OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Debater and I have been chatting privately about training plans. He pointed out that I don't currently have one. I looked back in my log, and saw that I did have one with my previous coach, all the way back in August 2014. I thought it'd be interesting to post it here, partly in case the format is useful (either to me or to others), and partly to see how it compares to what I think now (I shall discuss it with my coach today).

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Yasaka Sweden Classic | 802 OX | C8 OX
Check out my blog - LordCope's Latest Learning Log - 10+ years of accumulate mistakes!

Following the same logic as Debater.... I wonder if this topic will gain more traction if presented as a question...

If you don't have a training plan (and my straw poll would suggest it is very very likely that you don't), why not?

Is it because you don't see the point? Does it seem too formal/serious? Do you not know where to start? Would you if you had more support?

Or maybe you do have one? If so, why? How did you draw it up? Would you be prepared to share it? Has it helped you? How would you feel if you stopped following it, or if you didn't have it any more?

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Yasaka Sweden Classic | 802 OX | C8 OX
Check out my blog - LordCope's Latest Learning Log - 10+ years of accumulate mistakes!

I view TT as a hobby, so don't create detailed training plans. Otherwise it starts to feel like a job.

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USATT: 1807 | League: 1887

Lack of motivation to draw it up.

Lack of time to execute it.

What pgpg said.

<off topic, perhaps> I have gotten 10 times, 100 times, 1000 times as much out of table tennis as I have put into it. This is why I am now an accredited umpire and help run the local association.

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Retriever (sometimes golden, but often leaden)
Moderator, Inverted Retriever Technique sub-forum - http://ooakforum.com/viewforum.php?f=74

When I blogged I would update a top three list of things I was working on in practice. That's my brain's queue size now at 48, three things.

I don't put much more time into it than that, don't write them down. But I always have three things to focus on and as one improves something else replaces it. Those come from my own match impressions, or Brett or NL or someone else whose opinion I value telling me I really suck at one thing more than everything else.

Top three right now are BH 3rd ball vs long push/5th ball vs block, fh flick receives, and bh punch vs slow high topspins. The bh 3rd/5th ball has been on for ages, the punch will probably only last a month or two before something else sucks worse.

You could count serves as a fourth thing but that's always on the agenda independent of the other three. It's like warming up, goes without saying.

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Yoko Ono

Great question. If you just play for fun, so be it. No problem with that! If you truly want to get better, however, you should have a plan! I've found the best place to start is to identify 1-2 major weaknesses in your game and work on shoring those up. That and some extra serve practice can pay big dividends!

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I have no training plan but I want to be better at table tennis. Who can suggest me some tips to do that?

If you're a beginner, just work on the basics! The way I first learned was to work on having the right grip; there are many internet sources on how to hold the paddle, whether you be shakehand or penhold. One of the key things to remember is to make sure you are relaxed; having an iron tight grip will be disastrous in the long run (I learned this the hard way). Once you get your grip right, bouncing the ball and getting a feel for it is important; I personally set the goal to be able to bounce the ball on my first paddle (it's a pre-made Butterfly) up to a 100 times. After that, working on footwork is very important. I practiced by jogging, skipping, moving side to side, and by doing lot's of running back and forth. Then I just tried to copy my favorite players LOL Once you have a firm grasp of those, you can start working on the basic shots; the backhand push, forehand push, backhand drive and forehand drive. If you can, get a coach! They'll guide you and keep you on the right track; I'm not so fortunate, and I'm learning and practicing on my own. As you get better, you can move on to the more advanced stuff. Keep track of your weaknesses, and fix them. If you know your strengths, use them to your full advantage! It helps a lot. Doing shadow swings, working on your fitness, and just stuff in general is all helpful. Good luck!

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Blade: Victas Koji Matsushita Offensive FL
FH: Victas VS > 401 2.0
BH: Victas Spectol S1 1.5

Rating: Recreational Player

Or, instead of focusing on 2 or 3 things, aim to improve everything by 1% - "marginal gains". Kids get bored quickly, sometimes it's better to cover something quickly and with a light touch and then move on to something else, then something else, then revisit the first thing.

Trying to get one thing 80% right, or trying to improve 80 things by 1%. Different strokes for different folks.

Don't forget to practice the stance!

(Serious speaking - thinking seems to have changed about this, and about footwork, over the years. In the old days there was the "ready position", with a short ball you'd take one step forward, return the ball, then take a step back to the ready position. There's a video of one of the pros from the 1970s playing like this, looks quite awkward. These days the "ready position" is quite a bit different - you splay your legs apart as much as you can, and you - or at least the pros - hop from side to side rather than take steps.)

Iskandar