When I first started coaching 19 years ago, I was obsessed with having a good table tennis technique.
I am not 100% as to why but I remember coaching my players and making sure they possessed solid technique on all strokes.
Table tennis tactics alongside technique
Experience:
I got plenty of good results producing many England players and thought I was doing it correctly. As a young man you get ahead of yourself and believe you know it all but then you learn that time and experience is the real superpower.
The more time you spend inside an industry (with an open mind and willingness to learn and expand) the more you realise there’s so much more. Results in sport is a mixture of many factors; location, environment, age, external factors etc. All of this play’s a huge role in players success and I was fortunate witnessed these on many occasions. Both at Barnet TTC and Harefield Academy and now as a freelance coach..
What can be done with experience:
Today I believe if I had the same environments (mentioned above) I would have produced twice as many top players.
I believe in holistic coaching, back then I thought if I develop your strokes technically you will have the weapons to win. Some did but many failed because I was unable to provide: the physical, nutritional, mental and tactical repertoire. When I realised that many of my players had the weapons but lost I began to realise having weapons is one thing if you don’t know how to use them, they are effectively redundant. So began to study every element required in making players the best they can be. I am still constantly learning and that will never stop for both myself and my players.
Why technique is not enough:
I had one player technically the best in the club but he lacked mental toughness and reached no.2 in England. I believe if I was able to tap into other aspects mentioned above he would have been no.1 no doubt. Every time he failed to perform we blamed it on his shots rather than his mental or physical condition.
Like a car:
The technique is like the shell of a car, you can have the most beautiful Ferrari body but the most important tool is the engine. Other elements are important and all make the car a finely tuned machine. When building your game don’t just build the shots, you must focus on building your mindset, your physical conditioning, your tactical awareness and many other elements.
The best in the world have:
Average rating out of 10 (my personal opinion and view)
Mental – 8 plus out of 10
Physical – 8 plus out of 10
Nutritional – 5 plus out of 10 (personally I believe it’s higher but players can get away with poor nutrition)
Technique – 7 plus out of 10
Tactical – 8 plus out of 10
Nutrition
Notice how nutritional and technical score less than the others. This is because your body is special and can forgive you for not putting the best nutrition (up to a certain point). You will reduce efficiency by 10-20%. But due to constant physical activity, you will be able to perform at near peak level when aged between 18 to 20 years of age.
Technique
Technique again slightly lower because you can find world-class players with not the best of technical (textbook) shots. Timo Boll is an example of a world class player that players a technically poorer forehand shot.
Due to other elements mentioned above, you can perform at the top with a lower level of technical ability.
The technique enables you to perform but everything else is essential towards making your technical skills perform.
Written by Eli Baraty eBaTT (Eli Baraty Academy of Table Tennis) Coach Me Table Tennis – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Instagram: _elibaraty Twitter: @elibaraty FB: Coach Me Table Tennis – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – W: www.ebatt.co.uk M: 07900401144
As a freelance coach, I’m lucky to work with players of all ages and levels. I believe having a coach is like having a map. Most of us walk around blindfolded and rarely do we find our destination without a guide. Therefore I thought of providing 5 reasons why you should have a table tennis coach.
1. Why do we play?
Most play for joy and love alongside competition whether it be general or personal. A coach can give you advice on how to get the most out of your game so that you can compete.
2. Training:
Many who play, do just that, they play! They don’t know how to train and what kind of exercises and routines are required to develop their game at an accelerated rate
Table Tennis Coaching
3. Support:
parents family and friends love you but they don’t know how to make you better. A good coach will build a rapport with you which will enable him/her to support you when results are not going your way. More often than not they have experienced your journey and can share those past times in hope of you understanding that’s it’s ok and together you’ll find a way.
4. Building together:
A good coach will slowly see and understand your table tennis pathway. The secret is always aiming higher than what’s thought possible. But at the same time develop a strategic plan for your development. This plan must have the aims, goals, pathway and alternative plans. For example, if a player has outgrown the facilities or coaching ability. That player must look to expand their potential by finding a suitable club and coach elsewhere.
5. A coach is like a map,
they can show you the way, they can help you find your destination and they can guide you towards your destiny. A coach can help you build the tools required for greatness but you are ultimately the driver and the only person who can reach your chosen destination.
Find the best map (coach) the better the map the faster you’ll get to your destination…
We all put some kind of table tennis expectations upon ourselves.
The key is how do we handle that pressure?
Here’s a beautiful test I use with my players. I want you to close your eyes and think of a table tennis player. Use the first player that pops into your head, see them playing, look at their clothing, their footwork, their attitude, their technique and observe the surroundings.
Ok!
Who did you see?
What was their style?
Was it a male or female player?
Where was this person playing?
There will not be one reader who has the exact same visual.
Some will have themselves, others will see a player they train with or a player they admire or idolise. The location will vary depending on your experiences.
You see we all build images via our personal experience and create our reality through them.
Once you understand your personal thoughts, you can understand why and what you expect of yourself.
Our visuals change:
The more we play and compete the more images are compiled in our brains.
How does this affect us?
If we win an event or beat a player that we have not beaten before that image is implanted firmly in our memory bank. Which means we have a set of experienced images that provide users with certain future expectations. This can also work the other way if we lose or lost an event that image can set a precedence.
How to deal with expectation:
Some have a natural release mechanism and other hold their experiences firmly. This is due to both internal and external effects that build our internal imagery. For example, if you lose to someone you should have beaten (on paper) and your family, coach or others criticise you for this negative loss, you will naturally tap into your survival mechanisms. This includes attempting to ignore, defending yourself, wanting revenge, or possibly quitting the game.
Fear of negative connotations kick in our survival mode and in many cases it’s vital. For example, if you hear a car coming but can’t see it around the corner, you will stay on the pavement. On the other hand, our survival mechanism may holt our development. For example when a baby learns how to walk, if they fell once and never attempted to get back up, he/she would never walk.
Positive results leading to future expectations:
Winning sounds and feels good when people will applaud you and that experience often is re-played your in your mind for a short period of time. This positive outcome/‘s, build an expectation of, I must repeat and continue to develop. Otherwise, I’m a failure both to myself and those who see me as a good player or champions.
The key is to understand your ability and use it to its fullest potential. This means what has been done in the past should not have an effect on your present performance. Many things change over time, your state of mind, your training schedule, your physical health etc. Therefore you must do your best on every given occasion and avoid passed expectations by focusing on the present task.
Learning to deal with expectation:
Understanding your views and thoughts (as mentioned above)
Learn to face pressured situations by challenging yourself in doing uncomfortable things on your own and when surrounded by other people.
Forgive, learn and develop; forgiveness is one secret top players use. They are able to forgive the negativity surrounded with a poor result and most importantly forgive themselves. Once forgiveness has been implemented we are able to view the issue clearly and learn from the outcome. Lastly, you must develop a system to tackle passed results.
Table tennis expectation:
Table tennis expectations ultimately have been built via images from past and present experiences. You can change the images in your mind to create a positive connotation. Like anything this is a skill, that needs the practice to develop and you will become good at it.
A great saying from one of the old time greats ‘Michael Jordan’ “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots, I’ve lost 300 games, I’ve missed 26 winning game shots, I’ve failed over and over again in my life and that’s why I SUCCEED.”
Building table tennis foundations are one aspect of the game, few are willing to focus on in today’s modern society. We live in an instant gratification bubble, (surrounded by layers of protection and technology creating a virtual world).
After watching the European table tennis championships this weekend. I quickly realised why Timo Boll is the most successful player in the European Championship’s history. Timo Boll is without a doubt the most stable player in Europe and this is because he has put in the graft for many many years. Commitment, persistence, repetition and hard work is something many younger players lack in Europe.
Building a foundation:
Timo started from a very young age on his home table with his dad. It was clear back then that the aim was to develop his strokes and craft his shots. Technically his forehand is not textbook but Timo has manufactured a solid forehand shot. Years of controlled footwork enables Timo to play high-quality shots from both wings, whether at a standstill or in motion.
The difference between Timo and the rest of the European players:
Timo Boll at the European Championships 2018
The difference between Timo and the rest of European players? He is the safest player on both wings, his shots may not be as powerful as Carlderano’s or as fast Harimoto’s shots but they are of extremely high quality. Every shot is positive with plenty of energy on the ball and both wings have a very low margin of error. Timo’s stability on both wings enables him to slowly break down his European opponents. No matter what the score is or how good his opponent/’s are playing, they often question themselves. In their minds, “Timo won’t miss, will I start missing? “I must play super high-quality shots to win, otherwise Timo is too consistent for me!” Those factors, put huge pressure on players to play at a high-risk game constantly and mentally they doubt their personal ability.
Why has Timo never won a Worlds or Olympic title?
Over 15 years ago I told, my students when Timo was world no.1, he will never win the Worlds or Olympic title!
Why such a bold statement? For me Timo is a complete player, unfortunately being complete is not enough! Many Asian players are complete players and this means they can able to go toe to toe with Timo. You need a weapon, Timo has no real weapon, his weapon is his solid foundations. In Europe, that’s enough to be on top of the pack. Most European players don’t have a solid base but many have a weapon and those weapons can inflict shock results. Examples of weapons:
Liam Pitchford – Backhand Switch
Par Garrell – Service
Ma Long – Huge Power
Harimoto – Speed
Zhang Jike – Mental toughness
All these players have the X-factor and that’s why they have won majors or are capable of pulling off extraordinary performances.
What European players need to become world beaters:
They must work on: Dedication – Developing strong foundations, lots of time spent on basic stroke development. This entails lots of repetition and many hours in the practice hall. Footwork – Understand and develop correct footwork to enable powerful shots whether at a standstill or in motion Middle Game – Hone in on high-quality shots constantly without breaking down, enabling continuous rallies when their weapons are not working.
An example of a hard-working European Player but started too late – Click Here
The secret:
Start young, work on consistency and repetition, developing high tension shots on a regular basis. Be patient and over time those building blocks will have formed a solid foundation. At the same time develop a weapon and then you have all the attributes to be great like Timo but also win majors like Ma Long and Zhang Jike.
There’s no tree on the planet standing without strong routes if you want to stand strong build strong foundation!
Written by Eli Baraty eBaTT (Eli Baraty Academy of Table Tennis) Coach Me Table Tennis – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
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Have you ever asked yourself, how important is a table tennis rally?
We all love having a long table tennis rally and of course, winning the big rallies is like an injection of adrenaline.
Table Tennis Rallies
An average table tennis rally is between 4-5 strokes and each stroke is played from 0.2 to 0.5 of a second, in simple terms approximately 2 strokes per second. If you take these stats into account you must ask yourself, how important is it train long rallies in the practice hall? 1 in ten points you will have a long-lasting rally (between 8-15 strokes).
Ping Pong Championships at Ally Pally
How should we train?
I think when building fundamentals the focus should be on building solid foundations which evolve around regular and consistent exercises. Once your stroke play has solid foundations then the key focus should be on the first 4-6 balls. Naturally, you should be giving extra attention to the serve and return then third fourth and fifth ball. Developing these key shots will enable you to deliver high-quality shots from the offset and sway most games in your favour.
Interesting table tennis stats
If you take an average Professional Table Tennis Match (best of seven) you will notice that the match lasts around 50min. In that time the actual rally play is on average 4min and 10sec. This means less than 10% of the match is actual gameplay. Every rally starts slow and speeds up (should we implement off the table training with slow to fast training sessions?)
The first ball:
People say the most important shot in table tennis is your serve, I say I agree but I also disagree. The first shot is the most important whether it be your server or return. These two shots start a rally and one without the other won’t complete a winning game. Therefore I would practice both with similar importance, the only difference is the service can be developed solely and you are in full control of the spin, speed and placement.
Can I be a world class player without big rally play?
If you want to be a world class player, I believe it can be achieved without having wonderful rally skills but there will be times when you’re required to rally beyond 6 balls. If you fail to develop a good rally base you will be exposed eventually. If you watch Ma Lin, he was a great example of serve and return, he was capable of playing long and good rallies but would much rather avoid long rallies due to a weaker backhand wing.
Key learning:
Develop the fundamentals to enable long rallies but ultimately develop your serve and return then 3rd and 5th. After that, you can focus on developing your rally play. if you don’t have those fundamentals you won’t reach the rally plays even though you may be good at them.
It’s a very difficult question to answer, how important are parents in table tennis, or as a sporting parent in general?
Personal experience:
Many know by now from previous blogs my story. A single parent and a single child, but did my circumstances enable or disable me?
My mum was very supportive in terms of giving me free will. This enabled me to express myself as a competitor and I thoroughly loved representing myself when competing. If I lost, I was upset with myself but took full responsibility. If I won, I had done me proud and I may have received a small tap on the back from mum and a few others.
Self-pressure:
I enjoyed the self-pressure and more often than not performed under pressure. My mum never came to watch me play. I did not have a coach or corner support which meant whether I won or lost, the outcome was not amplified from external sources. The aim is to impose personal pressure in order to achieve and like many I am my own worst critic. Something I like to do is bet on myself but never gamble on external entities. Unfortunately, self-pressure only lasts for so long! As I got better I also got a coach, friends and family would start to support me. The pressure increased more and more and playing for big clubs in England and Europe, changed everything!
Pressure:
This is my weakness, and as external support increased, I felt the pressure to perform for others. I really struggled to control my nerves, often wanting to win for my supports and teammates. I was not used to playing for anyone but myself.
Table Tennis Family
One small event called Maccabi Open was clear proof that I struggled to perform when others support me. I was the best and most well-known player in the event. All the young players, parents and even opposing players inflicted pressure on me to win the event each year. For 10 years I lost in the semi’s or final, I was unable to control my nerves. If you took the external pressure away I may have won the event 8 out of the 10 years. I wanted to perform so much for the people who supported me and instead of the support elevating me, it deflated my performance. Aged 29, I finally crossed the line, I became more accustomed to the pressure and my close family did not attend for the first time. I was also able to focus on secluding myself from people on the day due to experience. Even though the tournament is insignificant in the grand scheme of table tennis, it was a huge success in my mind. I was able to absorb the external pressure and managed to handle my nerves.
Handling Pressure, internal and external
I was accustomed to self-pressure and enabled myself on most occasions to perform at my personal peak. Unfortunately, I was not exposed to external pressures and when they sneaked into my playing career it changed my whole world. I believe if want to be great at any given industry we must learn to develop ourselves under both scenarios. Self and external pressures.
Parents contribution:
I’ve read many books and seen many world champions and world-class athletes achieve because of their parent’s or loved ones supporting them.
For example Lewis Hamilton, Tiger Woods, William sisters, Timo Boll, Federer, Mayweather etc.
All of these extraordinary athletes achieved because of their supportive parents.
It’s a balance:
I do believe parents have a huge role to play in making their kid’s special but I also believe they can destroy them too. I’ve witnessed parents so hard on their kids the child often quits, sometimes they may also resent the parents. Worse case, again I’ve witnessed this, the child and parent fall out and communication is broken.
It’s a fine line between support and pushing your child, (often) the parent push due to ‘personal dreams’.
Good sporting parents:
The secret in my mind; 1. Provide opportunity (find what your child loves and enable them to pursue a pathway in that field. 2. Support but don’t push, this means to guide them in the right direction but don’t push them there. 3. Love, the number one rule, show love to your child regardless of the result. Express your belief in them but at the same time make them understand that a result does not define them. And they are your special one and you love them regardless of any given result.
How to develop regardless of your personal circumstances:
1. Communication
If you feel pressure from your parents, then the first thing to do is communicate. Often parents will put pressure on their kids unintentionally, even sitting in the corner quietly can have an effect on the child.
Tip: When I first started coaching I wanted my players to win so much I was nervous, anxious and even angry sometimes. Kids have a sixth sense they feel your anxieties subconsciously and even though you may think you’re not showing it they feel it. Like when someone walks into a room very angry, they may not say anything and try not to show it but more often than not we feel the tension in the room. I’ve learnt to really stay calm and be compassionate with my players. Now, I am controlled in the corner, show signs of; belief, support and focus. This enables me to enjoy the performance and give the best advice possible.
We forget to enjoy the performance! Do your best to stay positive regardless of the situation rather than allow your emotions to have an effect on the player.
2. Handling external pressure
Everything we do (that we good at) is due to one fact developmental repetition. If you struggle in a certain area the only way to develop it, is to do it over and over again with a purposeful outcome.
Roger Federer, said many years ago walking into a Wimbledon final (the crowd, stadium, family, friends and supporters overwhelmed him) he thought he was going to faint. Years later that environment has become very normal to him. Because he has repeated that scenario so many times.
*We must go from an uncomfortable environment to making it comfortable via purposeful repetition.
3. Understand 2 things:
Those that support us want us to win but they will still like or love us when we lose, sometimes even more so.
Pressure is a choice we make, a tournament is no different to a training hall, the difference is a title and maybe prize money. The game is the same the pressure has been amplified via your personal thoughts. The best in the world know how to switch off all the outside noise and focus on producing what they do in practice.
Side thought
Interesting thought, the superstar athletes mentioned above, where or are in an individual sport. Team sports as much as parents are involved in the background it does not seem to have the same effect as it does on an individual sport. Is this because the team and coach are practically your families? Parents are not allowed to be involved as much because the team help and drive each other on!
Purposeful repetition, support, guidance and love no matter what are the keys to success. With this in mind, we can all achieve great things!
Written by Eli Baraty
eBaTT (Eli Baraty Academy of Table Tennis) Coach Me Table Tennis – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
What is your opinion, when using smartphones in table tennis tournaments or in the training hall?
10 years ago, the most you could do with your phone was; call someone, take a picture and play snakes. Today your phone is like a computer in your hands…
Smart Phones:
Table Tennis vs Smartphones
The ability to play games, email, phone, text, surf the net and entertain friends on social media has given most of us access to entertainment at any time.
The problem:
Having access to virtually anything on the planet at a flick of a finger has its pros and cons.
When you enter a table tennis hall or tournament, take a minute to look around, you will find many players on their phones if they are off the table. Unfortunately, people nowadays are tapping away on their phones constantly and this occurs before, during and after a table tennis event or training.
Every sport requires focus:
In order to tap into peak performance, your mind has to be clear. You must hone your attention towards the goal and outcome you require. Our minds are super powerful and because of this, most of us fail to use it efficiently!
Success comes via control over your mind and body.
Put it away: If you don’t put your phone away when training or in a competition your results will be affected (FACT). Constantly looking and playing on your phone takes away your concentration. If you are able to focus on the event only, then you will amplify your results. Distraction: We all like to have a look at social media and check if we have any messages or calls. Here’s an example of what you are doing, try to ride a bike while looking to the left or right the whole time. You’ll be able to ride the bike but sooner or later you will have an accident. When we play or train, our focus should be on the task at hand and avoid distractions.
Promoting your success or failure:
It’s a pleasure when you’re doing well and naturally, you wish to share your success. It can also work the other way, if you lose or have had poor results, it’s nice to gain support and words of wisdom from your social network. But Unfortunately, publishing your footsteps prior, during and after table tennis is a clear sign that your focus is spread out. Let others post for you on your behalf or wait until your training or event has completely finished. Once ended, then allow yourself to express your thoughts and feelings on social media and other forms of communication.
Focus and Time:
We live in an age of instant gratification and that often distracts us from achieving greatness.
In order to achieve something great special and to be truly proud of, you need focus alongside quality time. When you focus on something and spend plenty of time on that task, then you can hold your head up high.
*Take control over your body and mind and focus on what you truly want to achieve.
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Written By Eli Baraty
eBaTT (Eli Baraty Academy of Table Tennis)
Coach Me Table Tennis
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Eli Baraty
The backhand flick has become one of the most used shots in table tennis.
I could be wrong but I believe Dimitrij Ovtcharov, is the main person who took this shot into the masses.
Peter Kobel
Peter Korbel was known for creating the Banana or Chiquita flick but Dima made the backhand flick a shot used a lot more and many cases executed anywhere on the table.
Strawberry flick
Today, we see most top players look to return short serves with their backhands. Whether it be the Chiquita flick or a normal backhand flick. Recently a new flick has come to play, the “strawberry flick”. The is a shot which technically starts in the same position as the Banana/Chiquita flick (high elbow) but is executed in an opposite movement to the Chiquita flick.
Change of name:
I’m unsure as to how the flick got the name “strawberry” but I would like to see a better name given. I think it’s important for our game to look and be portrayed in a professional manner. Banana and Strawberry sounds more like a fruit salad than an Olympic Sport.
I want us to refer to this newly introduced shot as the “Boomerang backhand flick” unless you guys can suggest something better?
How to execute the inside out flick.
1. Step into the table, keep your body facing in the direction of a normal or Chiquita flick. This enhances the effectiveness of the shot by deceiving your opponent via your body language.
2. Have your elbow nice and high to enable good shot execution.
3. Rotate your elbow and wrist in the opposite movement of a Chiquita flick. Wrap your wrist around the ball, injecting plenty of side spin (choice of top or back-side spin) depending on ball contact point.
Personally, I love being creative and finding new concepts inside table tennis. Believe it or not, the Boomerang flick has been around for many years. But now it has been taken to a whole new level due to the versatility and collaboration of the Chiquita flick.
The disguise between both shots is extremely effective and I urge all players to incorporate this magical shot into their games.
Written by Eli Baraty
eBaTT (Eli Baraty Academy of Table Tennis) Coach Me Table Tennis – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
As a single child with a single parent, I had no choice but to be comfortable with the uncomfortable. I didn’t know at the time that it would be my secret table tennis success. Many days and nights I would roam the streets in our local neighbourhood/area. Aged four it all began, my father left and my mother worked many jobs to provide a roof and food over our heads. A bicycle was our form of transportation and staying with local neighbourhood friends was our close nit base. The neighbourhood was often used for food and passing time while mum was out working.
Dealing with difficulties:
Many times I would find myself arriving home with a note left for me. Unfortunately due to my dyslexia reading was something I found extremely difficult. I would try my best to read the letter which would often take a lot of time and mental effort. Other options included taking the letter to a neighbour’s house to read on my behalf or more often than not I would ignore it and assume all would be fine.
Life was presented to me with, “this is the way it is” deal with it! I was given a difficult scenario’s from a young age and having no choice but to accept it, I found ways to make the most of my circumstances. Viewing my options I found coping mechanisms and problem-solving tools to the scenarios in front of me. Many times I made mistakes but the beauty of it all, (which often youth of today fail to do) I learnt from my mistakes. Our personal fortunes never got better in fact financially and mentally it got worse for my mum.
Making a change
At 17 I decided it’s time for me to break away from a seemingly tough life. I packed my bags and went to live in France. Due to many years of survival experience, I was able to self-control my life out there without speaking a word of French (initially). I had a map and used my rollerblades for the first two month that was my form of transportation. And admittedly I would find other illegal ways of using public transport to get to other clubs or tournaments. I did have a little money but that was used for Table Tennis equipment, food and living costs. I’m not saying my life was like living in poverty but I faced many tough situations. The beauty of it all, I found it easy taking care of myself because I was doing what I loved and my passion for Table Tennis overshadowed the difficulties.
Today I realise all the uncomfortable scenarios which felt comfortable made me “comfortable with the uncomfortable”
I believe we are wrongdoing our future generations.
We look at given our players the best opportunities: top coaches, top facilities, best equipment, treat them well and look at avoiding making our players uncomfortable.
That’s where I feel we are going wrong! If I gave you a million pounds today, statistically speaking most will have blown the lot within 1-5 years.
If I teach you how to make a million, it’s likely that million you made will increase over time. And if you lose the million you have knowledge of how to rebuild if your willing to do so.
Make your players uncomfortable:
We are all far more resilient than we know or are given credit for.
For example, if I said don’t eat for a full day, most will say what are you mad! “I can’t do that I’ll starve or I will die” lol. If you were forced not to eat for (24 hours) the worst thing that would happen, you would feel hungry. Your body would adapt to the situation and slow down your metabolism and take energy from current body fat stored. Your mind will switch from I’m hungry to Ill be OK, I know the food will be provided in 24 hours. both your mind and body will work together to find solutions.
We don’t like feeling uncomfortable and look at every way possible of making ourselves comfortable.
Ping Pong World Championships
Tips to develop yourself as a person and table tennis player:
Every morning: do what you don’t normally do! This includes: making your bed, brushing your teeth with the opposite hand, do not touch your phone for the first hour etc. You will develop self-control and built new neurological pathways in your brain. Play in uncomfortable conditions:
– Make the floor slippery by not cleaning it.
– Start a league match without a knock up.
– Play using your opposite hand for 5-10min per training session,
– Play a shot you don’t like doing in a practice match
– Dim the lights
– Have a freezing cold or far too hot playing conditions in the hall for a training session.
The list goes on, be as creative and imaginative as possible. Challenge yourself: to do something you don’t enjoy/want or believe you can do. For example, go and play golf, football, skiing, bungee jumping etc. Do an activity which you have never done before or fear.
Draycott table tennis club
I was at Draycott TTC last weekend and the players possessed many of the characteristics I speak of above.
The conditions were super hot that day, and I provided exercises which most were unfamiliar with or struggled to fully understand how or why it’s done. But yet most took on board the variety of uncomfortable scenarios. This showed me the character and ethos of the club which explained why Draycott is possibly the no.1 TT club under 17’s in England (currently).
Unity:
I loved seeing all the players wearing Draycott’s club shirt, something I enforced in my former clubs and academy. I originate from a country where military service is a must, I was taught about forming a unity which begins with the uniform. You are given the opportunity to be yourself but when you’re tackling a certain cause or vision, that’s when it’s key to unite, in other words (assemble an army to tackle your desired outcome).
I’m an individual but I am also willing to unite at any given moment when I’m thriving towards success and need help getting there.
If you are wearing your clubs kit, it means you have created a bond and one that many fail to understand. Often due to ego or ignorance of unity, many fail and few succeed.
I urge all players, clubs and coaches to develop elements of uncomfortable situations and by doing so you will reap the rewards in the long term.
Check this unique uncomfortable training click HERE
Written by Eli Baraty
eBaTT (Eli Baraty Academy of Table Tennis) Coach Me Table Tennis – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Don’t be Blind to the Importance of Vision in Table Tennis
See, Respond, React.
Steve Brunskill
Steve Brunskill, is one of England’s best and most respected coaches. Stevie has spotted one element of table tennis often untrained.
Sports eye training
I am personally a stickler for marginal gains and often research into elements where it may give my players the edge over others. I must admit visual training is one that slipped through my net. Luckily for me, Steve caught it and has produced a course and package for all to benefit from.
How important are your eyes?
I was coaching one of my players a few years back and one parent sat next to me. The parent watching my player, said a few words that unleashed the ‘Marvel’ superhero mindset, I’ve always had. They said, “your player is like a fly, his reflexes are amazing and he seems to have more time than anyone else” From that moment on I started to study increased reaction time.
This included:
– Using a reaction ball
– Non-visual cues with on coming table tennis ball/balls
-Strengthening and conditioning muscle speed and reflex
The results were great but I always felt there was something more…
Visual Fascination
I’ve been blessed with perfect vision and its something I’ve acknowledged but at the same time neglected. My eyes were one of my childhood superpowers, seeing further than anyone. I’m blessed with good vision but due to my gift I took it for granted, not training the eyes to even greater abilities.
I’m an observer and often look at my surroundings for gains inside my coaching structure. Seeing how peoples eyes flicker from side to side when looking at moving objects I find/found it fascinating.
Due to my fascination I wanted to know how fast can something travel and at what speed do our eyes lose track of the moving object. I watched and read about some extraordinary people who are able to seemingly do inhuman capabilities through vision. For example, hit a baseball oncoming at them over 100 miles an hour through a machine at less than 15 meters, in distance. A man who can catch an arrow being shot at him. To this day I’m unsure as to how they did or are doing it, but its clear to me that the eyes have the secret ingredient I’ve been searching for.
Vladimir Samsonov
As a young player, I didn’t enjoy watching Vladimir until I saw him in front of my eyes live. I remember being in awe of his canning ability to block and retrieve balls coming at him at super speeds. The players on the other side were faster more explosive and dynamic compared to Vladamir! So how was Samsonov able to make most world class players look amateur?
The Answer
Does Stevie Brunskill have the answer? Samsonov (I believed used his eyes to assess your body language which gave him clues as to where you were/are going). Despite your level, age or ability you can benefit from visual eye training. Below is Steve’s story into how he stumbled onto his new mastermind and you have the opportunity to develop your game or players using his vision training programme.
Written by Steve Brunskill Table Tennis Vision Training
This programme is an eye-opening project that seeks to not only improve the skills and competencies of table tennis players but ultimately seeks to offer a modern and fresh outlook upon the importance of vision training and how it is perhaps neglected within the sporting culture and training of table tennis. Current traditional coaching techniques appear to consequentially ignore the unlimited possibilities that the implementation of visual training as a fundamental practice could bring to not only table tennis but sport in general. I believe that this new but exciting project for table tennis is an opportunity that should not be missed.
How it all began
My fascination and obsession with vision training originated upon the fortunate meeting of Mark Holmes, one of Briton’s top shotgun shooters, who had called into Swerve table tennis club to speak to me after reading an article I had written in regards to fitness. He was interested in receiving 1-to-1 coaching in table tennis as he had been researching vision training and had been training his eyes for the past year. He believed this training was the reason he had progressed from just an average shooter to become the English Open Champion in a record time of two and half years.
Mark also completed this feat with the best-recorded score in the past forty years. I asked, “why table tennis?” He said his research had brought him to table tennis as the eyes needed to track a very fast object in a split second. He believed that playing table tennis would give him an edge over his shooting competitors. Mark achieved this success in less than three years from picking up a shotgun for the first time and he endorses his vision training regime as an essential factor that contributed heavily to his remarkably quick success.
How Important is your Sports Vision?
Sportsmen and women in all sports are often unaware of how much their performance depends upon their sight.
This is none more so than in table tennis.
Table tennis players have to be able to distinguish objects from a distance and from a variety of backgrounds, judge distance, height, bounce, flight, spin and speed.
So I thought I would look to reverse the process and therefore ask Mark what training he did to help his vision and shooting. My reasoning being that if table tennis training can help Mark shoot, then, in theory, the training a shooter undergoes should help a table tennis player.
After conducting research into visual training I discovered that there are vast amounts of research for other sports such as Archery, Shooting, Baseball etc.. but very little in the way of table tennis, yet a table tennis player needs to have incredible visual ability to be able to pick an opponent’s positioning, posture, movement and even expression as well as watch the contact of the ball, watch the balls rotation, speed, flight and bounce and still have time to make a split second decision to choose a correct response move and implement the correct stroke/technique. My research found that studies have shown table tennis players naturally develop very high visual skills over years of training without realising. Other studies showed that people with well-developed visual skills progress fast when taking up sports similar to table tennis (food for thought with ways to train beginners).
Knowledge without practice is useless!
Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice and therefore this is a huge opportunity for the sport of table tennis to not only modernise itself with its sporting competitors but to adapt and overtake them. Table tennis players train for hours working on techniques, movement and drill patterns looking to add that extra point, all of which are totally reliant on their vision but how many players ever think about training or strengthening their vision? The eye is made up of several muscles and just like any other muscle it will strengthen and it will fatigue depending on the demands placed on our site.
Specific table tennis visual training
This got me thinking about using specific eye training methods with skilled and unskilled table tennis players. Using specific visual training methods may give players that extra edge as it did with Mark the shooter whom I had spoken to. Over the past two years, I have invested time studying, reading books, attending lectures and seminars, and I have researched a variety of sports and their use of visual training. I have chosen the methods I believe fit best to table tennis players. The more I have studied and learned about vision training the more excited I am at the prospect of the effect vision training can have on players and how easy this training can be implemented into regular table tennis sessions.
Tested
I have designed a visual training programme which starts with a basic introduction to vision training exercises that progress into dynamic vision training exercises which are specific to table tennis.
I have been trialling this training method with a small group of players at Swerve over the past year. The player’s feedback has been encouragingly very positive which has only added fuel to the fire in terms of my belief that this project has an overwhelming possibility to change the trajectory of fundamental training within table tennis as this possibility offers boundless opportunities.
Would you like to get the edge over your competition?
This programme is offered to clubs, coaches and players.
I am offering to run a 1-day course to clubs, coaches and players, where I will explain and demonstrate each exercise, its benefits and how it relates to table tennis.
I will also show how easily the exercises can be delivered and how the equipment needed can easily and cheaply be purchased or obtained and how the exercises can be advanced and adapted.
The Visual Training Course
The course will demonstrate how the method of training can be implemented by the coach. The Programme can be implemented as a one-off specific training session or as part of a regular training session. It can also be used by a player as part of the player’s pre-match preparation. The exercises learned on the course can be used singularly or collectively and can be done in a few minutes as a warm up or used as a full training session. The programme can benefit complete beginners to elite level players.
The first Vision Training course is being held at Swerve on 21st July 2018 for further info contact
Steve Brunskill (Head coach at Swerve table tennis centre) Email= garret163@aol.com
Written by Eli Baraty and Steve Brunskill
eBaTT (Eli Baraty Academy of Table Tennis) Coach Me Table Tennis – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Instagram: _elibaraty Twitter: @elibaraty FB: Coach Me Table Tennis
