With hundreds of millions of
participants worldwide, table tennis is one of the most popular
sports on the planet today. Ranging from club members all the way to
those who just have a casual game whilst on holiday, its simplicity
and ease ensures all abilities are welcome and catered for.
But sadly the women’s professional
game doesn’t receive the coverage that its popularity justifies.
Whilst the sport in general lacks the figureheads that say, Victoria
Pendleton and Jess Ennis provide for British cycling and athletics
respectively, the women’s game in particular doesn’t find its way
into mainstream media outside of huge events such as the Olympics in
2012. This under-representation in the public eye perpetuates a
vicious circle, leading to less young, amateur girls getting involved
competitively in a sport that they don’t perhaps realise offers a
genuine career.
Whether you’re
new to the women’s game or table tennis in general, things are
changing. At the turn of the century several rule changes were
enforced in an effort to make table tennis more spectator-friendly.
First of all, any competitive women’s games that you do happen to
catch on TV now, will be using a slightly larger
ball than they did before 2001. This is in order to slow the game
down a little, making matches more watchable for viewers at home. A
second rule change enforced was that of shortening sets down from the
first to 21 points to the first to 11. This has led to a lot more
riding on every point, ramping up the in-game suspense and keeping
viewers on the edge of their seats. There’s even talk of having
boxing style walk on music for players, adding to the sense of
occasion for a big match.
In the past year, broadcasters BT Sport and
Sky have included live coverage of international table tennis
tournaments on their schedules, with British
husband and wife duo Paul and Joanna Drinkall having a high profile
interview on BT Sport, so perhaps things are looking bright for
the women’s game. There’s no arguing that any extra coverage
would be warranted as, one thing’s for sure, few other sports have
made such an effort to appeal to spectators.
Ma Long claimed victory in Halmstad, Sweden this evening at the 2015 ITTF World Cup. In doing so he acquired the second piece to potentially hold the Grand Slam simultaneously, a feat only achieved once before by his team mate Zhang Jike.
Joining the ranks of the Grand Slam winners would be sweet but to hold all 3 titles together would be an even greater career achievement for Ma Long and tonight he showed us again why he is on track to potential achieve that goal and become and Olympic Gold Medallist.
After the China Open in August I wrote about Ma Long's chances in Rio begging the question, could he be the favourite at the event? Read More.
Ma Long is 2015 World Cup Champion
Ma Long is on a stellar run, having won the World Championships, China Open and World Cup all in 2015. Given his current form he is looking strong for Rio. Fan Zhendong is seemingly under his thumb at major events after his two 4-0 thrashings at WTTC and in the World Cup final tonight. Zhang Jike is having the biggest form slump of his career and Xu Xin is trailing behind a little.
Now more than ever, Ma Long is the standout player of dominance. If he should win in Rio the wait for Ma Long fans would be over for the Grand Slam which we always thought he deserved since his first world champs in 2009. We can only hope his amazing form continues!
2015 China Open Final
Ma Long vs. Xu Xin
So where does your allegiance lie? Can Zhang Jike recover to pose a threat to the Olympic Crown? Can Fan Zhendong recover from his average performances in his early major experiences? Can Xu Xin rise to the occasion and claim the 2nd singles spot given the current situation?
Still many questions remain! What are your thoughts?
It's been a while since I managed to complete a Pro Tip Blog post, mainly due to not really getting the information I wanted (in terms of depth) from some of the players in my interviews. Luckily Omar was really helpful in providing good detail and so I can write a post on the importance of a routine in training and tournaments with some help from the African Champion from Egypt, Omar Assar!
ITTF African Champion Omar Assar (Egypt)
Image from ITTF Africa
Routine is one of the often overlooked parts of the game and in many sports. While you may not pay it any particular attention, when you think about it we all have some forms of routine. I took the opportunity to talk more with Omar about his routine and what gets him in the zone for training and for tournaments.
"I try and stay in the hall as much as I can. Not less than 6 hours in training hall whether it is normal training or multiball or just sitting on the sideline watching match videos" Omar Assar.
So Omar likes to immerse himself in the training and match venue and environment. It is normal for professional players to dedicate at least 6 hours per day to practice. Staying in the venue can help bring your complete focus to your training or matches, for this reason some players arrive at the playing area well ahead of time to mentally prepare for matches.
Physical Training Element
Omar also dedicates a fairly stringent physical training routine as part of his sessions. "Usually at least 3 times a week of mixed physical, running or gym training. Sometimes can be 4 or 5 depending on how much time I spend on the table. I continue to do strength building exercises during tournaments also." Omar.
Getting into a physical training routine requires a lot of discipline, especially when you are tired from training on the table. You need to find the right balance of physical and table training and find the best times to suit your energy level patterns. I for example prefer to train mostly in the morning and go to the gym in the evenings.
"I always run in the morning before my tournament matches, this is something I like to do. I wake up 3 hours before my match and go for a run. This helps to make me as fresh as possible." Omar.
Why Discipline is Important for a Routine
Like any repetitive task, strong self discipline is key. High repetition can get boring and once we lose interest it becomes difficult to maintain momentum. This is also where service practice comes to the foray as part of training. This can be one of the most monotonous areas of training, thankfully I wrote a post earlier on 'How to Make Service Practice More Engaging'
Without discipline and desire to succeed keeping a steady routine becomes a mammoth task, so this is really the first task in completing a routine and schedule plan, being able to keep it going.
Sometimes you will have a coach to motivate you, Omar was very quick to credit his coaches in aiding his routine and results. His coaches Ulf Carlsson and Fredrik Hakkanson in Sweden, Erik in France his coach in the Egyptian National Team and also in China. Having external forces to keep you on track is never a bad thing.
Is Diet Also a Part of Routine?
Yes, diet plays a strong part in the life of any athlete. What you eat and when you eat can be imperative to you performance.
Omar likes to keep a strict diet especially in tournaments. "I don't like to eat too much sweet food, I like to eat things which help me keep a balanced energy level like salads and olive oils. It's important to keep my energy as stable as possible during a tournament."
The Key Tip Omar Gives
Omar's biggest tip is simple. Create your own routine. "I recommend to any player to make a routine that works for them and keep it. Something that is special to them."
Omar likes to pray before his matches and read some lines from his special book. Some players like to read lines from sporting books or inspirational quotes. Some players like to listen to soft music, fast music, energetic music, all different kinds. Some players like to stretch for half an hour.
A few years ago I asked some international players what their pre-match preparations involved and if they had any superstitions. Here is the article: Pre-Match Preparations: For Luck's Sake!
Omar also likes to keep his shirts on if he is winning important matches, this is something I like to do also. If I am not playing well sometimes I change my shirt to try and reset and start fresh.
What do you do in your routine which is unique? :) Thanks Omar for the great information! :D
Winning Ugly is the masterpiece book written by Brad Gilbert, a great tennis player and well known as Andre Agassi's coach during his career explosion. Now I'm no tennis player, but the ideas fit really well with table tennis across about 90% of the book. I had the National Team Trial coming up and someone suggested to me that I should read the book as it may help me with my table tennis and sporting mentality.
Winning Ugly by Brad Gilbert
The book itself contains a lot of tennis related ideas and techniques but its main focus is on the mentality and psychological elements of competing in any sport. I read the book twice before my build-up to the National Trial and it made a huge number of differences to my mental game. The player that stepped out to the table on that day was a different player to the one I had been in the past.
I think the great thing about Brad's book is that there are such relatable stories from his playing career and he describes the mental way some players approach the game and you can really picture players you compete with in table tennis who are similar.
Reading the book really made me reflect on my match mentality in previous years and at that point I knew I needed to start making changes if I wanted to see better results. One of his best metaphors in the book is to play like a boa constrictor. A boa constrictor is a snake which wraps around it's prey and tightens it's hold each time it's prey exhales, eventually the prey suffocates. He uses the constrictor to demonstrate pressure in sports. Apply pressure to your opponents weak areas continuously and eventually they will make enough errors for you to win the match. The real moral is not to squeeze your opponent to death, but to apply just enough pressure so they can no longer do anything.
I learnt more about not overplaying shots and I definitely became more tactically aware of what I was doing in matches, I took more time to cement my gameplan and just worked away at hammering my opponents weak areas and locking down their strengths as best I could.
This book is a must read for anyone who wants to improve their mental game in any sport. After reading it I was able to achieve good results at my warmup tournaments, the team trial and the national championships. Arguably I had my best run ever and I definitely give credit to 'Winning Ugly' for its part in the process!
Key Ideas in the Book
Types of players and how to combat their mental tactics
How to control the pace of the game
Knowing which points are most crucial in a match
Preparation for matches and tournaments
Learning how to analyse your opponent and take advantage
Jimmy Butler is the comeback king and possibly the greatest comeback story in the sport of table tennis. A former top 100 international player shows us that determination goes a long way, coming back after 8 and a half years to become US National Champion 21 years after his last title. One of my favourite success stories in table tennis, thanks so much Jimmy! :) Full Name: Jimmy Butler Date Of Birth: 2-15-71 Nation represented: USA Highest World Ranking: 70
Victory at the 2015 North American Cup for Comeback King, Jimmy Butler of the USA
Your Career When did you start playing table tennis? What was your influence to begin
playing?
Started playing at age 5. My father started me in the basement of our home. What were some of your best career wins
in your earlier career? You had a number of top level wins with the
US Team at the 1995 World Cup in particular. Which wins stand out as
being the ones you are most proud of?
Top win- Jan-Ove Waldner when he
was world champion
Most memorable win- Defeating
Damien Eloi in 5th and deciding match of World Team Cup
quarter-finals in 1995 in my home state(at the time) of Atlanta,
Georgia. The energy of the American crowd was amazing and
they inspired all three of us on the team to play over our
heads. What were your major goals in that
stage of your career before you were forced into retirement?
Goals at that stage of career was
to become a world top 20 player. How did it feel to be forced into
retirement so early in your promising career?
My forced early retirement was heart
breaking only because it happened so suddenly as I was beginning to
attain my best results. How did the big comeback begin after 8
and a half years out of the sport? What was it that kickstarted the
momentum?
Comeback began at the beginning of
2012. I was watching the U.S. Championships final live
online and that gave me an itch to pick up a racket. I didn't
intend on returning at that moment...just wanted to play once as I
had not touched a racket in 8.5 years. Once I picked up a
racket for the first time it was like a drug...I wanted more.
Jimmy Butler in his early career
When you first returned did you see
yourself as having a chance of making a big comeback again?
My first return to Nationals was 2012.
I knew I couldn't win there, I just wanted to see how far I could go.
I had a desire to see how good I could
get again within the first two weeks of playing at my club in
2012.
Your major breakthrough was winning the
2014 US National Championships, 21 years since your last victory at
that event. Did the possibility of that happening ever cross your
mind during the event? How did you feel level-wise in comparison with
the rest of the field at that event?
At the 2014 Nationals I felt I had a
punchers chance. I wasn't the favorite, but I knew I was one of
the best 4 players there, even though my US Rating claimed
otherwise. I was very disappointed in my previous (2013)
Nationals result losing in the round of 16 to Yu Shao. That
fueled me to see if I could perform better...I was humble but
hungry. I had a good draw due to top seeds losing early...I
took advantage of it. You won a bronze medal at the North
American Cup in 2014, did you feel that was a significant factor in
your comeback. Returning to the North American Cup in 2015 where you
won the gold medal, did you believe you could achieve that result?
I'll tell you a story of the 2014 North
American Cup that I believe helped me win in 2015...at the 2014 NA
Cup the Canada organizers made a very bad and unfair schedule.
Initially everything was fine, but they decided sunlight was
affecting play through some high windows, so they changed the
schedule and made me play 4 matches in a row with zero rest(in order
to finish all matches while sun low in sky).
The sunlight problem was fixed
before the tourney started (they put shades over windows)but the
organizers decided to not change the schedule back to normal because
they didn't want to put in the effort to correct things back to the
original times.
In my group I lost 1-3, then I
won 3-2 and advanced to round of 16. Immediately I played a 4-3
match, then immediately they made me play the quarters where I won
4-3. That's 23 games in a row. I was 43 at the time, and
that is too much for me, and unfair to make any athlete do that.
It caused me to cramp badly and the organizers then made me play the
first semi final (instead of the 2nd) in the evening against my
teammate Kanak Jha. I pleaded to let me play 2nd, as I was
cramping so bad I could barely move and any extra time would be
helpful. The organizers agreed, but said I must ask a Canadian
in the other semi if it's ok( I wont name his name). The
Canadian knew I was hurting and said no. I was forced to play
the semis first, and I could barely move and was humiliated losing
easily 4-0 to Kanak Jha. I asked to default before the match
due to cramping but I was told I'd get no prize money.
I sucked it all up after losing in the
semis, but I was mad inside, and I felt like I was treated unfairly
and was disrespected as an athlete. I never forgot that, and in
2015 I had a chip on my shoulder. I did not feel I played well
up until the final, but I had great fight and played with all the
energy I could muster. Things went my way in 2015. In the modern era of the game and with
the introduction of the plastic ball how do you feel your style fits
in, mainly in terms of effectiveness? Have you made any major
adaptations to the way your play since coming out of retirement?
The new ball has had no effect on me
personally. The game is more advanced with the bh banana flip,
inside out service and the powerful bh looping game of so many
athletes. I have adapted by learning how to do these things,
although I don't do them well enough yet. In terms of
effectiveness with my game, I'm old school on my bh side off topspin
as I like to flat hit everything. Although looping is better, I
naturally hit better and have no choice but to do that...if I'm doing
it well it is effective.
The Story of Jimmy Butler on USA Today
Your return to the US Team and
successful run straight from the word go on your comeback mission has
really spurred a lot of attention to your story. How would you sum up
the journey back from injury so far?
My journey back from injury has been
very fun and inspiring for me. I was at a big disadvantage
early on because all aspects of my game were so bad and rusty.
I did nothing well, and it was going to take a lot of
effort to regain a decent base to start with. However, I have a
big advantage in that I am very good at not only fixing injury, but
at reversing muscular tightness...a form of de-aging of the body from
a muscular point of view. Although it takes time to do this, it
gives me the ability to play on into my 40's, and 50's if I choose.
I will not get slower as I play, rather I continue to get healthier
and a little faster each year. This can be done to
anyone...eventually more athletes will discover this, and the future
of all sports will see guys playing into their 40's and 50's with a
great degree of health.
Where to from here? There are endless
possibilities given your current platform and results so far. What
are you aiming for? You have to World Cup soon, what are you hoping
for there?
From here I will continue to make my
body healthier, and I will continue to put in time in the practice
hall. I want to keep getting better. If I work hard and
stick with it, I know the results will come. I always try and
follow my Coach Stellan Bengtsson's advice..."If you do
everything you can to improve in the practice hall, then no
matter what happens in competition, you can hold your head high
afterwards knowing you did all you can do."
I have no high expectations at the
World Cup. I am the last seed, and my goal is to put up a fight
and not get embarrassed.
I had the pleasure of meeting the world's best modern defender on a bus in Chengdu on the way back to the player hotel. I had a nice talk with him and organised an interview, it's great for him to get back to me and here it is below! :)
Name: Joo Sae Hyuk Date of Birth: 1980
01 20 Country Represented: Korea Highest World Ranking:
5
When and how did you start playing table tennis? Who was the biggest influence on you to begin playing?
I started ping pong when I was in 2nd grade because my parents told
me to do so. I also did not like to
study.
What was it that made you want to learn the defensive style and become a chopper?
I was a penholder at first for the first
6 months, but my coach told me to change to a chopper. He
believed that I would play better as a chopper due to my
calmness.
What kind of things make it difficult to compete at international level as a defensive player? Do you feel like it is a more difficult style to win with?
Since I was young, I tried to become an aggressive chopper, and
practiced a lot how to make points as a chopper. It would be hard to
win a tournament, but Yes, I definitely believe that it is still
possible to win if you can put pressure on your opponent, and lead
the game.
In 2003 you had an outstanding World Championships and made the final against Werner Schlager. What did that mean for you? Do you think this was your best playing level at this time?
The
final round at 2003 WTTC was the best tournament for me. I became
pretty popular after the tournament and I developed a lot since then.
Do you think choosing the right equipment is very important for a player who learns to chop?
Of course it is important everybody
needs different feelings and
characteristics.
If you could go back and change things in your career, what could you have done to break higher into the top 5 players in the world?
I don't know. It isn't that easy. If I really need something? Maybe
youth
again.
Many players now begin to favour short pimple rubber for disguising spin variation, what is your opinion on long and short pimples and which do you feel is better?
In my opinion, since the ball has been changed, short pips are better
because you may put more variation with it. Of course controlling
with short pips is
difficult.
Your forehand is as formidable as any attacking player among the best in the world, how hard is it to balance defence and finding the right time to attack?
First of all, you need to be quick. You also need to analyze your
opponent well. Then you can get a chance to attack
Who would you say has been your biggest rival over the span of your career?
Ryu Seung Min, Oh Sang Eun. We have been growing up together
and competing each other since
young.
What is the biggest thing which Korea can improve in order to become more competitive with China?
Money and
motivation.
Joo Sae Hyuk in the Chinese Super League
Now, like me, you also have some autoimmune problems. What impact has that had on your ability to train and play matches?
My personality, such as patience, passion, and a strong desire for
winning, made me to overcome all those hard trainings and difficult
times
What are some specialist tips you can offer on making heavy spin chop for defensive players out there?
You
need to have your own
stroke/swings.
What other goals do you have for the rest of your career now?
I want to get a medal at Rio 2016 Olympics. I still want to play my
best, and show great performance to audience until I retire my
career.
Fun Questions
What is your favourite: Sport Other than Table Tennis:
Soccer
Sportsperson: Ronaldo, because he performs good deeds
all his life
Movie: As one (a move named "Korea" in
Korean)
Food: I am not a picky eater. I basically eat
anything
Car: Bentley, Maserati
Holiday Destination: family trip (either domestic or international
travel)
If you could restart your table tennis career what style would you choose?Penhold/Shakehand, Left/Right hand, Attacker/Defender, Pips etc.
shakehand, aggressive
attacker
If you won $1million tomorrow what would you do?
Investment in
stocks
Thank you! :)
Want to read more great interviews with other former World Champions, Cup Winners and Number 1's? Click for MORE INTERVIEWS.
