Thursday September 4, 2008
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| Look inside one of London's leading table tennis clubs Photo © 2008 Greg Letts, licensed to About.com, Inc. |
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I've moved on from Singapore to the UK, and I am currently in Wales after spending last week in London. And while in London, do as the Londoners do - which means visiting a few London ping-pong clubs! The first club on my agenda to visit was the DHS Greenhouse Progress table tennis club (formerly London Progress), home of many good players and recommended to me by one of my ex-English table tennis buddies back in Perth. After checking out the Singapore Table Tennis Association club, what would an English ping-pong club be like? Let's find out!
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Thursday September 4, 2008
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| Be sure you pick the right racket! Photo © 2007 Greg Letts, licensed to About.com, Inc. |
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Nothing confuses new ping-pong players more than trying to decide what their first serious bat should be. It's an important milestone when you are ready to graduate from your sports store no-name paddle to a real racket that will allow you to develop your own style. Making the wrong choice for your first bat can greatly slow down your rate of improvement.
So with that in mind, let's talk about what to look for when you are ready to buy your first real table tennis bat.
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Monday September 1, 2008
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| Coach Not Included? Photo © 2006 Greg Letts, licensed to About.com, Inc. |
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Having a coach in table tennis can be likened to having a guide on a long journey. The guide is supposed to know the way to where you are going, as well as what areas to avoid, and what tourist spots are worth visiting. But that doesn't mean that it's impossible to get there yourself!
But without a guide, you need a good map to help point you in the right direction. So here's a starting roadmap for those of you who don't have access to a coach - some ideas on how to improve your ping-pong by yourself.
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Thursday August 28, 2008
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| "Long Pips are unpredictable" and other myths debunked! Photo © 2007 Greg Letts, licensed to About.com, Inc. |
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In any sport, there are a number of myths that are commonly believed to be true by the general public. Table tennis has even more misconceptions than most sports, since it is a sport where high level ping-pong play is incredibly different from low level competition. So in addition to the myths believed by the general public, there are also a number of mistaken beliefs held by low level players about high level play. Here's a debunking of the many myths and misconceptions about table tennis.
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Wednesday August 27, 2008
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| Have bat, will travel! Photo © 2007 Greg Letts, licensed to About.com, Inc. |
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It's time to leave Singapore and head to London to continue my table tennis travels. So before I go, here's my thoughts on what it has been like to be in Singapore in the middle of Olympic Games table tennis fever. It's an experience I will never forget and I'm glad I didn't miss it.
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Wednesday August 27, 2008
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| Come and play at the STTA! Photo © 2008 Greg Letts, licensed to About.com, Inc. |
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I've finally embarked on my trip to the UK and Western Europe - but my first stop was actually at Singapore to break up the long flight to London and give my partner and I a chance to catch up with family and friends. While I was here, I naturally wanted to check out the Singapore Table Tennis Association, home of the 2008 Olympic silver medalists in the Table Tennis Women's Team events. Maybe some of their training magic will rub off!
It's been an interesting experience being in Australia then Singapore during the Beijing Olympics - and one that I will write more about in my table tennis blog tomorrow. But for now I'll just say that the media coverage of table tennis in Singapore has been at saturation point for the last 5 or 6 days - with table tennis literally front page news! And while much of the news has been focused on the Women's Team success, there has also been a cloud to this silver lining in the shape of the goings-on at the STTA, where one month old STTA President Lee Bee Wah has booted out the team manager, Antony Lee, and may also get rid of Singapore Head Coach, Liu Goudong. This all hit the news before the Olympians had even finished celebrating their medal. The public reaction to Lee Bee Wah's purge has been less than favorable. Here's a quick online sampling from The Singapore Sports Fan:
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2008 Olympic Games - China Dominant - But This Too Will Pass?
Tuesday August 26, 2008
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| Ma Lin Bags a Big One at Last! Photo By: Kazuyuki Takahashi, by courtesy of the ITTF. |
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What most informed table tennis followers thought would happen did in fact happen at the 2008 Olympic Games - China took a clean sweep of the individual medals to go with their side order of teams gold. With Ma Lin, Wang Hao and Wang Liqin grabbing the glory (and medals) in the Men's Singles event, compatriots Zhang Yining, Wang Nan and Guo Yue were not to be outdone, managing the same feat in the Women's Singles.
There are a number of positive benefits for table tennis from these Olympic Games - excellent media coverage, some entertaining matches, and hopefully greater exposure to the general public among them. I wonder whether table tennis associations around the world are ready for the hopefully large influx of new beginners inspired by the Olympic dream?
And finally, here's a question from that persistent little inner voice that keeps nagging at me - we already knew that China is the dominant nation in table tennis - the 2008 World Championships told us that. Was the Olympics less exciting due to that dominance? Would table tennis be better off if China decided to truly open up and share it's training techniques with the rest of the world, allowing more even competition? Or is China happy to be the top dog in a sport that the public may end up viewing as a peculiarly Chinese passion only?
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Monday August 25, 2008
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| Are you a beginner, intermediate, or advanced player? Photo © 2006 Greg Letts, licensed to About.com, Inc. |
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In many table tennis communities, it's common to separate ping-pong players into three broad groups - beginners, intermediate players, and advanced players. But what exactly do we mean when we say that Fred is an intermediate player, while Jim is only a beginner? And at what point does an intermediate player become worthy of advanced status?
To find my take on the subject of ping-pong playing levels, and to find out where you fit on the scale, read on.
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Friday August 22, 2008
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| There would be nothing to celebrate without an opponent! Photo © 2007 Greg Letts, licensed to About.com, Inc. |
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While the table tennis medalists at the Olympics will get a lot of much deserved attention, spare a thought for the rest of the athletes who also competed. I did, and from that contemplation came the following thoughts - an Ode to My Opponent.
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ITTF Want to Sex Up Table Tennis
Thursday August 21, 2008
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| Form, Fashion and Function - Nadine Bollmeier won the 2008 Australian Open while wearing a skirt Photo © 2008 Greg Letts, licensed to About.com, Inc. |
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The ITTF's female competitors are being urged to wear skirts and figure hugging shirts in a bid to improve their appearance in competition. The person leading this charge? The Vice President of the ITTF, Claude Bergeret.
Don't get me wrong - as a healthy red-blooded male I'm all in favor of table tennis women wearing more attractive clothes. But I'm not in favor of them being pushed or coerced into wearing outfits they aren't comfortable to play in. And how about the men? Why not bring in compulsory lycra bike pants instead of the baggy shorts many men wear currently? I'm sure our female audience would appreciate it. And don't forget the umpires and referees - a little black and white striped skintight number with sequins would surely boost ratings.
Table tennis is not beach volleyball, where less seems to be more. The game should be the main focus, not fashion. I think tennis has got it right in this instance, where the trend has been for more feminine and fashionable offerings to be available to those women who want them, while those who do not can still wear what they find comfortable. Let's allow our table tennis female players to decide for themselves what they want to compete in, instead of being dictated to by a group of mostly male middle aged administrators.
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