OOAK Table Tennis Forum

I'm really keen to find out way of promoting table tennis is the community, and as a sport as a whole.

As a long time player I've got a lot out of the sport, and would love to give something back by promoting the sport. As a retailer we probably have more potential to do this.

I hoping for some suggestions of how we can promote the sport, both locally and elsewhere.

One idea I had was to sponsor players, and offer cheaper goods to players that make a positve impact on other players and the community. This would make it more affordable for them to play, and better equipment may help their game as well.

Any further ideas?

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well as a club we had a couple of recruiting campains and we went by schools to tell about table tennis (with some funny stories) and invited them over to some special day at our club. we also went with some posters to places were a lot of people meet and we even went by doors with flyers once ^^.
Our next action will probably selling some stuff like toilet paper and attach flyers to them and hope some people come over.
You just have to get people to meet with tabletennis and try it which is hard because many don't consider it as a sport and think it's boring to play for real.

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So so promoting... great concept, hard to practice.

For the clubs we make several thins therefor:

* small ads in the town we are: with help of some young players we walk around in the town and put an add in each mailbox.
* we organise once a year a little tournament open to everybody and at the end we have a barbecue with other people than table tennis player.
* we organise one or two times a year an evening for cards players.
* we also try to organise things with the schools in our area: free training included in the sport lessons, exhibition...
* last year, we also participate at an organisation of the town regrouping all groups, associations and clubs (sport and culture), we had a stand and during the afternoon, we had a table with a robot. I first made a small exhibition, after this everyone could try against the robot.

Individually, I am a adviser for a distributor in Belgium (http://www.atstt.be) but I also deliver for them: an agreement interesting for both of us. I receive a discount on everything and they can sale more with less advertising.

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Thank you for that!

Yes those are great things to do as a club, and our club does some of those things too. I'll propose some of these to our club!

I was more or less looking for things that we could do as individuals and as a retailer in addition to this....

Thanks for the tips!

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Great topic!

I don't know what you can do with that Alex in your position with equipment.

As you know a brand new club begins this year in my area (which I am over the moon about atm) .

Flyers is a great thing. If you could send out 1000 flyers with a real good speal on table tennis and awaken/enlighten them about the game, that would be great. I think if you could send out 1000 flyers you would at least get 10 people to try.

I think clubs should give a free tryout thing for people. I do basketball atm and I do clinics at schools or flyers sent out it gives them a free pass to a clinic of mine to see how they like. My group has grown from 2 - 18 in 6 months I have been doing it and 4 of them are fully paid up for the 3rd straight term with me (12 week terms).

Table Tennis Clubs have alot of development group trainings for the keen players but offer nothing for beginners. This could help...

If you could discount equipment for beginners that might be good Alex but Under $20 bucks for an Instinct blade and the huge range you have up to $40 is very very exceptional. I don't think you would need to discount. The sponsorship thing...well, I dunno bout that *shrugs*.

Maybe sponsor beginning players Alex. You will get loyalties there.
If you did a flyer with a good speal on table tennis and playing the game, ran a beginners training camp so to speak and offered a beginner full setup to them if you could at a discounted price, that could be good.

I think with flyers if you do in letterboxes should offer this training group thing for beginners and incorparate a beginner setup with it. Kinda like those mobile phone deals how you get something to go with it.

I think it would be a great idea if you could put on a flyer the opportunity to get a free CD on the game of table tennis if interested. If you could compile a CD or DVD that would be great. A friend of mine really into PC's gets CD's for under 10c each. Top of the line DVD's for 15c each.

Sure there may be copyrights with the table tennis vids and whatnot but you'd think table tennis would be warm to that with the promoting the game.

So many people have a wrong view of the game of table tennis. I was one of them.

So in short: Flyers with: Speal on the game, beginner coaching clinics or whatever and club info, equipment offered for new players (at a discount if you could), free CD/DVD if interested. Enquire with thee about it .

I must say though I won't struggle to ask newbies to game to folk out $50 for an Instinct combo for them. $60 - $70 for Bomb or other blade combo.

It's like buying a pair of footy or basketball boots. And if you can incorporate it with doing a term of table tennis coaching for beginners, that could get something going I'd think *shrugs*....

Damn those premades are good for beginners. I used 729 and 729 Super FX like the premades have on them and that was very good to start with. And it aint much to get better equip.

Maybe if they start up with you, begin with premade and upgrade to intermediate setup with like 10% discount or something...

Hope I gave you some ideas there...

Hey Leeroy!

I was hoping you'd get here eventually. It was your thread elsewhere that got me thinking about this.

Yes, some good tips mate! You might be right about discount not making a huge difference because the prices are already cheap.

I agree beginners is where we really need to focus, and it'a probably even more important to keep them coming back...

I'm really keen to spend more effort promoting TT on the web, a huge number of young people spend a lot of time online, and it's still growing fast...

Anyways, thank for the tips guys, and keep them coming!

if we continue getting more tips, we could perhaps compile the information and send it clubs... they're often scratching their heads on how to get more membership...

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Setup1: Re-Impact Smart, Viper OX, Victas VS 401 Setup2: Re-Impact Barath, Dtecs OX, TSP Triple Spin Chop 1.0mm Setup3: Re-Impact Dark Knight, Hellfire OX, 999 Turbo
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If you can set new players up like that, I wouldn't be surprised in naturally those kids tell others at school to try out the "Alex's Hyperspin beginners table tennis camp" (Just messin with the Hyperspin thing). I got kids into my beginner clinics like that. The kids told there friends to come from there schools and they make teams from that.

You have an added advantage with it cause you can offer equipment like you do. Incorparate that and you have good setup and groundings.

Pity kids can only play other adults or tournaments. It is a very individual game. There should be team club rep comp specific for juniors much like your winter league Alex.

I am hoping there will be a Junior Vic Metro Club championships fixtured inbetween tournaments through the year next year.

Sat mornings/arvos much like tennis. There are 10 affilited clubs in the Melbourne Metropolitan area. I would love that to be setup. Tournaments alone don't sustain enough all in all imho. And so too local club comp. Such a huge fallout with players in table tennis. I heard somewhere 90% drop out rate. That's HUGE!!!

I honestly think my kids will be sick of playing table tennis if that is all that is offered for them currently.

I hope to post my proposals here for people like you Alex who are interested in the growth of this great game and see what you think.

The thing with say bringing people into the game is that how will they be sustained? Sure they do a beginner thing, get into the game and the club. What will sustain them though?

If you did alot of work Alex and brought 10 people to the game, it would be sad to see 9 of them walk away because of - lack of thrill - I like to put it.

Junior "team" club rep comp for affilated clubs. Each team consisting of a coach and team manager with specific encouraged guidelines for coaches (ettiquette requirements and whatnot for positive coaching) and duties for managers (Scoring and administartion stuff like monies. officiating and whatnot).

This is off the subject but Sat mornings and arvos could see a huge climate/culture change for table tennis and break it open I think.

I think every one of those 10 affiliated clubs in metro can potentially be chockers. Filled up to the brim all day from morning to evening, Under 10's right up to 18's and possibly 20's.

Tournaments inbetween for the individuals.

Clubs will thrive because of this and parents involved with "KIDS" -

A Club representative comp specific for juniors.

I say this not cause, well, I am passionate about it and hope it happens but I also say this cause I'd hate to see 90% drop out rate and I think you would too Alex.

What will sustain that 90%?

You have lots to offer Alex, but also lots to lose too. I see it in the game.

I believe the game has been horded to individuals. Because there is no team and rep comp element in the game that is why I see the game like it is in Australia.

It should be doing better than what it is. The game is capable and potentially can.

Sorry for going off subject a little but I wanted to write a topic on it. Just got me fired up a little when going on with the promoting of the game.

I would love this new club to get going where I am and be part of it, BUT I would hate to see huge fallouts though when there doesn't need to be.

There should be a table tennis club in every nearing town/suburb. In every Metropolitan area at least. And for country every nearing township. Not every 300 miles or whatever. Maybe every 50 miles.

There are now 2 Tennis clubs in a suburb where I used to live (nearby). There is actually 2 tennis clubs in the suburb I live in now.

New tennis clubs are sprouting everywhere here!

Local club comp alone will not stand. Or thrive should I say and sustain. No wonder the game is gasping for breath and survival.

Club team rep comp for juniors should breath life into it.

Sorry for going where I did just I can't keep it to myself and gotta let it out somehow .

Hey leeroy!

Wow, you can type fast! my finger can't keep up with my brain!

No, that's good stuff, and is well worth discussing! I't very hard to keep people interested in the game, espcially kids! We need some 'cool' stuff to keep them interested. Some really cool videos would be a good start, there is almost no good video stuff around.

Also part of the problem is the learning curve. If you've been playing for 6 months, and some 80 yr old man, who can hardly move, can totally whip you by spin and deception, it can be very discouraging. For many of us we see this as a positive, in that if you have the skill & strategy, you can still beat someone that is much faster and fitter than you. I think this is one of the great parts of our game, but can be devastating too when not used right...

Anyway, I'm getting sidetracked too, but these are issues to be discussed and worked out by the clubs if they are interested in getting more numbers...

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OOAK Table Tennis Shop | Re-Impact Blades | Butterfly Table Tennis bats
Setup1: Re-Impact Smart, Viper OX, Victas VS 401 Setup2: Re-Impact Barath, Dtecs OX, TSP Triple Spin Chop 1.0mm Setup3: Re-Impact Dark Knight, Hellfire OX, 999 Turbo
Recent Articles: Butterfly Tenergy Alternatives | Tenergy Rubbers Compared | Re-Impact User Guide

I think clubs got nothing to stand on really.

I could setup a flyer right now for a club but without that rep comp I have in mind, the fallout is bound to happen.

Bringing the people I think would be easy but keeping them is too hard.

I am scared that is what will happen with this new club near me.

Juniors is one target but there is more of a sustainabilty with older adults in the game. You could setup a beginner thing for adults too and I think there will be less drop out there.

LOL I just keep rolling on the keyboard. I sometimes repeat myself .

That discouraging part can be helped with casual training thing (especially for beginners).

It can be hard for beginner to rock up straight into competition and be span off the table .

They get all flustered and don't know what the hell is happening, and they are in this state of confusion and everything seems to be going everywhere but on the table .

I have seen this with few beginners I have introduced to game and I laugfh with them. But none the less they are flustered by it in competition and more feel sorry for the opposition .

That is why it would be good if something is setup for beginners like that where thay can compete and learn with other beginners. And if you ran a 12 week season/camp for beginners, maybe last 6 weeks (or depending) you can have mini comps with beginners (you can be flexible with it no doubt).

The good stuff with your stuff Alex is that you can easily spin with them. Those 729 premades can spin a mile easily close to table and can easily learn the spin side of things. That could be easy to teach (compared to like the Jap/euro stuff).

If you did coaching you will need a bit of a plan with it in what to teach and how to over a season (10 - 12 weeks). Introduce the forehand to forehand, backhabnd to backhand, then the serve with diff spins. Practice that with returning. Some chopping and then some attacking, some side spin element with looping, blocking and then into game simulation thing. I do that with bball. At the end of season I have covered the 3 P's of passing (Position - Pivot - Pass), the 3 D's of dribbling (Down - Dribble - Drive) and the 3 S's of shootiing (Square - Set - Shoot).

Then incorparate all those elements in drills which lead up into game time at the end and then they are ready to play in the local comp and possibly play for the club rep team later on .

Some table Tennis joints are chockers as it is and don't have space/room for more. But I know many clubs have nothing on Saturday where it can be filled to the brim.

It is good that adults have rep comp allready like that Winter league thing you guys got in Adelaide (Vic pennant here).

But adults who embrace the game usually stick with it and maybe a 50% drop out there *shrugs*.

Dandenong, arguably the best local club comp in the country, has been chockers and full to the brim during week nights for a very long time. The juniors is abit wild in it's local club comp and have huge fallout. But the adults is full to the brim basically. Have your drop outs but is pretty much set to stand.

More sustainability with adults into the game. Especially the bigger it gets. Starting out is another story. If they could focus on bringing in adults they will have more sustainability but being small it is hard to sustain even adults I'd think. I am lucky enough to have played in a large tablke tennis club and comp in Dandenong. But I am sure the story will be diff with smaller clubs. That beginner course thing may help..

I think you might be surprised how many players are already in your area, that you did not know about.

Flyers will make them aware, and if you can make their first expereince enjoyable, they'll keep coming back.

There are often many senior/retired players around, who play for some fun, exercise and just to socialise. Those are invaluable, since they often have spare time to help out with the club, and can bring in many other player...

Anyway, just enjoy having a club nearby...don't let any possible downturn spoil your excitement!

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OOAK Table Tennis Shop | Re-Impact Blades | Butterfly Table Tennis bats
Setup1: Re-Impact Smart, Viper OX, Victas VS 401 Setup2: Re-Impact Barath, Dtecs OX, TSP Triple Spin Chop 1.0mm Setup3: Re-Impact Dark Knight, Hellfire OX, 999 Turbo
Recent Articles: Butterfly Tenergy Alternatives | Tenergy Rubbers Compared | Re-Impact User Guide

Oops I just replied to your earlier post, not knowing you posted another one in the meantime!

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OOAK Table Tennis Shop | Re-Impact Blades | Butterfly Table Tennis bats
Setup1: Re-Impact Smart, Viper OX, Victas VS 401 Setup2: Re-Impact Barath, Dtecs OX, TSP Triple Spin Chop 1.0mm Setup3: Re-Impact Dark Knight, Hellfire OX, 999 Turbo
Recent Articles: Butterfly Tenergy Alternatives | Tenergy Rubbers Compared | Re-Impact User Guide

Yeah I will enjoy it. I am more concerned for kids of the game. Hope that club rep comp thing happens. The guy in charge of the new club is very good with kids and getting them into the tournament scene. He has coached the likes of Robbie Frank, Resul Akhurt, Sebastian Gargano. Elite juniors of the game. He will get kids into the tournament thing but it's just abit too individual focussed and i would really like to see that junior team club rep thing for kids enjoyment. The tournament thing is 16 weekends of the year. I don't know if that will sustain kids. Adults yes. Kids no. I seen Resul Akhurt at basketball stadium where I coach and used to referee and he has fallen out of the game of all people. He at the highest level failed to enjoy the game. Club team rep comp should make it more enjoyable and it is very possible with that Saturday dead you could say (Just for elite kids training for tournies that's it). So I think that can certainly slot in.

Hope to see more clubs in the metro area in suburbs/towns established and Vic pennant (The Victorian Winter league you can say) becomes chockers and the game gets bigger and grows.

It is very slow but I am so happy this club is formed. I would honeslty like the game bigger and in more areas. If a club like this is formed and established every year, I can see a club in every Metro part in 50 years and table tennis booming.

Anyway back to subject, I think you could compile a very nice intro DVD to the game of table tennis. It could be distributed on wide scale to clubs to hand out with there flyers and promotional pushes (if need be).

The internet thing is good spot. Have you seen www.martinspin.net.ch Alex?

I think that is quite a good site. Has lots of videos. Could have an internet segment (up to date) called "Table Tennis Down Under" or something like that .

Hmm... now that's an idea .

I think DTTW is good site. Maybe you could do ATTW (Alex Table tennis world) and incorpoarate your shop, information site and forum . Something like that. I think your onto something like that anyways .

Those retired types are good for clubs definitely. Dandenong have few of them that help with newbies. My area is huge. It will be chockers before long I think. It's a hot spot (one of many mind you I think) .

The guy in charge there said he has guys in contact from Dandenong (He was former counter guy at Dandenong). I think he will bring in some of those retired guys you were talking about Alex who live in this area. That should be great.

Can't wait .

It depends on what you really want.

If you want to bring more people to the table tennis, I think the best is to reach them at school: turnament in the school or with different schools. In my former club we had as project to deliver old table to the schools in our area, to ask the sport teacher or someone else intersted to organise training during the free-time or sport lessons, this to select some players.
The idea was to reach a lots of young people and they would come once or twice a month to our club for a competition.

Another thing interesting is a tournament children-parents, you then reach both generations and you can also so promote table tennis.

By sponsoring players, it is interesting for you because you make a lot of advertising at low cost. I can say I am almost sposnorised by my belgian distributor. If you want to, I will explain our agreemet but not on the forum

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Blade : Tibhar COS3
Forehand: Moon Pro 2.0
Backhand: Neubauer Desperado Ox
****
http://www.diabolosyl.net (my own site)
http://www.tennis-de-table.com (biggest forum in France)

One thing about table tennis is that it is an individual game.

Why table tennis doesn't have a "substantial" representative competition between clubs is why I think table tennis is going so poorly as a sport.

I just found out with golf, an individual game, how they have club versus club competitions. There club rep competitions is so vast I couldn't believe it. No wonder a game like golf rocks compared to say table tennis.

Tennis has a vast representative club competition too which it thrives off.

Table Tennis is like sitting in a rut.

Anyway, to the subject, I just went on a mini holiday with family and stayed at a Big 4 caravan park cabin.

I just noticed and picked up on something.

Every one of those tourist caravan parks have a table tennis table in a rec room.

You know how those Gideon dudes hand out those Bibles to Hotels and whatnot? Why not table tennis send out like book and videos really well done up to all those caravan parks so that they can be enlightened to the game?

Every rec room has a video and now DVD player with table tennis table. When the people have got nothing to do and have the good ol camp table tennis hit up, why not have that vid/book combo laying around.

Sorta pumped up introduction to the "finer" game of table tennis in a not too over the top way. I think something really good could be done up.

Imagine how many people m,ay come to an awakening of the finer game of table tennis *shrugs*....

I know bit off the subject but haggisv you can pop your one of a kind trading thing on something like that *wink* .

Just an idea...