV9Bw9K64m3KkdZ2t/w400-h225/Ep9%20Thumbnail.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thiago Monteiro joined me to talk about his career and <br />legacy in table tennis - Talkin' Smash Episode 9!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;">Thiago spoke about his career from the early beginnings, and I was particularly interested to hear about how he made the decision to move to Europe. At the time there weren't really any role models to follow. Hugo Hoyama was travelling to Europe but still living in Brazil. Monteiro made a bold move, one which would result in him spending his 20+ year career living in France and competing in leagues across Europe. <br /><br />I also asked Thiago about how he thought about his influence on the generations of players which came after him, and the legacy he has left in the sport for both Brazilian and Latin American players as a whole. </span></p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/erTPQVNO3zA" width="320" youtube-src-id="erTPQVNO3zA"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><div style="background-color: #fbfbfd; color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Spotify: <a href="http://open.spotify.com/show/02qictmEm8i9o5jUTw5Wy6?si=4928f1f9cabe42fd" rel="nofollow" style="color: blue; line-height: 1.4; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://open.spotify.com/show/02qictmEm8i9o5jUTw5Wy6?si=4928f1f9cabe42fd</a></span></div><div style="background-color: #fbfbfd; color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Apple: <a href="http://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talkin-smash-podcast-powered-by-joola/id1706374396" rel="nofollow" style="color: blue; line-height: 1.4; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talkin-smash-podcast-powered-by-joola/id1706374396</a></span></div></div></div>MHTableTennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11133201322697272982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3664755093752059881.post-14439034978264551282024-01-31T08:51:00.000-08:002024-01-31T08:51:36.706-08:00Talkin' Smash Podcast powered by JOOLA Ep8: The Evolution of TableTennisDaily with Dan Ives<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: times;">To kick off Talkin' Smash in 2024, there's no better guest than Dan Ives. Dan is a great friend of mine and we have been moving independently in the same circles for many, many years as content creators and people who are extremely passionate about table tennis. I joined TableTennisDaily quite early on and was also the Facebook Page Admin for a small stint in the very beginning. Time has flown for both of us. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_L_8DzM5IBVTG4AgOFl1KIAh9-C3YuOAoG663k9ZrLzEJlXaLo4RG4OxWZxSnfSKaym6pObL_3SDhdoSenEJWs1LcnEdG81PaaND5zRjU9YdTNHu9Vc7m_RDnwPz0V6KayCJIS73fi9d_GFpkqNdq_2YWnOccTIw_adfn49LlVY2z6DjTHLZCduTf8_FB/s1280/Ep8%20Dan%20Ives.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_L_8DzM5IBVTG4AgOFl1KIAh9-C3YuOAoG663k9ZrLzEJlXaLo4RG4OxWZxSnfSKaym6pObL_3SDhdoSenEJWs1LcnEdG81PaaND5zRjU9YdTNHu9Vc7m_RDnwPz0V6KayCJIS73fi9d_GFpkqNdq_2YWnOccTIw_adfn49LlVY2z6DjTHLZCduTf8_FB/w400-h225/Ep8%20Dan%20Ives.png" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Talkin' Smash Episode 8 <br />with Dan Ives from TableTennisDaily</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span>From those early days the brand now boasts it's own team series in the British League, an organized 8-team Super League competition, a refurbished HQ building which is now Europe's first PingPod - as well as multiple masterclasses in it's academy with top professional players.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: times;">Ives created TableTennisDaily over 12 years ago, starting out as a YouTube channel and a small forum for the most die hard table tennis fans. Over the past decade TableTennisDaily has grown into a powerhouse in the sport.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="background-color: white;">It was fun to catch up and hear about how the TableTennisDaily brand has evolved over that time, the inspirations, the challenges, and a look into the mind of the man behind it all - Dan Ives.</span></span><div><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/P5kMOVMiZ64" width="320" youtube-src-id="P5kMOVMiZ64"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="background-color: #fbfbfd; color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Spotify: <a href="http://open.spotify.com/show/02qictmEm8i9o5jUTw5Wy6?si=4928f1f9cabe42fd" rel="nofollow" style="color: blue; line-height: 1.4; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://open.spotify.com/show/02qictmEm8i9o5jUTw5Wy6?si=4928f1f9cabe42fd</a></span></div><div style="background-color: #fbfbfd; color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Apple: <a href="http://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talkin-smash-podcast-powered-by-joola/id1706374396" rel="nofollow" style="color: blue; line-height: 1.4; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talkin-smash-podcast-powered-by-joola/id1706374396</a></span></div></div></div>MHTableTennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11133201322697272982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3664755093752059881.post-26354727098333770752023-12-19T07:24:00.000-08:002023-12-19T07:26:05.396-08:00Talkin' Smash Podcast by JOOLA Ep7: The Physical and Mental Comeback from Injury with Sophia Klee<p>Episode 7 of the Talkin' Smash Table Tennis Podcast powered by JOOLA, was another specialized topic - one I hope may help those out there suffering from table tennis or sports-related injuries and trying to find ways to improve their situation. I sat down and spoke with Sophia Klee, a rising star in German and European women's table tennis. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj84XvGXPhJJu0VIM5PY4qCZMgWmN0GikApQqsnPtba7tLpNSEOWhdvfGLZnWsMlx8TT1toONZJMNf5SMM92EqhJSLjgySuXdbMtBLGwpvnaNWAIzBHwnxvKfPd1FUPDl13ivkF5yKlUfLa4tfEfEUlNKTEmE4iIoK7b03-AeQ255HNzaa2FtLvYqGwcyFK/s1280/Ep7%20Sophia%20Klee.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj84XvGXPhJJu0VIM5PY4qCZMgWmN0GikApQqsnPtba7tLpNSEOWhdvfGLZnWsMlx8TT1toONZJMNf5SMM92EqhJSLjgySuXdbMtBLGwpvnaNWAIzBHwnxvKfPd1FUPDl13ivkF5yKlUfLa4tfEfEUlNKTEmE4iIoK7b03-AeQ255HNzaa2FtLvYqGwcyFK/w400-h225/Ep7%20Sophia%20Klee.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A pleasure to be joined by Sophia Klee to talk<br />about coming back from an injury in professional sport</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Sophia had a great start to her playing career, with incredible success in the European Cadet age group. She was, in 2017, champion of the Cadet Girls Singles at the European Youth Top 10 Championships, and in the same year won the Cadet Girls Doubles at the European Youth Championships. <br /><br />Her career sat on a knife-edge however at the beginning of 2022 when she suffered an unusual injury - breaking her knee cap during a table tennis match. <br /><br />While she managed to avoid having surgery, the road back was still one which presented challenges both physical and mental. It was great to chat with Sophia about her road back, and how she pushed herself back to the game she loves and continued on her journey to the top!</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RnfQ8ZEubkI" width="320" youtube-src-id="RnfQ8ZEubkI"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="background-color: #fbfbfd; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Spotify: <a href="http://open.spotify.com/show/02qictmEm8i9o5jUTw5Wy6?si=4928f1f9cabe42fd" rel="nofollow" style="color: blue; line-height: 1.4; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://open.spotify.com/show/02qictmEm8i9o5jUTw5Wy6?si=4928f1f9cabe42fd</a></div><div style="background-color: #fbfbfd; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Apple: <a href="http://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talkin-smash-podcast-powered-by-joola/id1706374396" rel="nofollow" style="color: blue; line-height: 1.4; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talkin-smash-podcast-powered-by-joola/id1706374396</a></div><p><br /></p></div>MHTableTennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11133201322697272982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3664755093752059881.post-3041025317836213952023-12-07T07:31:00.000-08:002023-12-07T07:31:26.498-08:00Talkin' Smash Podcast by JOOLA Ep6: The Atmosphere of Live Table Tennis Events with Ryan Willard<p> I was at the JOOLA North American Team Championships a couple of weeks ago, a perfect opportunity to get my friend Ryan Willard to sit down face to face with me this time. We sat together on the main tournament court with hundreds of players around us, competing on 167 tables. It was the perfect environment to talk about the atmosphere of live table tennis events. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN_zBbTdMrpPiwKsNlj4qrfO3baMhf6UWTIS4hja-0HPgscNOMiCkDdfLVs-FklBzqqmWjbpTv4BBVimndjmusz2YwvjJpCX8QEIphk7GA4CKKObIzBYEq-52yJNDlwfk39o5U7EheuQiYrk6CZ8DIDETEViL5V8FCIx3y9g7FzTDDCmzu43DFOu5732vO/s1280/Ryan%20Willard%20Ep6%20Thumbnail.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN_zBbTdMrpPiwKsNlj4qrfO3baMhf6UWTIS4hja-0HPgscNOMiCkDdfLVs-FklBzqqmWjbpTv4BBVimndjmusz2YwvjJpCX8QEIphk7GA4CKKObIzBYEq-52yJNDlwfk39o5U7EheuQiYrk6CZ8DIDETEViL5V8FCIx3y9g7FzTDDCmzu43DFOu5732vO/w400-h225/Ryan%20Willard%20Ep6%20Thumbnail.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ryan Willard joined me to talk about the haves and have nots<br />of live table tennis events!</td></tr></tbody></table><br />This is a topic I have gripes with. I think digitally table tennis presentation has improved a lot, the investment into cameras and production, particularly at the international level, has made a big difference. That being said, the majority of events still fail to fill seats. This is a huge challenge for event organizers who are trying their best to promote the sport and do new things, but also for the professional sport as a whole. <br /><br />Why do hundreds of people show up to watch sports like pickleball, cornhole, darts, snooker etc? Are those sports on a totally higher level than table tennis? I don't think so. <br /><br />Table Tennis is complex, it's hard for the average viewer to understand and comprehend. When a player does a filthy reverse pendulum serve and it gets dumped in the net - for a table tennis player this is a moment of appreciation for a great serve. For a mainstream spectator however it's lame, all they see is a serve receive error. <br /><br />There are certainly many angles to cover on this topic, I was glad to chat to Ryan about a few of those in this podcast. Be sure to check it out below on YouTube. Follow on Spotify or Apple too for your gym sessions or commute to or from work! <div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2Br3QzOPQfw" width="320" youtube-src-id="2Br3QzOPQfw"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div style="background-color: #fbfbfd; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Spotify: <a href="http://open.spotify.com/show/02qictmEm8i9o5jUTw5Wy6?si=4928f1f9cabe42fd" rel="nofollow" style="color: blue; line-height: 1.4; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://open.spotify.com/show/02qictmEm8i9o5jUTw5Wy6?si=4928f1f9cabe42fd</a></div><div style="background-color: #fbfbfd; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Apple: <a href="http://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talkin-smash-podcast-powered-by-joola/id1706374396" rel="nofollow" style="color: blue; line-height: 1.4; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talkin-smash-podcast-powered-by-joola/id1706374396</a></div><p><br /></p></div>MHTableTennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11133201322697272982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3664755093752059881.post-35184538189178780792023-11-22T06:04:00.000-08:002023-11-22T06:04:09.479-08:00Talkin' Smash Podcast by JOOLA Ep5: Overcoming Challenges in Serve Receive with Lily Zhang<p>It was great to have Lily Zhang back on the podcast. She is a fun guest, but also a 3-time US Olympian and a 6-time US National Champion! Lily and I spoke about Overcoming Challenging in Serve Receive. It was a fitting follow-up to the previous episode where <a href="http://www.mhtabletennis.com/2023/11/talkin-smash-podcast-by-joola-ep4.html">Craig Bryant and I spoke about Serve Practice Habits</a>!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvvJ3JgedSogOB8btz9fGbDtugIGD2w2qOiTiVCxYR8-rMTfzgGEN5WmtwP7lKfIxYGkeMLot5XlPZ4XZasM-60t2-Ydcp5inYQTeooPdI8U6sHKyw13ELMHl4NvfQi7AmxHE1JLIvomG37qBrfgE4hZx_RWSaDmNjV7-VAP3UbYyFD1_WDKHaMqN9kPnN/s1280/Lily%20Zhang%20Talkin%20Smash%20Ep5%20Thumbnail.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvvJ3JgedSogOB8btz9fGbDtugIGD2w2qOiTiVCxYR8-rMTfzgGEN5WmtwP7lKfIxYGkeMLot5XlPZ4XZasM-60t2-Ydcp5inYQTeooPdI8U6sHKyw13ELMHl4NvfQi7AmxHE1JLIvomG37qBrfgE4hZx_RWSaDmNjV7-VAP3UbYyFD1_WDKHaMqN9kPnN/w400-h225/Lily%20Zhang%20Talkin%20Smash%20Ep5%20Thumbnail.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Talkin' Serve Receive with Lily Zhang</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>This year Lily had written some more blog posts about her experiences in specific WTT events or matches. One of the ones which stood out was her blog about competing in a match against Japan's Mima Ito and <a href="https://joola.com/taking-on-one-of-the-worlds-best-at-wtt-singapore-smash/">Taking on the World's Best at WTT Singapore Smash!</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Serve Receive was such a prominent factor in this match, it made sense to delve into this topic with Lily and get her thoughts on the subject more. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hBdHouqqFdM" width="320" youtube-src-id="hBdHouqqFdM"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/02qictmEm8i9o5jUTw5Wy6">- Listen and Follow on Spotify</a></span><br /><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talkin-smash-powered-by-joola-ep4-the-seriously/id1706374396?i=1000634013134">- Listen and Follow on Apple Podcasts</a></div></div><br />MHTableTennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11133201322697272982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3664755093752059881.post-69525754654614083492023-11-14T09:50:00.000-08:002023-11-14T09:50:22.359-08:00Talkin' Smash Podcast by JOOLA Ep4: The Seriously Underrated Art of Service Practice with Craig Bryant<p>Already bouncing around some different topics and I have been doing my best to get the best possible guests to match with specialist topics. That being said, this Episode 4 Podcast was also a perfect match. Talkin' Service! with Craig Bryant. No better man for the job than @thettserviceguy (on Instagram).</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTUgK4ujqfTWAu0qpOmGFYfXgE7MkK8c10qdmXksNGElNyjqcrTdlk3CZGNO6efERFKOoAEZCJvq1GOLfoY_1isTmJjREi4t0D30aNOjalVkuKqw7yjIwUUBpIWuar4vN1j32Ox5eFc-HvDF1_t_DPV5NxobL3aO4wDhMUAhcWvb57v6YK_9bTvEScYqnq/s1280/Craig%20Bryant%20Talkin%20Smash%20Thumbnail.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTUgK4ujqfTWAu0qpOmGFYfXgE7MkK8c10qdmXksNGElNyjqcrTdlk3CZGNO6efERFKOoAEZCJvq1GOLfoY_1isTmJjREi4t0D30aNOjalVkuKqw7yjIwUUBpIWuar4vN1j32Ox5eFc-HvDF1_t_DPV5NxobL3aO4wDhMUAhcWvb57v6YK_9bTvEScYqnq/w400-h225/Craig%20Bryant%20Talkin%20Smash%20Thumbnail.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My guest for Episode 4 is Craig Bryant, a service master instructor!</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Craig is a former England international and a reputable coach. His <a href="https://youtu.be/EuXKHxRcRbQ?si=o6XE0Rx4v-5P1QA2">4 Killer Serves to Destroy Your Opponents</a> YouTube video with Tom Lodziak was a hit for the online table tennis crowd. The video garnered an impressive 8.7 million views.<br /><br />Now Craig is focused on building his platform and new <a href="https://coachcraigtt.wixsite.com/thettserviceguy">Coaching Website</a> as well as his social media platforms where he shares plenty of tips, tricks and fun content about the incredible art of table tennis serve. <div><br /></div><div>In this episode we talk about the importance of the serve and how much simple improvements can impact a match overall. We also talk about things that frustrate us both when we see people practicing their serves, and also people teaching serves and guiding people in serve practice. <br /><br />Overall a great podcast, we got down and nerdy on a bunch of different things and it was really fun!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7ZvIITCA3sQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="7ZvIITCA3sQ"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/02qictmEm8i9o5jUTw5Wy6">- Listen and Follow on Spotify</a></span><br /><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talkin-smash-powered-by-joola-ep4-the-seriously/id1706374396?i=1000634013134">- Listen and Follow on Apple Podcasts</a></div></div>MHTableTennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11133201322697272982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3664755093752059881.post-59131298165652465772023-10-23T12:31:00.001-07:002023-11-14T09:16:52.562-08:00Talkin' Smash Podcast by JOOLA Ep3: Setting the Record Straight on Physical Training in Table Tennis with Kevin Finn<p>We are getting some air under our wings with the new Talkin' Smash Podcast powered by JOOLA. In Episode 3, my guest is Kevin Finn - the founder and trainer behind Peak Performance Table Tennis. Kevin is a certified Strength and Conditioning coach and a published Author. We chat about physical training in table tennis, some of the misconceptions and what good habits to build and consider. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXSwqUPxvWaZt_OaIW2_JOFY7jdZo-LsGR1aLw2S3CQNG3cG5PetoTv6cUuWzPS21pBlgovKIISlJJ_VU7CD0tFrgw5mJGxp0TWOK-Bl-5DVc-GaUYKbnI1edbj4vYPUIlGOPhuGceG38o9Pp7m9vXTghtJ1a5JHhP8gchRnrT9T3RpdsiGG5YYoCp0d0w/s1280/Kevin%20Finn%20Talkin%20Smash%20Thumbnail.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXSwqUPxvWaZt_OaIW2_JOFY7jdZo-LsGR1aLw2S3CQNG3cG5PetoTv6cUuWzPS21pBlgovKIISlJJ_VU7CD0tFrgw5mJGxp0TWOK-Bl-5DVc-GaUYKbnI1edbj4vYPUIlGOPhuGceG38o9Pp7m9vXTghtJ1a5JHhP8gchRnrT9T3RpdsiGG5YYoCp0d0w/w400-h225/Kevin%20Finn%20Talkin%20Smash%20Thumbnail.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kevin Finn is my guest on Episode 3 of Talkin' Smash!</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Kevin's book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Peak-Performance-Table-Tennis-Potential/dp/1782552286/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3GESK9IIN7I01&keywords=peak+performance+table+tennis&qid=1698089093&sprefix=peak+performance+table+tennis%2Caps%2C70&sr=8-1">Peak Performance Table Tennis - Unlock Your Potential and Play Like the Pros</a> was released in November 2021, and his popularity in the field has continued to grow. Through his online platforms and social media he works with table tennis players to test his physical training programs and exercises through focus groups. This allows him to continuously fine-tune his training plans. <br /><br />From conversations on the falsely taboo muscle building in table tennis, to making the most of your physical training time by choosing the right workouts - Kevin offers a very specific knowledge in this field, especially with his own table tennis background to add into the mix. <br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/v5FaF5ZaGL4" width="320" youtube-src-id="v5FaF5ZaGL4"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">- <a href=" https://spotify.link/kn2gZFYn8Db">Listen and Follow on Spotify</a></span><br />- <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talkin-smash-podcast-powered-by-joola/id1706374396?i=1000632289699">Listen and Follow on Apple Podcasts</a></div><br /><p><br /></p>MHTableTennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11133201322697272982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3664755093752059881.post-57341757954686424652023-10-23T08:55:00.005-07:002023-10-23T08:55:53.524-07:00Talkin' Smash Podcast by JOOLA Ep2: The Overseas Experience vs. Coming Home to the USA with Lily Zhang<p> In episode 2 of the Talkin' Smash Podcast powered by JOOLA, I was joined by three-time US Olympian and six-time US National Table Tennis Champion Lily Zhang. We had a great discussion about different periods of Lily's playing career, living in different places and the pros and cons of living abroad vs. living at home in America. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNARd530c5A0eaDJL27uNmxsQLf87XX_i0Qu3dVyeHNICpzpjd0s3bNX8pHXC4Y7pOeUrnZJ3KXaJiAU9T5XNprSFNUoYRVnWUS8FhIXNAI3UQrdF5zuli-bgVFxWooEj3fWK4TKpC7AUjr5XEszAYVagQTdH8QJW760a3iM9w-C_CNQ4IXzCUyw8r79ta/s1280/Lily%20Zhang%20Talkin%20Smash%20Thumbnail.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNARd530c5A0eaDJL27uNmxsQLf87XX_i0Qu3dVyeHNICpzpjd0s3bNX8pHXC4Y7pOeUrnZJ3KXaJiAU9T5XNprSFNUoYRVnWUS8FhIXNAI3UQrdF5zuli-bgVFxWooEj3fWK4TKpC7AUjr5XEszAYVagQTdH8QJW760a3iM9w-C_CNQ4IXzCUyw8r79ta/w400-h225/Lily%20Zhang%20Talkin%20Smash%20Thumbnail.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lily Zhang joins Matt Hetherington on Episode 2 of the<br />Talkin' Smash Podcast powered by JOOLA<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table>Zhang's career, post-university graduation, saw her experience an array of different training experiences. For the first year away from home she bounced around different countries in Europe, training and competing without a base. In year two she settled and trained full time in Dusseldorf at the German National Training Center. Her next experience saw her live in China for almost a year, during the height of the pandemic - training among the world's best with the Chinese National Team and playing in the Chinese Super League. <br /><br />After these long winded and varying pathways, her journey has now brought her home to the United States - where she is based and travels regularly for overseas leagues and international tournaments. <br /><br />It was great to get Lily's insights into these totally different worlds, but more so to delve into the mental challenges of each. My goal was to speak more about the challenges which players don't think about when they endeavour to move overseas and away from home full time. Lily's knowledge and learnings in these areas, especially with her graduate background in psychology - make for a unique and interesting podcast discussion. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/l-A87SIE4a4" width="320" youtube-src-id="l-A87SIE4a4"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">-<a href="https://spotify.link/PXrscqWjDDb"> Listen on Spotify</a></span><br /><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">-<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talkin-smash-podcast-powered-by-joola/id1706374396?i=1000630222652"> Listen on Apple Podcasts</a></span></div><br />MHTableTennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11133201322697272982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3664755093752059881.post-63085302938486719072023-09-21T11:20:00.002-07:002023-09-21T11:20:19.520-07:00Talkin' Smash Podcast by JOOLA Ep1: A Newcomer's Introduction to Pro Table Tennis Ryan Willard<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Roboto, Noto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the first ever episode of the Talkin' Smash Podcast powered by JOOLA, I'm joined by one of my friends and a recognizable face in US Table Tennis - Ryan Willard. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBae4efrOr271eJ6KNB0sN_9vKCAdynfPn3ePKz1hru3A7sB4IEjMnOZlJdWSJB7I5IBNwCzknLEfD6ztf6HUdh24NWQ6jAy36Ry5gyH5uCo6JRbCg7o2Oxop3garxQ-Vsk5awa2Pze22Pfkbyc8xp5MVq0SAq8Kjbkpi9amZsljE6ZF7Ec4fj0mgFpnV2/s1280/Ryan%20Willard%20Talkin%20Smash%20Ep%201%20Thumbnail.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBae4efrOr271eJ6KNB0sN_9vKCAdynfPn3ePKz1hru3A7sB4IEjMnOZlJdWSJB7I5IBNwCzknLEfD6ztf6HUdh24NWQ6jAy36Ry5gyH5uCo6JRbCg7o2Oxop3garxQ-Vsk5awa2Pze22Pfkbyc8xp5MVq0SAq8Kjbkpi9amZsljE6ZF7Ec4fj0mgFpnV2/w400-h225/Ryan%20Willard%20Talkin%20Smash%20Ep%201%20Thumbnail.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Roboto, Noto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><span style="background-color: white; color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Roboto, Noto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Commonly seen as an MC/Host and one of my favourite co-commentators, Ryan's journey in the sport spans from being first exposed to the sport at SPiN New York, all the way to hosting the World Table Tennis Championships.
Honestly being a part of this journey with Ryan has been pretty amazing. He was literally hosting a social/pro competitive table tennis night at SPiN in New York City, and gradually over the years brought something special to the game. It has been my pleasure to work with him over many years now, and to see him go from the shadows of SPiN to the lights of the biggest table tennis events in the US and the World!
Ryan was without a doubt the perfect person to start off my new podcast with, as a seasoned podcaster himself, and also as someone who brings an entire spectrum of experience in our sport - all the way from being fresh to the game, to having seen it at its very best. </span><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Roboto, Noto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Roboto, Noto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/df7rpTfYzAE" width="320" youtube-src-id="df7rpTfYzAE"></iframe></div><br />
You can also check out the audio podcast on <a href="https://spotify.link/xA8IJzG7gDb">Spotify</a>!</span></div>MHTableTennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11133201322697272982noreply@blogger.com0Washington, DC, USA38.9071923 -77.036870710.596958463821153 -112.1931207 67.217426136178844 -41.880620699999994tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3664755093752059881.post-61368859467291738512022-01-04T12:55:00.001-08:002022-01-04T12:56:47.645-08:00New Table Tennis Coaching Videos and the JOOLA Infinity App!<p> Hi Everyone,<br /><br />I know it's been a long time since I have posted here on my blog, hopefully most of you have been able to keep up with me on my Instagram @mhtabletennis where I have been posting everyday! <br /><br />Recently, since beginning to work with JOOLA Global, I have been producing coaching videos for the new <a href="http://infinity.joola.com">JOOLA Infinity App</a>. I'm really excited to be part of this project and be able to spend some time finally delving into sharing some more special tips on techniques, experiences and tactics as well as training drills and more!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg3QVgeMv7DpfgLAxMAXiDmrXrx3W9_eWny6EbQ1B4ZQE7aW-vO6IwlrV7Yg_GXRbTus-XpFsgIYPpZvtNzaKpSCoWUl47S5dDDaNwibY19gQfsTwhIprRg7ZQk90Yevn_ocwHlK6tuM2nWABLpVyMbYwoiCB3WLXH0sgHGkYEEvGwGs12BqGjCm2O5mw=s1242" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="484" data-original-width="1242" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg3QVgeMv7DpfgLAxMAXiDmrXrx3W9_eWny6EbQ1B4ZQE7aW-vO6IwlrV7Yg_GXRbTus-XpFsgIYPpZvtNzaKpSCoWUl47S5dDDaNwibY19gQfsTwhIprRg7ZQk90Yevn_ocwHlK6tuM2nWABLpVyMbYwoiCB3WLXH0sgHGkYEEvGwGs12BqGjCm2O5mw=w640-h249" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>The app already has dozens of videos, with a good balance of free and premium content. Currently there are a handful of coaches, one being my own Physical Trainer Kevin Finn from PeakPerformance Table Tennis, and another being 3-time Olympian Lily Zhang. <br /><br />There are a handful of new videos released to the platform each week, and the number of coaches and content types will only continue to expand as the app grows!<br /><br />You can <a href="http://onelink.to/joola" target="_blank">DOWNLOAD the JOOLA Infinity App HERE</a>!<br /><br />To kick things off, I am uploading weekly videos from my 11-part Basics for Beginners series of videos from the app, you can check out the first one below on the basic racket grip. Many of you will be too advanced in your game for these, but perhaps you can share them with friends who are looking to get into the game!<br /><br />This is the perfect chance for anyone from a basement ping pong player, to an aspiring table tennis player, to learn something to enhance their game.<br /><br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="432" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hkPTz3kQpeY" width="520" youtube-src-id="hkPTz3kQpeY"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I hope you will all join the app and join me as I continue to work hard putting out more videos!</div><br />MHTableTennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11133201322697272982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3664755093752059881.post-29223280515470112332020-12-14T08:38:00.002-08:002020-12-14T08:38:30.664-08:00Four Useful Tools for Improving Your Long Fast Serves in Table Tennis<p> Still in the process of getting all of my videos summarized and up here on the blog, I'm hoping to get more productive moving forward. I know I keep saying it, but this time cross your fingers and hopefully it will be true :)<br /><br />In this article I will do a quick four point summary of my tutorial video on the long fast serve!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQCPUdFRIfgOvDUBPIC09WtCQYayLRS7jjutsDh4oIKFLMSuVz2cIBbOQc_Cet7MPd3vPIrfO5iexfxKL4rb8B1DLtY4I9oJk2PdyyAqKarrI7PZZjXA7hUqdCWCS1vGoj-TV-1t_BjcZq/s480/longfastserve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQCPUdFRIfgOvDUBPIC09WtCQYayLRS7jjutsDh4oIKFLMSuVz2cIBbOQc_Cet7MPd3vPIrfO5iexfxKL4rb8B1DLtY4I9oJk2PdyyAqKarrI7PZZjXA7hUqdCWCS1vGoj-TV-1t_BjcZq/s320/longfastserve.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4 Key Factors for High Quality<br />Long Fast Table Tennis Serves</td></tr></tbody></table><br />See below, the video tutorial which covers the 4 points, you can also read the summary points I have written below - the video is 13 minutes long in more of a detailed style, so if you don't have time now, perhaps save it for later! :)<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0I6av9-m2GI" width="320" youtube-src-id="0I6av9-m2GI"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>1. Serve Depth</b><br /><br />An effective long-fast serve needs to consistently be deep on the table, this means getting as close to the back edge, side edge or corners as possible. A good exercise for this is to put a towel on the table or a marker and ensure that you can consistently serve inside a deeper 'zone' on the table.<br /><br /><b>2. Serve Speed</b><br /><br />In order to make your long fast serves most effective, they need to have a quick and low trajectory. A long serve which lacks speed is not going to be useful in matches. A good way to practice this is to put a slightly weighted object (usually empty boxes are good) on the end of the table, and practice serving fast to try and knock the item back towards and off the table edge. <br /><br /><b>3. Serve Actions</b><br /><br />It is important that you are able to reduce any tells with your service actions. Long fast serves need to be a surprise to your opponent in order to have maximum effect. You should practice connecting short, half-long and long serves with similar actions - in order to disguise them. You can practice serving in pairs of short/long with the same/similar actions.<br /><br /><b>4. Serve Precision</b><br /><br />Putting a ball on the table or some kind of small target can help increase your serve accuracy. As your table tennis opponents get more high level, it is important to be able to target specific places on the table. Knowing how to adjust your weight transfer, direction and contact in order to achieve a pinpoint placement is vital, and so using small targets as demonstrated in the video can be useful.<br /><br />These are all things that can also add to making your serve practice more engaging and purposeful. If you are trying to improve your long fast serves, perhaps some of this information can be useful to you!<br /><br />Thanks for reading, and if you haven't already be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and help share some of the videos to get them to others who may find them useful too!</div><br /><div><br /><br /><p><br /></p></div>MHTableTennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11133201322697272982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3664755093752059881.post-25511793525822015872020-10-23T07:31:00.002-07:002020-10-23T07:31:37.600-07:00Master the Backspin Ghost Serve in 4 Simple Steps (feat. Sam Walker)<p> I decided it would be a great time to upload all of my coaching tutorial videos to the blog, this might take a while, but now that people are returning steadily to the table it seems like a good time to refresh people's memories! <br /><br />This was a great set of 4 simple tips for mastering the ghost serve, along with some handy advice and demonstration from England's Sam Walker, a Commonwealth Games quarterfinalist, World Team Championship and World Team Cup bronze medalist! </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXDsmsVyWcw5UzrdBx_2pFniTlDk23uOXATc0zJJQh5bWO9C3P3d5vNr9GQYdZQWpszm4IKs_sHYT0iF58KHjPP37QQ-Q4q2jNlmE4rkm5pnH0g94GoFr1pYj0oqcI8zK0KP6rw59Et84M/s800/cover.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXDsmsVyWcw5UzrdBx_2pFniTlDk23uOXATc0zJJQh5bWO9C3P3d5vNr9GQYdZQWpszm4IKs_sHYT0iF58KHjPP37QQ-Q4q2jNlmE4rkm5pnH0g94GoFr1pYj0oqcI8zK0KP6rw59Et84M/s320/cover.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Master the Ghost Serve with MHTableTennis and Sam Walker</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Hope you enjoy the video below, please note these videos are a little longer and more detailed. Hopefully they help you learn this great serve, and also improve your backspin contact in the long term!<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hXid4OCukMg" width="320" youtube-src-id="hXid4OCukMg"></iframe></div><br /><div><br /><br /><p><br /></p><br /></div>MHTableTennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11133201322697272982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3664755093752059881.post-38697754006307754052020-05-14T20:01:00.000-07:002020-05-14T20:01:41.527-07:0030 Table Tennis Coaching Tutorials in 30 Days from MHTableTennisI'm on a mission to create 30 coaching tutorial videos in the next 30 days. I started off days 1 and 2 with tutorials on the basic forehand and backhand loop techniques against backspin. Tomorrow I will release a tutorial on the backhand banana flick.<br />
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The current situation has left me with no work for the past 2 months, meaning covering my health insurance and medical costs is a new challenge. In an effort to support myself I have opened up an optional donation/contribution platform for anyone who finds these videos useful for their game and may wish to show their support.<br />
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You can make a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-mhtabletennis-professional-coach">contribution here.</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKm44lyUdIG1XiqFKtfVtSRnhmAzzN7__IfAOWRS8ADrv_2owmxqXqlvn_yioBMcbBKhMK9vXt6zNnhUSZ1_fcpIkxTZaoOLI1jwWJLDF9jQ7vOoOUXalcXsKip7BiKhc1TttDidUIS14x/s1600/joolamh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="952" data-original-width="960" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKm44lyUdIG1XiqFKtfVtSRnhmAzzN7__IfAOWRS8ADrv_2owmxqXqlvn_yioBMcbBKhMK9vXt6zNnhUSZ1_fcpIkxTZaoOLI1jwWJLDF9jQ7vOoOUXalcXsKip7BiKhc1TttDidUIS14x/s320/joolamh.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">30 Table Tennis Coaching Tutorial Videos in 30 Days</td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a>You will be able to find videos covering different table tennis techniques and training methods, as well as some physical and home training routines. On my channel you will also find my first collection of videos in the Service Masterclass series.<br />
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Head to my <a href="http://www.youtube.com/mhtabletennis">YouTube Channel</a> now to check it out.<br />
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You can also reach me at mhtabletennis@gmail.com for Zoom/Skype coaching, video analysis or other online coaching options.<br />
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I hope you enjoy the content and it helps you all with your game and learning in this wonderful sport. Be safe and best wishes to you all!MHTableTennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11133201322697272982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3664755093752059881.post-87535967202430828182020-04-10T02:07:00.000-07:002020-04-10T02:12:19.370-07:00The Critical Difference Between a Table Tennis Player and a Table Tennis AthleteWell overdue for some blog post additions to my coaching blog, and here is one I hold in very high regard. People often ask what it takes to become a top table tennis player, well that line says it all in itself. I like to separate the term player and athlete, because I believe there are key differences in how people approach these and their attitudes and mentality. I will explain.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCiwBHXrodh1boWF8THU1dA72HWzIFErnkQPy9S1tLRZQPAcKu8Ezvoy3eOokx9qG-O2zJF4eXt4Brp42-Qdbz76qY4l55zeotP_4adL4pboVtVMFGokSCUzw4EOXZhxfVKmrtiRWrMnXP/s1600/Geraldo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="929" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCiwBHXrodh1boWF8THU1dA72HWzIFErnkQPy9S1tLRZQPAcKu8Ezvoy3eOokx9qG-O2zJF4eXt4Brp42-Qdbz76qY4l55zeotP_4adL4pboVtVMFGokSCUzw4EOXZhxfVKmrtiRWrMnXP/s320/Geraldo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The steps to become a table tennis 'athlete'<br />
and a potential professional</td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a>In my eyes a table tennis player can train very hard, and they can become very good at what they do, but what sets the professionals above the rest? They are not mere players, they don't train like table tennis players, they train like athletes - the full package.<br />
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To become successful in table tennis you need to broaden your horizons and embrace the habits and discipline of an athlete.<br />
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I categorize table tennis 'players' as those who generally work hard on the table, but are lacking in other areas off the table that supplement their game. They get a lot of training time, drills and match practice, but are lacking in the areas of hard physical training, mental training, and improving their tactical knowledge and experience.<br />
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Why do the best individuals rise to the highest levels in table tennis? Let me break it down by using the 4 Pillars of Performance - which I have recently embraced as the core principles of my Coaching Blog.<br />
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<b>Technical:</b><br />
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A table tennis athlete will work relentless on technique, repetitions, tailored drills to focus on key technical areas, technical analysis by coach, video and training partners alike. Techniques will be adapted, expanded, broken down and examined for each mechanic in order to create efficiency, precision and technical mastery.<br />
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<b>Tactical:</b><br />
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Athletes will learn service set plays, analysis of opponents, evaluation skills after matches (whether they won or lost). They will prepare across the season for major tournaments and build tactics around the strengths in their game, and prepare strategies and tactics for players of all styles and levels. An athlete will constantly measure the effectiveness of their tactics and expand their knowledge and experience in competition as they grow.<br />
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<b>Physical:</b><br />
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Here is a major part of the growth to becoming a successful athlete. Here students and developing athletes will work rigorously to improve speed, power, cardio and stamina in order to maximize their training output and performance. Here it is also important to include resting and dietary habits, monitoring of energy levels throughout training sessions and tournaments. This is an area where most players fail to take their commitment seriously enough to progress to the next levels in the game.<br />
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<b>Mental: </b><br />
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Mental training is a tough subject area because most people don't fully understand how to do it. This step combines visualization, meditation, stress management and reflection and also includes attitude management on the table. All of these have direct relation to how an athlete can perform in competition and also how the standard of their practice and discipline can be managed.<br />
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In order to be a successful athlete in table tennis, and have a chance to progress and follow dreams of becoming a professional - you need to have a strong combination of ALL 4 of these Pillars of Performance. Shortcomings in just one of the areas will effect your overall ability to produce your best results.<br />
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For example a player who is strong with tactics and mental game, but weak with technique and physical training can struggle with a player who has balanced all 4 elements. Similarly a player with a weaker mental game and poor tactics can have the best athleticism and technique, but fall to players who play with a strong tactical knowledge and a watertight mental game.<br />
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This is an important theory for any players who really want to take any sport seriously, not just table tennis.MHTableTennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11133201322697272982noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3664755093752059881.post-85962627283919595192020-04-02T21:30:00.000-07:002020-04-02T21:30:18.127-07:00Learn the Topspin Hook Kick Table Tennis ServeThis service tutorial is all about the hook serve and how we can produce as much topspin kick on the ball as possible.<br />
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You can find this video and more service tutorials in my Service Masterclass Playlist at:<br />
- <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2aaDGCx_-I&list=PL1OgxW4ZU40a9x7g3ENsquR30Yse6LKT7">MHTableTennis Service Masterclass YouTube Playlist</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO-zmEzY1hOL0q8F-8PWyE_ZyCr8uj6jbuGnZPwJ_Ldue0gCio6gWd2lumWJcNrx_VJcZEVFLCVTLabljhe4yxGf1ZJ2QMibuZi2L__DIxca56scIsp3AIO9vBPYK9z-1dgT86ZR4vw71w/s1600/cover.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO-zmEzY1hOL0q8F-8PWyE_ZyCr8uj6jbuGnZPwJ_Ldue0gCio6gWd2lumWJcNrx_VJcZEVFLCVTLabljhe4yxGf1ZJ2QMibuZi2L__DIxca56scIsp3AIO9vBPYK9z-1dgT86ZR4vw71w/s320/cover.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Learn a heavy topspin kick serve<br />with mhtabletennis.com</td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a>Check out the video below with some useful tips on the mechanics of the serve and also the vital details of how to maximize the topspin kick you can achieve on the service!<br />
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Please take a moment to subscribe to my channel, more tutorial videos will be coming!</div>
<br />MHTableTennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11133201322697272982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3664755093752059881.post-51831658821435230812020-03-29T22:10:00.001-07:002020-03-29T22:10:44.476-07:00Learn the Basic Backhand Serve in Table TennisMy Service Masterclass series (which can be found on my <a href="http://www.youtube.com/mhtabletennis">YouTube Channel</a>) has been getting regular daily updates and I have already uploaded a video each day for the last 7 days. This video focuses on why it is important to have a backhand serve on hand for matches, and goes over the basics of the backhand serve.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFpqT08jAOENSTUkPQqW8vzVkSPEHtoGz9QLnO4zIXYQVxxTqnvic9St1BqRwXZhvhHo1zv1RdUoQT7sV7A3dxpYyeqsqRMOZkD0LV9i9lvfSXVSVujVN9hw8vSlm7dvyuUgT0aGK6DhTS/s1600/cover.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFpqT08jAOENSTUkPQqW8vzVkSPEHtoGz9QLnO4zIXYQVxxTqnvic9St1BqRwXZhvhHo1zv1RdUoQT7sV7A3dxpYyeqsqRMOZkD0LV9i9lvfSXVSVujVN9hw8vSlm7dvyuUgT0aGK6DhTS/s320/cover.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Learn the backhand serve in table tennis<br />with mhtabletennis.com</td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a>This video goes over the basic mechanics of the serve, and the benefits of using it, including table position, angles/placements and spin deviation! Enjoy!<br />
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<br />MHTableTennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11133201322697272982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3664755093752059881.post-79067697394383160952020-03-27T23:42:00.000-07:002020-03-27T23:42:15.707-07:00How to Change the Spin on Your Pendulum Table Tennis ServesHere is another video from my Service Masterclass series. This focuses on the weight transfer, service motion and changing of spins on the pendulum serve in table tennis.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw5CBAtCfRPlFIXoohDRu5pE5oHVy-RbwPaZYhWxeamyTJdCiCZkesscNE-8BdzbbLm4xh1C8upYuJSnYbd8fFSDfr52_fvTBLOD9BNVfmJyYVfr6_FR7PjbyaiwBn4oiVQXHLzuR7WVxD/s1600/cover.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw5CBAtCfRPlFIXoohDRu5pE5oHVy-RbwPaZYhWxeamyTJdCiCZkesscNE-8BdzbbLm4xh1C8upYuJSnYbd8fFSDfr52_fvTBLOD9BNVfmJyYVfr6_FR7PjbyaiwBn4oiVQXHLzuR7WVxD/s320/cover.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How to Change the Spin on the Pendulum Serve<br />with mhtabletennis.com</td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a>A common problem area for many players is that of changing the spin from different contact points on the pendulum swing. Be sure to check out the video below and to subscribe to my channel for more service videos (and more topics to come later!<div>
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MHTableTennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11133201322697272982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3664755093752059881.post-83731558726807088422020-03-26T22:27:00.000-07:002020-03-26T22:27:19.700-07:00Improving Service Deception in Table TennisHere is a video tutorial on a couple of tips for improving service deception in table tennis. This ties in with a blog post that I wrote some time ago which you can read here:<br /><br />- <a href="http://www.mhtabletennis.com/2016/09/5-steps-for-mastering-service-deception.html">5 Steps for Mastering Service Deception in Table Tennis</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDdB4RQ4HNr0ha2Iz4NjtuCUvTvoTVpXHP7zJ9tB7njCA4Of4ULVbKb6h59awkF6eZh4cBUyd9EATwIglsdq02iCJ0OW-lf9Rhj3e3UbmF7Z0XY5Hg9mKtHyO1mtLLAoUlfCjuNmAG1lyU/s1600/cover.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDdB4RQ4HNr0ha2Iz4NjtuCUvTvoTVpXHP7zJ9tB7njCA4Of4ULVbKb6h59awkF6eZh4cBUyd9EATwIglsdq02iCJ0OW-lf9Rhj3e3UbmF7Z0XY5Hg9mKtHyO1mtLLAoUlfCjuNmAG1lyU/s320/cover.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Master deceptive table tennis serves with these<br />simple tips from mhtabletennis.com</td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a>The following seminar style video has two main focus points - contact of the ball on the bottom axis to create either backspin, sidespin or topspin variations (while maintaining the same contact point on the ball), and also follow-through actions.<br />
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<br />MHTableTennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11133201322697272982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3664755093752059881.post-11005285730510482822020-03-26T01:14:00.000-07:002020-03-26T01:14:40.786-07:00Learning and Developing a Basic Backspin Table Tennis ServeContinuing on with my service masterclass series of small videos from my basement, here is a short seminar on the basic foundation technique for the simple core of the short backspin service. This is very important to practice regularly so that you can continue imparting more and more backspin on the ball and then place the core motion into matchplay service actions!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj05eI7mm-0FEMYVOnBOlQ_NS2MNL5fV6oLpqkvqaGOcae91sxKjxXXoKQ9zgpO0T483tn3RcaDMnz1dkDSxeDibvLkBXOYIpC141NyGnEDKRK1yEV3IGjv4ALPlcDy9VzFgn5ZqJvi6HMa/s1600/cover.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj05eI7mm-0FEMYVOnBOlQ_NS2MNL5fV6oLpqkvqaGOcae91sxKjxXXoKQ9zgpO0T483tn3RcaDMnz1dkDSxeDibvLkBXOYIpC141NyGnEDKRK1yEV3IGjv4ALPlcDy9VzFgn5ZqJvi6HMa/s320/cover.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Learn the basic backspin table tennis serve<br />with mhtabletennis.com</td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a>The tutorial video focuses on keeping the action relaxed, yet concise, cutting away all the unnecessary parts in order to hone in on the most important part of the serve - the contact. Some of you should find these tips useful if backspin serves are something you have been struggling with!<br />
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<br />MHTableTennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11133201322697272982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3664755093752059881.post-79027094330253233282020-03-25T02:04:00.000-07:002020-03-25T02:04:34.611-07:00Improving Service Spin and Contact Quality in Table TennisTrying to get out daily videos at the moment and thought I'd direct my attention towards a Service Masterclass series. This one demonstrates the importance of utilizing the thumb and finger as a fundamental mechanic in your service motion to generate the highest possible amount of spin.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixz9Jh9w9ky4N2ffQ7fQm2-umSut-NSUBMkNHUl22rsaBGspj_uqH-Yq0S7EFTYue5e4lA_Mv9NyVl0y73jRzUkdAW5C2fAOpTT9-Tbn93ST54gfuBktWS6Zqfh-CWwusiYFZyjKxM0LqS/s1600/cover.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixz9Jh9w9ky4N2ffQ7fQm2-umSut-NSUBMkNHUl22rsaBGspj_uqH-Yq0S7EFTYue5e4lA_Mv9NyVl0y73jRzUkdAW5C2fAOpTT9-Tbn93ST54gfuBktWS6Zqfh-CWwusiYFZyjKxM0LqS/s320/cover.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Create a service action which maximizes your<br />spin potential!</td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a>In this video I try to focus on some key aspects to executing a heavier spin service, things like keeping the arm muscles relaxed, and driving acceleration through the waist and into the head of your racket in order to make the best quality contact on the ball. Hope you enjoy this:<br />
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<br />MHTableTennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11133201322697272982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3664755093752059881.post-57500283930646171352020-03-23T16:35:00.001-07:002020-03-25T02:00:03.798-07:003 Easy Steps to Learn and Develop the Reverse Pendulum Serve in Table TennisWell I'm finally back. 10 days so far in isolation and I managed to haul a table out and clear some space so I can create some useful coaching content. One of the things that I'm really happy about is that I can now prepare some coaching advice on technical aspects of the game, things which I couldn't put into words. I have time to make video given the current world climate. Hope you are all safe and you enjoy my video on the Reverse Pendulum Serve!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Learn the Reverse Pendulum Table Tennis Serve<br />
in just 3 Steps with MHTableTennis</td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a>The video centers on three parts: weight transfer, the correct shape of the service motion, and the contact. It doesn't go into complications like which spin and many aspects which confuse from the basic execution. Hope you find it useful, as usual - any question please send to mhtabletennis@gmail.com<br />
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MHTableTennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11133201322697272982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3664755093752059881.post-12675282767402955162019-06-12T23:32:00.000-07:002019-06-12T23:32:49.021-07:00Understanding the Purpose to a Table Tennis Training DrillAn area of training which is often overlooked, particular by young developing players, is understanding the main focus/purpose of a training drill. This is a very important learning phase for players in their improvement and also the efficiency of their practice. It also aids individuals in choosing the right practice drills to help enhance particular areas of their game.<br /><br />You can find a full range of coaching topics on my <a href="http://www.mhtabletennis.com/p/coaching-blog.html">Coaching Blog.</a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">USA's Lily Zhang<br />Courtesy of ITTF</td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a>Each drill in table tennis serves a specific practice in order to enhance a player's game or to help translate into match skills or ability. Learning to understand the purpose of each training drill can help you get the most out of a training drill, and also in how to adapt and re-purpose training drills to suit your desired outcomes.<br /><br />Focusing on the wrong thing in a training drill can result in a lack of improvement, even after a 'good' practice session.<br /><br /><b>Focusing on the Wrong Things: </b><br />Take for example the drill three-point forehand. A player can go into a drill hitting forehands at 90-100% and do their best to keep up with the footwork speed and positioning. What is the end result? Perhaps a low average in the number of strokes and movements performed per ball, with a focus on improving forehand technique. This 'purpose' is not necessarily the key purpose of the drill.<br /><br />The improvement from performing a low number of high quality repetitions does not maximize the benefits from the training drill.<br /><br />The true focus of three point forehand is the positioning and footwork movements.<br /><br />A player in position should be able to hit a powerful forehand already, the goal of three-point forehand - first and foremost - is to work on footwork muscle memory, forehand positioning and the timing and execution of forehand strokes from different points on the table.<br /><br />A player focusing on forehand power in the drill may average for example 8-10 stroke repetitions per ball.<br /><br />A player who understands the focus of the drill would aim to reduce the power in the forehand stroke and focus on mastering consistent and efficient footwork movements, stroke positioning and timing of the ball. A player who focuses on this can achieve for example 15-20 stroke repetitions per ball.<br /><br />This may not seem like a big difference, but results in a faster improvement in the main focus, forehand footwork.Keep the stroke consistent in order to maximize the number of movement repetitions.<br /><br />The player who practices this is more likely to move faster and more automatically into position for a forehand at any point on the table during a match. In contrast, a player who focuses more on the power and quality of the forehand and less on the repetition of movement is more likely to make positioning or timing errors in a match - in which case the quality of the forehand ball is reduced anyway.<br /><br /><b>Drill Purpose as a Training Partner:</b><br />Not only is it important to understand the purpose of a drill when you are training, but also when you are blocking or controlling a drill for your training partner.<br /><br />Take for example a simple opening drill. A player serves short backspin, you push long and the server then initiates an opening ball.<br /><br />What is the purpose of the drill?<br /><br />Some may consider as a controlling partner that the purpose of the drill is for their training partner to achieve as many openings as possible. This is not correct training method.<br /><br />Even as a control partner, every action must serve a purpose.<br /><br />As the receiver, a player should be thinking of how to make the first opening ball difficult for their opponent. Being a controller does not mean feeding a simple long return to your practice partner, in order to maximize training on both ends of the table, it is the job of the controller to simulate a match environment.<br /><br />In this example, the receiver should be looking to make a purposeful, deep and heavy push with intent. The intention is to make your training partner work for their opening ball.<br /><br />As the player receiving the serve my goals and focus would be simple:<br /><br />- Perform a low, deep and heavy backspin long push, with pace.<br />- Aim for 3 outcomes: force an error on opening, induce a passive push return for a player not in position to attack or induce a weak opening from an effective long push.<br />- Follow up on the hopefully effective service receive.<br /><br />Why is this important for both players? Well firstly the controller must achieve something from every drill, there are ways to improve from your drills and from your partner's.<br /><br />Secondly, the quality of the drill improves for both players. By improving the execution of your long push you are forcing your training partner to make adaptations to their opening ball - to move into position faster, to transfer weight faster and to produce a better quality ball.<br /><br />As your training partner improves in this aspect, you must then continue to adapt your serve receive to become more difficult, or improve how you respond to the quality of the first opening ball.<br /><br />As players focus more on executing the main focus of the drill, each player continues to make improvements to how they carry out the training drill - and both players improve, forces to constantly work to execute the drill at higher and higher standards.<br />
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Below is prime example of ways you can improve your blocking variation in order to practice different blocking styles, and also to challenge your training partner more in their drills with variations.<br />
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<br /><b>Understanding Training Drill Purpose Helps with Drill Selection:</b><br />By gaining an understanding of the outcomes and focus of different drills, you also gain more knowledge in what drills can specifically help develop areas of the game which you need to work on.<br /><br />Take for example a drill where a player receives short on the forehand side with a backhand banana flick and then recovers to play the next ball on their backhand corner.<br /><br />What is the purpose of the drill? The main focus of the drill is the recovery from an extreme placement range. My goal is to move away from my backhand, risking exposure in order to receive serve, and then recover quickly in order to execute my next stroke. As a training player my goal for this drill would be to ensure I execute the backhand recovery stroke every ball. Repeating this success helps me to improve my recovery at the extreme range of covering the whole table.<br /><br />If I understand the key purpose of this drill, I can be more aware of the need to select a drill like that in the case that it becomes a weak area for me in matches.<br /><br />I can also make adaptations to the drill in order to make it even more challenging, for example I can receive short on the forehand side with a backhand banana flick and then move to a step-around forehand on the backhand corner.<br /><br /><b>Knowledge of Training Drills Helps Evaluate Training:</b><br />By outlining the key purpose of each drill it becomes easier to set small goals and evaluate the success of your training sessions - allowing you to monitor improvement more effectively.<br /><br />A good example is the transition and anticipation drill playing backhand to backhand with your partner switching the ball to your forehand at any time.<br /><br />The main purpose of the drill is to anticipate the change to the forehand, to move into position for the forehand ball and to execute a well-placed forehand stroke.<br /><br />So going into this classic drill my goal can be as simple as, executing the forehand change 80% of the time.<br /><br />I can build on this by saying my goal may be to execute the forehand ball 80% of the time with placement to the cross-court corner, or with placement down the line. I could say my goal is to execute the forehand 100% of the time, or that at least 50% of the time I need to execute the forehand ball to the elbow of my training partner.<br /><br />Having purpose in your training drills and setting small goals allows you to evaluate your training and also to see where further improvements need to be made. It also allows you to progress and continue to challenge yourself in training by using the same drill sets - by simply changing the main focus of your practice.<br /><br /><b>Training Without Purpose is a Dead-End:</b><br />If you simply train monotonous drills like three point forehand, falkenberg and other fixed position drills, without focusing on the purpose of your training then you will develop at much slower rates than your peers.<br /><br />Mindless training does result in improvement, it slowly improves techniques and movements through repetition and muscle memory training. However, a smart player will always try and look for a deeper focus to the drill, thus making training more relevant and more meaningful.<br /><br />There are many questions you can ask in order to help you transform your training sessions:<br /><br /><i>- What skills will I take from this drill into my matchplay?<br />- What are the weaker areas of my game and how can I tailor my training drills to improve them?<br />- What am I learning from the drills I choose each session?<br />- How can I adapt training drills in order to best suit my needs?<br /></i><br />
But most importantly these questions:<br />
<i>- What is the main purpose of the drill, where should my focus be?</i><br /><i>- How should I train in this drill to consider it a successful training session?</i><br /><i>- Why am I practicing this? What can I do to get the most benefit from it?</i><br /><br />There are always many things to consider when training, but I believe that gaining knowledge of training drills and their main purpose is a vital skill to become, not only a smart player, but a valuable training partner.<br /><br />Hopefully this is useful to some of you and gives you some things to think about next time you practice. As always you can reach my by email at <a href="mailto:mhtabletennis@gmail.com">mhtabletennis@gmail.com</a> or through message on my facebook page!MHTableTennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11133201322697272982noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3664755093752059881.post-10339011623133255492019-03-04T19:40:00.000-08:002019-03-05T09:02:04.346-08:00Pitchford Aims to Open Dialogue Around Depression and the Pressures and Expectations of Succeeding in SportI recently had a great, long, talk with Liam Pitchford about him opening up publicly about his battles with depression and becoming an advocate for Samaritans and how he dealt with the pressures of chasing the dream to become one of the world's best players.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pitchford wants the dialogue to be open on mental health<br />
Image courtesy of ITTFWorld</td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a>Liam Pitchford is one of the world's leading players, having recently broken into the top 20 players on the ITTF Men's World Ranking and having been part of an England team which is making strong impressions in the world of table tennis.<br />
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In 2010 the young prodigy relocated from his home in England to Germany, where he signed with TTF-Leibherr Ochsenhausen in the first division of the German Bundesliga. <br />
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At that time he was still a junior and had already represented England at the Commonwealth Games. <br />
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At a glance you may marvel at his success and think it was all a result of hard training and competition, but for Liam Pitchford – and many others like him, there were hurdles to pass that were unseen by the public eye. <br />
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“Moving overseas was hard at first, I come from a very close knit family, but it was something I really wanted to pursue so I went for it,” says Pitchford, who recently became an advocate for Samaritans and shared his experiences openly.<br />
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He identifies the loss of a someone close to him and an environment that he wasn't fond of as major contributors to the start of his problems, and that seeds of doubt about his future in the sport plagued him constantly as he dealt with his struggles.<br />
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I had a great chat with Liam about his experiences. We spoke about the road to success in sport, focusing on his table tennis journey. One of the things which stood out was identifying the amount of sacrifice and investment to achieve, and how that emotional investment can get you trapped once you start to doubt the future. It's a feeling of no way forward but no way out. <br />
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Liam described it was a hole that he couldn't get out of that constantly got deeper as his problems compounded. <br />
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In particular it opened up some dialogue about the focus on rankings and results, and how a deeply invested player can struggle when they aren't getting the results they desire. <br />
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“I think if you are not in a good state of mind and the results are not going your way there can be big problems, especially if there aren't people around that really care for your well-being in a personal way, not just as a player.”<br />
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It became more obvious to him when his winning experiences felt empty and even good results couldn't satisfy him, even though he knew he wasn't losing interest in the sport. <br />
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Liam reflects on the experience and notes that he had never experienced it before and didn't know who to turn to for help.<br />
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“As someone who always keeps my cards close to my chest, it was hard to make that first step.”<br />
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He says there's definitely a wide-spread stigma around mental health for men and that we need to 'man up' and deal with our problems. With suicide rates among middle-aged men increasing year by year, it is vital to start taking steps to help people going through tough times – especially while they are still young. In his home, the UK, suicide is the biggest killer of males under the age of 45, a devastating statistic.<br />
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Pitchford admitted he hadn't heard any published stories in table tennis of players struggling or facing these problems, which he felt was a shame because other players who had come through these issues could contribute back to the table tennis community and he is sure there are others who have gone through similar issues to what he went through. Putting his own personal story out in the open was a bold step, but one he believes could help others.<br />
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As more young aspiring players develop and chase their dreams, the English star believes that we need to paint a better picture of what it takes to make it to the top, focusing on all the aspects and challenges. Young players need to know what to expect and how to cope with difficulties when they arise. <br />
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Pitchford's career may have stalled momentarily while he faced his demons, but he stepped up to the plate and faced his problems head-on. With the help of a supporting family and partner, coaches and professional help – he was able to start fresh. After relocating to Sweden and beginning to compete in the French league, things started to come right. He now lives in Denmark with his girlfriend and has a fresh and positive mindset on things.<br />
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Liam Pitchford joins an exclusive club by defeating</div>
Olympic Champion, Ma Long.<br />
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With that fresh mental state and a better understanding of how to deal with pressures and obstacles moving forward, we have seen Liam Pitchford catapult into the spotlight. He now sits among some of the world's best players – having defeated reigning Olympic Champion Ma Long last year, one of the few foreign players ever to do so. <br />
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The game is changing and Liam also notes that the new ranking system means that young aspiring players will have heavier competition schedules if they are too focused on rankings. His advice is to carefully balance schedules and focus on developing and being comfortable in the environment first, instead of pushing too hard from the beginning.<br />
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He has some great advice for those who may be struggling in their pursuit of their goals too:<br />
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“I don't want people to think that it's somehow showing weakness by admitting that you have a problem. In my case it's made me a lot strong and wiser coming through it and making that step to ask for help.<br />
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I would say make that first step and talk to someone, that can be the most difficult part. After that the ball is rolling and everything will start to become easier with time.”<br />
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Wise words from Liam Pitchford and a story that needs to be told, from him and other athletes like him. We need to prepare our youth to be ready for these challenges, and they need role models to follow – not just through the good times and amazing matches and results, but also through harder times, injuries, mental health issues, fluctuations in form. <br />
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Liam Pitchford is lighting the stage for others to step up and tell their story. <br />
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If you are experiencing things similar to Liam's story, or other challenges, remember the road forward is best set upon with the support of others. Talk to your friends, teammates, coaches, family and if necessary professionals. <br />
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Nations also have hotlines and support services available, just a google search away, don't be afraid to reach out for help.</div>
MHTableTennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11133201322697272982noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3664755093752059881.post-51079631041541446042019-02-25T22:58:00.000-08:002019-02-25T22:58:19.827-08:00Simple Foundations of Balance and Movement in Table TennisToday I'm going to get into something which seems very basic, but incorrect foundations when it comes to maintaining balance or moving in table tennis are usually major contributors to poor technique, timing and table coverage. So let's observe some simple, yet important, foundations.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dimitrij Ovtcharov with exceptional balance<br />
Courtesy of ITTFWorld</td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a><b>Where to Start? - Stance: </b>The first place to start when learning table tennis (and troubleshooting balance issues) is from the neutral starting position. So what are the important things to remember:<br />
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- <i>Feet and Legs</i>: Shoulder-width apart and with knees bent. Your body weight should be distributed on the front half of your foot towards your toes.<br />
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- <i>Chest and Core: </i>Core should be firm and chest should be a little forward, this helps balance your center of gravity and prevent you from being too upright or leaning once points begin.<br />
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<i>- Free Hand: </i>Your non-playing hand should be up in parallel to your racket starting position, as illustrated below by Pingskills coach Jeff Plumb. This assists you with general balance and also with guiding shots and aiming.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A demonstration of the free hand and stance position<br />
Courtesy of Pingskills</td></tr>
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<b>Important Pointers for Footwork: </b><br />
<b>- </b><i>Make Correct Footwork Techniques: </i>Practicing footwork can be done in drills, or off the table. If you feel you need to work more on your footwork speed, muscle memory and technique - try doing some drills away from the table. Focus mainly on single step footwork and shuffle-step (sidestep), you can also practice cross-step and pivot if necessary. These are the four main footwork methods.<br />
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You can also later do practice drills focusing on footwork, including movements into the table (for short balls), combined with other footwork techniques.<br />
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- <i>Maintain Focus on the Table: </i>This means not turning away from the table, not running or zig-zagging to get to the ball. Correct footwork within the table limits is side to side (like a crab!). Your shoulders should remain pointing towards the opposite side of the table in order to best execute your strokes.<br />
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<i>- Balancing with Footwork Movements: </i>In order to maintain the best balance, be sure to move efficiently and try and get into position early. The best thing to do is to have your foot planted (particularly on your forehand) near the ball contact <i>before</i> you start your stroke.<br />
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This ensures your body weight is not still in motion when you make contact. You should be stationary when you make your stroke and contact, this way no excess body weight goes into the ball, and/or body weight doesn't shift in a different direction to your stroke.<br />
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<b>Focus on Basics!</b><br />
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Remember that sometimes the simple problems can be amplified in table tennis. With a small and lightweight ball under the pressure of much larger forces, the tiniest error can cause a much greater outcome to what you might expect.<br /><br />A simple example is looping a ball with your body weight on your heels. Players usually end up with their body weight back and stance taller, shoulders back, sending the ball soaring over the end of the table or up into the air. Often it all begins from the small mechanics of positioning and balance.<br /><br />So if you are a beginner or developing player, these simple ideas should help you - and if your level is higher, why not go over a checklist and make sure that you have these foundation skills all correct!<br />
<br />MHTableTennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11133201322697272982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3664755093752059881.post-50063586490966896912019-02-18T20:06:00.000-08:002019-02-18T20:08:23.231-08:00The Pyramid Rule: Advantages of Staying Close to the Table as an Offensive PlayerSome years ago I coined a rule called the pyramid rule, whilst writing a coaching article for <a href="https://tabletennisuniversity.com/">Table Tennis University</a> I have used that rule whilst teaching players of many different levels and trying to emphasize the benefits of holding the table and not drifting back unnecessarily. I have revisited the original concept and will try and add some more detail to the rule including some new points I have added. Find more useful tips and advice on my <a href="http://www.mhtabletennis.com/p/coaching-blog.html">Coaching Blog</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikrq9V6gxo8Y4y2CbbWfF-I322lA5tfLlBr4zz8fVg7W5DqpHHJApQN5fcLeDWJaGXYXDvtJucuyBl73TOkQU71a1YsxNnZv2mWlTwoYMiFJSsBrDFJUvDBlvn37WnLZAR16nSn0tGeYE8/s1600/thepyramidrule.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="410" data-original-width="501" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikrq9V6gxo8Y4y2CbbWfF-I322lA5tfLlBr4zz8fVg7W5DqpHHJApQN5fcLeDWJaGXYXDvtJucuyBl73TOkQU71a1YsxNnZv2mWlTwoYMiFJSsBrDFJUvDBlvn37WnLZAR16nSn0tGeYE8/s320/thepyramidrule.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Pyramid Rule in Table Tennis<br />
by Matt Hetherington</td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a><b>The Basic Concept: </b>It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the basis of the rule - the further back you go from the table, the larger the angle between two wide placed balls.<br />
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In order to demonstrate this to students, you have them placed at distances A, B and C with C being the farthest from the table. You feed a ball to each corner of the table starting with distance A, where most players are able to cover the movement between the two shots (one backhand and one forehand), you then move the player back around a metre to B and then another metre or so to C.<br />
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When a player reaches point C, the distance required to move between the two balls is often too great to catch both, or the strokes produced are very low quality. Hence you have demonstrated visibly why it is of benefit to the player to stay closer to the table when possible.<br />
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<b>Extra Points to the Rule: </b>I have added some new parts to the diagram for points B and C which indicate that also aside from the distance required to reach the second ball, there are extra degrees of rotation required for the ball to be returned to the table. To achieve the extra degrees of rotation in the stroke, a player must be well grounded and balanced, another very difficult task to achieve so far back between two wide balls. As you can see from point A a straight shot down the line doesn't require too much degree of rotation from the position of the shot.<br />
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<b>What Are the Benefits of Playing Closer: </b>With the plastic ball now a standard part of the game, it seems that more players are opting to remain closer to the table and are accelerating with shorter and more explosive strokes. Timo Boll is a prime example of this and also Tomokazu Harimoto.<br />
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Staying closer is more efficient for footwork, reduces your opponents reaction time to each shot and keeps pressure on your opponent.<br />
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A close table game allows you to produce rapid strokes with a lot of spin and acceleration, without assuming the risks of playing with a lot of power further back from the table.<br />
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Being closer to the table also helps keep your balance and reduces the effects of wide angles.<br />
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While it may reduce your reaction time in a point, it is well worth the effort for offensive players to remain reasonably close to the table. Remember it only takes one shot to throw you off balance once you are further back, and that usually spells game over.<br />
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<b>What to Do to Recover your Table Position: </b>If you do find yourself being forced back or pushed out of position, there are a few things you can do:<br />
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- Put as much topspin on the ball as possible, this buys you more time and hopefully forces a slower defensive shot from your opponent. Make sure when you come forward back into the table, you control the transfer of body weight before making your next shot.<br />
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- Push forward with your next shot. When we get pushed back from the table we often end up holding our body weight higher and more vertically. In order to try and regain your ground and get back to a close-table position you may need to take a little more risk, hold your body weight forward and be a bit more aggressive in your next shot - this allows you to put some of the balance of pressure back on your opponent.<br />
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- Make a defensive play, a chop is a perfect example. Playing a chop when back from the table buys a significant amount of time in a rally and may result in your opponent pushing back (then you have the chance to initiate and take control), or they may play a slow loop (you can counter or block with pressure to take the advantage).<br />
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Certainly it is best practice to remain balanced and relatively close to the table. Offensive players struggle a lot when pushed back from the table - to get in position on-time, to be balanced and have weight transfer in their shots, and to create enough trajectory to get the ball over. Note that further back you also have to produce more safety in your shots which requires more upward transfer and less forward.<br />
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I hope these tips are useful for some of you, whether it be as a player or as a coach. For any questions or blog topics, please email me at <a href="mailto:mhtabletennis@gmail.com">mhtabletennis@gmail.com</a>MHTableTennishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11133201322697272982noreply@blogger.com3