Adaptability Required
These differences (for better or worse) are worth a special mention, and are highlighted below:- There is no time for a pre-match warm up. The weight of numbers creates an obscene amount of matches to get through and a much clogged schedule. There was literally no time to practice before a teams match starts, and the customary 2 minute warm up period prior to a match turns into 15-20 seconds. This reinforces a message that many coaches stress; you can not waste a single ball when practicing.
- It is normal for an umpire to stop a match in the middle of a set to commence another match on a free table. Again here the heavy schedule means that if another table becomes available the next match from the teams match must be started as soon as possible. The fact that this means interrupting the match in progress does not seem to worry any of the players.
- You have to be ready to play at any moment. This again relates to the weight of numbers playing the competition. Matches were often delayed to a point where you could be called upon at any stage to play your team's match on a different table and at a different time. This means you have to be very adaptable and be mentally switched on all the time.
- There is no such thing as playing a let when a ball from another court comes into your court. The ball could even bounce under your feet but your rally just keeps going. If this isn't enough, it is customary for the player whose ball has come on to your court to retrieve their ball in the middle of a rally in your court.
- There is no need to apologize when you get a net or an edge, or when your opponent serves a fault. On the contrary, it is normal that you and your team mates let out an exuberant cheer on such occasions.
A Short Time, But A Good Time
Overall, although it was a very short trip away, I felt it was extremely worthwhile and very successful for me. I managed to gain more international experience, had a chance to do what only very few foreigners get to do by playing league in China, and was successful at adapting to playing in unfamiliar conditions. As an added bonus I managed to play a good brand of table tennis, have some good wins, and put some good results on the board. If you ever have a chance to play league in China, I would strongly recommend that you take it with both hands. It is an experience that is both challenging and daunting, but at the same time it can be very rewarding.
Train hard,
Scott Houston.
Other articles by Scott Houston:
The ITTF Pro Tour is Booming
Reach for the Stars! Setting Goals for Table Tennis/Ping-Pong
Why Play Table Tennis Overseas?
