Category: Table Tennis Training Methods

Table Tennis Speed, Spin, Power, Who Wins?

June 22, 2018

Table tennis is one of the most dynamic sports on the planet requiring three key game elements: Table tennis speed, spin, power, who wins?

If you had to prioritise the three elements, which would be your top choice?

Let’s discuss all three elements, then I’ll place my personal order and leave you to ponder.

Xu Xin - Aerobic Table Tennis — Xu Xin – Photo courtesy of Steve Rowe (Aerobic Table Tennis)

SPIN

Spin started playing a huge part in the game once technology kicked in and this began in the 1960’s. Many Champions were formed via the ability to produce lots of spins, through new high tech rubbers.

Nobuhiko Hasegawa: World Singles title, famous for his heavy topspin and high arching lob shots.

István Jónyer: World Singles title, famous for inventing the sidespin loop shot.

John Hilton: Famous for winning the European Singles Championships, using deceptive chop and float shots. John used a normal spin rubber and an anti-spin rubber on the other side. Both rubbers were coloured red (allowed back then) making it very hard to distinguish what spin was imparted on the ball.

Jan-Ove Waldner: Grand Slam Champion, famous for many shots including; the chop block, BH punch, hook and fade shots. The variety of spin shots, Jan-Ove possessed gave him the upper hand on most via adaption and continuous change at will.

At a young age or lower to advanced level of table tennis, Spin is by far the most effective element and skill.

Table Tennis Speed, Spin and Power, Who Wins?

Power

Early 2000’s power began to overwhelm spin. The ball was increased in size reducing spin and players like Ryu Seung Ming(2004 Olympic Champion) crunched every ball regardless of spin. Wang Liqin won the world singles titles 3 times, with his gigantic forehand topspin. Table tennis began to a new breed of stars focusing on hitting the ball harder, rather than spin focused. Table tennis has been dominated by power players for the past 20 years now.

Speed

Jean Phillipe Gatian, comes to mind when speed is the main focus. He won a world championship title using his lightning footwork. A few other examples include Desmond Douglas and Wang Tao, they both gave every player a run for their money because they took the ball super early. Nevertheless, back then speed was unable to contain speed and neither won a major title!

Are we seeing a new trend coming into play?

Spin was the major killer initially, but over the past 20 years power has taken command.

But…

I have been keeping a close eye on China vs Japan for the past 3 years and I’ve noticed a new trend which may be tomorrow’s winner.

Speed has not had the success compared to the other two elements but Harimoto is proving that speed does actually kill.

Harimoto, as we all know gone from strength to Strength and is still in his early teens. He has beaten the best players in the world including Zhang Jike, Fan Zhendong and the Dragon Ma Long. All three, Zhang , Fan and Ma are renowned for their awesome power and they have dominated table tennis over the past 5-10 years.

Harimoto seems to have found a chink in their armour, SPEED!

He played Ma Long two weeks ago and with all of Ma’s awesome power, it seemed nullified. Harimoto, did not give ML time to wind his big shots and even if he did Harimoto used it against ML. Ma Long, would rocket a ball and Harimoto would counter, firing ML’s power straight back at him. Furthermore, Harimoto used speed alongside good placement which saw him win many points by either wrong footing or disabling Ma Long.

Are we seeing a new powerhouse trend emerging?

I believe we are, and Harimoto, still a teenager is proving that speed does truly kill.

Table tennis speed, spin and power, who wins? My personal order:

At no.3 Spin, it had its day but can not live with power at pro level. But it is still king at lower, intermediate to advance level of play.

At no.2 Speed, today I believe power is still the dominant force but very soon I can see it changing and speed will be the new king

No.1 Power is a force not many can deny but speed likes to kill, so let’s see what will happen in the very near future!

My coaching theory and coaching methods:

First ball: Serve or return, the focus should be on high-quality spin and placement.

Second ball: 3rd and 5th ball, the focus should be on good placement alongside speed taking the ball early and putting your opponent on his/her back foot.

Your 3rd ball: 5th and 7th ball, focus on producing a powerful attacking ball with good placement and lots of energy on the ball.

Spin Video

Power Video

Speed Video

There you have it, three key table tennis elements that have evolved and change our game over the last 60 years.

Table Tennis Discipline

June 4, 2018

Table Tennis Discipline makes a difference?

I’m currently leading an Easter Table Tennis Training Camp in Malta. At the HiTT Academy in Valletta run by world-renowned TT coach Mario Genovese.

The moment I stepped into the training hall, I instantly noticed something extra special!

Let me paint the picture for you before I reveal what I felt is special.

The Club:

Has one main hall, with six tables
Two other small areas where you have one table and potentially 1 or 2 tables area but it’s mainly used for physicals.
Back run space is very small only close to the table play is possible, unless you reduce the number of tables and manoeuvred them lengthways.
The hall is underground which gets humid and dusty.
The hall is limited in usage due to it being a school hall.
The lights are poor

The list can be continued but I’ll leave it there because it’s a taste as to what the players deal with.

Today the hall had some building work and naturally, there was plenty of frustrating noises. Nevertheless, training continued and this is where I must admit I’m yet to have coached a more disciplined group of youngsters & adults.

Special attitude and Table Tennis discipline:

On my arrival, I was warmly greeted and respected instantly which made me feel empowered to give them my best. I gathered the players for a physical warm up and it was beautiful watching them gracefully go through the routine; No cheating, no talking, no arguing when one person got in someone’s way by mistake, it was just bliss!

A did my usual group chat prior to our training and each player aged 7 upwards was fully attentive and responsive when directed at.

I quickly realised why this club is the most successful club on the Island by a country mile and then it hit home, why the leading TT nations such as; Japan, Germany, China, France, Korea are top of the tree! Table Tennis DISCIPLINE and without that special attribute you will not and can not succeed inside the sport.

Table Tennis Disciplines include:

Commitment: Wanting and willing to do what is required to get results.
Hard work: Willingness to; sweat, train harder, smarter and longer than others
Drive: making your surroundings suit your needs and accepting certain circumstances with a will to make the most of it. Or change to a different environment in which you feel will cater for your needs.

There was not one person in the hall today who came up to me complaining, something I hear and have daily in England!

They had about 20 different things to complain about but they smiled and in many ways embraced the good fortune of having; a hall, a coach, tables, balls etc.

It’s a lesson that we must all encirclement and if we can install this kind of discipline and grateful attitude, you’re guaranteed success.

Written by Eli Baraty featuring HiTTA Malta

eBaTT (Eli Baraty Academy of Table Tennis)
Coach Me Table Tennis
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M: 07900401144

How to Improve your Table Tennis game in1 month

May 10, 2018

Players often ask me how can I improve my table tennis game? The simple answer I enjoy giving “hire me as your coach” lol.

eBaTT table tennis match — Table Tennis Game

Improve your table tennis game at least 10% in the next 30 days, then follow these 3 simple steps.

Record your training drills and match play, you will quickly notice things you never knew you did.
Break the routine, if you practice once a week make it twice or more or visa versa. Try new things; new exercises, different clubs, different sparring partners, a different coach and try to place yourself under unfamiliar territory. Try to notice how you deal with it because in tournaments or league’s you will often face an unfamiliar situation and that’s where you must find solutions. If you purposely and constantly place yourself in an unfamiliar situation you will learn to deal with tough situations.This will enabling you to develop and progress at a faster rate.
Practice your serve, I’m sure you’ve heard this before (serve is the most important shot in the game) YES, we know that! So, if you know it why won’t you spend 5-10 minutes practicing it before you play? Experiment with a new service, try to keep the ball low over the net, place the service where you don’t often go or have never gone before and try to impart as much spin as possible. The more you do this, the more joy you’ll get when people miss-read or return your serve poorly and lastly fail to return your serve.

You have three tools to improve your table tennis game which will instantly help you with your game and if you require more get in touch with me or your local coach.

Written by Eli Baraty
eBaTT (Eli Baraty Academy of Table Tennis)
Coach Me Table Tennis Instagram: _elibaraty
Twitter: @elibaraty
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W: www.coachmetabletennis.com
E: elibaraty@hotmail.com
M: 0790040114

Learn from the Best Table Tennis Coaches

April 26, 2018
April 1, 2024

This Weekend, I was privileged to work with some of the best table tennis coaches in Europe! how makes these coaches some of the best table tennis coaches in Europe?

Mario Genovese –

From Malta, Mario’s record as a coach and player is extraordinary producing top-class players with very limited resources and facilities in Malta. Mario is a current world record holder with 22 Men’s singles National titles and is still capable of increasing that record. He was an international player for many years and a professional player based in Sweden. Currently, Mario is an ITTF level two coach and he knows and has worked with many world class players and coaches. Today Mario has produced Malta’s no.1 Table Tennis club and all the nations best players have come from his base over the past 10 years. For more information click here

Afonso Vilela –

From Portugal, started Coaching in a little place called (Madeira) famous for players such as Marcos Freitas. Afonso worked closely with Joao Monteiro, in a successful attempt to qualify for 2012 London Olympic Games. They were very proud to achieve it and Afonso was Joao’s personal coach at the Olympic Games. Afonso, went on to work with many clubs across Europe gaining vast experience in the sport. Recently he took a head coach role in India, where he coached a group of young players including world no.1 ranked Junior (Manav Vikash Thakkar). Afonso aims to have his own table tennis centre soon with plans in place to develop a full-time table tennis centre catering for all players. Alongside side a future vision of creating and developing a new batch of Portuguese Table Tennis Superstars.

Julien Girard –

From France, A former top junior and senior player himself decided he would shake the French system by producing top players outside of the national governing table tennis system. Julien believes in results, not accreditation and he wanted to prove it by investing in personal and physical investment. In France, you need to pay thousands towards a coaching diploma (to be a qualified table tennis coach). Julien redirected the money and invested it by taking himself to as many top clubs and coaches across Europe and Asia for 5 years. This was in pursuit of learning his current craft hands on, from the best in the world. Today Julien has taken a small club in a small town south of France to the top division (Pro A) with French players only. He has produced and developed 4 men’s singles titles in the past 5 years, with his players including; Alexandre Robinot, Adrien Mattenet, Jeremy Petiot and Stephane Oauiche. For more information click here

So, what have I learnt from the best tabe tenis coaches?

1. Attention to detail:

Often I go around England looking at table tennis clubs and coaches and they are content with basic play. The saying in England is “practice makes perfect” nothing could be further from the truth! It’s ‘perfect practice that makes perfect’, therefore we must look at perfecting our clubs and players not just allowing them to take part.

2. Secrets:

Each coach has one or two secrets by this guys have plenty because they are open-minded, willing and want to learn. They openly ask what do you do? and how do you do it? I often feel coaches in England don’t share knowledge and we don’t learn from one another. We need to have; open workshops, coaching collaborations and clubs competing against each other in a competitive way but with open arms when it comes to growth for our players and sport.

3. Experience:

You may have all the qualifications in the world but if you have not been on the job experimenting and trying out the theory’s you don’t know what works best. Each coach has their particular way but with experience, you can find ways that work better than others and that takes time to implement. You must go to other clubs and coach many players. Try to visit other countries to see different systems and philosophies. This will provide you with vital experience to truly succeed.

I have been blessed to work with these amazing coaches (some of Europes best table tennis coaches) and today we are called UNITED TABLE TENNIS COACHING (Team) We have a Facebook page and soon to have a website. Our aim is to grow and develop table tennis in Europe to compete with Asia but also find ways to beat them.

We want you to be a part of our journey, so please keep an eye out for our coaching seminars, videos, developments and coaching days across Europe which will be published soon.

Please excuse any spelling or grammatical errors

Written by Eli Baraty
eBaTT (Eli Baraty Academy of Table Tennis)
Coach Me Table Tennis
Instagram: _elibaraty
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W: www.ebatt.co.uk
E: elibaraty@hotmail.com
M: 07900401144

Table Tennis Match Play

April 19, 2018

How important is table tennis match play?
It’s a hard question to answer, some can perform naturally under pressure and other need to experience pressured situations consistently.

Personal Experience:

I played Senior British League once again this weekend and it was my second occasion this season. Unfortunately, my coaching schedule has moved up a level in terms of commitment and I have limited time to focus on my personal game. Furthermore, I struggle to keep my past fitness routines and this has ham-poured my fitness level and my speed has slightly diminished. In the past, I was able to coach alongside some match play with my former Harefield Students. But it’s been 9 months’ since I left and my game has deteriorated a lot more than I had expected.

Issues included:

Receive of serve, my serve is weaker and I struggled to control it in terms of placement, height, length, and speed. My recovery was poor and my ability to reach wide balls was at an all-time low. My level of play was poor and at times I felt embarrassed especially when losing all 4 of my matches, 3-0 and 3-1. I was unable to execute my shots and struggled with anyone who was quick (speed) or had the ability to keep the ball on the table (consistency).

While I was disappointed in my performance I had come to terms with reality, I have not trained properly for nearly 7 years and played less than a handful of national events over the past 6 years. It became clear to me; repetition, consistency and regular involvement in anything allows one to perform at a higher success rate.

Being a part of a system but not competing!

If you train every week, three times a week but only play one major event a year, you have many things that work against you.

1. Unfamiliar territory:

You enter a domain which your body knows the drills and what to do but your mind goes into overdrive and it does not allow you to produce what you practice. The only way to enable your mind and body to work together is by putting yourself in that unfamiliar place constantly until it becomes familiar, allowing you to perform your skills at will.

2. Tension:

In the practice hall your ability to express yourself without fear of; being judged or knowing if you don’t perform there are certain negative outcomes such as: out of the event, others saying you played bad, you put yourself under pressure to beat someone you feel you’re better than or possibly beat in practice.

3. Value:

When you train you’re inside your comfort zone which enables you to express yourself at will. There is the value of self-fulfilment and personal development but nothing more. At National or International events, there are many added values; beating players higher ranked, reaching far in the event or winning it. Potential sponsorship deals, prize money, news articles with your name in it and video publications etc. Subconsciously all these factors play a role in your mind which subsequently influence your overall performance.

No Hiding?

It became very clear to me if I wanted to play top flight table tennis once again, there is no other way around it but to play competitively on a regular basis.

Timo Boll:

I recently saw an interview with Timo Boll, he was asked how come you are playing so well? Timo replied, I trained for many years and at around age 30 I began to reduce my training schedule. This allows me to spend a little more time with my family and give my body a chance to recover. I had a decline in performance but that’s also due to injuries and once they healed I was able to compete again. I feel my performance escalated because I was mainly competing rather than training. and tournaments became my training.

Should you play only tournaments and not train or practice?

The Answer is a categorical NO! Timo hardly trains now and mainly plays tournaments that’s true. But at the tournaments, he does have a training session in preparation for the event. He has also can tap into his huge memory bank of past training (around 25 years). Timo can play tournaments and is able to sustain his high level of play because of these factors. As for us “normal people” we still need to train to keep our game brains sharp and enable us to compete successfully when we compete.

Tournament Environment:

When I take my players to their first national event which is often small. They can develop a sense of what’s required alongside a more relaxed environment. As soon as they are taken to a larger scale event, everything changes; their view of the game (the realisation that the game is played on a much higher scale than they originally perceived. It takes between 1 or 2 seasons to become accustomed to the new environment and then they start to flourish.

Most good table tennis players have the capability to produce wonderfully executed shots but when it’s in an environment unfamiliar to them are they able to cope?
I believe not! unless they have experience and experience comes with time and exposure.

To enable yourself you must commit to the cause and positive results will eventually come.

Written by Eli Baraty
eBaTT (Eli Baraty Academy of Table Tennis)
Coach Me Table Tennis
Instagram: _elibaraty
Twitter: @elibaraty
FB: Eli Baraty
W: www.coachmetabletennis.com
E: elibaraty@hotmail.com
M: 07900401144

High-Quality Shots in Table Tennis

April 13, 2018

How do we develop high-quality table tennis shots?

First, we must understand the difference between perception and what is actually high-quality shots in table tennis!

Perception versus reality:

There was a time when I saw others put topspin or side-spin on the ball and making it bend in the air, it appeared to me as the ultimate shot. As I personally developed spin and high-quality shots, my perception changed.

My early developments included seeing a top England junior training with his coach (regular drills) and that appeared in my mind as a person who was a machine. I developed my level and the past machine became a good player. Then I saw world-class players training and playing matches and felt I could execute shots like them.

My perception changed from when I was a beginner seeing the low-level play but (believing its inhuman) to an elite level and thinking I can do that.

what makes the difference between world-class players and us mere mortals?

Consistency: Top level players can execute high-quality shots consistently and most players are able to execute high-quality shots but on a reduced level of consistency.
Footwork: Top players develop dynamic movements that enable them to generate huge power and higher tension shots compared to recreational or good players
High-quality shots: When you watch recreational players, you will rarely see high-quality shots and when it does occur they are ecstatic. A good player top 100 level in most countries will produce high-quality shots between 50%-80% of the time. Then you watch world class players (top 50 in the world level). They produce 80-90% high-quality shots and the top 10 players in the world have a percentage of 92-95% HQS.

What’s a high-quality ball?

This is a ball that has high tension; lots of spin, power, placement, width or depth, deception, varying heights and all these balls possess high energy.
If you ever block for a world-class player, you’ll quickly notice the speed power and weight on the ball once it hits your bat. This is all because they have developed their strokes to generate all the qualities mentioned above.

How to develop high-quality shots:

If you want to be a world-class player, I advise you to watch them training live. Notice the; footwork, speed, power, agility, sound when they hit the ball, arm speed, body movements and focus on producing a high-quality ball on every shot. They are not content with a softball and aim to produce as much energy as possible regardless of stroke execution.

If you’re willing and truly want to become a top player, then you require discipline and acceptance that it requires time. Time alongside, good coaching and guidance toward excellence.

When you commit yourself towards self-development, then and only then will you get your desired outcome.

High-Quality table tennis shots displayed in this video click here
Written by Eli Baraty

eBaTT (Eli Baraty Academy of Table Tennis)
Coach Me Table Tennis
Instagram: _elibaraty
Twitter: @elibaraty
FB: Eli Baraty
W: www.coachmetabletennis.com
E: elibaraty@hotmail.com
M: 07900401144

Discipline in Table Tennis

April 6, 2018

If you’re serious about becoming successful in the sport then discipline in table tennis is essential towards achieving your goals.

Table Tennis Malta

I’m currently leading an Easter Table Tennis Training Camp in Malta. At the HiTT Academy in Valletta run by world-renowned table tennis coach Mario Genovese.

The moment I stepped into the training hall, I instantly noticed something extra special!
Let me paint the picture for you before I reveal the speciality.

The Club:

Has one main hall, with six tables
Two other small areas where you have one table and potentially 1 or 2 tables area but it’s mainly used for physicals.
Back run space is very small, only close to the table play is possible, unless you reduce the number of tables and manoeuvred them lengthways.
The hall is underground which gets humid and dusty.
The hall is limited in usage because it’s a school hall.
The lights are poor

The list can be continued but I’ll leave it there as it’s just a taste in what the players deal with.

Special attitude and discipline:

On my arrival I was warmly greeted and respected instantly which made me feel empowered towards giving everyone my best. I gathered the players for a physical warm up and it was beautiful watching them gracefully go through the routines; No cheating, no talking, no arguing when one person got in someone’s way by mistake, it was simply bliss!

A did my usual group chat prior to our training and each player aged 7 upwards was fully attentive and responsive when directed to or questioned.

Why this club is the most successful club on the Island by a country mile and then it hit home. Leading table tennis nations such as; Japan, Germany, China, France, Korea are top of the tree because table tennis requires DISCIPLINE. Without that special attribute, you will not and can not succeed inside the sport.

Disciplines in Table Tennis, include:

Commitment: Wanting and willing to do what is required to get results.
Hard work: Willingness to; sweat, train harder, smarter and longer than others
Drive: Making your surroundings suit your needs and accepting certain circumstances with a will to make the most of it. Or change to a different environment which you feel will cater for your needs.

Deal with it!

There was not one person in the hall today who came up to me complaining, something I constantly deal with on a daily basis in England!
They had about 20 different legitimate reasons to complain about but they smiled and in many ways embraced the good fortune of having; a hall, a coach, tables, balls etc.

It’s a lesson that we must all encirclement and if we can install this kind of discipline and gracious attitude, we’re guaranteed success.

Written by Eli Baraty featuring HiTTA Malta

How to Uplift Your Game by Having Table tennis Targets on the Table.

April 1, 2018

How I uplift my player’s games by having table tennis targets on the table. I’m going to explain the benefits of my methods below.

I love coaching and the more players I coach the more I learn. But one thing seems to stand out with 95% of the players I work with. They all fear the opponent standing on the other side of the table.

The 5% of players who don’t fear the opponent have a secret!

When playing someone of our level or above we find ourselves, feeling uncomfortable and going for a little extra which often results in unforced errors. We often complain by saying I played badly today but in truth it’s our awareness of the opponent that causes anxiety, making it hard for us to win.

Gregoire, placing his shots — Table Tennis Targets

Learn to win rather than lose:

We are not always beaten by players of our standard or slightly above our level but commonly LOSE tight matches to those players. What do I mean? We fear our opponent in most cases and we tend to make unforced errors hence a loss rather than the player creating winners and beating us. We think too much in an attempt to foresee the future which disables our execution or forces an overload of information causing a poor shot selection and ultimately deliver a weak or failed shot.

Opposition awareness

Being aware of a player’s ability is good but it should not override your shot selection. If we think that our opponent has an answer to all our shots, then we won’t be able to beat them mentally and that is often half the battle. The aim is to execute and deliver your game with the best strategy possible. A game plan (can be changed) and is adaptable according to the situation but we must give ourselves the best opportunity of beating a player regardless of their ability!

So, how can we give ourselves an upper hand in executing what we can do, regardless of the opponent?

Here are the simple secret top players use to focus on their capabilities rather than the opponent’s repertoire.
Please note: top players will and can manipulate the ball in many different ways and you will need to adapt accordingly.

3x Table Tennis Target Tips:

You must focus on ball placement but it must be precise placement to ensure greater success. Pick a point on the table you wish to hit and aim there, in doing so your focus will shift away from your opponent. To enhance this skill place targets on a table and aim to hit them, notice what targets are easier to hit and take note of where you are hitting the ball from, (understand you angles) ‘scroll to the bottom of the page’. When you play a match, you can visualise the targets on the table and aim to hit one of them, depending on the ball given, your body position and angle you are hitting the ball form.

Target Focus

When focusing on a specific target your mind will hone in on the goal set and shift away from your opponent’s possibilities. You are only in control of your own shots and if you are unable to execute them due to fear of his/her reaction, then this will often lead to poor results your end. By placing targets in a practice session gives you the ability to visualise those targets in a real match which can help you to execute your shots. If the player can counteract your shots, then either you change placement or they are just too good on this occasion. Nevertheless, if you execute your shots at least you know where you stand rather than be dictated to, by unknown future events.

Take the ball as early as possible, this will give you less time to worry about what your opponent will or can do and it will also give your opponent less reaction time.
Lastly, use your peripheral vision, try to notice where your opponent is standing or itching to go towards then have your target in your mind and go to that specific zone.

These three tips will give you a more zoned mindset and provide a simple tool to beating players your level and above more often than not.

Place table tennis targets on the table when you train and make target hitting second nature when playing matches.

Here is a nice little target practice I use with my players (Filip Szymanski Polish International).

Written by Eli Baraty

How to Improve Your Table Tennis Fast!

March 3, 2018

How to improve your table tennis fast?

How to improve your table tennis fast from beginner level to an advanced level. Featuring Gaurav Aravind, how and why do some people develop faster than others? When I first began playing table tennis all I wanted was to improve, at the fastest rate possible. With limited resources back in the 90’s I resorted to what I believed would help. This included: as much table time as possible watching the best around me and how they do it, purchasing books and videos of past and present TT events and lastly researching the best table tennis coaches.

My development was fast and possibly quicker than most due to my desire and hunger for self-development. But I was unaware of many things that could have helped me develop even quicker!

I started coaching in the year 2000 and the initial years proved difficult with average results, regardless this was an experimental period and a wonderful learning curve. A new job role was introduced to me at Barnet Table Tennis Centre and my results there escalated at a very fast pace. I produced many high-level players and 8 England squad-team players in a very short space of time. The success continued when I was headhunted for a full-time table tennis job role in a specialist sports school called The Harefield Academy.

Why was I able to get super results?

To keep things simple I have chosen 1 player to write about so we can follow his journey towards success.

Gaurav Aravind,
If you have not heard of Gaurav, it’s probably because he’s only been on the scene for around about 4 years! He was a complete beginner and today stands at no.6 in England (Junior) having beaten England No.1, twice!

How has Gaurav come from a complete beginner to potentially becoming no.1 in his age group?

Gaurav Aravind personal view:

I started playing aged 13 and a half at The Harefield Academy because my friends used to play so I thought why not give it a go!

Opportunity:
My School had a full-time table tennis coach (Eli Baraty) and 20 tables which were accessible to us almost every day; morning, during school, after school and some evenings. Eli was the head coach that would bring many guest players and coaches to the academy. He was and still am a very passionate coach that produced-produces many top players, this gave me the confidence and belief in him. I could watch, learn and even play with the top players at the Academy and all this was given to me for free at my school.
I loved playing but got frustrated being beaten and seeing my friends better than me, I am naturally competitive and wanted to be better than them and beat them.

Higher level sparring partner:

I think one of the key things that pushed me faster than the others, was the opportunity of playing with Danny Lewis (former top 12 Cadet and top 30 Junior). I took it upon myself to do more than the others, by asking the better players to train with me. Danny was kind enough to give up his time and would practice with me 2/3 times per week. Being out of my comfort zone constantly gave me no choice but to grow and develop my game quickly. I felt personal pressure to develop otherwise the opportunity of training with Danny would go. In my opinion, most people will play with you if you’re keen and hungry to develop, especially if you’re a passionate player. On another note lots of players go on with top players and have a loser’s mentality ‘he/she are too good, what’s the point?’ Where I embraced the opportunity and Danny was pushed more and more as time went on. “He sacrificed so much time into me, when I look back at it now, I can’t believe he actually did that! I’m truly grateful and hope one day to do the same for someone.

How to improve your table tennis fast? with Junior British League 2018 Champions — Junior British League 2018 Champions

Setting goals:
I think setting goals enabled me to progress faster, for example, I remember one of my first goals was to get into the elite squad at Harefield (top 8) and get invited to the special training, on Tuesday’s after school.
Eli, made us write down short, medium and long-term goals. We would write it ourselves and place it on the training hall door, our goals would be revisited often and assessed.

I enjoyed playing small tournaments such as NCL and NJL this would allow me to see my percentage and assess my progression line over a 4-weekend period. Eli would give us goals of what percentage we require prior to the event. For example, if I got 50% last weekend I would require 60% or more on this occasion. I also enjoyed being exposed to big events such as 4* this showed me what a high-level TT can be played like at a junior level and I was able to learn lots by being exposed under the big spotlight. We were always pushed to grow and develop as players and characters.

Aiming high and self-development:
Eli often gathered our group of players together and gave little lectures or speeches of encouragement and development strategies. He would also make us deliver speeches and lectures to the group which would make us do our homework and encourage self-development. We grew as a team and bonded us a family, both on and off the table. Goals would be set such as, winning (English School National Team Championships) or becoming top 10 in England. Some goals felt far-fetched at the time but we achieved most of our targets one that we were able to make happen!

Grateful – making the most of what you have
I am truly grateful for the opportunity that was given to me and I wouldn’t change anything. All the ups and downs over the past few years lead me to where I am today. I am very proud of my achievements and I want young players to learn from my example. Take note of what can be done if you commit yourself and don’t take anything for granted. I was so lucky I had a great set up with many top players and a wonderful coach, I believe it’s something I should have utilised even more because today it’s gone.

It’s funny how you don’t realise how lucky you are until you’ve lost it. I’m still in contact with Eli and occasionally have a knock or a coaching session with him. Unfortunately, I don’t have access to him or top players on a daily basis as I once did. This means I must travel for 1/2/3 hours just to get a knock or join a coaching session, where often I’m the top player.

Eli’s summary:
You need the opportunity to play, America is the best at American Football because kids have many opportunities to play the sport. The rest of the world doesn’t cater for that sport so lack the skill and playing level of NFL. We must find or develop more access/opportunity to play sports, in order to give greater opportunity for youth to develop what may be a hidden talent.

Surround yourselves with top players and coaches and impose yourself upon them. Resistance initially is inevitable but if you persist they will see your drive and want to help you fulfil your potential.
Find a good coach, one that wants you to develop and grow just as much as you do. And a coach that is constantly growing himself, that will allow him/her to grow with you.
Self-develop, find what works and who is getting results and what are they doing to get these results. Try to implement the fundamental requirements such as good nutrition, physicals, mental and tactical, aspects of the game.

If you truly want to expand and accelerate your development, then you must learn to be comfortable with the uncomfortable. Growth comes from being in a position that you don’t like or want to be in but you do it anyways. This allows your mind and body to find solutions and thus increases your progression line at a faster rate.

Lastly, if you struggle to do this naturally, find someone who’s done it and follow their lead. Most importantly if you have something special don’t take it for granted, make the most of it. If you don’t have something special seek it or create it!

Written by Eli Baraty featuring Gaurav Aravind

3 Exercises to Improve Your CONSISTENCY in Table Tennis

January 2, 2018

I am constantly asked how do I improve my table tennis consistency?

3x Exercises that can help you develop your consistency

1. Multi-ball or TT Robot:

If you have a sparring partner who can do multi-ball (Multi-ball tutorial click here). This is a system that was introduced by the Chinese to increase consistency by hitting 100’s of balls within a short space of time. The system develops muscle memory and gives you the ability to hit thousands of balls working on footwork, technique and consistency. This system is extremely beneficial and compared to a normal practice of 1 ball per rally, followed by time spent on picking up the ball, its a no-brainer

Table Tennis consistency -Multi ball — Multi-ball with Zak Abel

Table Tennis Robot

If you don’t have access to a sparring partner or coach and wish to get similar results, you can purchase a table tennis robot. The same principle applies, you are able to hit many balls within a short space of time.

The issue (of which you may or may not agree with), the variety of shots accessible and the spin received can be unrealistic. Furthermore, most people after a given time (shortly after initial use/purchase) you will most likely get bored. This is due to limited sequences and zero interaction, or feedback.

2. Single Ball Training

The polar opposite is a ‘single ball training session’ but with a twist! One of my former coaches had a theory (if you train with one ball in a large hall) it encourages your full focus on a single rally and reduces unforced error’s. When you have lots of balls nearby, your focus is reduced on unforced errors.

I must admit this helped me in two ways; 1) my focus became “match like” and 2) the disappointment of an unforced error (was thought) about while fetching the ball.

Look to implement the suggested training at least once a month and this can be decreased or increased in order to have greater development. I also believe this type of training is better suited for advanced players…

3. Technique,

Having the perfect technique is not vital for consistency but it may harm progression.

The key regardless of a poor or good technique is to find what works for you. Once established you must focus on re-enforcing that movement and make it muscle memory. If a technically varying stroke has been developed and used in match play, you will notice many unforced errors. This is due to technical deficiencies and anything that has poor foundations will ultimately fail in some sort of way. So repetition of a correct movement is vital in maintaining a stable stroke through an exercise into a match. Please note, different strokes are needed for different types of balls received, e.g. a backspin ball requires a different stroke to a topspin ball.

They say 6000 repetitions are required to build muscle memory. Therefore, I would focus on developing a stroke that works and follow it up with 6000 reps.

Equipment:

Equipment plays a big role when it comes to consistency, therefore you must make sure you buy a good bat that will give you the best possible chance of developing your game. A few personal recommendations for developing or advanced players please click here

There’s no real secret to becoming consistent, it’s about correct reps and developing the correct mindset.