MHTT Interview with Europe's Table Tennis King: Timo Boll

Timo Boll is known as one of the most gracious and humble sportspeople in the world and after having met him in China, I can vouch for that in it's entirety. Timo is a family man, an excellent and experienced table tennis player and a true gentleman. I hope you enjoy my interview with him!

Full Name: Timo Boll
Date Of Birth: 8th March 1981
Nation Represented: Germany
Highest World Ranking: 1

6 time European Champion, Timo Boll

Equipment Used

Blade: Timo Boll ALC
FH Rubber: Tenergy 05
BH Rubber: Tenergy 05

Your Career

How long have you played table tennis for, when and how did you start?
I started at age of 4 at home with my father.

What has been the highlight of your table tennis career so far?
Becoming world number 1

You have won 6 European Championships Singles Titles, what is your fondest memory from competing over the years at the Euros?
It’s a good feeling if you can handle the pressure and high expectations, especially in the Euros.

I think one of the most interesting things that you mentioned when we were in Chengdu was the strange feeling of having competed with 5 generations of Chinese players (from Ma Wenge through to Fan Zhendong). Which player stands out to you as being the most challenging across the eras and for what reason?
Maybe Ma Lin, he was very clever and he had a lot of tricky shots.

What kind of progression do you see with the Chinese? Do you think their dominance is becoming more apparent over the years? Do you see any sign of hope from other nations to be able to consistently have a chance to beat China in the teams? (including your own team).
As a team its very difficult. As an individual on a perfect day, it should be possible to beat them all.

One of your most outstanding performances was winning the 2005 World Cup where you defeated some incredibly tough opponents from China. What was it on that day that really made you perform at such a high level? Or what preparations prior to the competition made a big difference?
Before the competition I was in a bad shape. I was even thinking about it to cancel the tournament to have a rest. Even in the group stage, I wasn't that strong, but suddenly my run started in the quarterfinal against Wang Liqin! That gave me a lot of self confidence!

How do you feel about your ability to compete with the Chinese players now compared to before? Overall how do you feel about your form going into Rio next year?
Of course I’m physically weaker than 10 years ago, but my technique improved. It will be hard to beat them all again for me, but if I’m standing in the box, I want to win, doesn't matter which opponent.

In terms of your career do you have any concrete plans for after the Rio Olympics?
No plans, I will continue to play.

Timo and teammate Dimitrij Ovtcharov

More recently you have been playing in the China Super League during the break for the German League and ECL. How has that been overall in terms of your playing level, tiredness and family life?
-For the family, it was tough, especially, when I went alone.
-Playing skills improved. I got used to play against the Chinese rubbers
- For the health its not easy, because I didn't get a long break to rest during the summer

One thing we know is that you do not eat the meat when you were in China which I noticed again when we were at the China Open. How difficult is it for you to last that period on such a strict diet? Do you feel it has an effect on your energy levels and ability to perform?
No, its no problem, I try sometimes to live vegan and it has just positive effects. But I’m a meat lover, so it’s hard to stay strict all year long, especially in the summer in Germany, when I do my barbecue.

Do you think the Chinese Super League has given players yourself and your teammate Dima (Ovtcharov), along with Chuang and Joo Se Hyuk, a greater advantage to perform in competition on the world stage in recent years? What are the main differences in being immersed in training and league in Germany and the same in China?
Unfortunately it is a short effect for players on that level, when you come back to Germany, in the beginning the balls of Europeans feel slower and weaker. But after a while, this effect is "puffering"

Do you feel like being left handed has provided its advantages to you over the years? What advice can you give to left handers to help them create an advantage over their opponents?
No, not a big advantage. If you want to be a good player, your style has to be complete.

Your friend and teammate Dima Ovtcharov has reached a peak of 4th in the world rankings so far. What potential do you see/what hope do you have for him to succeed in the future?
Its a great achievement already. I think it will be difficult for him to go much higher in the ranking, especially because of his age. He shouldn't play to many tournaments now in his age, better concentrate on the big events and try to get the chance to win a big one!

Timo's Top 10 Backhands

One intruiging thing about you is your ability to pull off some insane hand switch shots. How did that all start, what's the story behind the hand switches?
I got too slow! Ha

Off the Topic Questions

Who’s your favourite sportsperson of all time?
Hard to say. Jordan, Federer, Nowitzki as a German

Favourite Food?
Chinese Beijing duck

Dream Car
Tesla

Ideal holiday destination?
Definitely Maldives

First thing you would do if you won $1million?
Save it for my daughter

If you could start table tennis again what style would you prefer? Defense/Penhold/Which Hand/Counter/Blocker/Attacker etc.
I would love to play defense with short pimples on the backhand

And Lastly

Would you like to add one last tip, or an inspirational message for other table tennis players looking to succeed?
Try to have fun in practice, don't take it to serious, but try to be as perfect as you can. To find the right way in between is the key!

Thank you Timo!

Want to read more great interviews with other former World Champions, Cup Winners and Number 1's? Click for MORE INTERVIEWS.

MHTT World Champs Buildup Diary: Day 2

Today I spent my morning watching table tennis. I have noticed I haven't been watching anywhere near as much as I used to so it was the first place I went looking for inspiration. I also spoke to a few players and looked for some advice from friends about how to get myself back in the right mind space. Thanks to everyone who has helped so far.

One of the important things which helped me today was taking some time to remember the times when I have really worked hard towards my goals and what the results have been. Everything has been too focused on what I feel can't be achieved and it's important to stop now and start focusing on what can be achieved.

MHTT WTTC Diary Day 2

In the beginning of 2013 I hadn't played table tennis for almost 5 months due to a job (which I quit after 3 months) and then to the first signs of my now diagnosed auto-immune disorder. I spent my time wondering if my body would be able to endure competitive table tennis anymore, would I have to give up on my goal of making it back into the New Zealand team? My temporary prescription was making my heart rate soar up to 200 bpm every time I tried to play. Either way I bounced back with more resolve than ever and for 5 weeks I endeavoured to train no less than 20 hours per week in the lead up to the North Island Championships, New Zealand's 2nd biggest tournament.

My hard work paid off and in my second event, where I was 8th seed, I came through winning the quarterfinal 3-0, semifinal 3-0 and final 3-1. I had an incredible desire to win and to show myself that I was not anywhere close to being down and out.

Fast forward 2 years and the first national team trial for New Zealand during my time playing comes to life. The biggest chance I would have to get back in the team again. It was at this time that I made my first trip to China, training in Zhengding and Beijing before playing the China Open. You can read more about my trip HERE. After training for 6 hours a day for at least 3 weeks I was in great shape, along with my weeks of gym training before the trip and help from my coach Lily Yip.

Upon returning home to New Zealand I continued to play as much as I could. Training at least once a day, playing tournaments most weekends. I read the book 'Winning Ugly' by Brad Gilbert which I reviewed HERE. I was able to prepare my best and tie for 2nd place in the team trial which eventually led to my selection for World Championships.

I did a few boxes of multi-ball at the club, mainly just trying to stay focused on keeping the ball on the table and movement, but more on trying to get into training and get positive. This is my main focus for now is getting and staying positive in practice and in matches and just building the desire to play and win.

A throwback to training in China

You can follow my training diary on Instagram @mhtabletennis

So today I went out and bought myself a large whiteboard to hang in my room to plan out my week on, building a good routine is going to be important. I'm starting a 3 day juice cleanse tomorrow so I can get my body ready for what's ahead. Hopefully with all this planning, I will be able to hit the ground running and go for broke :)

MHTT World Champs Buildup Diary: Day 1

As many of you know on February 28th I will be playing the World Championships in Malaysia. At 25 years of age, this will be my first WTTC, something I have aspired towards for my whole table tennis career. At the conclusion of the National Team trials I was out in the cold after coming 4th on a 3 way tie for 2nd. Three had made the team from the trial. A month later I was given the selector's choice and made the team.

So where am I now? I'm back in the USA at the Lily Yip Table Tennis Center balancing coaching and training. Things have been pretty tough and I'm feeling a lot of pressure, I'm hoping by writing a diary I can be as honest as possible as what I have and will be going through in my buildup to the WTTC and Oceania Champs.

MHTT WTTC Diary

Image courtesy of Joola USA

The Fear of Inadequacy

The hardest thing to overcome is fear and trust me there is plenty of it. At 107th in the world team rankings we are competing in a tournament with the world's top 96 teams. We are in the third division out of 4 thanks to the results of our previous (2014) team. Every match will be difficult and of a standard higher than mine, do I have enough time to raise my game enough to have a fighting chance? I'll be honest I've been pretty negative in that aspect of my preparation and as a result my mental game is at its lowest point of my whole career.

In all honesty I'm letting too many small things affect my preparation, single match results, performances in one session of training etc. Everything has detracted away from my purpose and left me in a very difficult position. Now I'm finding that I need to find more motivation than ever to get refocused.

Train with Purpose

At this point in time I need to take more of my own advice. I need to set my goals and make things measurable. Keeping a diary at least holds me accountable and if I don't want to sound like a sad, depraved fool for the next two months I will have to start getting myself together.

Ideally my primary goal for the championships is to win a match, that is my first focus for the tournament. Training has just been training, I have been working hard but there needs to be more intention in my training. There are a number of levels I need to jump up with my training regime which I haven't yet. Essentially I am not pushing myself enough.

The brutally honest core point of this whole thing is that in my own mind I don't believe I can achieve my goal, so I'm asking myself why I'm putting in all this effort. That and that alone is the main cause of the ultimate collapse in my mentality and motivation. It's time to change that!

My home training center, LYTTC in New Jersey, USA

The Diary

I needed something to keep my blog alive and people suggested a training diary, an honest training diary, and that is what this will be. Hopefully you will all enjoy my many ups and downs in the next couple of months as I try and lift myself and get ready to compete in Malaysia. I will try and blog as often as I can, ideally I should be able to write a blog every day and I think it would be good for me, kind of like a confession cam.

Thing I need to Improve:

- More physical training, in the gym, on the table and off the table

- Diet, less dining out, put table tennis first

- Mentality in matches, Tactical process in matches

- More training hours, more match practice

- More awareness of what needs to be improved

- More positive attitude and direction

- Goals and goal feedback/evaluation

So as you can see, lots to work on! I hope you will all join me on my journey and if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask mhtabletennis@gmail.com

Why Is a Strong Service Game Important?

You will often hear coaches groaning on about service repeatedly. Practice your serve! Service Practice! Well it's true. A good serve can make all the difference in matchplay and can create a huge advantage. Tennis is a prime example of a service dominant sport, a weak server would find themselves in big trouble against many tennis players as the advantage of a strong server is unparalleled in the sport. See more from my Coaching Blog.

The advantage of a strong serve

Why is a strong service game important?

A good service can essentially force one of three things which can initiate a big advantage in matchplay:

• A forced error
• A psychological advantage
• A predictable response

Let's start with the first point forced errors. A strong service game can award a player what you could consider to be 'free or easy points' in a match. If a player struggles to receive serve or read the spin on the serve then you can, at times, win points outright from the service. Good service variation and deception are key in being able to take advantage of this. If the other player can't read the spin or recognise the correct response to the serve then at times they will not be able to return the serve. This is an easy point.

Having a good serve can also create a psychological advantage. If a player is weak on their service return then all of a sudden all of the pressure goes to their serve. Since half the serves are from each player in a match, it is necessary for a player to try and maintain a good scoring advantage on their service game.

If you can execute well in your service game, then the pressure all turns to your opponent to be able to win points from their serve in order to stay in the game. This added pressure can sometimes cause serves to drift half long or be faulted by the opposition. Having a reliable receive can also add a lot of pressure in this situation.

Finally a predictable response can be created by a good server. I wrote about set plays in this blog on table tennis master. If you can manipulate the spin and direction of your serve to make the majority of responses difficult then it adds more risk to making those returns. In the snap moment of decision making this can lead your opponent to take the response with the least associated risk and that can create a higher probability of a certain return. A good example is a side under serve, short towards the side of the table. Two bounces means looping is not a possible response. With enough backspin flicking is a difficult response and if the sidespin is adequate then being able to return short can be hard to control. This means that if the service is executed correctly then the easiest return is a long push.

If the direction and spin of the serve are correct it can also make the ball more difficult to return down the line which means you can expect a return back somewhere in your backhand half. This is an example in a perfect situation where a predictable response can be created using a serve. If you can set your point up this way then you are much more likely to win the point by planning your follow up.

Ma Lin was infamous for his service and often utilised serves which would force a return to his backhand side where his pivot forehand was ready to destroy his opponents. His ability to create a predictable response was perfect for increasing his preparation speed which is vital for a penhold player who is forehand dominant.

With these 3 key reasons, how can you not focus on improving your service? Most coaches would recommend 30 minutes of service practice each day in order to develop a solid and reliable serve. So what are you waiting for?! :)

MHTT World Championships Fundraising Campaign

As most of you know I was fortunate enough to be selected in the New Zealand team for the 2016 World Table Tennis Championships and the Oceania Championships. The majority of costs for these trips must be self funded and so I have setup a fundraising campaign on GOFUNDME with the target of raising $5000 by the end of February 2016.

In order to reward and thank people for their support I have a number of things to offer in return, lessons (for my area), blog advertisements and some international player shirts. If you would like to support me you can do any of the following.

• Visit my fundraising page HERE 
• Contribute or simply share my fundraising link
• Use my TableTennis11 affiliate link on the left side of my blog 'TT11'
• Contact me at mhtabletennis@gmail.com for sponsorship arrangements

This has been the main goal of my table tennis career from a very young age and I have battled health problems and less ideal training circumstances for the duration of my youth in order to keep working hard towards my goal.

I will be working hard on my blog during the event so hopefully you will all enjoy the content too! :)