I just finished my 4th day training here and I'm starting to get a hold on how things work here. Each day there are two training sessions in the men's gym one half is single ball table drills and the other half is multiball.
The multiball has been really tough and I end up sweating completely through my clothes so I have been using three sets of clothes each day. Thankfully some of our rooms have washing machines and with the heat and a washing line in a little sunroom balcony, it doesn't take long to dry.
My training partners have been a pretty solid standard, I saw one of the old coaches from SVTTC here yesterday, Geng Shupeng and also Wang Yang is here the chopper. I have been working as hard as I can to earn as much respect as I can get (especially on my blocking so I can ensure their drills are high enough quality).
Some of my training partners have given me some small pieces of advice which have been helping a lot with my technique for different strokes. All in all I think at the end of my 2 weeks here I will be in much better shape.
I have managed to get to the gym on a couple of evenings so far and do some back squats and bench press exercises, just keeping it light so I can keep my body intact for training.
I'm managing to hit the reset overnight and wake up feeling relatively fresh the next morning for now, we'll see what I'm like by the end of my first week!
So after the US Open I left America and headed for China with a training group from Lily Yip Table Tennis Center. I'm currently in Zhengding at the National Training Base which was used by the National team to prepare for the 2008 Olympic Games.
So far the living standard has been better than I expected. You always hear that the food is awful and the beds are like rock. To be completely honest it's not all that bad, at the end of a day of training any bed is going to be comfortable anyway.
There are three gyms and I'm training in the largest one, there are about 30 tables in there. I arrived and slept at midnight and started the afternoon session the next day.
Let me tell you it was torture. Two hours of multi ball in incredible heat and humidity. The gym is large so there is not much the aircon units can do to help. The heat is really the one thing you can't avoid, you just have to deal with it (it's summer here now of course).
I was fed by another training partner and twice a coach came and fed for me. It was hard to get into the zone. I drained 2 bottles of water and probably sweat a bottle back out. I was suffering but I was more than satisfied.
The session ended with a short physical session of push ups and some sidestep shuffles between table and barriers. I was glad to be done, even though it was 30 minutes shorter than usual that day.
That evening I went to the gym and did some back squats and leg press exercises as well as some bench press.
Day 2 I was up for breakfast at 7.30, training started 8.30. It's always intimidating to train with the partners at first because you can feel inadequate. The last thing I want is for my partner to be annoyed that they got stuck with the useless guy. So there is more pressure to train as hard as you can. After 3 hours and another 2 bottles of water I was drenched again. I had lunch and rested.
Back at 2.30 and it was more multi ball. I died and went to heaven then came back. My stamina was much better than the first day and I was dealing with the heat because I knew I had no choice.
So my first full day was over. Only by experiencing this place can I begin to understand why the Chinese are so dominant. They endure mental and physical torture day in and day out, repetition. It's a loveable hell for any table tennis lover but I can't imagine the lifetime they must have endured. It's really quite incredible.
Anyway it's the morning of day 3 and it's time for me to get ready soon. I will do my best to keep you posted and find a way to shoot some videos!
The next 5 weeks are going to be an exciting time for me and hopefully for the blog too. On Saturday I will be leaving New Jersey where I have been at the Lily Yip Table Tennis Center for the past several months (don't worry I'm coming back haha). So where exactly am I going and what will I be doing?
US Open 2015
My first stop is the amazing Las Vegas, one of my favourite places in America. Las Vegas will host the 2015 US Open and the World's Biggest Ping Pong Pool Party. I will be playing a handful of events and it will be a great opportunity to link up with players and create some great content for the blog, the likes of Adrian Crisan and Quadri Aruna who have both been very supportive of MHTableTennis!
The US Open has over 1000 entries so it promises to be a great competition!
Training in China: Zhengding
The morning of the US Open finals (yes I will be missing them, much to my disappointment), I will be jetting to Shanghai and then through to Zhengding. I will be training for 2 weeks at the National Training Center there with a handful of students and a couple of my fellow coaches from the Lily Yip Table Tennis Center. Hopefully I will be able to share some of my experiences there and do some blog posts and videos!
Training in China: Beijing
At the end of my 2 weeks of training in Zhengding, I will take the train to Beijing where I will be training at the new training center of, former World Number 1, Guo Yan. I will be spending 10 days there and again it will be a great opportunity to not only train but create a lot of content and hopefully get some more knowledge from the 2 time world cup champion.
ITTF World Tour China Open 2015
On the 4th August I will fly from Beijing to Chengdu, Sichuan and will be participating in the China Open. Granted the field is incredibly tough, I'm definitely more in this for the experience than any hopes of success in matches, regardless I will do my best and at least I will have strong preparation. The China Open will host a number of top players and it will be great to be on the ground at one of the biggest international events in the sport.
New Zealand
From Chengdu I fly back to Beijing and connect through to New Zealand with a one day stop in Sydney (which I will probably sleep through). I have some preparation time for a few tournaments and the New Zealand Open which is at the end of September. There are also team trials which I am hoping to be able to qualify for also.
So everything is exciting, it will be a very busy schedule over the 5 weeks. I'm looking forward to every second of it and it will be great to spend some time at home, which I'm sure I will really enjoy after such a busy month!
I had the pleasure of interviewing 2004 Olympic Champion, Ryu Seung Min about his memories from Athens and his new role as National Coach of the Korean Team as well as some brief opinions about the current state and future of penhold in the sport of table tennis. Thank you Seung Min!
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Name: Ryu Seung Min Date of Birth: 05 August 1982 Nation Represented: Korea Highest World Ranking: 2
2004 Olympic Champion, Ryu Seung Min
image from ITTF.com
When and how did you start playing table tennis? Who was the biggest influence on you to begin playing?
When I was 8 years old my cousin had a ping pong club, after class every day I would go there. My parents were my biggest motivation to play. What was the highlight of your table tennis career?
My highlight is of course the 2004 Olympic Games. You became the 2nd Korean male to win the table tennis gold medal at the Olympic Games, describe you memories of Athens 2004, particularly the final match.
The final against Wang Hao, actually the final point is my best memory from my career.
You won various medals at the Asian Games, World Championships and World Cup but never a singles gold, was this a big goal of yours in your career?
Yes, these were always big goals in my career. Do you have any regrets looking back on your playing career?
Nothing special stands out as a regret for me. Many people (including myself) would say you had the best footwork in the world during your prime. What did you do to help make your footwork so strong?
For the Korean style of table tennis, of course also penhold, it is very important to keep your feet moving. Many times in practice the key focus was on movement and footwork, it is very important. How do you feel about the future of penhold in the sport?
I think it is positive, but many players are afraid that there can be no success with penhold and that is the reason perhaps nobody want to try now.
You spent time representing Ochsenhausen in the German league. How did you enjoy the team and matches there? Do you feel the German league is one of the strongest in the world?
So I have very good memories in Ochsenhausen, everything is perfect. My team mates and my lifestyle is very good. My opinion is the bundesliga is very professional. Now that you have become Korean National Coach, what are your goals for the Korean Team?
The main goal is for the Korean National Team to take a gold medal again in some big events, Olympics, World Championships, World Cup. Were you satisfied with the performance of the Korean players in the recent World Championships in Suzhou?
In Suzhou I was 70% satisfied with the way team Korea performed. What is the biggest thing which Korea can improve in order to become more competitive with China?
In order to beat China's players we need to have a very strong mental focus and so we must improve this a lot. Fun Questions: What is your favourite: Sport other than Table Tennis: Golf and Billiards Sportsperson: Christiano Ronaldo Food: Korean BBQ Car: Mercedes Holiday Destination: Switzerland If you could restart your table tennis career, what style would you choose?
Left handed, shakehand attacker. You have an amazing new family with 2 children now, what is your favourite thing to do with your family?
With my family especially with my two sons, every time is very special and we are very happy.
Wishing you all the best in your new role as national team coach and hope for success for Korea in the future :)
Thank you.
Want to read more great interviews with other former World Champions, Cup Winners and Number 1's? Click for MORE INTERVIEWS.
Friday 10th July will see Table Tennis take the stage in Las Vegas at The World's Biggest Ping Pong Pool Party at The LINQ, you can join the event on Facebook HERE. Uberpong and USA Table Tennis are teaming up to provide a world class social ping pong event in anticipation for the US Open 2015 Finals which will be held at the Omnia Nightclub at Caesar's Palace. The event also times in with the official launch of the new social table tennis community, Pongtopia (follow the link to register with the launching community!)
Amongst all the excitement (yes I RSVP'd instantly), I managed to chat with Uberpong CEO David Lowe who is on a mission to bring table tennis and the world social community together.
Has there ever been an event this awesome before in the sport of table tennis in your opinion?
Absolutely not. This is the 'World's Biggest Ping Pong Pool Party' ever in the world, in the USA. Fact!
What can we expect to see at the event?
There are rumors that I will be wearing a bright orange mankini, ping pong tables on raised platforms in the pool, a DJ and lots of cocktails! It will be the ultimate warmup for the US Open Finals on Saturday.
Uberpong wants to bring the world together through table tennis. This is a celebration of the sport and the people involved in it.
Sounds awesome. What is the capacity of the Linq pool venue, how many people could there be together there?
1500 is the maximum capacity. We want a line around the block to make a statement that ping pong is THE sport to be playing. Let's make it happen!
Is this the start of a new era of social ping pong?
It takes time for people to get into something but as the number of social ping pong clubs and bars with tables increases, people are becoming at ease with going out for an evening of ping pong. I believe that the tipping point is coming and Uberpong is certainly leading this new era of social ping pong. Las Vegas will be the 1st of many events that bring ping pong fans together.
Keep in the Loop with the Social Table Tennis Revolution by following Uberpong and Pongtopia on Facebook and be sure to RSVP HERE and get yourself to this exciting event!
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