Is Conformity of Styles Hurting the Sport of Table Tennis?

This is a topic that you may have considered subconsciously but never really discussed. Maybe when I talk about it you will notice. I spoke to a couple of players during the World Table Tennis Championships, legends of the sport, one in particular was Jorgen Persson - 1991 World Table Tennis Champion. A big topic for me with the players from past generations is what they think about the progression and changes in the sport. Here is some food for thought about 'conformity of styles'.

Is table tennis losing diversity of style and character?

How Training Drill Selection Can Impact Your Improvement

Training hard and working up a sweat is one way to improve but there are some small details that can restrict you from reaching your potential. One of these key factors is choosing the right training drills, failure to do so can stifle your improvement. I will explain why.

Don't forget to check out over 40 other helpful articles at my Coaching Blog.

Improve by choosing the right training drills

Sweden's Golden Era Legend - Interview with Jorgen Persson

It was my great honour to catch up with Sweden's legend Jorgen Persson at the 2017 Liebherr ITTF World Table Tennis Championships in Dusseldorf, Germany. Jorgen has been one of the most prominent players in the sport, helping a powerful Swedish team to reach the top of the world and repel a strong Chinese movement. Hope you enjoy the interview!

For more top player interviews visit my Interviews Page.

Full Name: Jorgen Persson

Date Of Birth: April 22, 1966
Nation represented: Sweden
Highest World Ranking: 1

Jorgen Persson - Courtesy of ITTFWorld

China's Grand Slam Table Tennis Sensation - Interview with Ding Ning

I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Grand Slam champion Ding Ning during the 2017 ITTF World Table Tennis Championships in Dusseldorf, Germany, as she attempts to claim another world crown. Special thank you to Wu Yue for helping me with this and translating!

For more interviews with top players, visit my Interviews Page

Name: Ding Ning
Date of Birth: 20 June 1990
Nation Represented: China
Highest World Ranking: 1

World Number 1 Ding Ning - courtesy of ITTFWorld

Pro Tip Blog: Pioneering the Backhand Banana Flick with Petr Korbel

It's been a while but I managed to get something together to write a new blog post finally. The Pro Tip Blog is an area of my blog which I really wanted to develop more but had a lot of difficulty contacting the players I wanted for it. Fortunately I was able to organize this new piece on the backhand banana flick or the chiquita with its pioneer, Petr Korbel. I have laid it out in more of an interview style piece with some additional ideas below.

Pioneer of the backhand banana flick - Petr Korbel

How To Beat Your Practice Partners in Matches

I had a great question this week asking how to beat the players you practice with, who know your game and particularly your serves. This is a great question and I really had to take a little time to consider how I would go about answering it because it is a very difficult area of the game. Hopefully I can provide some insight!

For more advice and help in multiple areas of the game, visit my Coaching Blog.

Jorgen Persson
Courtesy of elevenpoints.wordpress.com