OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Here I am....compleated day 1 of 120 in Shijiazhuang at the Chinese National Table Tennis Training Center.

few exciting things happened today to me on the table tennis front.

the lead coach of the facility today came up to me...poked me in the tricep bicep and then stomach and then said......strong!!! and stuck me in the highest group.....not a good thing that he knows nothing of my TT ability

number 2 - my coach was a chopper! BONUS

Number 3- My 2 main practice partners today were....a chinese provincial player with the biggest forehand i have ever seen... and non other then THE Amelia Solja....the top anti user in the world....quite a shock when she started warming up with me....

number 4 - coach picks up my blade about 30min in....without asking...tears off my long pips... and says...you chop with power! and goes and just grabs a sheet of 802 from the equipment desk....and hands it to me....

long pips no sponge....first day...i get switched to 802 with 1.7 sponge.....big difference....the most i landed on the table in a row today chopping with my backhand was 6......garbage....i told myself that i would listen to what ever the coaches told me here....but thats a big change.....i will give it a month and see how it goes...

the german female chopper irene ivancan is here as well....i hope i get to train with her tomorow...

training with amelia was a different experience for me....to be honest, i have experienced much spinnier chop blocks, but the thing that is great about amelia, is her blocks are one of two things....short enough to bounce twice or the first bounce will be at the back line, and she NEVER MISSES, that's what makes her good...

more to come!
comment away!
any suggestions fire them my way

fascinating stuff leatherback. please post regularly on your progress. i would be very interested in the different drills and also a run down of your average day there (incluing physical training). also, if some of your coaches are older ex-chinese team members i would be keen to know their names. enjoy the training!

Hi leatherback,

Great stuff! Especially the info about Amelie. Do her shots have any spin variations? I'll definitely be reading all your posts.

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mate, you've gotta make your way down here before you go back to the big CA.

you'll be pro, and we can play some doubles =D

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"slappy slappy slappity slap"

This would be an amazing story and experience Sir Alex.
Lots of pros and now the coach is giving quite a radical change. Great mentality you have there Sir to be open to changes.
I hope things will go well

I will make sure I keep up with your story. Very very interesting

Edit: Subscribed!

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Awesome stuff! I will be watching this thread with great interest.

802 with 1.7 sponge..?!

802 with 1.7 sponge is a bit fast imo.
But since Sir Alex's coach have seen stuff like his strength and power when chopping, maybe with the fine touch he had in using LP, the coach sees that Sir Alex technique is suitable for chopping with rather thick short pips. I guess the idea is where the fine touch together with power could help the friction propel the ball more rather than the sponge which helps adding the spin more than speed.

I will be missing your shortplay with long pips if you switch, Sir Alex
Anyway way the coach a short pips chopper too?

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This thread has the ingredients to become EPIC.

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indeed!

Wow, awesome leatherback!

A bit disappointed to see him tear off the LPs... I wonder if he simply does not approve of long pips, or he feels it's not right for your style or stature?

How good is your mandarin?

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question: are you still using the clipper???

maybe he wants you to be able to overcome the spin of a loop with short pips and will give your pips back later to give you a megachop??? or wants you to play like wang wei.

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-Teddy

the avarage day....i havent been here long enough to give an accurate representation of an avarage day but so far...

up at 7am
breakfast at 7:30 till 8
training at 8:30 till 12:30 single ball practice with one or two partners per day depending on your style
lunch till 130
multiball training from 2 to 5:30
physical training from 5:30 to 7
dinner till 8:30
shower
bed
repeat

physical training for me is a little different, and the regiment i put myself through is way more intense then the majority of the physical training most of my team mates do and my coaches understand this so they let me do my own thing with slight suggestions

I had never played a high level anti player before, but i would say the spin variation is less then that of a long pip player....then again we were training and trying to be consistent as possible...i think her main strength is...

i could put a quarter on the end of the table line and when she is on the ropes, she could hit that spot every single time with her backhand....if i forget about the spin....there is the forehand slap, flattest pip smash i have ever encountered, i have to reloop....i cant block or its going into the net.

Im going to try to come down after my training here and visit my sister, she lives on the golden coast!

802 with stock mystery III sponge 1.7 red....

i was as shocked as you are.....there goes my chop block, my sideways pip swipe and my drop shot....

without these in my arsenal i am at the extreme basics...