December 10, 2014

Tuesday Coaching and Neck & Arm Update

I only did an hour of coaching yesterday, but it wasn't easy - both my neck and arm were hurting. However, I don't think I'll have to miss any sessions over it. I have three hours of coaching today. If it does get to be a problem I'll bring in one of our top players/practice partners and they'll do the hitting while I coach. We'll see. (Ultimately, this is I'll have to do. I'm getting slower every year, alas.)

One of the two kids I coached yesterday is an interesting case. He's seven, and not at all serious about playing. He's the definition of a goof-off. I wish I had video of him back in January when he joined our afterschool program with all the desire, focus, and hand-eye coordination of a three-year-old. And now? No, he's not on track to be U.S. champion, but he's really beginning to pick it up. If I can just keep tricking him into learning without his realizing he's learning, next thing you know he'll be old enough to play seriously, and he'll have the foundation needed to reach a high level. He can even loop, in multiball, against either backspin or topspin. If he does reach a high level, the first time I hear someone say something like, "Oh, he's just talented" I think I'll tear my ears off.

USATT Stuff

Readers, I'm doing a lot of writing about USATT since I'm the election for the USATT Board. Bear with me on this for just a few more days, and soon I'll be back to blogging mostly on coaching issues! I'll be out of town for two weeks starting next Monday (coaching at Nationals and Christmas with family), and so won't be blogging after next Monday until after Christmas. Then I can go back to more coaching related issues, along with regular USATT updates, whether I'm elected or not.

USATT Committees

On my Election Page I wrote, "A few years ago most of the USATT committees had the word 'Advisory' added to their names, which emphasized that they are only advisory rather than action committees. That was a mistake. We need committees that get things done, not just sit back and advise."

Why was it a mistake? These committees need to work on a regular basis with the CEO as they implement programs to develop the sport. For decades when I talk to USATT people I've constantly heard about their plans, but the plan-to-implementation ratio is unbelievably high. Rarely are these plans actually put into practice. Even as I write this I know I'll be surrounded by people at the Nationals telling me about their plans - but that's the problem, it's always plans. This has gone on roughly since USATT was created in 1933. Often a lot of time and work go into these plans, just as a lot of work is done in advisory issues. And while we should be grateful for this work, there is something missing.

From the USATT Advisory Committee Responsibilities, it says:

"Advisory Committees (ACs) are, by definition, advisory in nature to the Board of Directors and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). ACs are not policy making bodies but they can recommend policy and operating procedures to the Board or CEO."

The problem here is the emphasis is on advising rather than doing. Having an Advisory Committee advising the USATT Board or the CEO may sound nice, but who is going to do the actual implementation of these programs? The tiny, overworked USATT Staff? Rarely. That leaves volunteers - except they are stuck on Advisory Committees that are mostly advising!!! There's a reason why USATT struggles to implement anything. Contrast this with, say, USTA (tennis) or SFWA (Science Fiction Writers of America), two organizations I'm familiar with, which get a huge amount done using volunteers.

Now let's look at the Committee Responsibilities, from the same document. It says:

All ACs are expected to perform the following tasks:

  1. Submit articles to the magazine on a regular basis on topics relevant to their respective AC’s missions.
  2. Review and update all respective AC related materials on the website
  3. Submit web/blog posts to the webmasters on a bi-monthly basis. Posts should cover a topic related to the committee’s area of focus and be of interest to the general membership.
  4. Meet on a regular basis (suggested monthly) via web or teleconference to ensure continued progress on committee-related responsibilities
  5. Meet face to face annually at either the U.S. Open or U.S. Nationals/Annual Assembly, provided committee members are able to make the trip.
  6. Submit minutes of any meeting conducted for posting on the website. Minutes are expected to be submitted in a timely fashion, within 30 days of a meeting date
  7. Submit an annual report on committee activities in December of each year to the Board and CEO. Present and discuss the committee’s annual report at the subsequent Board meeting.

Read through this as many times as you need to convince yourself that there isn't anything listed there about implementation! The closest is #4 - but what are "committee-related responsibilities"? Ah, but we're getting that.

Further along in the document it gives more specific responsibilities for each of the Advisory Committees. Over and over you see words like "recommend" and "develop" and "review." ("Review" is a favorite, used 18 times. Apparently a lot of reviewing going on!) Rarely does the word "implement" occur - and where it does in the progressive committees, sadly nothing is really happening right now. Part of this is because of a lack of funding, but as I've shown in my blogs, there's a lot you can do with little funding by organizing and using volunteers.

Here are a couple of typical examples. From the Club Advisory Committee guidelines, it says, "Review the existing USATT club membership structure and advise the Board on the promotion, growth and support policy of clubs." So they will advise the board on this, but who is going to actually implement something to actually promote, grow, or support clubs? Or from the League Advisory Committee guidelines, where it says, "Develop plans to promote the growth of affiliated leagues." I haven't seen these plans, but if they exist, who actually implements them? I'm guessing we may actually have some good plans sitting around - but that's all they mostly do, sit around. I'm already in the process of implementing a local Capital Area League - or more specifically, two gung-ho volunteers I'm working with are doing it, both with experience in overseas table tennis leagues - and if it works, it could become a proto-type for a nationwide regional league that can spread everywhere, one of things I promised if elected.

Here is the list of USATT Committees. As I've blogged before, I divide USATT issues into "progressive issues" and "fairness issues." Both are important, but USATT tends to get bogged down on fairness issues and so never develops the sport with progressive issues - and those are the ones I want to focus on. Some of the committees I consider central to these progressive issues include the following:

  • Junior Advisory Committee
  • Senior Advisory Committee
  • Tournament Advisory Committee
  • Clubs Advisory Committee
  • League Advisory Committee
  • Coaching Advisory Committee
  • Hardbat Advisory Committee
  • Marketing & Fund Raising Advisory Committee

But notice - all eight of these committees are all Advisory Committees! Sure, they can take the initiative sometimes in progressive ways (as the Coaching Advisory Committee did a few years ago to adopt the ITTF Coaching Program, and as others sometimes do), but these committees are by definition advisory in nature, and so that's what they mostly do. We need ones that are progressive in nature, who will work together and with our CEO to develop our sport. These "Advisory" committees should be central to developing the sport in this country - but the emphasis needs to be on developing the sport, not advising on how to do it. Implementation is key.

There are also six Standing Committees. But five of them are clearly in the "fairness issues" department, leaving only one non-advisory committee in the "progressive issues" category - the High Performance Committee (HPC). So out of all our committees, we have exactly one progressive non-advisory committee. That needs to change dramatically. (Alas, I'm told the HPC budget is being cut dramatically next year due to USOC funding cuts. They will have to get creative.)

I'm told by one committee chair that dealing with the Board is a headache, simply because they are not really knowledgeable or even interested in their topic, meet infrequently, and you have to spend too much time trying to convince them of various things. Plans change, but it's difficult for committees to change once their annual plans are approved. From the Advisory Committee Responsibilities listing above, it says, "ACs will conduct their business in accordance within a budget that is approved by the Board on an annual basis." The problem is that the budgets are itemized, and so once it gets its annual approval, it's stuck in stone, unable to change without another board vote.

Once we have the right people in the right positions, we need to give them great freedom to do as they think best. The board still oversees when they choose, mostly at budget time, but as long as they stay within budget, I want committees to have the freedom to operate more independently, working with USATT mostly through the CEO. That may mean changing their plans in mid-stream when the situation arises, but so be it. At the least allow this with the go-ahead of the CEO rather than having to go through the entire board each time there's a change in plan.

Have You Practiced Your Serves Today?

The Nationals start in six days. If you are not going (what's wrong with you?) then you probably have other tournaments, league matches, or other important matches coming up. Have you practiced your serves? Well, why not??? Here's my article "Practicing Serves the Productive Way." Get to it.

Ask the Coach

Episode 45 (20:45) - Ma Lin's Awesome Flick

  • Discussion - 1:10: 2014 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals. The Draw is out.
  • Response to Yesterday's #PQOTD  - 4:30: In what year will a Non Chinese player win a World Mens singles championship? - 2031 :)
  • #PQOTD  - 7:09: Why are left handers over represented on the World Rankings list? Xu Xin and Ding Ning are both number 1.
  • Question 1 - 7:32: Can you explain to me the Ma Lin awesome flick? Nick V
  • Question 2 - 9:17: I am a defender, my opponent attacks on my forehand and I would play a very fast deep chop but my opponent just plays it short and I need to run for it. So is it right to play a fast, deep chop or should I play a normal chop allowing him to attack? Rutvik
  • Question 3 - 13:52: I struggle with my backhand topspin against loose/dead balls which are just dropping of the edge of the table. I also sometimes find myself doing the stroke either in slow motion or too much vertical, why? Mudit
  • Question 4 - 16:48: I played against a top player in my school. I lost points when he does a very fast topspin serve to my Backhand side. Sometimes I can return with an attacking topspin stroke. But then he increased the speed and sometimes put a little sidespin. Nicho

Core Muscles

Here's the article by Samson Dubina.

International Table Tennis Skills

Here's the promo video (1:20) for the new coaching DVD by Samson Dubina! And here is where you buy it.

Nittaku ITTF Monthly Pongcast - November 2014

Here's the video (12:48).

Pride of Africa Takes the World by Storm

Here's the interview with Nigeria's Quadri Aruna by Matt Hetherington

Jan-Ove Waldner Reflexes and Touch

Here's the repeating Gif image. Context: He was giving a point to the opponent (Primorac) because the Umpire had made a wrong decision in the previous point.

Toronto Maple Leafs Dion Phaneuf and Phil Kessel Play Ping

Here's the article from Table Tennis Nation.

Ping Pong Cakes and Cookies Ideas

Here are pictures and discussion - just in time for the holidays!

Lily Zhang and Prachi Jha Chewing on Their Bronze Medals

Here's the picture!

"Here's an empty table."

Here's the cartoon!

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