tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3879409983190517312024-03-27T16:53:44.078-07:00Harrie's Epic Table Tennis JourneyThe story of a 25 year old who foolishly decided to try to get to the Olympics at a sport he had never played before.....HarrieAJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875312479541830831noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-387940998319051731.post-62549556080574415622018-03-24T10:03:00.001-07:002018-04-13T04:34:13.996-07:00Long Time No Speak - A Progress Update<b><u>I'm BACK</u></b><br />
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It has been a while since I last blogged. Life has been so busy that something had to give and sadly it was the thing that didn't make me any money: blogging. It has affected my table tennis as well. I have arrived tired to matches and sessions and my motivation was hit. Throughout it all I have felt close to being the table tennis player I want to be rather than someone looking down a long tunnel hoping they would get there.<br />
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<b><u>Progress</u></b><br />
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Since Christmas I have without doubt won a lot more games. However, I have also lost a few really easy matches. This has largely come down to my timing of the ball. As I said to my coach, you can't win if you don't hit the ball.<br />
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I have been trying to work out why I have suddenly lost the ability to time a shot for the best part of a month now. This week it seems to have finally come to me. It seems that my body is ahead of the line of the shot. Basically as my elbows creep back my body falls out of alignment and I fail to see the ball onto the bat. That look an awfully long time to figure out. I will aim to do a post on the real technical aspects at a later date.<br />
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Since my last blog I have come across some really weird and wonderful players. From completely dead bats to anti-loop smashers. The variety has been virtually endless. It has been awfully difficult to beat some of these players not because I can but because I am thrown off by it. There is a huge adjustment to be made when you go from playing against a top spin player to a pimples chopper and it is something I am not great at yet.<br />
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<u><b>Nightmare in the Warm Up</b></u><br />
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The biggest gripe I have is reserved for the start of matches and games. I need a warm up. Nobody should have to play matches without playing a forehand. Yet, I have arrived to matches where most of the time nobody wants to warm up and those that do are playing as if it is a point not to help the other person. You wouldn't see a pro play forehand to around the corner forehand then randomly blast a shot to the other side of the table. I think this is worse because I am left handed. Therefore, people want to play their forehand no matter what which is my backhand. The problem is they never want to go from their backhand and if I go around the corner the above happens! It makes the start of games so much harder. Particularly when my timing is not good anyway. I need to get into a rhythm and I have no chance at all. Some might call it gamesmanship. I call it ridiculous.<br />
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<u><b>Training</b></u><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Broken Man After Training</td></tr>
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I think Ben would agree that I have gone to a new level in training. In his words 'you now look like a table tennis player'. This is not to say I am setting the world alight at every training session. However, we do much more advanced drills and we are ironing out technical aspects. I am not going to lie, he still says some of the same things he said six months ago but he is saying them less and less. It is a learning process.<br />
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I have also finally beaten Ben left handed which was bugging me. I really did have the fear that I would never manage to beat him. Eventually though, I managed to beat him over and over again which boosted my confidence and let me know I am going in the right direction.<br />
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We are going to start a videoing all of our training sessions. It is something I haven't done enough of. As much as the social media/diary aspect of my training is important, the overall benefit is to my game. I videoed my last session and realised so many things about my game that I had thought I had been doing. It is crazy how many mistakes you don't realise you are making.<br />
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<u><b>The Future</b></u><br />
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In regards to the end of season and the future. I am about a year and 4 months into my journey now and I am looking forward to the end of what has been a mixed bag of a season. I would like to do some tournaments and get some experience that way as well as attending a training camp or two over the summer. I am always looking for a training partner so if anyone in the UK wants to get in touch I would love to do some sessions. In regards to the local leagues I have played in it looks as though one of them will be promoted, one will go down and one will be mid-table. It says nothing about my performance in any of them but it would be nice to get promoted in my first season. Likewise, we are into a cup final with one of my teams as well. I would imagine I will finish the year around 50-50 in wins to losses. Maybe slightly lower as one league was exceptionally hard.<br />
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I will do my next, more specific, blog in the coming couple of weeks. Keep and eye out on this blog and of course <a href="https://eastfieldco.refersion.com/c/1d90e2">eastfield</a> for more of my bits and pieces!<br />
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<b>My Team:</b></div>
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HarrieAJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875312479541830831noreply@blogger.com60tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-387940998319051731.post-35940931598292198012017-12-30T06:29:00.000-08:002017-12-30T06:34:36.255-08:00Irregular Drills, Positioning and Anticipation - Problems of the Intermediate PlayerIt is Christmas time! It has been a lengthy delay between this post and my last one. Various things have inhibited my time at the keyboard which means I need to make up for it in the New Year. On a personal note I got a few new table tennis bits and pieces. Firstly, I have got my new table tennis shoes. They are Adidas, who left the table tennis market a couple of years ago. I managed to track some down from the Netherlands and it is safe to say they were worth the effort. Please Adidas come back to table tennis! Alongside that I got some hilariously new short shorts, table tennis socks and a giant box of balls. Pretty successful Christmas overall!<br />
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<u>A Mixed Bag</u><br />
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The last month of table tennis was hard. It was a massive roller coaster which honestly had me considering quitting more than once. This was combined with some fairly problematic personal stuff which meant that I wasn't always turning up to table tennis psychologically prepared for what I had to do. I also got the feeling Ben had finally got to the end of his tether repeating the same three things to me over and over again. However, I had three or four of my best league performances during this period and played some of my best table tennis. The last week ended up being a little highlight where I started to grasp what I needed to do.<br />
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<u>Why So Mixed?</u><br />
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I went to a table tennis camp given by Gavin Evans and Paul Drinkhall just before Christmas. During their demonstrations what surprised me was how ordinary what they were doing was. It wasn't magic, it was just good stuff done perfectly every single time. I do the good stuff sometimes and I hadn't realised until the last two weeks of training how poor my body position was. After repeating that for the last 5 months it is no wonder Ben is getting bored! I also haven't mastered irregular drills yet. I often look like a decent table tennis player when I am just hitting the ball to Ben without moving too much. My loops are solid and my forehand has a nice enough whip to it. My backhand is slowly improving but is still dodgy. Yet, when I have to anticipate and move to something it collapses.<br />
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<u>Irregular Drills</u><br />
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Below is a video from our team training session. I was doing a demonstration of a switching drill. It was fine at the beginning when I was doing forehands but the longer I was on the table the worse it became. I stood up more and more and tensed up as I knew a switch might be coming. It was only having Ben blocking perfectly that kept the ball on the table.<br />
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Irregular drills take everything into a 'game' scenario whereby you have to anticipate and read your opponent while keeping your own technique together.</div>
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What has been happening is that I translate the tension and wild panic into games. Here I am playing Steve and every shot I play is wild. No control, just panic. Combine that with some rather...funky pushes it means that it is rather hard to win a game. </div>
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<u>Body Position - The Key</u></div>
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In all honesty I should of got the message by now. Hit from front to back rather than low to high and stay low and bunched. I suffer from a back problem whereby my default position has been to stay upright and straight. When I go low it isn't my natural point,</div>
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I have even changed my service position I was going high with the throw of the ball. Now I am focusing on remaining low and going back then forward into the serve which swivels me into a low position to play my next shot. </div>
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Since the two videos I have worked on it a lot and I am slowly getting there. It requires a bit more concentration and getting used to but I am a much better player for it. In the New Year I will share some of the progress I have made. </div>
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If you want to play a topspin game then it is essential that the position remains low, stable and compact so minimum effort is required to get maximum spin and speed on the ball. If you look at my game with Steve everything looks hard and untidy understanding how to make everything look easy is the way forward.</div>
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<u>The Level to Achieve</u></div>
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Below is the level I would like to get to over the coming couple of years. Ben playing Karl, Ben my coach vs. Karl my Mentor. It was interesting to see how Ben made it look so simple whereas Karl was making the big shots but Ben still won. It was clear that Ben was a little rusty in places having not played competitive table tennis for a long time. Karl is looking better and better and will be very competitive in the top league of local league next year.</div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Anyway that is all from me! Have a great New Year! </span></div>
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HarrieAJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875312479541830831noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-387940998319051731.post-15692069306136766842017-11-28T02:09:00.001-08:002017-11-28T02:25:01.998-08:00Performance or the Win - Which is More Valuable?<div style="text-align: center;">
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<u><b>Cards on the Table</b></u></div>
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Let's get our cards on the table. I am a terrible loser. I am the human equivalent of a wrecking ball when I lose. It is like the red mist descends and become this awful human being for the next 10 minutes. It is pretty atrocious but it is also part of who I am, it gives me a ruthless determination which most people can't claim to have. I think a lot of the time people think that I hate being beaten. I do. No doubt about it, I want to annihilate the opposition. However, most of the time I am annoyed with myself. I am very insular, I blame myself for everything. Some people will make excuses, others will blame bad luck. I blame me and me alone. I constantly feel I could of done better, performed to a higher standard.<br />
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<u><b>Why is Winning Important?</b></u></div>
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This week I have had huge confidence highs and lows. I started off pretty low on confidence. I just couldn't put together a performance of the standard I know I can. It was like I forgot how to play table tennis. The second match of the week started the same way. I was two sets down before I even knew what had happened. However, towards the end of the second set I felt a flicker of confidence that, yes, I could hit the ball properly. I then won the next two sets and would have won the game if not for some silly errors. The next two games I won. The final game being one of the biggest achievements in my short time in league table tennis as the guy was an experienced player. Years of travelling up and down the league. He played a lot of long chop, something I am not very experienced in. I didn't smash him off the table. I played safe and took him apart at his own game, every now and then looping when I was in the perfect position to do so. It took a lot of concentration, something I lacked in the third set when I fell apart but I always felt in control even when luck went against me. It was a very good performance. </div>
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I don't believe I would have won that game if two factors hadn't existed at the same time. Firstly, I had won the previous game comfortably and I had staged a good comeback that had almost, and probably should have, resulted in a win. Those wins have me a massive boost. Secondly, my teammate, Paul, had won his two matches and I knew I wanted to get the team the win (my win resulted in a 6-4 win for us). Those huge boosts mean I know that I can produce results and maybe I can go into the next few games with a more aggressive game. </div>
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I genuinely believe that if you can get on a run of wins it can really change your season. I have been too much of a mixed bag this year. Partly, because I don't play every game in any of the leagues I play so I don't always get to play the full spread of opponents. I also have huge swings in confidence and game style. My actual game is a fast topspin game but when I am nervous I get tense and stop being able to pull this off. Mistakes lead me to play weird half speed table tennis. If I really need a win I am actually pretty good at pulling out a conservative game. With the confidence of wins I hope to be able to pull out my normal game more often and see success with it.</div>
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The other reason winning is important as it gives you motivation. I have to admit the last two weeks I have struggled. I lost to Ben left handed a couple of times and it really hit me hard. I just get so nervous playing him, it is awful. I thought about having a break from table tennis for a week or so (I had a one day break in the end). It was a real struggle and everything started spiralling. I had a weird loss to a guy I should beat in my sleep without a bat and I had some odd issues with ball contact that I hadn't experienced for a long time (basically I kept hitting the ball with my fingers rather than the bat, it makes table tennis really difficult). That all changed with the wins. I woke up this morning feeling like all I wanted to do was play table tennis. What a difference a day makes!</div>
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<u><b>Why is Performance Important?</b></u></div>
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Last Monday I had two of the best performances of my table tennis journey so far. Out of those two performances I won one of them and lost one of them (it was a handicap). I was fantastic in places and I was really proud of it. The fact is though, I still lost a two of the games in that match even with a 6 point advantage. Without the handicap, I lost every single game. However, I have thought about that performance a lot over the past week and I really do aspire to achieve that level of performance on a consistent basis. I won't be looking at my wins yesterday in the same way. </div>
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Performance is an almost completely internal factor. Yes, some game styles can make it harder for you to perform well but overall it comes down to you and you alone. Internal factors are something you can control. This Tuesday, I was rubbish. I was low on confidence and genuinely didn't believe I could win a game of table tennis. I lost both my games and I was really disappointed. My performance had been dreadful. I barely hit a shot at any decent velocity. I missed the ball so much that my thumb started hurting. I felt like there was glue on my shoes. I kept telling myself the right things but the wrong things continued to occur. I didn't really believe the motivational words of encouragement I was giving myself. There were doubts deep in my mind I couldn't shift. I didn't trust my body and, consequently, I couldn't perform.<br />
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What performance gives you is an indication of both your potential and your current level. If you play better than expected then you know that it is that level you are aiming to sustain. If you play badly you have to understand why you performed that way. Performance is a long term thing, always look at it in the context of all the other performances. Is there a long term trend? Are you improving?<br />
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A performance should inspire long term aspiration. 'I want to be better' or 'I want to do that every single week'. It is a baseline whereby the short term principle of wins will be augmented. If you perform better you are more likely to win.<br />
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<u><b>So Which is More Important?</b></u></div>
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Winning is vanity, performance is sanity. Winning is the best feeling. It is the biggest ego boost you can get. Even if you smash someone who is rubbish a little part of you, on the inside, will be boosted up. Its proof that you are better than someone else. It is an ingrained human attribute, a primal instinct, survival of the fittest. Unfortunately, it is also a bit of a lie. It comes down to someone else. If I perform terribly and the other person manages to perform even worse I get to win. It doesn't make me a good player, it makes me lucky. </div>
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Performance on the other hand doesn't cause you to clench your fist or shout with joy. My best performances have been my losses against high level opponents and I still grumbled for about ten minutes. Performing well, however, gives you a long term feeling of belief. You know you can attain a level, you know that level can create more wins. The internal nature of performance means that you can actually judge how good you are. Do my win percentages reflect how good I actually am? No. Do my performances? Yes. This is simply because I can't decide my opponents but I can do my best. </div>
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In reality you need both. If you are playing amazingly well but never win it will be hard to sustain your ego for long. Even improving doesn't have that same boost that a big win gives you. However, playing rubbish players and constantly winning has a diminishing return. It might be fun the first time but it is unlikely to motivate you for long. Performance will be your friend over the long term. It will never give you those big rushes but it will sustain a level and belief. Winning will give you the big boost but also the big lows. A bad loss and a poor performance will be exceptionally damaging to confidence.</div>
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My advice is to see wins for what they are. Short term indicators of your level. See performance as a long term indicator. Between the two of them they will get you where you need to go. </div>
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<u><b>Summary</b></u></div>
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<ul>
<li>Winning is the ego boost</li>
<li>Winning is short term</li>
<li>Performance is less emotional</li>
<li>Performance is long term</li>
<li>Both are essential to success</li>
<li>Remember the phrase: winning is vanity, performance is sanity</li>
</ul>
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<br />HarrieAJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875312479541830831noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-387940998319051731.post-56038497327602633382017-11-08T07:12:00.001-08:002017-11-08T07:59:22.802-08:00One Year In - Lessons for the Beginner Table Tennis PlayerAfter a little constructive criticism I thought I would end future blog posts with a brief summary and a few headers in the body to break up my spiel which may make it all a bit easier. Thanks to Anthony Zi Xian Zhao for highlighting it.<br />
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<u>What is a Beginner?</u></div>
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When I came to the sport, I knew I was unlike other beginners. Firstly, most beginners will have played table tennis at least a bit before. They will have played it on holiday or have a table in the garage or have done it at school. They will also be young or old.That is because, both the young and the old have free time to experience new things, and both have the means to do so. I, as a guy in my mid-twenties, was not a quintessential beginner. Yet, the lessons I have learnt can apply to almost anyone trying anything new.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz86SaDcplj9B838sYS6RhVQ7ypXt837jAxwbhkmytursMpbrpYiPnPHtjlQlsTYs05U1puFsvUBywHJf5-PauDNYcIAa0Bs6D8wA8Hep88qIUiiHIvvjtjMeQK6Iz0K4Kfgf30fKvjmM/s1600/download.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz86SaDcplj9B838sYS6RhVQ7ypXt837jAxwbhkmytursMpbrpYiPnPHtjlQlsTYs05U1puFsvUBywHJf5-PauDNYcIAa0Bs6D8wA8Hep88qIUiiHIvvjtjMeQK6Iz0K4Kfgf30fKvjmM/s320/download.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first ever attempt at table tennis!</td></tr>
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<u>Tip 1: Be Prepared to Fail </u></div>
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The first day I played table tennis I sucked. I lost and lost again. However, I knew that would happen and I was completely prepared for it. I was almost happy to lose as I just kept messing around and trying to learn. Three or four months later and I was not quite as glad to be losing as I was on the first day. Yet, my relative time on the table was insignificant next to anyone else I had played with. I was training 3 or 4 times a week and barely making a dent into how much I needed to learn (at this point <a href="https://www.experttabletennis.com/about/">Ben</a> wasn't in my life, sadly). </div>
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It is about this point I have watched everyone else quit, especially those who come down on their own. They just see no improvement in their results. They lose and lose and lose without anything to show for it. After a couple of months of it, it can become draining. My advice is accept that table tennis will be this way for a year or so if you are new to a club. Most people won't be like me and manage to get as much table time and improvement as I have done. It will be a slower process and require a lot of perseverance. Make sure you don't get too fearful and end up playing a defensive game it may seem like the easy option to win a few games against your mates but you won't ever progress past the first stage of table tennis and, believe me, the more of the basics you can learn, the more table tennis will open up to you.</div>
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<u>Tip 2: Get a Buddy</u></div>
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Failing on your own sucks. I would recommend everyone to try and find someone to partner up with. In my first couple of months I had my friend Ollie. He helped me so much and now I have Karl and <a href="https://www.experttabletennis.com/about/">Ben</a> who both coach me and help me keep going when things get tough. I honestly don't know what I would do without them. It is so much better when you can share the good and the bad times with someone. </div>
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If you can find someone of your own ability but maybe slightly better that is a huge help. It gives you someone to chase and it gives you someone to partner up with in drills. There are three guys who come down to one of my clubs are have a great balance. The group mentality keeps them motivated and they always have someone to play with which is not always the case when you are a beginner. Good players don't want to play with you because you are boring to play against. Even when you start to improve the perception of you may still be that you are still that beginner table tennis player they first knew.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhatbQQk0VwPEKophblgwJ1Azelk-l71zz2XcDz_7ZPIFhADwjrgJtol-icDL8t1mxde7xyWaEHUxUEe5Bpl3Y1Qy0auz9w3Z8Q_4HRyN0aFX1_rVB-3mTuPvWMZ3EVZhaTAoEvTAVUXaI/s1600/08-09-17+-+Summer+%2526+World+Champs+100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1593" data-original-width="1600" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhatbQQk0VwPEKophblgwJ1Azelk-l71zz2XcDz_7ZPIFhADwjrgJtol-icDL8t1mxde7xyWaEHUxUEe5Bpl3Y1Qy0auz9w3Z8Q_4HRyN0aFX1_rVB-3mTuPvWMZ3EVZhaTAoEvTAVUXaI/s320/08-09-17+-+Summer+%2526+World+Champs+100.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Support Network: Karl and Ben!</td></tr>
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<u>Tip 3: Ask Then Watch Ask Then Watch</u></div>
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If you have read my previous blog '<a href="http://www.epictabletennis.com/2017/10/one-year-in-state-of-game.html">The State of the Game</a>' you will know that I think coaching isn't as freely available as it should be. Therefore, you cannot just go to a club and expect there to be somebody who is going to turn you into a professional over night. The best way to improve is to pick one or two of the best players to watch and then ask them to play with you. They will, if asked, love to share their experiences and give you tips. If that fails you can always go to <a href="https://tabletennisuniversity.com/?affcode=78475_wsa5z8w5">Table Tennis University </a>or another YouTube based coaching set up (some are free some are not so free!) or even drop messages to the forums. There are numerous ways of getting advice but make sure you stick to a couple of sources. I have ended up in a complete mess as I tried to follow conflicting pieces of advice. Pick the guys with the style that looks most like the pro's i.e. a topspin game with good movement. It is easy to adapt your game to anything once you have learnt the basic style. (see video below)<br />
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<u>Tip 4: Don't Worry Too Much About Equipment</u><br />
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Equipment never won a table tennis match. Don't get my wrong a decent beginner bat is an absolute essential (don't try and play with the old bat that came with the table from the garage). I started off with a palio bat, all of which are pretty decent. I would, of course, recommend an <a href="https://eastfieldco.refersion.com/l/14c.105113">Eastfield Allrounder</a> as the best possible bat for a beginner. It is spinney enough and quick enough for a beginner without creating an issue whereby they hit everything of the end of the table. Of course I am a little biased but the point stands that having tried a number of bats the <a href="https://eastfieldco.refersion.com/l/14c.105113">Eastfield</a> one stands out.<br />
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Aside from that, it is best not to worry at all. Blades, rubbers, balls, tables, surfaces, go on any table tennis forum and this stuff dominates the chat. It is all anyone can talk about. Even now I ignore all of it. Equipment beyond a certain point is unlikely to make the athlete.<br />
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One thing I do subscribe to is the look good, feel good mentality. I do like to dress in what I feel comfortable in (most people will note my ridiculously short shorts) and I implore everyone to make sure they feel good with both what they wear and their equipment. It may sound like a minor thing but as a beginner feeling comfortable is really important in what can be a very uncomfortable setting.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6BVuFYbZDOJ7Zhe73K5BHnza1dlj8ROFnricWhYpT1YCeSDP6oITAUlueOMWMVbCg_Slj6Ss3-gzF6KxbLR_B9o8-HF-6egEVqL0ZtWheOB8VJV00ES8Gp8qYYRL3HJ6BxPlqaLnVILk/s1600/08-11-17+050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6BVuFYbZDOJ7Zhe73K5BHnza1dlj8ROFnricWhYpT1YCeSDP6oITAUlueOMWMVbCg_Slj6Ss3-gzF6KxbLR_B9o8-HF-6egEVqL0ZtWheOB8VJV00ES8Gp8qYYRL3HJ6BxPlqaLnVILk/s320/08-11-17+050.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<u>Tip 5: Don't Set Big Long Term Goals</u><br />
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I know, I am one to talk right? In my first few months learning a new sport should of been fun and enjoyable. Seriousness would come when it came to the league or to the tournaments but I forgot it. In fact I still forget it. I have this big goal and I roughly know how quickly I need to progress. If I feel like I am getting behind or I take a few losses then it seems like the ground will swallow me up.<br />
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I often live 2 months in the future or even a year in the future. I forget to enjoy what I am doing. I have to say when I have most enjoyed table tennis I have had my best performances. It is always in that order. So, yes, goals are great. Just try and set small short term ones and don't worry if you miss them or are a little behind in your expectations. You will catch up and you will develop quickly but try and enjoy the process and the journey. I often wish I had done a better job of that.<br />
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<u>Bonus Tip (For Adults): Play on your Knees</u><br />
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Seriously just try it is the best thing for any adult beginner. See video below:<br />
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<u>Basic Tips are the Best</u><br />
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These tips aren't rocket science. It is just that in all the rush to learn a new sport you can often forget a few things. It is like your mum (mom!) telling you to pack your lunch on the first day of school. You know you need to do it but a gentle reminder never hurts. Table tennis can be a little 'nerdy' in places as well so it is good to remember that having no knowledge is fine. I have very little compared to most people. In my league matches I constantly make gaffs and I am always getting frowned at by the old guys. However, everyone started somewhere and it is just that they have forgotten what it is like. My final bit of advice is if in doubt reach out. I am here to chat so I will always try and help other beginners with the bits I have picked up and if not I know enough people to get you the help you need! So go out there be brave and enjoy it!<br />
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<u>Summary</u></div>
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<ul>
<li>Things I wish I had known</li>
<li>5 tips for Beginners</li>
<li>Play on your knees!</li>
<li>Reach out and get the help you need</li>
<li>Keep it simple</li>
<li>Enjoy it</li>
</ul>
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HarrieAJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875312479541830831noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-387940998319051731.post-73756766357110785032017-10-27T06:13:00.001-07:002017-10-27T06:15:32.935-07:00Welcome to the League - Learning Match Play<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh33EoZMCJxzmB31zsvISIWu4gxiQkIiTH2Rs3TeIBir6GvK50-OCydVMwMn6wzRvOktsiYAjVuoG4KsaT-TnTWD_KSdYzLbNuyxRWMrlWbiHxfQmCHZDNVg2A5GPiCuLVZa1gq_5I7oT4/s1600/SNC-Mens-singles-final-001-800x450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh33EoZMCJxzmB31zsvISIWu4gxiQkIiTH2Rs3TeIBir6GvK50-OCydVMwMn6wzRvOktsiYAjVuoG4KsaT-TnTWD_KSdYzLbNuyxRWMrlWbiHxfQmCHZDNVg2A5GPiCuLVZa1gq_5I7oT4/s320/SNC-Mens-singles-final-001-800x450.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I was going to put 'Welcome to the Jungle' when I initially thought of this blog post but I thought it was a little to obscure to be recognisable as a post about my league start. I say this because the leagues of local table tennis are a jungle. Full of weird and wonderful creatures. I've been sworn at by an 88 year old man and met a guy who only chops and lobs. I've met pimple and topspin. I've lost a fair few games I should have won and I've played a lot of 5 set matches.<br />
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The first match I played in the league was about a month ago. I got to my club to find it virtually empty except for 3 tables and some barriers. The echo was a bit disconcerting in the hall and the silence was fairly deafening. Most people were pretty serious like the next 2 hours would decide their lives. However, I was calm. I remembered how much I love competing. I approach every situation with aggression. I want to psychologically beat my opponent and I want to destroy them on the field of play. Its probably not quite how you are meant to be when you are playing against a 50 year old man in 3/4 length trousers who is quite happy to have a tea and a biscuit at half time. I have a feeling that competition in the way I do things doesn't necessarily come as easily to others as it does to me. I forget sometimes what I am actually like. In training it is hard to walk the fine line between a competitor and a friend. Between playing hard and playing for enjoyment. I usually fall one side of the line or the other and neither work particularly well in the training environment.<br />
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Above is my second ever match. </div>
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I would like to inform everyone I have since found my forehand again!</div>
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In a competitive atmosphere there is only one side of the line to be on and I find myself feeling pretty comfortable there. So my league enjoyment was evident from the first knock up. In my first 5 minutes I had someone ask if I wasn't playing because I was a higher league player (there was meant to be a spectator and they were trying to work out which one of the 4 of us it was). Which boosted my confidence. The first game I approached with a similar confidence. There were nerves, it was my first ever league match after all, yet I held it together fairly well. I wasn't perfect but I kept the games close. It was a bit of a rude awakening in a way. I guess I expected a lower quality. More of a pushing game, so to speak but he did put on a few loops and certainly made a game of it. However, I kept it relatively close and was buzzing for my second game. My second game was better. It went to 5 but I felt like it shouldn't have. I just couldn't close it out. Eventually I sealed the win but not with my greatest performance. My final game of this first league match was against a guy who usually plays in the league above. I massively underestimated him and got destroyed, deservedly so. Note to self don't serve long topspin assuming his wild but powerful shots will miss.<br />
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So it has all progressed from there really. I have won some and lost some. I have everything from a <br />
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10% to a 60%. A lot of it has been luck of the draw stuff. Who plays for the person that day and who suits my game. I haven't always enjoyed the league for the simple reason that the constant intensity is way too high. Playing for Ben's club I now have nicknamed the situation 'the curse' as whenever I am playing there I feel like the world is going to swallow me up. I have played some really good players though, even in low level local league. People that just seem to know their way around a table and can do most things even if it is a little unorthodox.<br />
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There are huge lessons to learn from the league. I will often find myself winning the first game then losing the next couple or wining a couple and losing in the 5th set. League matches at my level require a great deal of patience. It is all about not making a mistake and ensuring the other person does. I am not always designed for the patient approach. My ethos is still one of a 'big top spin game' and not of precision, enough of the time. Playing in a controlled, slow way can often feel like a cheap win. Sadly, I have been facing up to the fact that to win boring is still a win and in my last match I absolutely did that. It was all pretty ruthless but I got through it.<br />
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The league has taught me control but I have also felt hesitant to implement aggression. The times I have, have meant I have either made mistakes or tensed up. It means I play a half speed table tennis game which is damaging to weaker players but to decent players, it doesn't exactly put the fear into them. I know I have the look of a powerful player and I think sometimes the lack of speed in my game has actually caught people out but I don't want to be that guy. I want to be playing with speed and pace on the balls I hit. It will be something I work on a lot over the coming weeks with Ben. In my own estimation it is stuff like this that children have an advantage in when they learn at a young age. In match play they can hit the ball with all their might and it is still likely to go on the table as they aren't playing as fast. They can learn to temper their game and get a feel for the ball from there. I am not in that boat. I haven't quite managed to control the speed of the ball enough. I am either too slow or too fast. Too much spin or not enough. I am starting to get that feel but a year later and the decisions I make in this regard are still very much in the developmental stage.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBtAEG-d1HOIU8Aul2TC5e-BE0bePiow2AmjpUBl_p9G0qOa_WTKQNYeJSNFMH5z_TanCFRPZdI-3q-LH9JS1e3_EDTl9G3bRhyphenhyphen9Vnk4hKaA6RKXf8mOghUx_T3ldwSrRrtjDxvSGocg8/s1600/img19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="259" data-original-width="346" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBtAEG-d1HOIU8Aul2TC5e-BE0bePiow2AmjpUBl_p9G0qOa_WTKQNYeJSNFMH5z_TanCFRPZdI-3q-LH9JS1e3_EDTl9G3bRhyphenhyphen9Vnk4hKaA6RKXf8mOghUx_T3ldwSrRrtjDxvSGocg8/s320/img19.jpg" width="320" /></a>One of the big changes for me has been seeing the weird bats and styles that people play with. I have seen players right the way up to Div 1 local league standard (which is fairly decent) using pretty horrible techniques. A lot of people use pimples to slow the game down for themselves. I was surprised when I first entered the league how prevalent this was. The games can actually be more of a war of attrition than anything else. It is less of the 5 or 6 shot blistering rallies that the pros do and more of a grind to the end. With these weird styles the match becomes less about pure skill and more about pure concentration. I have had a lot of close games and a lot of games where I will start off ahead and end up losing. I initially thought I had just got tense or I had changed my game, now I understand it is concentration that holds the key. It may sound obvious but I didn't stand at the table thinking that mid-set I would switch off. I thought I was constantly focused on playing and winning. Actually, my mind wanders a bit. I focus then I switch off a bit. That worked fine in football or rugby where the game ebbed and flowed but it is much more difficult in a sport where every point is as vital as the one before.<br />
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So the league is a massive bundle of lessons. I have played about 8 matches so far and it has been a lot of fun. I hate playing on Fridays and I am not a massive fan of the fact games can go on until 11pm at night (or longer). There is a range of competitiveness (I have been sworn at by an 86 year old) and a range of abilities but no two games are ever the same. I still feel training holds the key to my improvement. The lessons from matches will start to wear thin and table time can be fairly limited (especially if you lose in 3!). The culture of tea and biscuits is absolutely hilarious but rather endearing and the people themselves are sweet. Every league, at my level, is a game of strategy. The wiliest competitors will inherently rise to the top. With any luck, in the months to come that will be me.<br />
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<br />HarrieAJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875312479541830831noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-387940998319051731.post-74052669994410084752017-10-09T04:20:00.002-07:002017-10-15T07:36:05.427-07:00One Year In - The State of The Game<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Note: this post is about the state of the game in the UK I have literally no idea about anywhere else in the world. Even in the UK, my experience is limited and purely from what I have seen and experienced in my tiny little area of the country. I am definitely not giving a blanket opinion of the sport.<br />
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I want to start out by saying table tennis is unlike any single sport I have ever played. It is a sport where a fully grown adult can be beaten by an 8 year old, where you can play without moving at all or you can dart around like a ninja. It has tools that can make you absorb every single bit of spin to tools that make your balls feel like relative bullets. You can slow the game, speed it up basically you can make it into whatever you want it to be. So, for such a versatile game is it making the most of its attributes in the UK? The simple answer is no but there are reasons for this which we will get into and there is progress being made, which is what we will focus on towards the end of this analysis.<br />
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If I look back at my first time in a club and my early posts on my experiences. It was a case of feeling<br />
like the unwelcome guest at the party. It is now the opposite I am at least one of the most well known people in my local clubs (mostly because of my hilariously short, shorts). I really didn't start that way though. It is possibly one of the most ridiculously elitist environments I have been in. I fundamentally know that the only reason I have any worth to a lot of clubs is because I am now relatively decent at table tennis and I am a big personality in a room and that is wrong. Likewise, I have watched others both slip down the pecking order and get very little help, therefore, even if they want to improve they can't.<br />
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What makes me most unhappy is this lack of improvement. I am remarkably lucky, as I have said before, to have Ben coaching me. I have said before that, partly, I have created my own luck by working abnormally hard but I also have spoken to the right guy at the right time and, fortunately, he didn't (only) find me annoying. Other people aren't so lucky and it is a real shame. At every single other sport I have ever participated in there has been coaches, of a sort. Athletics you are instantly assigned a coach, with Rugby you get the same and with Football the situation is similar. In no sport have I ever seen people turn up to a club with their young children and get literally zero help. It actually hurts me that so many of these clubs are so insular as to create an environment where progress is passively hindered. I have tried to help the odd kid while I play but I am not a coach, I have a specific goal to attain and I am not entirely sure how to teach techniques, other than what I can parrot from Ben. In my opinion there should be a coach at every club. England Table Tennis should have a representative that goes round and does a coaching day with everyone at every club. If there was just one person who allowed for half an hour at the beginning of sessions to coach people who were either younger or just of a lower ability, but willing to learn the standard of sport in the UK would jump 10 times over.<br />
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So I currently play in 3 "official" local table tennis leagues. All of which are shrinking. I have had three or four conversations with the elder members of the sport about the league's "glory days". These are indicative of the above i.e. a lack of coaching but also because of a problem with attracting youth and young adults. One or two, well placed, clubs have an abundance of members but most are dying and seem to be sleep walking into extinction. The irony is with Ping-Pong Bars, pop up tables and a sports mad country we have tons of young people tasting table tennis for the first time (just as I did about a year ago). The strange thing is that nobody seems to have bridged the gap between the people who are enjoying table tennis socially and the people who play it competitively. Personally, I think table tennis is cool but at the same time its not cool. When I go to Bounce, for example, and I am good at it, beat a couple of mates and have a drink I find it both fun and I feel good about playing it. I go to a club and playing table tennis instantly makes me a weirdo. I used to play it down myself, telling my mates it was barely a sport, laughing that I was becoming a bit of a loser. Funnily enough, I now spend my time justifying it, how hard it is, how wrong I was about it "not being a sport", how proud I am to be associated it. The problem is that the establishment as a whole is reluctant or even resistant to making itself into a mainstream, acceptable sport. I assume this is because the clubs are mostly run but older people. Older people may not know how to entice the youth through the door or, sadly, do not want them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLYvL2LpTdDnf5Oqwj03aahelRRsHTJ0CGBaYlyFVO6It3yplCFEtPM1_Ro5UFPBIPkUJkprr8yhwc4YzsUnD_7BffKFu0o5-yFzH9boUPHfIH89GVAEveUxyBqTsJ1hreZDFZ-JRaug8/s1600/two-colleagues-playing-table-tennis-in-office-break-room-673117017-592611993df78cbe7e959740.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="768" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLYvL2LpTdDnf5Oqwj03aahelRRsHTJ0CGBaYlyFVO6It3yplCFEtPM1_Ro5UFPBIPkUJkprr8yhwc4YzsUnD_7BffKFu0o5-yFzH9boUPHfIH89GVAEveUxyBqTsJ1hreZDFZ-JRaug8/s320/two-colleagues-playing-table-tennis-in-office-break-room-673117017-592611993df78cbe7e959740.jpg" width="320" /></a>The clubs and the institutions could fix the problem. I mean some clubs don't even have a training night, or don't tell you where they are event based. This should be mandatory. All clubs should have a match night and a training night. If it stops some clubs functioning then that is fine, those players will go elsewhere or a new club will appear in its place but it will allow for new members and for people to learn and improve. I have no idea what the protocol is in the rest of the country but all leagues should run a youth league. It doesn't happen in my area and it is a real problem. Kids do not want to be beaten by their Granddads every week, it is disheartening and pointless. Don't get me wrong children should be allowed to play in the adult league, it should be actively encouraged but it absolutely should not be the only league that children can play in. I know some places don't have enough children etc. but there could easily be a league that is run across the county or across a couple of leagues. It is a travesty that this isn't covered. It would also allow, in the absence of coaching at every club, coaches to see children with a little bit of talent that could be nurtured better at a club nearby, that has coaching.<br />
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My next point is about girls. How are we, as a sport, so poor at attracting girls. We have a sport that evens out the sexes entirely until the elite levels. Women play in the top divisions of the local leagues and are often better than the men. Yet, we have such a poor female attendance in my area. They don't seem to be interested in it or even consider it. Sadly, that is a failing of the whole sport. Campaigns akin to the successful "this girl can" should be run. If women's football can find success then why can't table tennis find tons of female participants, in a sport that doesn't even require the label of being a "women's" sport? It is just a sport, for everyone. A good illustration is in my early blogs when my girlfriend could beat me. If she wasn't wedded to her horse, I am sure she would of been playing with me and probably would still be beating me now!<br />
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In conjunction, it is also a great "couples sport". Along the same lines as female participation, both of you can improve at the same rate, the sport requires a minimum of two people, it is fantastically sociable and once again I have never heard anyone or any institution mention it. An example of this are the couple that run my league club as well as a couple who have joined the club and basically spend their time playing each other, but they are playing in the league together. I really feel this could be expanded upon.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQABhEdYpgS75P24saOfkp1cHjJivBsJCF0qqB9amwIgR7nscPsdUpb-vGKNt9aG4UPBlZ-c9GJafGUArDVTRCnds3ptOg54LYaz2e1suwSJ5TVNkOP4wykkgCJ-c4gXCYoSJY1MWPgvg/s1600/Paul-QF-1024x683.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQABhEdYpgS75P24saOfkp1cHjJivBsJCF0qqB9amwIgR7nscPsdUpb-vGKNt9aG4UPBlZ-c9GJafGUArDVTRCnds3ptOg54LYaz2e1suwSJ5TVNkOP4wykkgCJ-c4gXCYoSJY1MWPgvg/s320/Paul-QF-1024x683.jpg" width="320" /></a>It isn't all negative though. The sport is wonderful in so many ways. As much as coaching might be lacking the effort people put in is remarkable. People are so dedicated to their clubs. They are genuinely trying to make a good environment for their members. My league club, doesn't have any qualified coaches but there are 3 or 4 people who literally spend every Sunday morning helping the kids. It isn't perfect but in the circumstances it is quite remarkable. The individuals concerned rarely get to play table tennis themselves in the morning and are instead trying to keep 30 12 year old's entertained. The people in general make a huge difference and, as much as I have criticised their insular nature, they are all very sweet and have a genuine care and affection for the game. There is love for the sport that is commonly found in minority sports. Nobody is there for the glory, half of them aren't even playing to win, they are just playing for love and once they realise you love it to they embrace you into their weird and wonderful family. <br />
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There is a fantastic social aspect to the game. If we look at the amount of bars and pubs installing table tennis tables (or completely dedicating their bar to table tennis) it highlights how social the sport is. It often brings people who aren't necessarily 'sporty' into an environment where they feel comfortable and can achieve. This is great if it can be harnessed in the right way.<br />
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I feel like this post is a summary of table tennis' near misses. It has so much going for it. It is the sport that is dressed up like a game. It is the exact opposite of darts (game dressed up as a sport) and requires a skill quota that is almost off the charts. It is so much fun and many people have embraced this as they go to their local bars or find their local clubs. However, to take this sport to the next level in my area and, perhaps, the UK as a whole, it needs an amalgamation of these things. A seamless network where a guy who 'likes' ping pong can be a guy who 'plays' table tennis can be a guy who is 'coached' as an athlete and, finally, can become a high level player. That transition is too problematic at the moment and, until it is fixed, it will be a sport that never fulfils its true potential.
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<br />HarrieAJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875312479541830831noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-387940998319051731.post-39640944330005340232017-10-02T03:40:00.001-07:002017-10-15T07:37:12.475-07:00One Year In - The Epic Journey so Far <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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It is hard to know where to start with this one. If we go back to where I was a year ago I am barely recognisable as the same player and yet my brain often tells me I have't improved at all. The problem is I can never remember what I have done. Perhaps my biggest regret is not videoing more of the journey, especially the beginning parts. The bits where I could barely hit a ball, where I was losing to my friend Ollie in straight sets, where my girlfriend would beat me on our little table at home and I would get so frustrated. Like anything, however, you never notice progress, you only notice a lack of it.<br />
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Ironically, it was a session with Ben recently that made me realise how far I had come. We started off doing our usual, backhand and forehand drills and I could put every single one on the table with relatively good technique. The issues I was experiencing were things like: putting more spin on a backhand or finishing in the right place every time on the forehand. Basically, minor things because everything else was right. Now, this doesn't make me amazing or even proficient. It just means I have hit the next stage of my development. I can finally hit 40 or 50 balls without missing on my forehand and backhand. I am winning games and I am starting to show signs that I will be a decent player.<br />
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The question I keep asking myself is "am I where I want to be at this stage?" It has been tough to decide as the goal posts have kept on moving. I have certainly had times when I thought I wasn't anywhere near where I needed to be. I have three moments that I can recall wanting to quit. I have had a couple of months where nothing has gone right. Even my league matches started with some big wins that felt like I played to win rather than playing to perform, which sucked the joy out somewhat. However, I have also had days where I have felt like I destroyed people. Where I have seen my performance level jump above anyone else's, where it has felt like the hard work is completely vindicated. Admittedly, these are not as regular as the times I feel like it is a long hard slog. Part of that is how big the challenge is and part of it is just my own personality which focuses on the failures more than the victories. So what this means is I tend to distort my own perception of my achievement so far. I think if you asked Ben he would say I am about where he expected me to be and I tend to agree with that. I have not taken to this sport like a duck to water. I have no talent that propels me above others, likewise my own head can hold me back in this game. I also started out with no experience at all. I hadn't knocked about with friends, I hadn't played at school or done it on holiday I was completely inexperienced and that meant I was more handicapped than I even remember.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSEJS5GjJu4P1XIe-EQmPHbjiUZNq3U0JBv_SeIvA_omgQNcdTX55V461Qm4CxC7BoIkFZMqPCMjKmId_UbmjGZ6pbgfTCvr91eH2pDMC_UPeMlgukImmBskpvXrTzir-ThF40ObL5H1w/s1600/download.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSEJS5GjJu4P1XIe-EQmPHbjiUZNq3U0JBv_SeIvA_omgQNcdTX55V461Qm4CxC7BoIkFZMqPCMjKmId_UbmjGZ6pbgfTCvr91eH2pDMC_UPeMlgukImmBskpvXrTzir-ThF40ObL5H1w/s320/download.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first time ever playing table tennis. (My stance still hasn't changed!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The biggest loss, though, was not having a coach from day one. Ben has changed everything for me. I guarantee that I would be a bit of a mess of a player if I hadn't got lucky with him. It basically restarted my table tennis 'career' and put me on the right track to success. I also want to make the point of mentioning Karl in this, because he was the one who first coached me and continues to coach and do drills with me on a Tuesday as well. The weird thing is, probably because we are all of a similar age with similar interests, I now have a friendship group out of it. We chill together and I probably spend more time talking to both Ben and Karl than my own girlfriend (much to her annoyance). It makes the whole thing bearable when things are tough and I am feeling like rubbish to mess around a bit or discuss something other than table tennis for 5 mins (not that it happens very often!). It also means that it feels more like the Fellowship of the Ring than Taken's one man army style. I like a bit of a team ethic in all honesty. It is probably why I can find the competition element tough in table tennis sometimes.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/3SdUqJ5VSjE/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3SdUqJ5VSjE?feature=player_embedded" style="clear: left; float: left;" width="320"></iframe>What not having a coach originally and not having any experience in the sport has done, is create a feeling of the unknown. When I started, I assumed I would be X good and get to Z in a couple of years. When I started playing a bit I realised I was actually only T good and X would be a while off. Now I know I am probably about a C and getting to Z will be a long, hard challenge. In simple terms somebody kept extending the challenge. It seems that now I am pretty sure of how hard it is going to be. I think that is partly why I am improving again. I am embracing the enormity of the challenge and not worrying so much about the next level up from me, I just concern myself with mastering my current level. When I watch some of the early stuff with me and Ben (see video to the right) it is amazing how much I have improved, although it is amazing how much I still have to do to become half way decent.<br />
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I will always maintain that table tennis requires you to learn two different sports. There is the sport for playing the quality players. Big looping table tennis, attack after attack, risk but high reward. There is also table tennis for beating the awkward people consistently. That table tennis is just doing basic stuff well and having no risks in your game at all. At my level, one makes you look like a pro and you win nothing. The other makes you look (and feel) boring but you will win a lot more games. I have basically spent my time with Ben and Karl learning the first version for the majority of the time. However, we have done a bit of work on the latter. When it comes to league matches the only way I have played is the second way. I have watched a few people try and play the big looping game but they aren't quick enough, aren't accurate enough to pull it off. The difference between them and me is that I can always fall back on my boring game.<br />
<br />
The league itself started about 2 weeks ago. So far I have played in 4 matches for 3 different teams. My first match I won 1 game out of 3. My second I lost them all. My third I won 2 and my most recent I won them all. Ironically, the games I have won the most I have played the worst, highlighting, perhaps, some of the issues from the previous paragraph. I enjoy the league, particularly the idea of focused competition. I like the lack of expectation associated with playing players of similar ability to me. I feel I can get weighed down by my own expectation a bit. I am trying not to play every single game for every team as I am not looking to burnout. Likewise, matches require a very limited scope of play. I need training to help increase my attributes in other areas. I am due to play my first tournament in 6 months. That, obviously is another 50% of my total playing time again (if not more). I would expect myself to be competitive among the lower level players there without setting the world alight.<br />
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If we were to simplify the journey down into a highlights reel of the best and worst bits so far. My highlights would probably start with the friends I have made over the course of this and the fact I have progressed in a sport I have never played before. I remember my tournament where I reached the semi-finals as a particular highlight. My second memory would be going to a club that I had been the worst at 3 months or so before when I visited and returning and suddenly being a guy in the middle of the pack with respect from almost every player I was with. The biggest highlight with Ben was my last session. I finally felt like I was a consistent player and I could play table tennis. I was pretty ill that day and I worked so hard that my t-shirt only had a tiny little square of dryness left on it but I felt progress, I felt like a table tennis player.<br />
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My biggest lows have come when I have had losses that I was shocked by. The mental side of the game, I have said many times, has been incredibly tough on me. Two of my lowest moments have come at Ben's club. A variety of reasons make that place difficult for me. It is ironic that it is one of the most welcoming, warm and friendly places you can go to, to start learning table tennis. I dread it because I am the top of the pile and I am under the watchful gaze of Ben, who I constantly seek to impress (I am a bit of a loser!). It has led to some awful table tennis and bitter disappointment, which has been pretty self-inflicted. I have had the same things at a couple of other clubs. All have been in similar circumstances. Usually against lower level players, where I have been expected to win and perform well and I have just frozen. Often I have been around people I know. I am not going to lie, I have sometimes wanted to cry I have taken it that hard. Like all the work and sacrifice has been for nothing. However, I have usually recovered stronger and come back a better player. I thought I had got past the "fear" of playing low level players and men I know who are around my level and look at me as a scalp. This weekend proved I hadn't. Which disappoints me. I still feel if this journey is, truly, going to be a success it will be this that I must overcome.<br />
<br />
To even keep a blog about a year's worth of hard work to this length has been stupidly hard. I regret not videoing myself more when I sucked. I genuinely think that would of been interesting. I was too scared at the time that I looked like a moron so I didn't have the balls to do it but these blogs are a real eye opener. I have made progress, I cannot tell you how close I am to achieving my goal I am. I have no idea if I am on track to do it or if I am behind the curve. I don't think you can measure this very easily. All I know is I am 1/8th of the way in. I have basically graduated from "what is table tennis" to "I play table tennis". That transition in itself has taken some time. It has been way harder than I expected. It has been the never ending marathon. I have put a lot of miles on the car travelling to various clubs, I have spent more than I ever expected on bats, balls, tables and more besides. I have made life long friends and I have had so much fun with some of the weirdest and most wonderful people. I am certainly, well known in my little area of the table tennis community and I guess that is something. Perhaps most of all it has filled a hole in my life that both athletics and rugby left behind. Bodybuilding and swimming etc. could never fill the hole the same. I am glad to have found table tennis and to see this 'Epic Journey' through.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>My Team:</b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Nate at Ben's Pairs Tournament</td></tr>
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HarrieAJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875312479541830831noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-387940998319051731.post-69581642319310207702017-09-10T10:00:00.002-07:002017-10-15T07:37:21.829-07:00Table Tennis and Your Diet - Becoming a Lean Mean Hitting Machine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Balance. It is the first word out of any nutritionists lips. The problem is for most people balance is at different points. A balanced diet for a bodybuilder will be different than that for a professional cyclist. The key to a diet that is effective for table tennis is to work out where on the line the sport falls and what needs to be included in the diet to attain balance.<br />
<br />
Firstly, we need to decide what table tennis is relative to life and to other sports. Immediately, you know that you are playing a sport. Therefore, you are more active than someone of a sedentary lifestyle. It is not a power sport such as sprinting or weightlifting, likewise, it is not an endurance sport such as marathon running or triathlons. At the professional level, however, the sport probably falls closer to 'endurance' than 'explosive' but Ma Long will tell you that an awful lot of explosivity is required. <br />
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The reason the definition is so vital is that it defines how much energy will be used and how quickly that energy will be expended. At the basic level, food replenishes this energy. However, food provides a few other benefits from bone growth, to muscle replenishment, to keeping the heart beating regularly (potassium is used in signalling heart contractions, for example).<br />
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When it comes to table tennis we need food to do two things for us:<br />
<ol>
<li>Give us the ability to perform</li>
<li>Help us recover after performance</li>
</ol>
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This post came about from a guy called Ramon Bannister who asked a number of questions during a post on the '<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/ettacademy/?ref=bookmarks">expert table tennis forum</a>' I will endeavour to answer some of them in due course but they will all relate back to the 2 key points: performance and recovery. </div>
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Lets first look at the most important tenant, balance. If we take food it can be broken down into two areas called macronutrients and micronutrients. Your macronutrients are further broken down into proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Your micronutrients are more like your vitamins and minerals. Our main focus will revolve around these macronutrients but I promise I will circle around to the micronutrients as the post goes on. </div>
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<div>
So lets start with the first group in macronutrients. These are your proteins. These contain the <br />
fundamental building blocks of you. They are the thing used to build stuff within the body. They get broken down into amino acids which repair and grow structures within the body. Carbohydrates are the energy source (although every group can provide energy) and provide glucose to the body. It is glucose which powers the body and, more importantly, the brain. Finally, there are fats, they are often given a bad name but they are absolutely vital to us. Fats, of course, provide a slower source of energy to the body and keep us warm through our storage of them but we also use them for our hormones. Hormones are the signals that tell the body to do things, they tell us we are hungry or that we are cross or that we are in danger. Everything in the body is regulated by these and it is fat that provides the tools to make them.<br />
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As each provide energy in different ways they are also given an amount in calories that they are worth. Calories are just a unit of measurement for energy shown by Kcal (Kilocalorie, don't worry too much about the cal or small calorie in this case). Fat is 9 calories of energy, protein is 4 and carbohydrates are also 4 calories of energy. Now this rough guide doesn't tell you how much energy they take to burn or how quickly that energy gets into your system but it does help you get a gauge. So the average man needs 2500 calories and the average woman needs 2000 to function. Remember these are the averages. If you are a large person or super active these will go up. For example, playing table tennis for an hour will roughly burn between <a href="http://www.myfitnesspal.com/exercise/calories-burned/table-tennis-ping-pong-182">200</a> and <a href="http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=4&art_id=167831">500</a> calories per hour. A two hour training session will therefore be between 400-1000 calories on top of your daily life. Now before we all start getting 3000 calorie diets remember a certain amount of activity is built into the 2500 calories for men or the 2000 for women. So if you are sat at a desk all day and then go and play some table tennis for a couple of hours it might not be necessary to go much beyond that guideline amount. Likewise, if you are a small person (I am!) you might want to adjust your guideline daily amount downwards. I am 5ft 7, 70kg and if I was sedentary my recommended calories would be 1971Kcal. If you click on this <a href="http://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html?ctype=standard&cage=25&csex=m&cheightfeet=5&cheightinch=7&cpound=154&cheightmeter=180&ckg=60&cactivity=1.2&printit=0&x=86&y=30">LINK </a>you can also get a rough guide to your calorie intake. Please remember it will still be a rough guide and you will need to use your own common sense. Unfortunately I cannot write a blog for every body type and player, it's already long enough!<br />
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The next point is how to compose a table tennis diet. This requires the macronutrients above, a bit of common sense and an understanding of what to put in your body. Now, the below diet is written for me and me alone, however, it gives you an idea of how to do something similar.<br />
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My first thought is always how much I weigh: 70kg, how tall I am: 5"7 what my rough body fat percentage is: 12% and my activity levels: 7-8 (5-6 table tennis) training sessions per week in a sport that requires a lot of constant movement. It works out that I need around 2700Kcal.<br />
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Now lets have a look how I would structure a daily diet on a training day:<br />
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Morning</div>
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<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.0pt;" valign="top" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Mid-Morning</div>
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<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.0pt;" valign="top" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Afternoon</div>
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<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.0pt;" valign="top" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Mid-afternoon</div>
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Pre-training </div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.05pt;" valign="top" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Post-training</div>
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<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.05pt;" valign="top" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Dinner</div>
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Porridge Oats w/ Banana & Protein Powder</div>
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Nuts or 90% Dark Chocolate or fruit</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.0pt;" valign="top" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Nothing I usually have a later lunch on training days</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.0pt;" valign="top" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Pasta w/chicken or sausage & vegetables</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.0pt;" valign="top" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 45.0pt;">
Nothing or I feel sick</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.05pt;" valign="top" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Protein Source (cottage cheese or protein shake) & Carb Source
(Fruit Banana/Kiwis)</div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.05pt;" valign="top" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Chicken, Mash Potato, Vegetables 2 types</div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<b>Total Calories: 2682Kcal</b><br />
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This needs generalising for a normal training day though. My thoughts are to make sure you eat when you feel you are able to. Don't worry about if you eat nothing in the morning and all of your food later in the day if that is how you need to eat, then eat that way. If you are having a day off training make sure you keep the diet pretty similar. There is no real rules for a diet except that you must make sure you get in your carbs: pasta, fruits, rice, noodles, couscous, white potato, sweet potato etc. you must also get in your vegetables.<br />
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Vegetables can be easily overlooked when people are thinking about how they eat. However, they provide so many benefits in terms of keeping you general healthy but also providing the vitamins that are essential to our lives. For example vitamin B12 helps maintain our central nervous system and Pantothenic Acid (no need to remember that) helps us metabolise our food. Just think, the more vegetables you get then the more you will be able to concentrate and score at important winner at match point.<br />
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Another thing to consider is snacking. Two reasons for this exist. Firstly, we all get a little peckish and snacks such as nuts and fruit can fill us up until the next main meal. Secondly, if we are nervous before a big session we might not feel like eating to our hearts content. We may just need a pick me up that gets us through the day/session and a little and often meal plan can help that.<br />
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My diet above is as balanced as possible. Enough protein, enough carbohydrates and enough fat. In a sporting context we need all three to be operating at peak performance. We are not trying to be catwalk models or body builders, people at the extremes of the dietary spectrum we are table tennis players and we need to be able to move and play. All day long.<br />
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I have not got a ton of experience at table tennis matches but my experience of training at the elite level in other sports will hopefully give you and idea of what to do on competition day. The short answer is don't change much. Unless you have a pre-match meal that is traditional or the timing of the event is a bit odd then you shouldn't need to adjust much. I would say always have enough to drink. With table tennis being relaxed is always better so lay off too much caffeine (tea, coffee, energy drinks). However, make sure you have a quick source of carbs. This can even be something like haribo or another sweet treat. I am not recommending you eat them every day but something you can easily get inside you that doesn't sit on your stomach will be really handy. Bananas are always your friend, they have a slightly slower release window but will be fantastic over the match period.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqCPQUiUlXfPRvRBqNSseaJtrykZl86pyvFJLzSYqyyuE6c9f1FbEMTslem6x0g7BUawxjopW9ZDmtCxEPvpkc90O0AWl7_Acd3iBybBhCFLOr4J4HU149hbeoW50kPErrlGmTaKQ8S70/s1600/288A91FC00000578-0-image-m-25_1431293437999.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="766" data-original-width="634" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqCPQUiUlXfPRvRBqNSseaJtrykZl86pyvFJLzSYqyyuE6c9f1FbEMTslem6x0g7BUawxjopW9ZDmtCxEPvpkc90O0AWl7_Acd3iBybBhCFLOr4J4HU149hbeoW50kPErrlGmTaKQ8S70/s320/288A91FC00000578-0-image-m-25_1431293437999.jpg" width="264" /></a>I can guarantee elite athletes will do the same. Elite level athletes will always aim to maintain a routine (excluding certain superstitions). The more that a match feels like your training sessions, the better you perform. That applies to food as much as anything else.<br />
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My final point is that you must always stay hydrated. We are all fools for not drinking enough and forgetting to have a bit of water between games. It is so important to keep both your concentration and your performance levels up. Why do you think football teams have water boys?<br />
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If I have missed anything I am genuinely sorry but, like the last blog, it is impossible to write an exhaustive list. I know Ramon mentioned vegetarians but the general principle shouldn't change. The calories need to suit an active table tennis player (however active that may be) and you need to make sure you have a balance of protein, carbohydrates and fats (at my activity levels I would skew towards a 45% Carbs, 35% Fats, 20% Protein. However, that is for me personally. Protein will usually be about 1g per kg of body weight for an athlete.) I cannot stress enough how important balance is to a diet for an individual who is looking to play competitive sport. I also want to stress the value of routine in competition and how diet should not dominate a person's life. Your table tennis career will not fall to pieces if you eat pizza here and there or a lasagne. Don't make it too specific but keep it healthy and remember to try and get in enough fruit and vegetables along the way. If you need to track your food intake then I will, finally, recommend <a href="http://myfitnesspal.com/">myfitnesspal.com</a> that should help you decide what is best for you.<br />
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If you want further information or have any questions then please get in touch but hopefully this will serve as a bit of a kick-starter for you to take control of your table tennis eating habits.<br />
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HarrieAJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875312479541830831noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-387940998319051731.post-31768972628885352972017-09-01T04:27:00.001-07:002017-10-11T23:20:48.585-07:00Time to Relax - Table Tennis for When You are Not Playing Table TennisTable tennis has become my addiction. I play it wherever and whenever I can. Bad quality or good quality with anyone and everyone who is willing to hit that tiny ball with that small bat. If I could I would sleep with a bat under my pillow and make breakfast using the bat as my spoon. It consumes my thoughts and probably makes me insanely boring to talk to. I apologise to my girlfriend and all my friends and family affected by my table tennis 'chat'.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQiDIZKC9eXhArC3Me4sgiUktTzZT1y8ntihq3TyePrbe03MDMDz8YWuIIflABIHKoHdQUIcuRyy86TwdSTZkwNL_EDTrRR4eWoGld6KhlPWmKfuEAfv0m8tgnrnRQCbm3OhYAMJTi9Q/s1600/240_F_107484412_OlkEw8Fzo4im5GwQFiS5q1q7ancEuuP8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="360" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQiDIZKC9eXhArC3Me4sgiUktTzZT1y8ntihq3TyePrbe03MDMDz8YWuIIflABIHKoHdQUIcuRyy86TwdSTZkwNL_EDTrRR4eWoGld6KhlPWmKfuEAfv0m8tgnrnRQCbm3OhYAMJTi9Q/s320/240_F_107484412_OlkEw8Fzo4im5GwQFiS5q1q7ancEuuP8.jpg" width="320" /></a>Sadly, I have found out it isn't quite possible to play table tennis for every waking hour of the day. Firstly, I don't know anyone who plays a much as I can or want to. As we all know I at<br />
tend multiple clubs and get extra coaching as well as practice serving and bits and pieces on my own table virtually every day. I also go to the gym twice a week which is now incorporating some of the footwork and movement components of table tennis. My addiction, however, goes further. It goes into videos and websites dedicated to making me a better player. In this blog I will put some links of the places I have looked for information and what I have got from each of the places I have looked. It is probably an incomplete list but it will give you and idea of what I do in my free time.</div>
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First of all, it would be hard to mention any website without mentioning Ben's website: <a href="http://www.experttabletennis.com/">experttabletennis.com </a>. With or without Ben at the helm this website started a lot of things for me. It recommended my <a href="http://www.experttabletennis.com/best-table-tennis-tables/">first table</a> and my <a href="http://www.experttabletennis.com/best-table-tennis-bat-for-beginners/">first bat </a> it basically got me started. I mean, as an beginner with no experience, it simplified everything for me. It gave me logic behind why I need certain bats as a beginner and why some are better than others. </div>
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However, now I am of a different calibre it provides something different, entirely. Most people will go hunting for the pages I have linked above. Yet, as you get more advanced I think it is easy to become more arrogant, to feel like you know it all. Yet, there is so much to learn, from so many perspectives. The issue is with this blog is it provides one perspective, mine. Ben's website provides a thousand perspectives from that of a coach to that of a parent. Guides for everyone involved in coaching. Yes, still from his point of view, but combined with a real diversity. If you haven't listened before then I can really recommend his <a href="http://www.experttabletennis.com/podcast/">podcasts</a>. Try not to get bogged down by the fact that a few of his guests lack a little....pzazz. What they tell you can not only help you understand table tennis but also help you find someone who relates to what you are doing and provides expert advice without you needing to get up off the sofa. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-H-5tCMR0vGHzddVtnH-GOGQQGeuDnrGFw23EMX-8pFiRf8VT43HJ6STbVIoYxWhhRwQ8pBMFB9cs_G7Neak6vch1NSTvKQOvZZyAHCuoWYFPGiXZHUfY67aGiQntfJmMx5sems6S0WQ/s1600/TTU+Promo+Graphic+960px++darker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="397" data-original-width="705" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-H-5tCMR0vGHzddVtnH-GOGQQGeuDnrGFw23EMX-8pFiRf8VT43HJ6STbVIoYxWhhRwQ8pBMFB9cs_G7Neak6vch1NSTvKQOvZZyAHCuoWYFPGiXZHUfY67aGiQntfJmMx5sems6S0WQ/s320/TTU+Promo+Graphic+960px++darker.jpg" width="320" /></a>My newest and best subscription is to a website called <a href="http://tabletennisuniversity.com/?affcode=78475_wsa5z8w5">Table Tennis University</a>. It is the big daddy of all online learning. Video after video with precise coaching and expert advice. Your two main coaches are Tom Lodziak and Coach Tao Li. They are the guides on a very long journey that takes you from a <a href="http://tabletennisuniversity.com/courses/103958/lectures/1525315?affcode=78475_wsa5z8w5">beginner holding a bat</a> to the most advanced drills such as the <a href="http://tabletennisuniversity.com/courses/103853/lectures/1676778?affcode=78475_wsa5z8w5">counter loop</a>. All are explained with pin point accuracy, though you might have to get over the fact that in the early days the small child with Coach Li isn't able to do almost any drill. It does serve to show us all how difficult even the most simple things can be in table tennis.<br />
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If you are new to the sport I highly recommend Tom Lodziak's <a href="http://http//tabletennisuniversity.com/courses/enrolled/114985?affcode=78475_wsa5z8w5">Table Tennis For Beginners</a> series. He is the most easy to listen to guy out of all the courses and creates really simple and effective videos for basic shots such as the forehand and backhand drive. Likewise, there is a number of drills to follow. If you are looking for some amusement there is a movement video where Tom shows some of the wrong things to do, including the worlds most hilarious 'forehand-backhand' drill.<br />
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I had a discussion with both Ben and Karl after I noticed that I had started doing the same mistakes as Karl. Karl obviously being a much higher level than me. Ben noted how you get batches of good table tennis playing children coming out of the same places in China. The reason for this is usually because you end up copying your peers and the people you respect. I copy Karl as he coaches me, he's of a similar age and one of the more orthodox club players I have around me. Likewise, I copy Ben because he is my coach, he tells me to copy him and he is awesome at table tennis! I have played table tennis with Ben, however, for half the time I have played with Karl so I have picked up a few bad habits along the way. The <a href="http://tabletennisuniversity.com/?affcode=78475_wsa5z8w5">Table Tennis University</a> guys are doing things right. Therefore, they are great people to copy. Even if you are just watching the video I think there is a process of osmosis that allows the "best practice" to sink in. Therefore, the more you watch the more you will learn but above all you will also understand what is not "best practice" and how to avoid it. It can be too easy, as I have said before, to take on any piece of advice that anyone gives you. <a href="http://tabletennisuniversity.com/?affcode=78475_wsa5z8w5">Table Tennis University</a> will give you the tools to "cherry pick" the information you need and discard the rest.<br />
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My final teaching find is a guy called <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/EmRatThichVo">EmRatThich</a> (pronounce that if you dare) on youtube. A lot of his videos are pretty crazy. The thing is they are also some of the cleverest table tennis videos on the web. I think both me and Ben would recommend the Ma Long "power from the ground video as a particular highlight but the third ball attack is also a classic. The great thing about the EmRatThich videos are they use real footage of top players, therefore you get a good idea of how these shots work in practice and how the top competitors train. He is a bit wacky and sometimes the English is a little stilted but the the coaching techniques are great. He seems to also just be a massive fan of table tennis which also helps!<br />
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My other big web based table tennis hobby is simply the short videos you get of pros. The highlight reels so to speak. If you are short of time or have too much time on your hands a quick dip into the world of professional table tennis can satisfy most fans. It is not like you won't learn anything either, from the movement to where they strike the ball to how they stand, all of it is something to observe and learn from. I have to admit, these guys won't be teaching you the basics any time soon but they will be absolutely smashing (often literally) some of the most advanced shots in table tennis. If you follow people like <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tabletennisdaily/">Table Tennis Daily</a>, the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ittfworld/">Ittf</a> (International Table Tennis Federation) or <a href="https://www.instagram.com/pingpong_channel/">pingpong_channel</a> then you will get hundred if not thousands of little clips to watch the best players do the best points and the best shots. Just remember to also follow me (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/epictabletennis/">epictabletennis</a>!!!).<br />
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My last tips are to all to do with what you should do if you are on your own. The first thing to do, if you have a bat and a ball is to practice contact with backspin. It is great for learning to serve to just serve the ball with backspin onto the floor. It also shows how good the backspin you are generating is. I also do side spin serves around the island unit in my kitchen to see if I can get it to do a full circle (with the help of the walls!). My second tip is to shadow play. Shadowing, you may have seen in my early videos, is basically playing table tennis without the ball. It turns out you can still learn that way and its much easier to win when there's no opponent or ball. Sometimes in the shower I shadow without even having a bat! The forehand, backhand switch is so key to table tennis at a decent level, therefore playing without having to think about a ball as well can really help. I will do another post on gym work but I wanted to give it a quick mention as things like fast feet on ladders or med-ball twists etc. can really help your precision and power as well as making you fitter for a long hard season.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinjmEE5crUStfL7BIG9EZKaBkviLd1wukl5Dkd45Dk5QqsvoVR9Qs8CZx_IhsTzr1qC8EF78vC9MCOoKogSv90tTvIzjvCBocRvLNXASBzMp9mjF8nePSDZSC88DdAOAH_ksorjpGbGok/s1600/robots_3.jpg.size.custom.crop.875x650.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="875" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinjmEE5crUStfL7BIG9EZKaBkviLd1wukl5Dkd45Dk5QqsvoVR9Qs8CZx_IhsTzr1qC8EF78vC9MCOoKogSv90tTvIzjvCBocRvLNXASBzMp9mjF8nePSDZSC88DdAOAH_ksorjpGbGok/s320/robots_3.jpg.size.custom.crop.875x650.jpg" width="320" /></a>If you are lucky and have a table at home but no friends and no robot (like me), there is still a lot you can do. I practice my serves almost every day. A lot of people say my serves are really good in games and when I am nervous and not playing well they often get my out of trouble. Practicing serves gives you such a big advantage in games from cheap points to setting up attacks that I would advise everybody to take time to practice them as much as possible. My last tip is all about self multiballing. You may have seen my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/epictabletennis/">instagram</a> videos with me dropping a ball on the table for me to smash and hit a forehand for. However, it can be done for practically any shot from a smash to a push (maybe excluding looping). It isn't perfect and no substitute for other humans or a robot but it does the job if you need it to keep both your eye in and perfect bits and pieces of technique. I do bits of it most days just so I am at least thinking about my technique during the day. My big piece of advice is to do a fair bit of this sort of work but not too much. Aside from being a bit mind numbing, it can also create bad habits as there is nobody watching you. Balls will also not have the correct spin or any movement so you will naturally strike a stationary ball in a different way.<br />
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In summary, we cannot replicate table tennis without any of the facilities of table tennis very easily. What we can do is provide some fantastic accessories to help all styles of player from the dedicated player who will stand outside practicing services and religiously learn from <a href="http://tabletennisuniversity.com/?affcode=78475_wsa5z8w5">Table Tennis University</a> to the beginner looking for some expert advice from <a href="http://www.experttabletennis.com/">experttabletennis.com</a> and practicing serves on the lounge floor. We all are in different points on our journey and we don't always have a buddy, a table and a bat handy but maybe, just maybe, we can still become better table tennis players just sitting at our desks. Now there's a thought.<br />
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HarrieAJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875312479541830831noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-387940998319051731.post-3770299800518152692017-08-20T08:24:00.002-07:002017-08-21T03:04:53.802-07:00Internal Vs External Factors - Making the Table Your Only FocusA few months ago, when I first started my journey, I wrote a blog called the psychology of the impossible. It centred around the idea of scale and how the scale of my task affected the pressure I felt when I played. Today, I want to go beyond the single idea of the pressure of this journey and expand out to every pressure that effects me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgwuk5oz2kwtdyHCqI95w-eNqv_iNPxB4nS57u_xOSaQFKEs3usNeNZIQVUsPyfqr107tFpf1Ki5kPUwYeTjVzMSNOvO0BsxcTCa0_Isd05CyJGKQt-TXKty3veRpBdKA5vl0B96a_oa8/s1600/skysports-paul-drinkhall-table-tennis_3893698.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="768" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgwuk5oz2kwtdyHCqI95w-eNqv_iNPxB4nS57u_xOSaQFKEs3usNeNZIQVUsPyfqr107tFpf1Ki5kPUwYeTjVzMSNOvO0BsxcTCa0_Isd05CyJGKQt-TXKty3veRpBdKA5vl0B96a_oa8/s320/skysports-paul-drinkhall-table-tennis_3893698.jpg" width="320" /></a>It is my biggest weakness and a huge character flaw. My reaction to perceived external pressure. In all honesty I am always a little ashamed of how much pressure I feel. Sometimes I am too scared to even train. Don't get me wrong, I never miss a session but in the car I can often feel like my heart is going to explode out of my chest. Every external factor feels like a massive weight on my shoulders that will gradually push me onto my knees. In athletics the pressure was less consistent, training meant nothing, we rarely ran 100m so I could never tell exactly where I was at until it was time to perform. When I did perform I usually wanted to go home before I even began and I always thought I would lose. My friend Tom can tell you he watched me with tears in my eyes and anger on my face until I found out that I had ran a PB. I am definitely a guy that gives out more confidence than he perhaps feels. I am weaker psychologically than I would like to be and it comes into conflict with my second weakness: winning. I love winning. Honestly, I couldn't care less what it is. I just want to win it. I whoever I play at anything I genuinely believe I can beat. Even when the odds are stacked against me. I have a hunger and will to win that is probably too strong for my own good. The weakness, however, is also a strength. I can be ruthless when I need to be and I have a dedication to things that would shock most people. The problem is that winning, especially in table tennis, requires a relaxed focus. If I get nervous, I get tense. If I get tense, I lose.<br />
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However, rather than look at my own character flaws lets generalise a bit further. Nerves are a natural part of human emotional response to stimuli. It all about our fight or flight response. In this case, most of us, choose to fight however, flight also seems like a pretty good idea if we are being honest with ourselves.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbZRX-TI4ITdYOeXNvIJu7Lf-HHSiE_iJlGEVNe-CP6vyq3wnDHHXx81zXCMp3cKBYWaXJh0XqGfcniK3PQbaafLF36r7kmICYcPbLwEo1xrv3BHoq7mxEaUqZ1VfC2NJRIJvi7mBXft8/s1600/Table-Tennis+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="650" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbZRX-TI4ITdYOeXNvIJu7Lf-HHSiE_iJlGEVNe-CP6vyq3wnDHHXx81zXCMp3cKBYWaXJh0XqGfcniK3PQbaafLF36r7kmICYcPbLwEo1xrv3BHoq7mxEaUqZ1VfC2NJRIJvi7mBXft8/s320/Table-Tennis+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a>Nerves come for a variety of reasons. They can usually be broken down into two camps: internal and external stimuli. For now lets look at the more "reasonable" factor which is the internal stimuli. When I refer to internal stimuli I mean in terms of a table tennis match. Internal factors could also be termed "controllable factors". I can control how I play. I can control my serve, I can control my approach to each shot and my concentration on the game. These are all internal to me. I can control all of them. I can control how I stand, how I move and how I play. It may annoy me if I don't execute to my ability but I can control all the factors. They are reasonable things to think about in game, they should be the only thing you think about in game. Even the ball cannot be controlled until you strike it. Therefore, it is external until contact. However, anticipation of that ball is an internal factor as I can control how I analyse my opponent. There is still danger to internal factors though.<br />
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Recently, I have been playing inconsistently. On occasion I look fantastic but on the other hand I can have periods where I look like I did 3 or 4 months ago. A part of this has been due to focusing on internal factors too much. I have a tendency to get lost in my own brain. Thinking about all the things I should be doing. It makes the game too complicated. As I have said in my last blog, my big focus has been movement. This interacts with everything else I do in game, therefore, it makes me think about everything more than ever.<br />
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When it comes to thoughts in table tennis, though; it is external factors that can be the most dangerous. Outside pressure comes in many forms. For me, the challenge itself is very stressful. As I have said before, I struggle to comprehend if I am improving at the speed I need to. I worry that I am wasting my time, that the challenge I have attempted is too big. I also find the opponents stressful. If I play someone I feel I should beat I worry I will lose. Likewise, if I play someone I should lose to I worry that I might lose by too large a margin or I should be closer to them in performance levels. With guys around my age the tension ramps up even further. Its a testosterone thing. Especially if they are a lower level because it is a lose lose situation. If I win I was expected to, if I lose it looks like all the time I put in hasn't improved me. Likewise, I find people will latch on to me, I am a pretty unique player. I train a lot and play a lot but started in my mid-twenties as a complete and utter beginner. Therefore, inexperienced players like to use me as a marker. If they can beat me or get near me they see it as a win, my worry is that if they do it says that I am not improving at the same rate as someone putting in half (or less) of the work. The same applies to my family life. If I fail to perform well I feel like all the hard work, all the time I put in for days upon days, month after month, has been worthless. With Ben or Karl I get nervous in a different way. I want to impress them, I want them to continue coaching me. I want them to feel like this project is worthwhile. I want to show I am improving.<br />
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Another big problem is what people say to me. Little things, like "you should attack more" or even, "you are playing well". It drives me crazy, because I feel like I have to live up to the words spoken too me. I get it with players who will say "you are much too good for me" then I will start missing the ball entirely. It is a genuine problem as these words should have no baring on me but they can change my game entirely.<br />
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The reality is these things are all out of my control. I cannot control my opponent, how they will perform against me or what they will say to me. Likewise, I can control the challenge parameters but once the parameters have been set I cannot change the pressures they apply. I cannot change time, if I have sacrificed things to play table tennis, it is in the past. I have no idea about how long it will take me to improve. It isn't even worth thinking about. None of the above is controllable by me. It can often give me a sense of helplessness or make me put more pressure on the things I can control. It is dangerous to my games and has contributed to more of my losses than any other single factor.<br />
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It isn't all doom and gloom though. Dealing with it has been part of my development in this sport. As I have said, the constant competition, even in training is different from anything else so I have had to learn a couple of coping mechanisms. I tend to go off into side rooms between games, win or lose, to compose myself. I can then calm down, have a drink and then go back out a little calmer. I also chew chewing gum. I know its a bit weird but it stops my brain wandering quite as much. The chewing seems to fill up the middle bit between my conscious and my sub-conscious so those external factors are not quite as prevalent. I also love having a towel. It provides a second or two of respite between points. I can use it fairly strategically and just help myself become refocused especially if I am a point or two down. I also keep a list of points on my phone to help me remember not to worry about things too much and just enjoy the game.<br />
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The truth is anxiety and pressure will always come because that is who I am. I am sure most successful players have similar worries on occasion. I know I could deal with mine better and as time goes on I will find more and more ways to cope (I am looking to see a sports psychologist so if anyone knows someone it would be great!). Little things can have big effects when it comes to the mental side of the game. I would implore anyone to try and find little coping mechanisms for their worries, it will have a huge effect on your game. Like, the sport itself, the mental side of table tennis is a skill that has to be learnt and developed over time. It is something I will continue to do over the coming weeks. <br />
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If anyone is interested in a professional perspective on the concepts above please have a look at the link with my coach Ben Larcombe interviewing Mark Simpson on '<b><u><a href="https://youtu.be/vH-fyOXoFLM">Train Smart, Play Smart</a></u></b>'<br />
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<br />HarrieAJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875312479541830831noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-387940998319051731.post-41029946830904266032017-08-14T10:34:00.004-07:002017-10-11T23:21:08.049-07:00Movement - The Grace of an Angel, The Look of a Crab<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As I have said before, I am an ex-100m sprinter and I was a decent standard of rugby player before that. I get moving fast and changing direction at speed. Therefore, I barely even thought of movement when I started table tennis. Forgive me, but I have seen some pretty big people play table tennis as well as some rather old ones to. None of them made me believe that table tennis would require me to fire any of my fast twitch fibres. Yet, over 9 months in and I find that movement has become my biggest obstacle.<br />
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For movement to be understood we need to break it down into "chunks". There are three of these chunks that need to be considered. The first is positioning. This includes the body position i.e. the crouched, bum out, bent over, old lady look and the position of the individual relative to the table i.e. where they are when the ball is played. Secondly, there is the anticipation i.e. understanding how and where to move when the ball is played. Finally, there is the movement i.e. where and how the individual moves once the ball has been played. These chunks are vital to the best players, especially those who want to play an attacking game with spin. This is because spin is based around a fine contact with the ball. A delicate contact is only possible with a shot almost perfectly executed every single time.<br />
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So lets have a look at the first part. The position. My body position, these days, starts off well before points. I stand waiting to receive serve like a seasoned pro. I adopt the "old lady" position, bent over with a slight hunch and my shoulders rolled forward. The bat is help in my hand loosely in a neutral position out in front of me with my other arm in parallel. Between shots, though, I find it much harder to return to that neutral position.<br />
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Let's take a forehand. The principle is that I move, play the shot and then return to the neutral position. This requires, not only a movement for the shot itself but a second movement to return to a state whereby I can play the shot. Returning to this state requires an extra component after every single shot. In terms of the forehand this creates an oval shape with the bat (see below). It also requires the body to drop after every shot. This is because, when you play the forehand, the body will rise up and forward slightly on every drive (this "upward" movement is even more pronounced on a loop). The position is vital between shots as it means you can go either to the forehand or the backhand. I noticed in myself yesterday that if you return to the neutral position after a shot, if you get caught out being too far over to one side of the table, you can adapt and play a decent shot even if it might be a backhand from the forehand side, for example, just don't make a habit of it!<br />
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So, you have got back into the neutral position, you are low to the table. You can go either way. Everything is perfect. Now what? Sadly, the fun has just begun. Now comes the bit you cannot control, your opponent will play a shot (serve) towards you. You, the receiver, will need to decide where to move. I think this is fundamentally where "experience" comes in, in table tennis. That innate ability to see what the opponent is going to do almost before they know themselves. Ben will often be in the position to take a shot that I have made before I have actually made the shot itself and he is not the only one. Older players rely on this knowledge to enable them to get to the ball, as their movement might not be as sharp as younger players. As an inexperienced player I find this really hard. I am so focused on what I need to do that my brain is very inwardly focused. That is where I often panic. The panic really stems from not being 100% comfortable with what I do internally. I am focused on remembering my forehand or backhand technique or how I need to connect with the ball or how I am going to stand to actually look at what my opponent is doing. Then when they do something I am suddenly panicking because I have been focused on myself for the last second or two. It turns out that focusing on the opponent is as important to movement as the movement itself. Unfortunately, it is liable to be the last thing anyone learns because it takes so long to see the cues that indicate what the opponent is going to do. With Ben I have tended to do a lot of drills associated with a known movement parameter. For example: backhand left of table, forehand middle of table, forehand wide, forehand middle, backhand left of table. These drills mean you move but it is always a known quantity. It may be a year or two before I can honestly feel comfortable with my own play to concentrate fully on my opponent.<br />
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Our opponent this time, we have correctly deduced is going to play a shot into the corner, forehand side. It is coming quickly but you have time to get there. You need to stay low, keeping the old lady/crab position. You have to drop the bat at the same time as you take a side step that kicks one foot into the side of another and then the other foot reaches across. If you look at the video below you can see that side step motion of Ryu Seung as he gets across the table. That is the aspiration!<br />
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A lot of what Ryu Sueng is doing is stuff me and Ben do. The side step, gets more complicated however with the addition of a Y Axis i.e. backward and forward movement. If a shot comes in to that corner. And you aren't quick enough to the ball you can take a diagonal side step. This will give you time to "pick" the ball up (take it from lower) and top spin it back to the table. Weight transfer is key in movement. I thought it was only because of creating power at first, but now I realise its so I can spring off one leg and back across. The twist of the body (from the back foot to the front foot) allows me to not get stuck in one place. This, for me, is really tough and I have to work on it an awful lot to both remain low and twist effectively.<br />
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It can be pretty tough to get the whole thing together. Movement is such a combination of skills that if one breaks down it can pull the whole thing down like Jenga. It, like all of table tennis, requires a relaxation, which doesn't come naturally to me. If I am nervous I can often end up flat footed playing soft shots that benefit my opponent more than me. However, it does separate the top players from the local league guys. It is something I genuinely feel, that if I get it right, will pull me up to the next level and help me start to bridge the gap between myself and those in leagues above me. It will also help stop any random loses I get against lower level players, which is something I still feel is a risk, although it is decreasing.<br />
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In summary, I guess movement, for me feels like a big change. I have to work so, so hard at it but I feel the rewards are worth it. I often shadow play it and both Karl and Ben have been working hard with me. Improvement is there but it can make me worse in games as I tense up even more than usual. The shoots of performance increase are appearing though and in a month or two I can tell I will be a different player yet again.<br />
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HarrieAJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875312479541830831noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-387940998319051731.post-34211014399672271692017-07-31T06:42:00.002-07:002017-10-11T23:21:38.498-07:00Tactical Table Tennis<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-RnrHHM0Cpi_wYgXNHqu9Q4AbjLcjVd3COqpeTf3olfB3tgdjHTe3v9SX0ArII5Y76lS84ZHApHO65xrFnx4mJfZuprx8d3gV9cJOmi71vEyLFtFYTkMSKBR0Tz1D-uCvYV8CUgwiYYQ/s1600/forehand+harrie.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="707" data-original-width="1600" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-RnrHHM0Cpi_wYgXNHqu9Q4AbjLcjVd3COqpeTf3olfB3tgdjHTe3v9SX0ArII5Y76lS84ZHApHO65xrFnx4mJfZuprx8d3gV9cJOmi71vEyLFtFYTkMSKBR0Tz1D-uCvYV8CUgwiYYQ/s320/forehand+harrie.png" width="320" /></a>In the past month I have learnt an awful lot. I am now, most certainly, an "intermediate" table tennis player. I am nowhere near the level I am aspiring for when the league starts and I am still making a large amount of mistakes in my overall game. However, my biggest failing is the tactical side of the game.<br />
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Table tennis is simple, hit the ball on to your opponents side and hope it doesn't come back. Yet, what happens if it does come back? What of the many different options should you take? It is likely your opponent has already ruled out some options with the speed and spin of the ball but have you noticed it? Is this shot going to be a winner or a shot aimed at keeping you in the rally? Are you going to change the spin? Where on the table will you put it? Are you in the right place to put your desired return into action? Are you confident?<br />
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All the questions above are asked on every single return. Most of them are asked on the serve as well but the options can be dictated and decided on more slowly. In the middle of the game there is no luxury of time, no re-positioning, there is only a split second to make all the choices and pray they are correct. The choices aren't conscious ones, or at least they shouldn't be, they are some of the many choices that need to be made sub-consciously to make every single shot.<br />
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Choices are some of the fundamental things that make us human. Without choices I would probably<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuZRG1Uf6CmTjEwMlge9Vrghyt1iDsFbhQX3T7KYHT4VPwnin3rugvnlMfscE4LarqLBo6o6hiwI5HPn-BxaTHVJaxTx67e8uKYO2ymezenBAS7ROnVGLhjFo1jYUJSsL8qiDsLxEmk4g/s1600/Service+Karl.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="894" data-original-width="1600" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuZRG1Uf6CmTjEwMlge9Vrghyt1iDsFbhQX3T7KYHT4VPwnin3rugvnlMfscE4LarqLBo6o6hiwI5HPn-BxaTHVJaxTx67e8uKYO2ymezenBAS7ROnVGLhjFo1jYUJSsL8qiDsLxEmk4g/s320/Service+Karl.png" width="320" /></a> be a fly. Who, even still, probably makes choices. The issue is that we don't like making extra sub-conscious choices. Humans can be a bit like robots. We want loads and loads of data and loads and loads of time to process that data and loads and loads of time to get a decision based on the variables. So if we feel we don't have the time to process that data we don't make a choice or we panic. Indecision is the biggest killer in table tennis. I struggle with it and I am sure that every single player has done. If I am in a tense point, it is 10-9 on my serve I serve, its returned and I don't know what to do. Really, what I am saying is "I want more time to make sure this is perfect" what I actually do it panic, make a half choice and maybe put the ball off the table and into the net.<br />
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So as a developing player I am looking to process that data quickly and also be aware that making a decision to do something with the ball is better than nothing. One of the biggest things I have learnt from older players (perhaps 60+) is to make decisions that adapt to what your limitations are and the opponent. The older players have so much knowledge, so much data and a years of well honed processing that everything is sub-conscious. They very rarely make half baked decisions, they are rarely caught frozen. I, on the other hand, am always caught in those sort of positions. I get so focused on everything else that I overload on the data and forget to process and, therefore, come to a decision.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizRtx8gpQcxz7prBXR8vKm_Vnj4U-cxkBJddO_fC7nnk9ZA8R6zYNhlMzAtEWBmFf5dXj-gzxBzg7Dry3PD_rtn88eIH5af_cawtFFCYxGUBPNunF1okdyA7ItbsJy7QJaNbU72pS1wx0/s1600/Push+Harrie.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="805" data-original-width="1600" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizRtx8gpQcxz7prBXR8vKm_Vnj4U-cxkBJddO_fC7nnk9ZA8R6zYNhlMzAtEWBmFf5dXj-gzxBzg7Dry3PD_rtn88eIH5af_cawtFFCYxGUBPNunF1okdyA7ItbsJy7QJaNbU72pS1wx0/s320/Push+Harrie.png" width="320" /></a>This comes nicely on to the next point, fulfilling decisions. Tactics are malleable. They develop and change as a game progresses. I always go into a game with the hope of playing an attacking topspin game. Sometimes a player will love playing against that and may need a different type of game. Sometimes I might just need to win and I might need to play a safer game. There can be any number of reasons that may change my game but I need to be ready to play any style of game if required. The problem is I am not ready. In fact, I am making my own topspin game harder because of pushing. I mentioned this in my last blog, the surprise I found at how bad I was at it. I am trying to do a bit every single session. I am really making an effort to improve. That ability that pushing gives you to dictate both the spin and table position is a huge asset. Particularly if your opponent is constantly closing down the options in regards to looping. Therefore, I might be processing the data but I might be lacking the execution.<br />
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If I was going to do my first 8 and a half months again I would definitely recommend learning pushing more deeply. I have been focusing so much on the forehands and the backhands that I have never really practiced pushing. I hadn't even done a forehand push until I worked with Ben. He has noted to me before that he can win against beginner players 21-0 consistently just but using the skills pushing and chopping give you. It basically creates "no risk" table tennis. A lady at my league club told me that was how she beat me the other day, she just out pushed me. She stopped me from playing a "big" game and made me play a small game which I was useless at.<br />
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I guess tactics are all about how you position a player and how you make them play the game you want to play. It also makes games tons easier when you know that you can bring every type of gun to the table not just a potato gun and a bazooka because the bazooka will kill you both and the potato gun, well it just fires potatoes! The key to all of this is practice. The reason the older players are good at that stuff is they have practiced longer than everyone else. Likewise, the reason pushing becomes easy is because it is a skill that has been learnt and it can be learnt simply and easily, as long as you have the time. Hopefully, my next update will be there to tell you how much this side of my game has improved.<br />
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HarrieAJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875312479541830831noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-387940998319051731.post-1067884598648661112017-07-22T11:00:00.002-07:002017-07-24T00:30:02.453-07:00Tweaking the Tekkers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgufew9XxP_z98Yswjam6A2O4S0rAxT5il7K7Xwt2NMohmFzCZWl4Kmrt_87uLR4oO3OqNXrU6-yW3LDSPlaXl-yCD365jU0pGHFLQoZgY9YLGZuwGgJgk0bIfmE8GFynJu0xMNBtIewmU/s1600/strength-conditioning-for-table-tennis-part-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgufew9XxP_z98Yswjam6A2O4S0rAxT5il7K7Xwt2NMohmFzCZWl4Kmrt_87uLR4oO3OqNXrU6-yW3LDSPlaXl-yCD365jU0pGHFLQoZgY9YLGZuwGgJgk0bIfmE8GFynJu0xMNBtIewmU/s320/strength-conditioning-for-table-tennis-part-2.jpg" width="320" /></a>I am in the "tweaking stage" of my technique. This is vital to progress and to the medium term goals of dominating the local leagues. I had a huge jump in progress with Ben this week. The irony is that we didn't change much and actually went back a stage in regards to drills. I knew this was the right thing to do as children who become professionals will be able to do literally hundreds of basic shots before they advance on to the more technical side of things. The drills were largely forehand to forehand drills or backhand to backhand. No shot transition at all, no pushing, no real movement until the end where we did loops and drives both on the forehand side. It was brilliant. We got to finally look at what I was doing right and wrong on my backhand and forehand. My backhand, previously so, so wrong, is now right. Well, it is right when I am not having to move too much or adjust more than a foot or two! The forehand was as crisp as I have ever struck it. Largely due to an adjustment on the wrist that changed it into a more pronated position this meant I struck the ball better. Likewise, my body position was more on my toes and I finally understood why the leg movement is so vital i.e. the shot doesn't change very much in regards to the arms and hands. The shot, if it is a loop goes from low to high. The shot on a drive is from back to forward. Therefore, the legs must be constantly working to give the shot both the speed and spin it requires to beat the net and the opponent.<br />
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The day after I got my first chance to put this work I had done with Ben into practice. I played a long time with one guy. He was inexperienced and a lower level at table tennis than me. I didn't have anyone else around to play so I made sure I practiced what Ben had taught me. Overall it was great. I didn't just beat this guy using experience or knowledge I beat him with power and precision. My second opponent was a good lady. She is division two and pretty decent. We started on backhand and forehands. I was once again impressive and relaxed. I showed my renewed confidence and quality in my strokes. I think I left her pretty impressed overall. In game was a different story. I struggled, a lot. She observed that I wasn't standing on my toes and I wasn't moving. She destroyed me but taught me a valuable lesson. I felt that if I learnt this lesson I would dominate the next games I played.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvl3ph4BCghFbO2MSz5n-n92r8gcyRA1GbOk-r7KIELq7NKnlSgqKPJAjb_QbAa8chI7zyyNt2VNMVEbH9T5csxqQhpL6d9lGUEoUJTjmSLsS3ABisPOudyN1LvXac-lp3chwiwYNQSNg/s1600/20-07-17+309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvl3ph4BCghFbO2MSz5n-n92r8gcyRA1GbOk-r7KIELq7NKnlSgqKPJAjb_QbAa8chI7zyyNt2VNMVEbH9T5csxqQhpL6d9lGUEoUJTjmSLsS3ABisPOudyN1LvXac-lp3chwiwYNQSNg/s320/20-07-17+309.JPG" width="240" /></a>Sadly, that was not the case. Technique in table tennis is so hard to maintain in game. I have to say I was pretty excited to play today. I thought "I'm finally ready". I thought I had learnt the shots I needed to and I was ready to dominate a few people. I didn't. I missed the ball. I missed serves and I shanked the balls off the edge of the bat. I was a bit shell-shocked if I am honest. I tried really hard perhaps a little too hard. It was all a bit tense and my timing was off. I can't blame anyone but myself but I have to say I was disappointed. I really wanted to show off my progress.<br />
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It took another 24 hours before I caught finally, finally say I was a better player than the week before. The big thing I noticed was the forehand. I had finally got spin on every shot. I was taking the ball crisply and cleanly. It meant that the people who I was playing, who were almost all much better than me were much closer. It wasn't always perfect, simple things felt hard and I got caught out a lot but I took points I wouldn't have previously and kept games tighter than I would of ever done previously. I also won points. I didn't just let the other person make mistakes I actually outplayed them. Honestly, I am not consistent enough. I don't deserve to beat good players yet. I have foundations but no experience, no tactical skill and I lack knowledge of key shots.<br />
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Ben uncovered that weakness in our most recent session together. As my topspin game has got better and better in both the backhand and forehand I have not suddenly become a pro. The first big issue is my transitional game and movement. The "figure of 8" as Ben calls it. It is basically how you move and switch between forehand and backhand shots. This has to be smooth and combine with three other things. First, the crab like side step and low body position. Second, the appraisal of the opponent to decide on what movement you should make. Finally, there is a drop and return to a neutral position after every single shot made. It is so damn hard! Me and Ben do a drill called a switching drill. I call it "the world's hardest drill" and Ben calls it "the drill all Chinese children do before sessions". So after two days of struggling to do it and briefly considering changing the aspiration of the blog to "my 8 year journey to becoming a Chinese 5 year old", I finally mastered it. Actually, that is a massive lie I am not much closer than I was before I started. It is really, really hard. If anyone wants to know what it actually is, have a look at the guys from Pingskills making it look super easy.<br />
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Sadly, the sessions have also uncovered another embarrassing floor in my game: pushing. I mean seriously, who is bad at pushing? I didn't realise I couldn't do it. Though, I have never even thought about it before. I have always just done it. Someone told me how to do it once and I just did it that way ever since. However, Ben said he was "surprised at how bad it was". He said Sam and him could have pushing matches where neither him or Sam would miss. I missed once every 5 pushes, on average. Basically I suck and I didn't even know it. I have been out on the table today trying to practice pushing on my own but if I push into half a table the spin that comes back is topspin. In a pushing rally backspin comes back with backspin. So lets see if I can enlist the help of random table tennis strangers to help me become a push master.<br />
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The end of this post, apart from being a progress update, is a chance to say how big the foundations of table tennis are and how big they need to be. Me and Ben spoke about building foundations as a new player. He spoke to be about how creating a deeper foundation than people who don't learn these basics but not always, initially, building the building as high. I, think my building is a little higher than my compatriots but not as high as I would like, however, I know my foundations are getting bigger and deeper than anyone around me. If we go back to my Chinese children, who eventually turn into the Fan Zhendong's and Ma Long's of this world, analogy, my foundations are still much smaller than they need to be. Ben said he didn't learn all of these till he was 18 or 19. So although I am super far behind, I am actually a little ahead!</div>
HarrieAJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875312479541830831noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-387940998319051731.post-13108004974252808242017-07-04T06:41:00.003-07:002017-07-04T06:42:02.933-07:00Round and Round We Go - Learning Spin<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJVUvXZxNPqmkPiD2AyRJFpsvjWlVWFKeblJcO_heIUyThzmt9b00-cgNr4nqoNb_Ogc0gBHI2et6dKLpWp0lwOT9ykPX6tInMpcT1lICbmg-b1iLf1NESqS7ygNS4lnaU_OZmPxZs3jY/s1600/table-tennis-ball-on-fire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="685" data-original-width="1024" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJVUvXZxNPqmkPiD2AyRJFpsvjWlVWFKeblJcO_heIUyThzmt9b00-cgNr4nqoNb_Ogc0gBHI2et6dKLpWp0lwOT9ykPX6tInMpcT1lICbmg-b1iLf1NESqS7ygNS4lnaU_OZmPxZs3jY/s320/table-tennis-ball-on-fire.jpg" width="320" /></a>When I first started table tennis my idea of spin was all to do with the serve. I remember the first time I came up against it and a guy literally held the ball and dropped it as his bat whipped across the back of it and created fairly heavy side spin. I went to put the ball back and the ball pinged off my bat and off the side of the table. This was the repeated again and again until I lost. Sadly, that technique only works on beginners and these days I would be putting a side spin ball that bounced that high and that slowly into a corner that was well out of reach of my opponent.<br />
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Still though, for a long time spin was a serve or a chop. I learnt new spins, top spin, back spin, side spin and float spin, however I always understood this in the context of the service or a chopped ball. A forehand. to me was, effectively, a no spin shot where I just aimed to his the ball as hard as I can until the opponent lost the point or I made a mistake. The backhand was the same, as was the push. Ben changed all of that with the idea that spin is your "safety". When a ball is played with topspin it will dip onto the table meaning a powerful shot will be much more accurate. It will also made the shot more difficult for the opponent to handle as the ball bounces high with increasing speed and spin.<br />
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Creating spin was a much bigger challenge until Ben suggested I needed to feel the ball with my hands not my shoulder. Then, suddenly, it clicked. The spin I play on my forehand is now fairly excellent at all times. I am much more accurate and, combined with improved movement, I am starting to look like a good player on that particular shot. The difficulty is the rest of my game is struggling a little bit more. I still haven't got the feel on my backhand or the movement to create a good shot on a consistent basis, likewise, spin is lacking in a way it never does on the forehand. My push is a funny one. I used to be really comfortable pushing the ball back but I now loop everything I can. It has actually created a weird problem whereby I can't push as effectively as I used to. Ben has been encouraging me to use spin on the push as well but I can be a little inconsistent with it.<br />
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This, week saw me break my comment virginity on my blog! A guy called Tom commented a lovely comment about keeping my head up and how he relates to the challenges. (I later found out Tom is a coach, unsurprisingly - who, like me, started Table Tennis late) He also seemed to sense that I was finding it tough. However, I think it is a failing of me as the writer of this blog that I don't show how much I not only enjoy it, but how much I have improved. I never look back and show how far I have come. From a guy who had never played a racket sport or table tennis in his life and could barely hit a ball to a table tennis player who can loop, play a good forehand and, finally, win. I am also at a stage where there are some people who are now behind me. I have overtaken and left them behind.<br />
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I waited a long time for this and it hasn't always been an easy ride. This week I got one of the biggest wins I have had so far. It was against a guy who is older but still very mobile, he combines that with an unorthodox style which has meant I never get that close to him in games. However, this week it was different. I took him apart. Everything I did had spin, the serves were on the table and I managed the game perfectly. It was the most surgical performance of my table tennis career so far. Later, I thanked Ben for his help in getting to this point and he asked me "what changed in the match that had such a big effect?" I replied it was three things really. Relaxation was the main one, secondly, my backhand was better, not perfect, but much better. Finally, my management of shots, I played shots into different parts of the table moving my opponent around much more. Ben had been encouraging this the previous day and clearly it had worked.<br />
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When it comes to relaxation. It is fundamentally the hardest thing about table tennis for me. Everyone who has met me knows I'm not a chilled guy. I am usually a bundle of energy and in competition I get very, very tight. It has held me back in every individual sport I have played but usually it is less noticeable than in table tennis. In this sport relaxation makes spin and spin keeps the ball on the table and the ball on the table wins games. A couple of days before my win that felt like the "step up" I was waiting for. I had a different experience. I am not a big fan of playing table tennis against guys my age and around my level. There is no winning with it. I play more than them so if I win they put it down to that. If I lose then they have some sort of natural affinity for table tennis and therefore "deserve" it more. The truth is neither is true. However, I was put in a situation where I needed to win against a couple of guys. Both of whom are tricky if I am not on my game. Tension meant I wasn't on my game. I wasn't moving freely, I wasn't using my hands effectively and therefore, I wasn't creating spin. I managed to win against both of them in relatively comfortable fashion but I knew I had used my experience more than my skill. It also taught me how much my nerves were effecting my game. If my shoulders are used rather than my hands then my ability to play topspin and put the ball into the areas I want goes and suddenly I am in danger of going behind.<br />
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Spin has created a whole new world for me. No longer does he who hits hardest win. It he with the most spin combined with pace and ball position who wins. To do this requires the brush of the ball at high speed. To brush this ball requires what Ben called "feel with the hands". It is in effect, a flex of then elbow and a small flick of the wrist, on the forehand, and a larger flick of the wrist combined with an extension of the elbow, on the backhand. Everything is "soft" and fast. The body rotates to generate power but the arms just "whip" quickly and efficiently. To go between the two strokes requires speed and readiness. Consequently, this week, me and Ben worked on transition. Keeping the softness, the right shape and completing the shot while moving between the backhand and the forehand. It is tough. I am nowhere close to mastering it. However, I could feel how the transition means that I make everything into a big long chain. Effectively, this is traceable throughout every point. Each movement within the point is linked to the previous one. Every point, although unique in itself, is one big long movement. Basically it is contemporary dance.<br />
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The key to this blog is evolution. I have evolved spin as I have gone on and I will, no doubt, continue to evolve it as I work harder and harder at it. From the serve to the strokes to the lobs to the smashes everything will require heavy spin eventually. I will need to be in the right place at the right time to achieve this, as well as being relaxed at all times. It is not always easy but I am well on the way to achieving it on a consistent basis.HarrieAJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875312479541830831noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-387940998319051731.post-67028856926876982022017-06-13T02:27:00.000-07:002017-06-14T10:12:07.421-07:00Lets Talk About Quitting (and how to Avoid it)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdWBJCWDhSPGr6J-m-RDyMFO-reRS1wO9ZlLwnDiiGz66eI4x9nhsdUcxx7G1MdBTqijD7V-0chyphenhyphenNyzcoxvx46R6YkifgBWEsisv1HjuzI1-N504rBTmJ1-Al1zKgOujn1slher6pGqLw/s1600/i-quit-my-job.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdWBJCWDhSPGr6J-m-RDyMFO-reRS1wO9ZlLwnDiiGz66eI4x9nhsdUcxx7G1MdBTqijD7V-0chyphenhyphenNyzcoxvx46R6YkifgBWEsisv1HjuzI1-N504rBTmJ1-Al1zKgOujn1slher6pGqLw/s320/i-quit-my-job.jpg" width="320" /></a>When do you write a post about quitting? Everyone feels like they want to quit a challenge at some point. It is pretty normal. You wake up and can't be bothered to train or commit or something goes wrong, an injury, a loss that causes the feeling that you cannot do this any more.<br />
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All being well this challenge goes on for 8 years. That is a long time. I could fit in almost three university degrees or two masters degrees. I could complete the whole of secondary school and my first year of university in that time. I could inevitably quit. I could have a big event <br />
that changes the course of my life and table tennis has to take a back seat. I could just stop enjoying it one day and slowly but surely interest will fade until I quit without even realising. Even my health and vast amount of injuries could get in the way. So quitting is always a real possibility and, therefore, something I feel should be discussed.<br />
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I have had the feeling of wanting to quit only once in the past 7 months. When I lost to someone I never thought I would lose to in my blog post entitled "Getting into The Meat of It". It was very, very painful and my girlfriend had to endure a long monologue about how I wasn't sure I could continue. The truth is that I didn't really want to quit I just wanted to hear someone tell me how far I had come that I wasn't going to lose next time and that I was actually, relatively, decent at this sport. The key to not quitting is the routine. The concept of "table tennis is my life" is so valuable. However, it shouldn't be seen to be taking over your life. It should be more like brushing your teeth. You get up, you brush them and continue with your day. You would notice if you didn't brush them but you barely notice when you do. Applied to table tennis, I barely notice when I am training as it is just something I do. However, if I don't train then a part of me is missing, it niggles and I don't feel good at all. It is like I am out of balance.<br />
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Routine, alone, will not stop an individual from quitting if things get too difficult. Another is to set a challenge. Preferably something big. The reason I set such a big challenge "to reach the Olympics" was that even if I fail I might fail pretty close to the ultimate goal. It also keeps the idea of "what if" in my head. If you think "if I keep going I might end up in the Olympics" it is a much more interesting thought than "if I keep going I might end up being the best in my club". It also inspires me to look at top players and take on my coaches messages because I know I want to compete with people at the very top of the sport. It also helps to have a challenge that is relatively unique. Granted I have come across two people that have done something relatively similar: Sam and Ben doing "Expert in a Year" and Andy Couchman, who attempted a three year challenge. My challenge is different enough that it keeps me interested and perhaps a bit grander. Which probably says more about my personality then either of those guys.<br />
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Accompanying the large overarching and perhaps slightly unrealistic goals have to be a web of smaller, more self contained goals. The fact is, though, these goals have to be so flexible. Medium term goals are fine and, like the long term goal, can stay fairly static but short term goals change so much that it is hardly worth having them and I don't always feel like they are a good benchmark for learning. I have lost in weeks gone by, tons of games against people who I should always beat and would be my target to consistently beat but then beaten high quality opposition that aren't even on my radar of goals. I think it is largely because learning goes in jumps. It is not the most linear of progressions and that requires a lot of patience.<br />
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When it comes to quitting any sport, it is usually because patience has run out. If you lose a game and have the patience to wait and progress you are likely to, at some point beat that opponent. The problem is that progression may take months, weeks or, even years. I think that is my biggest worry. Currently, even when I am not progressing in matches I am progressing in drills or when I am struggling in drills I beat somebody new. I always have stuff to practice that I have never done before. However, it will all run out at some point. I am sure, in the future I will have done every serve. I will have learnt the technique for everything and I will come up against someone who I just cannot beat. I will question everything about myself and still not find an answer. It might be that I need more work and more coaching or more fitness but that progression could take months with little return. It will be then that I hope I am patient and can see my long term goal out.<br />
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Another piece of the puzzle to safeguard against quitting comes down to accountability. Instagram, youtube, facebook etc. etc. etc. are all used by us to show our lives. Our photos are always of our best bits, a greatest hits of our lives. Our statuses are slightly different, the absolute highs and the absolute lows, however they are always there to engage others and seek some form of attention. Videos often a combination of these greatest hits and status updates with a little bit of creativity thrown in. However, social media, including this blog, also makes us accountable to our peers. If I tell everyone I am sad and I am actually happy then I can be proved, easily, to be lying if I come into contact with anyone I know. Likewise, this blog, with its large goals and constant updates is out there for everyone I know to see. Yes, it is likely nobody really cares about if I complete the challenge or if I stop it. However, making the challenge public at least allows the potential for public shame if I fail and that is a big motivator.<br />
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My final point is on enjoying the journey. It is a massive cliche. You have to love what you do. When I tried to become a fitness model I didn't love it. In fact, I was bored by it and it served no purpose other than to remind me of what I actually loved. I love sport in general but some things always hit closer to home than others. Athletics and rugby are associated with my happiest memories of childhood and not having them in my life are also associated with some of my darkest. Table tennis was a surprise to me as to how much I enjoy it. Hitting a ball is therapeutic. I could literally play table tennis all day. I constantly annoy everyone I can (sorry Ollie) about playing with me. I make Karl do drills with me before the main session. I basically bugged Ben into coaching me. I love it. I love the complexity, the fact it is so hard and the fact that you can see progress so vividly. I love the fact there are no real injuries (aside from my back pain) and I can do it whenever I have a person to play with. I love the speed and the fact it challenges me to do things in a way I never have before. I love the competition but I still fear losses and get nervous every single time I train. I love the fact I have had to learn to lose and sometimes lose against people I don't expect. Loving something certainly helps keep me motivated above anything else especially when I am the arbiter of my sport.<br />
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Quitting in sport often comes down to how much you want it any how long you are willing to put up with the pain for. As an adult I have no parents telling me to go to practice, no teachers telling me I need to go to training, even my peers are telling me I shouldn't be bothering rather than that I need to hang in there. As an adult it is purely self motivation. It is my ego telling me I have to do this. It makes the challenge harder but I am also not relying on anyone else. Personally this challenge is meant to take me to the end of my sporting life. After, many years of struggling with injury and trying to force my square peg of a body into the round hole that has been football, rugby and athletics as well as a few other things I have found something I can cope with. I also can do it consistently, psychologically that is a massive thing. Injury and the lack of sport when I suffer from it has always been challenging for me. I see sport as my outlet, my way of keeping life in check and in routine. It is linked to my identity and when that isn't there my identity has a hole that is pretty hard to fill. Whenever I have had to quit sports it has not been my actual choice. I have often limped along hoping that they will get better but it look many years to realise that sometimes my goals in those sports wouldn't be met because my body was not designed for it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy52U3ILODndsGkOGxF_FaqqNQJxGFx65Pyf6ReKeQjphlalI17cvIA7Muv1wjMdfCACiV-MhWwMvJZ-uFQVY3Yf-UFIGrlGNBPZf1sKX6Blyq-Lxn3hyalWO6Gam52nH8Kkfeut0gAFs/s1600/12-06-17+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy52U3ILODndsGkOGxF_FaqqNQJxGFx65Pyf6ReKeQjphlalI17cvIA7Muv1wjMdfCACiV-MhWwMvJZ-uFQVY3Yf-UFIGrlGNBPZf1sKX6Blyq-Lxn3hyalWO6Gam52nH8Kkfeut0gAFs/s400/12-06-17+006.JPG" width="400" /></a>Consequently, my last point on this is actually about knowing when to quit. My problem for many years was that I never knew when to quit. I should of quit athletics a long time before I did. Even when I did I kept trying to go back thinking "this time will be different". Rugby was the same I couldn't leave it behind I still thought I could go back in some capacity, that I could somehow do it. It tore me up inside, genuinely made me deeply unhappy for periods that should of been some of the best of my life. I couldn't fill the void and the truth is I didn't really want to. If I had broadened my horizons and found something different or, even, let sport go altogether and replaced it with a different obsession, I would of been happier (and required less surgery) but it took me a long time to accept there was anything else outside these sports that I had tried so hard to stay within. So, actually, I also can accept that I might one day quit. I might sustain an injury that means I cannot continue effectively, I might have a family issue that comes up and makes table tennis seem a bit redundant. I would be a fool (as I have been previously) not to be prepared for issues that may see my challenge end early. What I won't do is quit unnecessarily because it is "too hard" or I lost an "important" game. This blog already helps me see the progress I have made and what a great journey it continues to be. I am sure it will be even harder as time goes on but I'm ready for it.<br />
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<br />HarrieAJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875312479541830831noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-387940998319051731.post-91808318002823863602017-06-11T08:02:00.001-07:002017-06-11T08:04:27.190-07:00Analysis of my coaching video with Ben (31/05/17) - Complete and Unedited<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I thought about these videos a lot over the past couple of days. Do I edit them down to the good bits? Do I show a video of my failures and of my successes? Do I want people to see what I do at all? It has been a case of self reflection. Firstly, I think these videos show what a fantastic coach Ben is. Yes, I am coached by him and yes, I am officially a teacher's pet but after many years of sport and numerous sessions I have a lot of appreciation for the patience and time Ben is dedicating to me. This video also shows how badly I play table tennis a lot of the time. In fact the majority of the time I am trying and failing to do what Ben tells me. Until I watched this video I thought I was twisting on every forehand and I was using my arm rather than my shoulder. Well I am not. In fact I am 90% of the time trying and failing to do things I am meant to. Fortunately, Ben didn't call me a moron and refuse to talk to me again. The crazy thing is this is a massive improvement from a month ago. So lets take a look below at what is the first half an hour of a two hour session:<br />
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Ok, so the first thing you can see here is my shoulder (as mentioned earlier). Up and down, up and down. There is no need to shrug on a forehand. It is the first of many bad habits than can become quickly ingrained. Over time I have managed to correct a lot of this through Ben's explanation of feeling the ball through my hand rather than my shoulder.<br />
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Secondly, there is a lack of rotation. Something I have changed quite a bit in the time since this video was made. You can see Ben picking up on it very quickly but it remained largely unchanged until I watched this video back. The reason for this is that I basically thought I was rotating more than I was. I thought I was transferring weight from one foot to the other. It was only when I watched this video that I realised that I wasn't changing it enough to make any real difference. It took another two sessions with Ben and numerous amounts of shadow play at home to get myself to a decent standard.<br />
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Both of these things create a problem with the generation of topspin. I strike the ball too hard. There is a lot of bat and not enough rubber being used. With my body position being so wrong it was hard to make contact with the ball effectively. If I knew I was making poor contact I would often make a kind of superman position with the bat to guide it to its destination.<br />
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The other large issue is the position of the body. My body is quite upright. I should be like a little old lady but most of the time I am trying to keep an upright (uptight!) posture. It is unnatural for me to slump and relax forwards but I now understand the value of being in that position.<br />
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The final major issue with my forehand is the movement itself. My feet are not always moving in the crap-like way they should. Sometimes they do, sometimes they are a bit slow and I am caught ball watching and I then create what Ben likes so call a "funny shape". Think if a table tennis player is the shape of an old lady with her legs wide apart (no jokes please) then I create the shape of a squirrel that is midway through being electrocuted. It doesn't create the best shot in the world and it has required and awful lot of concentration and time to resolve.<br />
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If we move onto the backhand it is a bit of a mess. Especially as I have now spent the past 5 days working on it. It should be a shot with my bat coming out from the pocket in my midriff and finishing like a Frisbee throw forward with a lot of whip. My shot is like I am doing the robot upside down and quite badly. I am also so twitchy that my shoulder rolls back on my right side like I have been shot. Nothing is relaxed, there is no wrist movement and to top it off I look like an idiot.<br />
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I have found the backhand particularly challenging, I watched videos of the pros and got a bit confused between the banana flick and the actual backhand. I then created my own shot I shall from now on call the "banana backhand". Which like its namesake causes me to miss the table and look like a banana.<br />
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The backhand is partially so difficult due to the lack of recovery between shots. This is something I am keenly aware of and have been trying to improve a lot over the past week or so. If I am not recovered and stay in the forehand position it means I am unable to play the backhand effectively. Obviously, part of this is due to my reading of the game and my anticipation but if I do not recover and then get back into the right shape to play the next shot I will continue to look exactly like the video above.<br />
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Lastly, I want to highlight what training is. It is hard. It has no rewards. There are a few pats on the back from your coach but none from anyone else. It requires enormous patience. You repeat the same thing over and over and try as you might to get a different result it often doesn't come. It might be 2,3,4 or more sessions before there is anything noticeably different. When the difference does happen, the irony is, you don't even notice it. I don't even notice my improvements in games. I now beat people I never used to with a load of consistency but I have barely even thought about it until I wrote this final part of the blog post. The magic of training is that you have to believe it will come together. Give me 2 or 3 months and in my head I utterly believe I will be a different table tennis player. Having been two weeks since this session I can already tell you that things are starting to click and my next video will be different again.<br />
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<br />HarrieAJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875312479541830831noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-387940998319051731.post-39926885042668037412017-06-01T07:56:00.003-07:002017-06-01T07:56:17.282-07:00Hard Work and Confidence<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLeNWjJthaiztRtj-JZLwV8qS40x77Fqj-Nb1IxD5G3XAPVqudwKHs3fv-tvHojc3EN_gMmfOYVjzlG9UPnHKZkjbeoj3GH59SLTFflIRTiuys9ufM_fdVOw_ZPiR3bGvS8yiIzIIGj64/s1600/pongjoy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="295" data-original-width="590" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLeNWjJthaiztRtj-JZLwV8qS40x77Fqj-Nb1IxD5G3XAPVqudwKHs3fv-tvHojc3EN_gMmfOYVjzlG9UPnHKZkjbeoj3GH59SLTFflIRTiuys9ufM_fdVOw_ZPiR3bGvS8yiIzIIGj64/s400/pongjoy.jpg" width="400" /></a>A few days ago I was playing table tennis at a club. I played a guy who I would of lost to comfortably when I first joined. Last night I played a best of three games and came away having just lost to him. In reality if my serves (which I changed last week) were more consistent then I would of probably won. I was happy with my performance and after the game the guy came up to me and said "you have really improved, your game has come on massively, how long have you been playing for now?". I replied "I have been playing just over 6 and a half months now but I have been playing a lot in that time". His next words were the most pertinent "oh, well at least you are getting there". He suddenly went from a guy who thought I was incredible to have come so far to a guy that was unimpressed that I was just like everyone else. He is not the first person to look at me that way. If you play more than everyone else you obviously should be better, right? Even if your total time on the table isn't as much as anyone else. The truth is dedication isn't impressive its just too close to obsession and obsession has negative connotations. You also aren't born special if you work hard. It isn't some innate, god given, talent that will make you a table tennis master. Basically, if push comes to shove, anyone can do it.<br />
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That isn't quite true though is it? I am outside on my table I have had for the past few months every day. I do a minimum of a box of 120 balls in serves every single day. Usually, it is more and probably averages out at about 2.5 boxes. So nigh on 300 balls a day are served by me. That is since April, which was about 2 months ago so I've probably stood outside and knocked just under 18000 balls. I also attend four table tennis clubs and I am coached before one of them by Karl and I also have a separate session with Ben. I also do three gym sessions along side my table tennis. So no, my improvement is not magic. It is basically a ton of sacrifice and a bit of luck that I have the flexibility to do this. It is also psychologically tough because progression doesn't quite work how you hope it will. It is basically a case of diminishing marginal returns. I might play four times more table tennis than I guy who plays once a week at his local club but I don't become four times better. Some of the time I am actually going backwards in performance while they go on a continually upward trajectory.</div>
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Take my serves, for example, I can put spin on a ball all day long now. I can put side spin, top spin and, usually, backspin. I can do that forehand and backhand. That came within 2 months of when I first started. I then realised there were serves that I could do that made me even better so I tried to do those. I suddenly found out, two weeks ago, that my serves were going to cause me to hit a giant ceiling. Long term, I would need a different serve. For two weeks I have served into the net. I have lost games pretty badly. Then, as quick as I changed my serve, I started to get the serves on the table and, closer to how I wanted them. If you go back to the guy who plays once a week. Sure, he found out he could get his serves a little better over time. Sure, he improved his spin. However, he will never manage to disguise his serve. He will never get quite as much spin. He will eventually be left behind. The psychologically tough part is that I have to wait to leave people behind. What has started happening is I will get beaten in games, then I will hammer someone for a game or two but lose the overall match. It is a combination of my lack of relaxation (I am working on it still) and my inconsistency. Yet, when it all comes together I do finally look like a decent table tennis player.<br />
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A few nights ago I had a few friends over for a bit of a party, everyone gradually moved towards the table, taking advantage of a sunny evening. Ironically, when I bought the table I had no idea how social it would prove to be. Every single gathering we have had at our house has had some sort of table tennis game attached to it. The fascinating thing about this gathering was there was various levels of experience at this gathering. The main players where: myself, as the experienced player, my friend Ollie who plays with me a reasonable amount, Mark and Charlie who had never played before, Josh, who had played a fair bit but had, had no coaching and Sam who hadn't really played much table tennis but had clearly played racquet sports. I terms of results I dropped one game and didn't lose which was to be expected but I was pushed by Josh. Sam beat Ollie and Charlie. This is important because even though I did eventually win, I lost the first game against Josh and found it hard. Ollie lost to Sam which he shouldn't of and Charlie improved so quickly in the first hour.<br />
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When Charlie first got on the table he reminded me of the first time I played table tennis. He couldn't hit the ball. He used the bat to hit the ball into the air vertically. It was pretty painful for 5-10 mins. Then, after a couple of pointers, the bat angle started to change, the bat became more vertical to the table. The ball started to come back in a flatter way over the table. His serve, which started as a ball being tapped by the bat onto the table gradually increased in speed until it became a quick "no-spin" serve. It was actually incredible watching someone learn the fundamentals in just under an hour and, at least, hold his own against people who were much more experienced.<br />
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Ollie, by contrast, knows the basics of table tennis. Granted, he has virtually no arm movement in his shots and, like many people, he has developed his own unique way of playing table tennis but he is usually decent enough. He serves with a reasonable amount of backspin, serves consistently and attacks when he sees the opportunity. However, he lost to a guy who has virtually never played table tennis. Granted, Sam clearly has played racquet sports and has proper strokes that create a reasonable amount of topspin. However, he cannot serve and makes lots of mistakes. Usually, Ollie would punish every single serve Sam did. When I played Sam I won 11-3 three points I served into the net. I just punished everything Sam did wrong. Ollie would usually do the same. So why didn't he? It all comes down to expectations. It is the same reason I have losses against people I shouldn't. I expected Ollie to win, Ollie expected Ollie to win, even Sam expected Ollie to win. So Ollie wanted to make sure he won. Ollie went for the big hits. The shots that show "I am good at this". The forehand smashes, the loops, backhands. Everything was a winning shot. Some came off, lots didn't. Sam just had to play his game and Ollie forgot how to play his. As pressure mounted the shots got more erratic. Ollie didn't stop to think that Sam was never going to punish a more conservative shot or a less quick but better placed return. Not every attack needed to be a smash, yet, as I have experienced myself, expectation often leads to failure.<br />
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If we look at myself in my game against Josh. I was close to experiencing the same thing. I knew what sort of a player Josh would be. He would be fairly consistent, play with no spin, hit the ball hard and punish high balls. He would be able to deal with some spin but not heavy spin. I actually approached the first game a bit too "chilled". I thought I would walk it fairly easily, like I saw right through him. I also had been playing with everyone else prior to this and that had cause a slightly undesired effect of changing bits of my game. Obviously, you change your game depending on who you play. If you play a low level player they play in a different style to a top quality player a Robbie Savage vs. a Zidane if you will. However, the Robbie Savage will still be dangerous given the opportunity and can cause you to make mistakes. Zidane will always be dangerous but in a different, slightly more graceful, way. I thought at first, that an inexperienced player made me worse. However, this is not the case. It just causes you to use certain aspects of your game more and other aspects less. At first I wasn't given the luxury of adapting to playing Josh who as a "flat" player is not my favourite anyway. Expectations didn't play too much of a part at first as I thought I would win so easily that I was quite relaxed. I didn't even play my usual serves I under hit them like I was "giving him a chance". In reality it gave me and excuse that if I lost that would be why. In the second game I remembered what I was doing and played far better. The third game brought expectations firmly back into my mind. I should of won comfortably, I should of broken away but its hard when all your mates are laughing at your missed points!<br />
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In summary, the party exposed two or three things related to the hard work I put in. Firstly, psychology can wipe hard work away in a blink of an eye. Secondly, a crisis of confidence can wipe it away even quick and thirdly, the basics can be learnt quicker than, even I, had realised. However, the nuance, the skill and the technique are so slow that it feels like you often drift backwards before you take the next leap forwards.<br />
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HarrieAJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875312479541830831noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-387940998319051731.post-88679801313590061102017-05-21T10:19:00.002-07:002017-05-21T10:25:53.600-07:00Punishment and Patience - Pt. 2<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwyCs06dzjHtx-AXEuNvOXINTbBB6swf07KjK849tDz1CDHOD70HV3owJr25aFMyD_3dZIzKZw3jmF50j33XpPa5PS6Js-fplrvqznhW5PASQOaqwLKNMTe8v8Upr4NmIffXeKC6NEBAk/s1600/19-05-17+-+TT+-+Part+2+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwyCs06dzjHtx-AXEuNvOXINTbBB6swf07KjK849tDz1CDHOD70HV3owJr25aFMyD_3dZIzKZw3jmF50j33XpPa5PS6Js-fplrvqznhW5PASQOaqwLKNMTe8v8Upr4NmIffXeKC6NEBAk/s400/19-05-17+-+TT+-+Part+2+002.JPG" width="400" /></a>My last entry was the story of psychological endurance. It highlights the biggest personal challenges I have in my life. The battle with my own psychology only exists because I created it. It only happens because everything becomes a bit too much for me and it usually manifests because I want something too much. It also becomes its own self fulfilling prophecy.<br />
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After my session where I was humiliated I wasn't exactly excited about playing table tennis. I felt bruised, both in my ego and in my table tennis self esteem. However, there is no rest for the wicked in table tennis and I was immediately asked by Ben to play in an end of year tournament. I am basically Ben's shadow at the moment so I headed down to the tournament. It was not in a normal league so it was a more relaxed affair but most people who came down had at least participated in a few matches. Thursday was hanging around in my mind and I have to admit I basically wanted to turn around and drive home on my whole way up there. By the time I was in the venue I was basically a bundle of nerves. A brief list of my thoughts are below:</div>
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1. Don't perform like the last session</div>
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2. Make sure you show Ben how much you are learning</div>
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3. Make sure you win </div>
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4. Don't miss the ball</div>
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5. Make sure you remember what you were told</div>
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6. Don't go out in the first match</div>
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7. Remain calm</div>
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If I needed to tell myself to calm down I was already too aroused. I'm not proud of how my brain works sometimes. I suffer from nerves more than I care to admit and getting control of that will be the biggest part of my table tennis learning curve.</div>
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By the time we got to the first match I was so nervous. The problem is there isn't time to settle in table tennis. It isn't a team sport like football or goes on a relatively long time like tennis. It is quick and mistakes are punished. I was lucky to have a handicap which gave me 3 points on the first person I played. My opponent wasn't particularly happy about this but it helped me out. It was close but having a few extra points to start with on a game that is first to 21 was important. In the second set I calmed down just enough to pull away. However, it wasn't great table tennis it was just that I had a bit of quality that even on a bad day I could do enough. </div>
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After a bit of a wait and a doubles game that we (just) lost against the eventual winners, I had my second match. I had played against the guy in my first ever doubles match a few weeks before. He was a really nice guy and so friendly that it was quite a relaxed game. It was actually perfect for me. I was a different player. He had the lowest handicap in the competition so surrendered 10 points to me. However, I still dominated him in the points the first set being closer at around 21-9 and the second set being 21-4 to me. He was a good player but I was just as good as I am in knocking up at the beginning of a game. It shows the difference relaxation can have. </div>
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Obviously, having played so well against the favourite I was thinking I would win the whole tournament. I say obviously, I mean that I was a fool to think like that. If anyone ever has listened to a post-match conference of any sports player in the world they say "we are just looking to win the next game". That is the correct way to think. My way of thinking creates expectation, expectation creates pressure and too much pressure leads to failure. </div>
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At the beginning of the tournament I had knocked up with my third opponent. I looked like I had been playing for years compared to him and he was barely putting a ball I hit on the table. I was confident. I also had a handicap of three points on him. It was a done deal. In the first set I was 12-2 up. Everyone was watching our game and most people were admiring my style. My opponent, himself, said to me at this point "well this will be over quickly". I thought that myself. I then proceeded to lose 18 points in a row and lose the game 21-15 in the end. I was not feeling good in the second game but I believed I could come back. Which I did. I didn't exactly play well but I played conservative table tennis that kept me in the game and made sure I won. Sadly, where the pressure left a bit in the second set it came back with a vengeance in the third. I just froze. I served into the net, over the table and too high over the net. I didn't attack the ball I just didn't play table tennis. I lost. The guy himself got a round of applause from everyone there. I was shocked and humiliated. I deserved what I got though. It has been my single lowest point in table tennis and I genuinely wanted to cry. However, I also knew it was my fault and that I needed to learn to cope with pressure. </div>
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The next day I had another session. After a period of self reflection the day before I was really trying to play the points. I played a few games and won my singles matches. However, I cheated. I didn't actually cheat but I cheated myself. I could of played how Ben had taught me. I could of served the way I was meant to. I could of moved how Ben told me and played the shots at the right time. I didn't and I won but I didn't feel great about it. I felt like a "ceiling" player. I wasn't going to progress like that. It was cheating myself for the win and creating short term gains at the expense of my long term progression. It did tell me that I can beat most people of a certain level if I play in the awkward but simple way that most people do i.e. I can do their game better than them. It also told me that, that style is in the past and I shouldn't want to return to it. No more ping-pong and more table tennis. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwHt0j6UsHF0mM0zEjR3246FxWvzpG9FQz55cAF-Nmg9BkOScaRMMZtJymIZdf5gUnjMT3Lxe9NIXNIV2oSCOk84fbNvjhJDbhm8LGWm6E4wzZ1nONaMjl_byV3enQOv7PMyXCCLtZSGY/s1600/19-05-17+-+TT+-+Part+2+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwHt0j6UsHF0mM0zEjR3246FxWvzpG9FQz55cAF-Nmg9BkOScaRMMZtJymIZdf5gUnjMT3Lxe9NIXNIV2oSCOk84fbNvjhJDbhm8LGWm6E4wzZ1nONaMjl_byV3enQOv7PMyXCCLtZSGY/s320/19-05-17+-+TT+-+Part+2+004.JPG" width="320" /></a>Since then it has been a case of practising. I have been changing my serve. It used to be just a throw in the air with a classic spin on it. It is now a lot more professional with me standing in the corner and wheeling around into position. Mostly, I practised side spin serves at first. However, now I am doing fast top spin serves and backspin serves. In match play it is costing me at the moment. I am commited to it but I am inconsistent. I get the technique wrong or throw the ball incorrectly or I even miss the ball entirely. However, when I am at home and getting it right I know it will make me a 10 times better player from the serve itself to the movement onto the table post-serve. Like everything, it just requires a little patience. </div>
HarrieAJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875312479541830831noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-387940998319051731.post-41863658916604013282017-05-16T04:34:00.000-07:002017-05-16T04:36:51.012-07:00Punishment and Patience - Pt. 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I had a bad day yesterday. A really bad day. I have to admit I have struggled recently. I don't miss sessions. I don't stop putting effort in. I'm not like others what I do instead is try too hard. When I was playing football for my team as a teenager I would be OK until we were losing. If we were losing I would pretty much try and win the game on my own. I would run till I could run no more. I would slide tackle, I would fight and fight. It was basically pointless. Nothing would change because I am one person in a team of 11 people and I was forcing something that wasn't really the most efficient way of getting what I wanted. I had forgotten about my team mates, I had forgotten about the game and I was just making everything worse. Last night was another example of that: trying too hard. In drills I am now decent. I move like a table tennis player I look, most of the time, like a table tennis player. The trouble is when I am in games I am not performing. It is unforced error after unforced error. I get tired of making the same excuse "I am better than that guy but.....". I think, for me, after working on my table tennis every day for, often, hours of the day I wanted a bit more vindication after 6 months than: you can beat your friends and a few lower level players. I come from a world where I am expecting to get this, where others expect me to get this. Ironically it took a talking to from my mum to get my head right again. I guess that's what mums are for.<br />
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So lets have a deeper look at the context of this bad day. Ben has been away for a week. It means I have missed a session with him. He is the guy who is a professional, he is the guy who has done it so he is the guy I listen to. A week ago, two days after Ben has gone, I am on the table with a guy who by all accounts is very good. I think he is Div 1 of our local league and plays to a standard. He is knocking with me and is fairly impressed. We even play a couple of games and I am close (11-7ish on every game) enough to give him a scare. However, he starts giving me advice when we go back to knocking. I don't want to be rude, this guy is clearly decent and if giving up his time to help me. I listen but his advice is the opposite of Ben's. Whereas Ben says everything needs spin this guy says nothing needs it and I should just drive through the ball past people. Obviously, Ben is right, this guy is just looking at me, realising I can hit the ball hard and running with it. However, I want to look like I am doing what he tells me without doing what he tells me. Therefore, I try and hit my loops etc. harder. Well this becomes a mess and cross between a drive and a loop at the wrong time in the wrong position. As we finish this little session the guy comments on my bat not being good enough, particularly the rubbers. They are a bit tatty but they are much better than my old bat so I have been happy enough. However, the moment I get told this I am instantly thinking "I need new rubbers or I will suck forever". One quick text to Ben told me that of course I don't need new rubbers. Don't be an idiot Harrie.<br />
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Being in a sport where until recently I had no idea it even existed means that my knowledge is so poor that I am constantly having to guess what is "good coaching" and what is "bad coaching". If I went and got coached in football tomorrow I would know exactly what I wanted from a coach. I would know if his methods suited me and I would know if he was telling me the wrong thing. I have no such background in table tennis. I didn't even watch the sport until about 4 months ago. I genuinely had no idea of how to score it or what the actual rules were. I didn't know what techniques were right or wrong or what would suit me as an athlete. Now, I am just about experienced enough to know Ben is a very good coach and that he is coaching me in a way that I understand. However, I still don't know exactly if everyone else is adding to this philosophy or taking away from it. Consequently, I have to be careful with how I use knowledge I get from anyone except Karl or Ben (both of whom are actually very similar in style).<br />
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A few days after this first experience I am on the table practising with Karl. We are doing a 3 shot attack. It's.....a mixed bag. I am doing the right things but in all honesty I am lacking conviction. We do a 5 shot attack and I look pretty good. We do forehands I look pretty good. My backhands are coming along. However, my 3 shot attack is poor. There is no rhythm to it. As Karl said I am panicking. It is hard not to panic once you start so we change it up a bit to try and take away my focus and bring it back to the three shot attack. This time I am much, much closer to getting it. Whereas it was a 75% miss ratio previously, now it is a 75% hit ratio. I am feeling pretty good about it. I then go an play against a guy I usually beat and feel pretty comfortable. After that I played with a girl who provides a lot of big hits and good placement (placement is something I don't thing about really, yet). I do well against her losing the games but certainly much closer than I have been before. Overall I am happy that my consistency is creeping up. I then play a guy who I have felt I could beat for a while. However, I have never taken a game off him. I find him very awkward and he is very aware of me. However, I am high on confidence today so I go into the game feeling like, yes, I can do this. It starts off close, I have the lead but I give away some sloppy points and lose 11-9. The second game, I am on fire I dominate 11-5 the loops are hitting on my 3 point attack and I am getting plenty of topspin. On the third game I get into my own head, as usual, thinking about winning rather than the points in hand. My consistency on the loop goes out the window. I end up losing this game. The last game is of a similar vain. Karl is watching and I was very aware of this when I played trying to show how good I was, how much I had learnt. Well I think I showed how mentally weak I was but little else!<br />
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Thursday. The day of pain. I had, had an email from the club I train at regarding "not paying". I had forgotten my money 3 times in total on various occasions. It wasn't, perhaps, the most friendly of emails. This club, after all, was the club that told me I should try not to play with the better players in case I made them worse. I understand they wanted their six pounds that I owed which I was always going to bring them but maybe bit of friendly face to face communication would of been better. Anyway, it was a bit off putting. Before I went to the club a friend of mine, Sam, came over. He played with me a fair bit in the early days. He was much, much better than me then and so I wanted to see how I did against him now. When he turned up and we were knocking I saw I was a class apart from him. I thought "I have this guy". He is still good but my topspin and quality on my pushes were just that little bit better. Even he admitted he thought he was going to lose. I thought so to and I was eager to start a match and prove the point. Once again I had problems with my loop. I was so tense that I was missing the ball entirely or under hitting it or guiding it. I basically, on my forehand, committed every single sin I could. I just couldn't understand why I was doing it. I think I just wanted to show Sam how much I had improved and perhaps prove to myself that I was on a new level. Ironically, this thirst to show this led me to losses in games I should never have lost. The more forehands I missed the more I focused on them. My head wasn't in the games it was in the forehands I was missing. After the games which he won 2 or 3 more games than me we practiced heavy backspin and side spin looping. It was good but my head was still all over the place. I contemplated not going to my Thursday club. However, I decided that I shouldn't let a bad period affect me. Oh how I wish I had stayed home....!<br />
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When I got to the club I had a knock with a guy who is pretty good. I like him but I get the impression he is weary of me. He also loves putting people in doubles so after briefly playing with him I had to play doubles. I don't mind doubles sometimes but its becoming much, much too regular in this club. I also get put with people who are not taking things as seriously as me. This frustrates me a fair bit. I love the fact they enjoy it and I love having a mess around knock some of the time but I also come to practice and play. I have been getting the feeling that I am being restricted from the better players and some of the better people see me as "not worth playing". One guy in the previous week at this club basically refused to play with me when I asked him. He was back this week and I asked him if he wanted to play me. I wanted to press the issue and still he tried his best not to play me asking the other guy if he wanted to play me, twice. I thought I would prove the point to him that I am worth playing and I will give him a game. Like this whole period has been, it started well. Classic backhand to forehand (I'm left handed) and forehand to backhand. I was good, the ball was being hit sweetly and a lovely level of topspin was on the ball.<br />
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When it came to the game I was tense, nervous and I wanted so badly to prove myself that it was a mess. I was so tense that I missed the ball over and over I served into the net, I missed the serve, I basically unforced errored myself into a loss of 11-1 11-1 and 11-5. I was humiliated, only made worse by the immortal words "well done you are hitting the ball much harder". I picked up my stuff and left. I thought I had hit table tennis rock bottom. So I did what any self respecting person does in that situation. I called up my mum. She reminded me why this happens to me and why I do these things. I always liken myself to Andy Murray in the way I approach things. I am a guy who is easy to read and I wear my heart on my sleeve. It gives me drive and passion to win but it also means that I get into my own head. Tension in table tennis means that you miss shots as everything needs to be less of a strike and more of a stroke. When I am missing the stroke becomes a strike and every technique goes out of the window. My Mum talked me through it and make me realise I need to chill. I need to find some methods to relax and approach the points individually (later Ben would also text me similar advice). I was very positive when I left this conversation I felt I had learnt a lesson and I would improve as a player for it.<br />
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Actually I was wrong, it took another big psychological hit before I hit rock bottom and it taught me my final lesson of this phase of training.HarrieAJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875312479541830831noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-387940998319051731.post-62757871727518690302017-05-08T05:23:00.001-07:002017-05-08T09:20:02.427-07:00Improvements and LossesIt has been 3 sessions with Ben now and about the same with Karl. I am basically a different animal on the table tennis table. My body position has changed my strokes have changed my play into the table has changed and my movement is...changing. Ben has broken me down and is building me back up. It has been massive ups, followed by a big down. It has left me more motivated than ever and with the thought in my head that I might just achieve my goals (as long as I relax a bit).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_6KwvDIEO-lagPzM3QZDpw6xMeaCLDkmFsZUPJBe7KB1cHE8jNplgauzOevKjVKsBGYZmy2AcrIVji6XMQpvH6WyXkPm9pBfGbv-YuvvVragnJ0rorCoTiI5hbps8OybYHzNRjNFDtLk/s1600/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_6KwvDIEO-lagPzM3QZDpw6xMeaCLDkmFsZUPJBe7KB1cHE8jNplgauzOevKjVKsBGYZmy2AcrIVji6XMQpvH6WyXkPm9pBfGbv-YuvvVragnJ0rorCoTiI5hbps8OybYHzNRjNFDtLk/s400/maxresdefault.jpg" width="400" /></a>The first thing I have noticed about my sessions is that everything I was doing is wrong. Yes, I was hitting the ball. Yes, I was winning some games. And yes, I was improving. The problem was I was on a path to becoming one of those guys who reaches a ceiling. I wasn't building strong enough foundations I had skipped bits or I had learnt them wrong. Already, I have bad habits which need correcting quickly if I am to become the player I want to become. Sometimes it feels like a disappointment. I almost wish I had met Ben on day 1 of the project so he could mould me like Plasticine but sometimes my techniques and skills I have learnt in the previous 5 months have come in handy. I can at least hit the ball (which I couldn't at first) and under training conditions I can do it fairly regularly. Likewise, I can chop and serve in a fashion. They all need improving but I am not completely broken.<br />
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The first improvement has come in my overall stroke. Its quicker and broader. I have more speed on the ball than I ever did before. My movement is improving, particularly in drills. I am still lacking in match play where too much information is being processed and I have a tendency to freeze or make unforced errors. The drills I have done have focused, solely, on these basics. A lot of it is movement based so I can make the transition from either forehand to backhand or be in the correct position for forehands all over the table. Ben will often play a backhand down the line, for example, then a forehand out wide. Likewise, I can get drills whereby I do forehands on three different positions on the table. The hardest movement, I have found, is going around the corner of the table on the forehand then getting to a forehand on the opposite side of the table from that position. All these movements are quick side steps. My problem is I will often push off the wrong foot and drag the other foot which means half my body is slightly left behind and I cannot produce the shot I want properly. My other problem is the short stroke production. My hunger to get to the next ball can lead me to cut corners and produce a reduced stroke in order to take myself one step ahead in the game. This means Ben has been spending a lot of time trying to get me to both relax and take time over each shot. Many of the drills Ben has been doing with me can be seen in the video below as well as some others that may come up in the future. (Drills I have done with Ben (or Karl) as named on video: FH Counterattack, BH Counterattack, BH Topspin, FH Topspin, Deep Push, Push to FH Topsin Attack (Push and Attack), BH-FH Topspin Alternately, BH-FH Counterattack 2x2, FH Topsin from 2 points on FH side, FH Counterattack from 3 Points, BH-FH Topsin from BH Side, Falkenburg, BH-BH-FH, Various Drills into Free Play (not 100% but we've definitely done a few)). Remember this has been done over three main sessions so I am not at this level of performance but the basics are getting there.<br />
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After my second session with Ben and about my fourth with Karl, I was feeling positive. Like a player born again. Wiping away 6 months of self taught table tennis into a world of elite table tennis with solid foundations. However, being born again means you need to walk, talk, run and learn to hit a ball with a small bat. There lay my issues. Sometimes, I look like a pro, smashing topspin loops into Ben's bat with the regularity of a seasoned Vet. Other times I am quite literally a cat with a table tennis bat stuck to its forehead while a person taps slow balls in it's direction. It doesn't matter that the cat holds the bat it doesn't mean it will hit anything. Although long winded metaphors may have highlighted my inadequacy to me. I chose to ignore that as I headed into my first competition since I had, had any coaching. The home club championships. <br />
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The tournament was split into groups of 3 plus doubles matches afterwards. Singles, for me, was what it was all about. I have to be honest, I have always hated club championships. It is a single event, on a single day whereby all your peers are around and therefore remember it forever. In athletics I once fell at a club championships and literally, to this day, get reminded of it. Therefore, whenever I do them I feel added performance anxiety. I definitely approached this tournament with more anxiety than I have felt at any previous tournament. The club champs factor combined with the idea of "impressing" my peers and doing my coaches proud meant I took the wrong attitude into the event. It was all a bit too much if I am being honest. I remember literally thinking that in my second match at a game down. I thought this isn't enjoyable I actually want to leave. I have never felt that before in competition. I have never unfocused so much that, that thought has crossed my mind during a match.<br />
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The first game was an expected loss. The guy I was playing was at a higher level than me and has beat me regularly. Therefore, I approached it with a nothing to lose mentality. Yet, I was still disappointed in the first and second sets. I was not playing with conviction. I was doing many of the right things and moving in the correct ways but I always had the niggling thought that I might do it wrong. Therefore, every shot was made with a little bit held back. The third set was actually my least favourite. I got him to 11-8 on the score board but I did it by cheating myself. I reverted to old habits I played shots I would never usually do and basically failed to do things correctly. It was a performance overall that I left feeling that I could do so much better.<br />
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The second game was, in my head, the game where I would finally show how far I had come. This guy was a classic awkward, defensive player. He was a "ceiling" player. He beat me in most games but I knew he wasn't improving and I was finally at a point where I could feasibly beat him. He has some advantages compared to the usual "ceiling" player in that he is much younger and more mobile, he is also very tall. It probably puts him at a slightly higher level than some of the other players of his type. I was obviously still very nervous at this point. The manner of the first loss has dented my confidence and the final set had actually upset the balance whereby I was trying to work out if I would carry on playing the way I had been taught or go for the old habits and cheat myself into some more points. I effectively did neither. I lost composure, I thought too long and hard about every shot I did. I served into the net, I missed the ball and I lost the ability to play topspin. I took perhaps 12 points across 3 games. I never looked like winning. In fact I looked angry, frustrated and embarrassed. I was.<br />
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Everyone knew I was angry, but it was hard to explain that I was angry at myself and angry at letting down the hard work that had been put into me over the past 2 weeks. I was upset at not being able to show there was actually a half decent table tennis player within me. I didn't want to be there at all. However, I still had a doubles game to play. We lost it over 5 sets. It is unlike me to want a match to be over but this one I was just looking to go home. We, virtually, accidentally won 2 games. I played with my mind on other things. I was still mulling over the singles match. My head wasn't in the game it was in the games before.<br />
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I left as soon as the ball hit the table. I didn't speak to anyone I just got out of there. I don't like to stay around after matches anyway as I am always looking to chill out after competition. However, this one was one of the worst. I sent both Ben and Karl texts to tell them I was sorry and that I would come back better. It took me an hour or so but once I was calmed down I thought about the tournament and realised it might be the best thing for me. It made me realise I need to relax, I need to work harder and I know that when I start doing the right things consistently I will beat these people. Relaxation is the key and sometimes losses can be the best thing an athlete can do, I just don't want to make a habit of it. I think this tournament also came a bit too soon. Even another session on with Ben I feel like I have made progress and have started to eradicate old habits that little bit more. However, even recent sessions have had mistakes that have caused losses. I have changed my serves so I have served into the net a little more. I have been trying to lift the ball too much so it has gone over the table. I have misjudged serves so I have lifted too much or not enough. Currently in match play I have 4 shots - 2 bad ones, 1 perfect one and 1 that is just about alright. This is getting better but it will take more time and more drills.<br />
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HarrieAJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875312479541830831noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-387940998319051731.post-17427880321969929382017-05-01T05:47:00.003-07:002017-05-01T05:55:20.336-07:00Enter the CoachesIf there was ever a milestone in my new sport this is it. When you do things under your own steam you can only get so good so quickly. Bad habits are formed and no matter how many YouTube videos you watch it will never be enough to replicate the eye of a coach. In all honesty I imagine coaching will be one of the last bastions of human use once the robots take over all our other jobs and eventually the world.<br />
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OK, I digressed a little there. Coaching is essential to an athlete. In the professional ranks an athlete is the face of a network of people supporting and controlling every aspect of that individuals life. In reality, an athlete cannot exist without a coach. As I have explained before, coaches in table tennis are hard to come by. Even less so for a 26 year old guy who should be playing the sports he is reasonably good at. Though through a miracle and a ton of kindness I have had two people volunteer to coach me. It gives me around 2 hours a week of "me time". I have to say it is pretty awesome. Just perfecting everything, doing it again and again. Getting told how to do things, getting told when I am bad and when I am good. The drills are great and, yes, sometimes I feel like I get worse before I get better but I know I am going to get better. In the immortal words of my girlfriend "if you don't become good now there is no hope for you". I am inclined to agree.<br />
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However, lets rewind a little to the start of this chapter. I was having a bit of trouble finding some consistent coaching from any "affiliates" of England Table Tennis. At my "home" club, I had a got to know a guy called Karl who had taken me under his wing a bit and was doing a bit of practice with me. It had definitely had an effect but it was 20 minutes at best in the middle of sessions. It just wasn't enough. However, I knew he was a good player and technically pretty sound. I therefore decided to ask him if he would do some coaching with me. It was surprising how quickly he said yes. He really did want to help out as much as he could.<br />
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We are now three weeks into our coaching sessions. We do them every week starting about half an hour before the "home" club night and finishing about half an hour into the main session. We have mainly been focused on the forehand loop. This is my most inconsistent shot. It is actually what has held me back the most over the past month or two. Everything else has seen improvements but my looping has gone up and down like a yo-yo. It is a technique combined with an issue in my own psyche. The technique is a combination of forehand drive but a more upward motion whereby you "brush" the ball creating topspin. It is used largely as an attacking "opener" i.e. an opponent pushes the ball long on the table with backspin and the ball is then lifted using topspin over the next to create, usually a forehand rally or winner. However, the brushing of the ball and lower position of the bat has created timing issues for me. It is also a source of tension, whereby, when I have time to hit the shot I rush the shot and create problems for myself. I am used to power sports, whereby, waiting for anything isn't really a factor. These sports are just a reaction and then an explosion of power. It is hard to take away that mental attitude and replace it with a more serene nature. What tends to happen is that I will get the loop for a while but when the ball slows down I will misjudge it and miss it entirely or get tense adjust my bat at the last second and put the ball into the net. What is clear, however, that I am improving in this area and against most players I have seen a vast improvement in performance, aided massively by these coaching sessions. The largest improvement being in the games immediately post-coaching. This performance boost often decreases as the week goes on highlighting the fact that it is not ingrained into my sub-conscious, yet.<br />
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Two weeks ago I also got another huge boost in the form of Ben Larcombe. As I have said before his story of trying to get a guy in his mid twenties into the England Table Rankings in a year certainly turned my head when I first decided to take up a sport I hadn't done before. Likewise, my trip to his club had also proved very useful in finding out about my technique and the flaws I hadn't realised I even had. I knew if I could get a bit of advice here and there it would be of great help to me in my own personal journey. I also understood that personally coaching someone who sees their own journey being 4-8 years rather than a year who is a little older than most beginners was likely to be a long shot. Yet, it was to my surprise that I had a message from Ben on Facebook saying he had read my blog and wondered about my personal goals. I simply told him I was aiming to beat Ma Long by 2020 to win GB's first Olympic Gold Medal in table tennis, become a millionaire celebrity and retire to the Bahamas. He said that was pretty reasonable, if a little modest.<br />
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I suggested we could chat about goals etc. over coffee. Mostly because I wanted to pick his brain and find out if my real goals were even viable/what I should and shouldn't expect of myself. Well Ben had other ideas and said we should play table tennis somewhere. I hadn't suggested this myself as I am not looking to force someone into playing with me (apart from Oliver Wilmot) as I know it would basically be a coaching session for someone of his level whether he intended it to be or not. It is funny how nervous I get when just training, sometimes. When somebody, Ben or Karl, is giving up their time to play and help you make yourself better then you instantly want to impress them. It is what makes the coach-athlete relationship so important, if you look up to somebody and want to do everything you can to improve then a coach values that. Likewise, if a coach sees your willingness to improve then they will do everything they can to help that happen.<br />
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For nigh-on 2.5 hours me and Ben went through my forehand, my backhand, my looping and my movement. Fundamentally, my movement is my weakness. I am too reactive and I don't anticipate where I need to be. It means that I end up in the wrong position and performing a shot which I have little control over. I found out a lot of stuff I had been told was wrong in little ways. I had applied a lot of what people had told me over swathes of strokes and I had become basically a bit messy. I also had a stroke that was short to say the least. That fundamentally came down to how I held my body. I am too upright, too straight backed and as stiff as a board. Ben broke everything down into chunks and rebuilt it. I also got drills to do at home without the ball (shadow play - see below - don't laugh Ollie).<br />
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Ben's main attribute is not what drills he gives me or the fact that he is basically a human backboard but his explanation of concepts. I have had a lot of coaches in a lot of sports and the difference between the good ones and the great ones come down to two things. One, how they make you feel, which I will come onto. Two, how they communicate adjustments. Ben gives me an adjustment or two to make at a time. He is patient with how long the adjustment takes and then he gives me the next adjustment. They are each explained succinctly and they all make sense to me in terms of creating a chain. This "chain" is vital to me. It is how I embed movements and shots into my sub-conscious. Ben doesn't miss a link on the chain. Everything is from the ground up and enables me to build on it one small step at a time.<br />
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Ben and Karl have a similarity in the principle of how a coach makes you feel. Firstly, it requires respect. As an athlete I have to respect my coach and believe in what he is telling me. This has to be mutual as the coach must also be willing to listen to the athlete as they are the person completing the session at the end of the day. Some things that come naturally to one athlete may not come as naturally to another, therefore the coach must be adaptable enough to adjust sessions to the individual. The coach must also command the ability to motivate the athlete. Karl and Ben both do this in their own way. Karl as a senior player who feels "reachable" gives inspiration to me to try and show him that I am aspiring to be like him. Ben, who is another level of player doesn't have that because he is my most distant of goals in terms of the level he is at. He is a true coach in regards to his motivation of me. If Karl is my Roy Keane then Ben is my Sir Alex. I want to impress Ben in a different way. I want to show him how much I have listened, how much I can improve and how much I want this. For both men, in slightly different ways, I am prepared to do whatever is necessary to achieve my goals.<br />
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<br />HarrieAJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875312479541830831noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-387940998319051731.post-67605826430060952852017-04-19T11:05:00.001-07:002017-04-19T11:06:49.500-07:00Into BounceUnusually for my blog, I will try and keep this short and sweet. After my session with Tom we went to a ping-pong bar called Bounce. Below is my mini review of what I thought of it:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHlvwu7OxW1RXp8TEl665JrAGT0GXFYvz2HsEfBklq1E_9_MNuDrcsrTW40ib3pHmla6DMbYpF79yMyfM97a1PA-L12D8cypJqHtk4xOwahqmYgvWvP8JbHDfkilAEk1o479g4KOIVY7w/s1600/img_4325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHlvwu7OxW1RXp8TEl665JrAGT0GXFYvz2HsEfBklq1E_9_MNuDrcsrTW40ib3pHmla6DMbYpF79yMyfM97a1PA-L12D8cypJqHtk4xOwahqmYgvWvP8JbHDfkilAEk1o479g4KOIVY7w/s320/img_4325.jpg" width="320" /></a>The biggest surprise when we got to the venue (Farringdon) was how large it was. I counted 15 tables in total. They all had large groups attached to them with a wealth of people around the gantry's and, of course, the bar. It was darker than I expected for a quasi-sports venue. The tables were lit but perhaps not quite in the way a bowling alley would be. Milling around were people of all ages, from business men in their 50's to students who probably spent too much time in and around the various bars of London. The best thing about the clientele was how it seemed to bring a fairly even split of men and women. Almost all the tables had women on them and a couple, in what was clearly a work night out, had solely women playing. The bar had a very "hipster" feel to it. Especially, as it used its historical heritage as the "site where ping-pong was invented" to full effect. It also probably took the bar into a more "premium" territory.<br />
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What fascinated me, however, was the standard of table tennis being played. Not because I was expecting people to be amazing or even mildly decent but because it stopped people from even having games. Most people were quite literally patting the ball to each other. This is no exaggeration the ball barely moved from point to point over the net. I have no problem with this. It is sometimes just fun to play with a ball and zone out while having a few drinks. However, I do wonder if there is a way of making it a little easier for the novice. For starters, the bats were decent but quicker than most cheap starter bats. I, and the other boys, loved the fact that they provided such quality but I wonder if you take the speed of the bat down, whether it may have made it easier for those who were playing.<br />
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Overall, it is a bar that is clearly made with that touch of quality. From the bouncer on the door to the wooded aesthetic it gives a premium feel throughout. It is also great to play on good quality tables and have bats that are easily passable for any player. Although, unlike bowling, to even hit the ball requires a degree of co-ordination. I wonder if it will be this that holds it back or if it will slowly bring table tennis into the mainstream. I also wonder whether table tennis, as a sport, is even ready to capitalise on the success of these bars that are popping up around the country. The sport has a tendency to divide itself noting how the casuals play "ping-pong" and the players play "table tennis". This divide will need to be broached if either party are really going to see success in the long run.HarrieAJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875312479541830831noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-387940998319051731.post-33435857966872644522017-04-13T05:32:00.001-07:002017-04-13T05:36:48.848-07:00Old Friends and New Environments<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3vtOlXAWWG-eoSgbYW-AFwijQk-FBGjoauetdFgAxZQXTgB7mcN5rgTX_vOBUVC3Wq6lc1MYeTHNl3ulyiPymLF_gOtXD-qZbYfjGbNGv-QZmfH7SK6lmpcWGlcezG6y26LYRLcHxwDY/s1600/hqdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3vtOlXAWWG-eoSgbYW-AFwijQk-FBGjoauetdFgAxZQXTgB7mcN5rgTX_vOBUVC3Wq6lc1MYeTHNl3ulyiPymLF_gOtXD-qZbYfjGbNGv-QZmfH7SK6lmpcWGlcezG6y26LYRLcHxwDY/s320/hqdefault.jpg" width="320" /></a>It is surprising how quickly one person can pick up a habit. One minute I am a lump of play dough ready to be moulded into the most fantastic shape ever, next minute I am a lump of hard old clay that cannot be shaped no matter what. So my task for a month or so has been to find someone who wants to splash a load of water on me and see if I can become a useful item to table tennis. Finding a coach hasn't been easy. As discussed before, nobody wants to train a guy who is 26 and cannot play a sport most people start at the age of 6. My first port of call was England Table tennis. This threw up a few coaches. However, about 2 of them where anywhere near me. One was too far in the end and the other was at a club I had already been to. In all honesty, he was not fussed about coaching me. I even offered him money and still he was not interested. He likes to focus on the kids and, in some ways, who can blame him.<br />
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I have been looking into table tennis as a sport a lot more now that I actually participate in it. I feel it is good to see what the pros do and gain an understanding of how the matches etc. work in the professional leagues. It also led me on to the video of the guy who played table tennis every day for a year. I have seen the video before when I wasn't trying to become an awesome player. It was amusing for me that somebody would spend so much time at a sport where you basically just stand still and hit a ball with a bat. I also thought that I could do that if I had a coach standing by at all times watching me. Well, I think I can admit I was very wrong on that front!<br />
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I wouldn't say the video inspired me back then but I do think it made me think it was possible to become good at this sport in a relatively short period of time. That meant that when I was looking around for the sport I would try out it was further up my list than it might of been otherwise.<br />
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After seeing this video again I went on the website (www.experttabletennis.com). I thought that these guys might have a bit of advice that's particularly useful for me in my position. It turns out that there is a fair bit to be gained from it all when you look around from kit recommendations to training techniques. However, one big piece of information struck me: the coach lives near (ish) me. He is called Ben Larcombe and is a professional table tennis coach. I have to admit when I messaged him I was pretty nervous. I even put this blog in as a reference point. He didn't quite say he would coach me but he did say he runs a club near (ish) me that I could attend.<br />
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A week or so later I decided to whip down to the other club (sadly it falls on the same day as my 'home' club) and see if I could get a few tips from an actual professional coach. This club is different from the others I have been to. For one thing it is free and for another it is held in a church. Perhaps most surprising, however, was that I was one of the best there. This club is full of inexperienced Table Tennis players like me. People who have played a few months and are just getting to grips with the basics. Our first little session was to practice forehands. Which was pretty difficult for the majority of players. I ended up blocking to take the speed off the ball a bit but it was still a fairly messy affair. I then got what I wanted. A 1 to 1 with Ben doing multi-ball training. This is where a coach stands with a bucket of balls and you return them.<br />
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Ten minutes of this and I had learnt 2 things and confirmed another. Firstly, my position was too high. I wasn't crouched enough and therefore it was stopping me from executing the correct stroke. Secondly, my stroke was still wrong. It was too forward and I wasn't creating the necessary topspin. Thirdly, my movement was very bad (it still is). The first problem was easily corrected and it helped the second. However, the problem which I had known about for a few weeks with movement was still there. It comes down to panic and a bit of ball watching.<br />
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Sport, as I have mentioned before, has always been natural for me. Give me a pair of trainers and I can run, naturally, quicker than most people. Give me a rugby ball and I can see space and tackle better than most people. Give me a shuttlecock and I can challenge most people in a game of badminton. In Table Tennis I have zero natural ability to fall back on. Therefore, I have to make decisions rather than have a natural feel to my game. It is this lack of feeling that can lead me into panic. These days though, about 5 and a half months in, I do have feeling. I just forget I have feeling or second guess myself. It means that the movement is too slow or is positioned wrong to execute the shot I want. I also know that once I overcome that I will show myself to be a better player.<br />
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Having learnt/confirmed these issues. We did some backhands before a bit of a round robin tournament. The first two games were comfortable. Firstly, against Ollie and then against a lad who was deemed to be one of the "better" players. He certainly has attributes but it was unrefined and I felt very comfortable. Once I had beaten him we came off the table and I told the score. Then a girl said an "off the cuff' comment to me: "You're clearly the best here".<br />
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What a difference a sentence makes. I went from, yes, probably being the best there give or take to being very, very average. Trying to play shots I wouldn't go for, letting the other player attack so I could show how awesome I was. Except I am not awesome. I am only a bit better than everyone else and it showed. I lost my next two games and I deserved to. Arrogance in table tennis, I have learnt, is punished severely. It isn't the first time I have behaved in that was and it wasn't the last. It isn't a conscious thing really it is just that you know you have more experience than some people and you should beat them. It makes you take your foot off the gas and next thing you know you are 10-8 down on game/match point.<br />
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After, a little recovery I did get better again and won some more games but a combination of nerves, wanting to show Ben how "awesome" (there's that stupid word again) and the continued pressure of wanting to show I was the best meant I never obtained the heights I should have. Ironically, wanting to show Ben how great I was had done the exact opposite. The session was great though. I had learnt a lot, both about myself as a character and some glaring floors in my table tennis which were starting to hold me back. Fortunately, the weekend gave me some much needed practice time in London with an old friend.<br />
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I don't have a lot of friends who play Table Tennis outside of the clubs I go to. In all honesty, until I played it, I thought it was a bit of a joke. Therefore, when he used to tell me he played table tennis I viewed it more akin to darts or pool than to sport. I hadn't seen him for over a year when we got back in contact and it would be nearly two years before we actually saw each other again but I like to think it is table tennis that has facilitated that. He was a regular feature in my other blogs, Mr Thomas Hue and is still a savage at table tennis.<br />
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We met up at the Copperbox in London. I had never been an I was keen to go and see the venue. What was shocking is how underused the facility is. It is all state of the art with gorgeous facilities and, yet, it is a ghost town. Me and Tom had the place to ourselves.<br />
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Tom plays with anti-spin. Basically, it plays very differently in terms of the spin that returns to a player and how much effect my spin will have on his bat. It is similar to pimples in some ways and definitely plays slower on occasion but he can reflect my speed back at me quite well. Initially, his game was patchy. He hadn't played much recently and there was a bit of rust that had crept in, in terms of putting the ball where he wanted on the table. However, he did show his class in the strokes he was producing.<br />
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We played for over 3 hours in total and I got some great practice in. Tom is also left handed which meant that, for the first time in a long time, we could play forehand to forehand and vice versa. Likewise, his anti-spin meant I had to re-accelerate the ball again and again which helped me practice my topspin looping. His ability to use the whole table was the biggest differential between us. He could put the ball right in the corners and take advantage of my lack of positional awareness. It was something I cannot do to the same degree. Most matches, however, were quite close. Overall though he probably took me 2 out of 3 games or more. I also noticed how much I improved in both consistency and positional awareness. My crowning glory of this session was winning our final match 3-1. I went 1-0 down and I think both me and Tom thought I would capitulate, however, like I mentioned in the tournament post (http://epictabletennisjourney.blogspot.co.uk/2017/03/my-first-tournament.html) I am better when I am just focused on winning. I am more relaxed when I am into a game with purely 1 singular focus. This last game was more about the winning for me than at any other time that day. Therefore, I played better and, perhaps, put a little extra pressure on Tom in the process.<br />
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We then went on to a little Table Tennis night out....<br />
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<br />HarrieAJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875312479541830831noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-387940998319051731.post-1109929362397328712017-04-06T07:17:00.001-07:002017-04-06T07:19:26.680-07:00The Mess of Learning (My First Video)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Learning always seems to be a simple process. Take skill A that you want to learn, practice it, copy others and attain the correct technique then move on to skill B and repeat. What the ideal 'model' of learning doesn't tell you is that skill B, once learnt, may interact with skill A periodically making skill A worse. Likewise, you might fail to learn skill A or B a thousand times before it works effectively. Also, most skills aren't on a completely closed loop. Skill A might have to have skill C before it is truly effective. Likewise, skill B might come in tandem with skill A meaning a little bit of confusion over the skills. In other words, the simple process of learning can become a bit messy.<br />
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"Chunking" or the breaking down of things into smaller pieces of information work perfectly for me. I also require a logical pathway, whereby I can create a process. In schooling terms this would be, for example, learning about the solar system but not explaining why the solar system exists. The system breaks down for me. I need all of the chunks of the full story not all of the chunks of half a story. It means my attainment of goals can have huge peaks and troughs. Weeks can go by as I fill in the remaining parts, then once all of this has happened, I will make a leap forward that has seemingly come out of nowhere. It also means that once these chunks are in place I never forget or "unlearn" a skill. The one problem is that it can create a huge lull in both performance and progress for periods of time. Psychologically, this can be, not only damaging, but creates a sense of fear within me. This fear stems from the idea that I might never improve, that I am at my limit. I am always wrong but I have to be more patient and look to the long term more than others.<br />
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If you take the video below, for example, you can see me practising services, over and over again. This isn't the whole story, though. At different times I am concentrating on different aspects of the service. During the video I was mostly focusing on reverse side spin, wrist speed and where my bat was making contact with the ball. Later on, during another service practice I was focusing on my body position (note: my high starting height bringing the ball higher over the net than it should be). It can be boring repeating the same movement over and over again but breaking it down and seeing improvements in one or two aspects can actually make the mundane much more satisfying. These 20 minute service sessions I aim to do at least once a day, that way it doesn't get too boring and it means I can keep up a consistent training regime that fits in with everything else.<br />
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Okay, so the other thing that is in the video is a rather lovely table. Sadly, it is outdoors as, if I brought it inside, I think I may gain some ability in table tennis but lose my girlfriend. After a few hours of indecision I decided that I would stick with my girlfriend. Talk about a lack of commitment! Seriously though, it has been fine outside. I got the table from Costco (http://www.costco.co.uk/view/p/kettler-axos-3-outdoor-table-tennis-table-2-bats-3-balls-cover-183283) if anyone wants one and I saw it recommended on (http://www.experttabletennis.com/). Sadly I am not sponsored by either of these companies but feel free to contact me with a massive pay packet and i'll be happy to recommend any garden furniture or household items that may improve one's ability to play table tennis. The table itself is great but I can't really put it half up and hit the ball against it because it just doesn't return to me naturally and therefore becomes a massive nuisance. It is great for service practice, if you are like me and can just repeat things over and over again under the illusion that it may lead you to victory. It is also great for when I have friends over. Once again I employed young Oliver to help me build the table and play with me. It was nice playing without having to go all the way to a club and, bar the odd strong gust of wind, my garden is fairly well shielded so the ball acted pretty naturally.<br />
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The knock about started pretty normally. Ollie great to knock about with and get some extra time on the table to focus on my forehand stroke. As always, Ollie loves a game so we started playing a few matches. However, whereas I would expect to beat Ollie 99% of the time these days I suddenly started losing the majority of games. I was perplexed, could all of this practice be for nothing? I really started to worry. Had I not improved at all? Was I literally learning nothing? I started to notice a few things though. I kept having to reaccelerate the top spin of the ball over the net. Likewise, strokes that I would usually devote a small stroke to were becoming much longer strokes to put enough spin on them. I couldn't understand why. I was just furious that I couldn't play the way I wanted anymore. The afternoon's session basically finished that way. I was pretty upset about it all but I did think there must be a reason why I had become so rubbish in an afternoon.<br />
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I am well known for having "meltdowns". I basically start losing then self destruct. It isn't big or clever and is massively detrimental. It is something I definitely need to work on. I thought it might be because of that, that I was rubbish. However, I had not had a self destruct moment. I had basically been rubbish the whole time we played. So it couldn't be because of that.<br />
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Ollie returned in the evening for a few more games. This time I decided to be a bit less lazy and go and get the one variable we had changed when I played him the first time. My bat. I genuinely didn't believe that my bat was the thing that was messing me up. Surely a good table tennis player can use any bat? Apparently not. The moment I had my bat back in my hand I was back to normal. I could serve properly and my shots had speed again. Everything was quicker and the ball was where I expected it to be on the table. Playing Ollie went from being the hardest game to being a more relaxed experience. I didn't lose a game with my bat in hand whereby I was going 3 or 4 games without a win when we both had the table bats.<br />
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It was fascinating to see how much having a bat that suits the player is a factor. Ollie and me swapped bats again and I noticed how him having my bat actually made him easier to play against. He plays a slow game that explodes on occasion. Using the bats that came with the table enabled him to slow me down and let him pounce on my. Playing with my bat (when I had the table bat) meant he was speeding the game up, thereby, playing into my hands much more.<br />
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The whole experience made me value my own bat much more. It also showed me how used to my bat I have got as well as how difficult it might be if I swapped. I also realise that in the future, when I want to do more stuff with the ball, I will have to change my bat. However, this may mean I go a month or two where I will struggle to adjust.HarrieAJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875312479541830831noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-387940998319051731.post-25844664308882132862017-03-21T05:48:00.003-07:002017-03-21T05:49:18.802-07:00The Psychology of the Impossible<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Let's take a step back from my usual diary, come, analysis and look at the challenge itself. My challenge is that within 8 years I go from never having touched a ball to being in the Olympics. The big issues that stand in my way are: my age, my inexperience, my time and others perception of me. Most of these centre around the age I am. I know that a 11 year old, when he hits 26, will have 15 years experience more than me. I also know that you can play table tennis from 7 or 8 providing a full adults worth of experience. Children also don't have jobs. They have parental support and they have little else to focus on. As an adult I come with a wealth of baggage from my work to my social life to my habits that I have built up over time. I also know that most people don't want to coach an adult. After all what are the chances of an adult becoming a star of the future? None right?<br />
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This idea in my head of becoming brilliant at something I have never done before is sometimes a little overwhelming. I know that I have to pick up skills that many have learnt over 2 or 3 years in two or three months. I know that these skills need to be embedded and then I need to have the experience to know when to implement them. I also know experience comes with time that I don't have. Having asked a couple of people to coach me now and having been turned down fairly sharply I also know that its going to be a struggle to go beyond "playing matches" and become "an athlete" at this sport. The truth is it all scares me a little. I have given up a lot to try out this new sport. I could always opt to go back to what I know or just play something that I can achieve things at a low level. I do question if I am making all of it too hard for myself. I also question whether the time I stated to Ollie that I was going to attempt this it should of been something I kept to myself rather than blog about or I could of just never had the thought at all. I could of played table tennis like I did with my old football team, whereby, yes, we won matches but it was in a low league and it satisfied me enough to have fun with it. </div>
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People do play high level table tennis into their 50's though. The no. 2 in the world is 20. Giving him a maximum of 12 years of experience. I will get a coach soon, one way or another. I will have a table at home and a robot to practice every day. I will play at 4 clubs and play league matches. There is a chance I could do this, a very, very slight chance. I think I can get the "classic" 10,000 hours in at 4 hours per day if I have enough coaching, matches and practice sessions. Will it be enough to even get close? Who knows.</div>
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The pressure of this is enormous though. It is often what makes me rubbish in training matches. Especially against weaker opponents. My level drops as I feel I have to beat the opponent to show I am progressing. Whereas I am freer against better opponents as I am just testing my level against theirs. That is often why, against mid-range players I rarely lose as I am focused in a positive way. In a match against a weaker opponent, who I feel I should beat, the pressure is always negative. This means there is a reduction in movement, in natural decision making and shot power.</div>
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I still, ultimately, believe when it comes to league matches after summer I will be good. I am, after all, addicted to winning. I also genuinely believe I can do some great things on the table when I get rid of any negative thought. The idea of the "self-fulfilling prophecy" always sticks in my mind recently. I talk to myself a lot at the table at the moment. I tell myself both how I need to improve and also tell myself that I can win. Sometimes with more conviction and sometimes with less. If conviction can really be put into the monologue then it creates a much better period of play for me. I also have to remind myself what I do well. I am horrendously insecure. It isn't ideal when you set yourself a new challenge at something you aren't very good at in the first place. Every fault is highlighted, from my mindset to my movement I look at everything in a negative way and generally feel like I am not good enough. It is often difficult for those around me to even pick me back up again. Yet, when it comes to table tennis there are advantages that I have. I am powerful, fast, aggressive and fit. I am experienced in being coached and I have the mentality of an athlete. Sometimes, though, I need to remember all of that a bit more. </div>
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One final thing that I have found interesting is my "killer" instinct. When I played in the tournament it was there in plain sight. I was playing to destroy people. I was do anything to beat anyone. I didn't want anyone to get a point. In fact I wanted to basically humiliate them. It isn't pleasant but it is sport. Winning to me is everything at that point. However, in training, I have lacked that killer instinct in a few places. Often it is against people that I would expect to beat. If I a load of points off them I sometimes want them to get back into the game. I even give advice trying to coach them into beating me. This isn't against people who I can annihilate either, this is against people who, I feel are just a bit behind me. It has even cost me before when I have played and I have either coached someone into beating me or let them have a game or two as my level has dropped off. The other day I even stopped serving properly to let the other person back in. The thing is, I nearly did. I think it stems back from the idea that if I beat someone too badly they won't want to play with me anymore. When I used to run as a kid. Nobody wanted to play games with me as I would be too good. The irony is I am no longer too good and often it can come back to haunt me. When I am at a higher, more consistent level I can do that but, until then, I need to get out of the habit. </div>
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The psychology of this little challenge is immense and complex for me. Doing the impossible, I imagine, has a standardised model associated with it that a professional could pick apart for hours. I, however, know that three things need to happen if I am even going to get close to the goal. Firstly, I need to break the goal down into smaller more achieveable goals, whereby I make the overall goal more hazy and I still get a sense of achievement. Secondly, I need to believe I am good enough and thirdly, I must remember I am not, yet, so much better than anyone that I can let my level drop and still beat them. Then, with those all in place, I might just make some more progress. </div>
HarrieAJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15875312479541830831noreply@blogger.com3