January 14, 2015

USATT Coaches of the Year

Here's the USATT Announcement. Congratulations to:

  • Coach of the Year: Lily Yip
  • Developmental Coach of the Year: Jack Huang
  • Paralympic Coach of the Year: Ladislav Sranko
  • Doc Counsilman Coach of the Year: Yang Yu

Jack Huang (from my club, MDTTC) won for Developmental Coach of the Year. (He won it primarily as Crystal Wang's coach, but also for others, such as Tiffany Ke and other MDTTC players.) It's his second USATT coaching award - he was Coach of the Year in 1998. (And now you know the answer to the burning question from my January 2 blog - see the Friday "Todo" list, item #15, where I wrote, "Write up Coach of the Year nomination for someone (who shall remain nameless for now)."

These awards are often the only time the top USA coaches get recognized. However, if you really want to see many of the best USA coaches, there's an easy method - just watch the top players and juniors in tournaments and see who coaches them in their matches. You can especially see a "who's who" group of coaches at the U.S. Open and Nationals if you watch the junior matches - especially at the Nationals during the Junior and Cadet Team Trials. Most spectators watch the players; I often find it more interesting to watch the coaches. There's a wide range of them - some are pretty much emotionless during matches, others you can almost tell the score by their faces. Some are calm and collected when coaching, others are animated.

Here's a listing of all the USATT Coaches of the Year since the program began in 1996. Here are multiple winners:

Four Times

  • Teodor "Doru" Gheorge (4-time Coach of the Year)
  • Daniel Rutenberg (3-time Paralympic Coach of the Year, one Volunteer Coach of the Year)
  • Lily Yip (4-time Coach of the Year)

Three Times

  • Stefan Feth (3-time Developmental Coach of the Year)
  • Sean O'Neill (Coach of the Year, Developmental Coach of the Year, and Doc Counsilman Coach of the Year)
  • Dan Seemiller (2-time Coach of the Year, Developmental Coach of the Year)

Two Times

  • Dennis Davis (2-time Developmental Coach of the Year)
  • Larry Hodges (Developmental Coach of the Year, Doc Counsilman Coach of the Year)
  • Jack Huang (Coach of the Year and Developmental Coach of the Year)
  • Christian Lillieroos (2-time Coach of the Year)
  • Richard McAfee (Developmental Coach of the Year, Doc Counsilman Coach of the Year)
  • Rajul Sheth (2-time Developmental Coach of the Year)

This Morning's Blog Was a Little Late Because…

…I was on the phone on USATT business from 10:30PM-1:15AM, and then working on USATT stuff until 4AM. By noon today all of USATT problems will be fixed, membership will hit a million, and all the major network TV stations will be pre-empted later today for a special briefing from the President on why table tennis now tops his domestic agenda. (Am I still in bed dreaming?) Actually, I did get a lot done last night, and the phone discussions were invaluable. But it did add a few things to my todo list, which along with the Great Wall of China are apparently the only manmade objects visible from space.

Team Leagues!

If you live near Washington DC (Maryland and Virginia), New York City, or Los Angeles, why not sign up now for their team leagues? I've blogged a lot recently about the Capital Area Super League, but there's also the New York League and the Los Angeles League. Are there other major team leagues in the U.S.? Let me know so I can blog about them.

Athletes of the Month - December

Here's the article and pictures from USATT. I linked to this before, but I don't think it was highlighted as well at the time. Congratulations to Lily Zhang, Jimmy Butler, Tara Profitt, Daryl Sterling, Jr., and the USA Junior Girls' Team for their outstanding play!

Butterfly Aurora Cup

Here are two articles by Barbara Wei on the 4-star tournament to be held this weekend in Aurora, Illinois. Both Barbara and top-seeded Ruichao Chen ("Alex") are from my club, MDTTC.

Japanese National Team Training

Here's the new video (2:58) of their national team in training in Tokyo.

Expert in a Year

Here's the video (5:00) from Coach Ben Larcombe, and here's the Expert in a Year web page. "The Expert in a Year Challenge follows the progress of novice table tennis player Sam Priestley, as he attempts to go from beginner to expert in just one year and break into the top 250 players in England."

Ask the Coach

Episode #56 - ITTF Star Awards (14:49)

  • Yesterdays #PQOTD  - 0:45: What did you think of the results of the ITTF Star Awards?
  • #PQOTD  - 3:46: Have you noticed any differences in play of the Worlds top with the Plastic Ball?
  • Question 1 - 4:15: Hi guys, lately I have hit a wall against a player 6'3 with long arms who I can't back off the table. I've tried long and short strategies and he just pounds me ..... any advice ? Thanks George
  • Question 2 - 6:43: I confused how to control the direction of my smash. in game I usually smash the ball just to the right of the opponent's table side. I want to ask how to control the direction of the ball while I do a smash. Fairuzi Zafrano
  • Question 3 - 9:01: I qualified for the regional games last october and I have been practicing with myself since then through matchplay only. What can I do to help myself be in my best condition in 1 month for the regionals? What are some exercises I can perform? Wayne
  • Question 4 - 11:15: When I try to do a high toss serve I get two results. The ball bounces high during the contact landing near the net on my side and the other side. Sometimes I manage to keep the serve low but it moves across the table very slowly. What can I do? Sachintha

Episode #57 - The Best Bat to Buy (17:45)

  • Yesterdays  #PQOTD  - 0:48: Have you noticed any differences in play of the Worlds top players with the Plastic Ball?
  • #PQOTD  - 2:40: Should Table Tennis copy other sports and go to a reduced format like 20/20 cricket and Fast 4 Tennis?
  • Question 1 - 3:05: Hey Pingskills, Your videos are very helpful and I have been good with blocking smashes but how do I block a smash with spin on it? - Brock
  • Question 2 - 5:31: I am 15 years old. I began playing around 10 months ago. My rating is 682. Although, I have been showing immense improvement I am still only able to compete against players who are 2-4 years younger than me. Did I begin playing too late? Abdullah
  • Question 3 - 7:03: Hi guys I'm asking you what is the difference between speed glue and water based glue and how does this effect our rubber or how does it damage the wood of the racket. Thanks Barbatel
  • Question 4 - 8:18: I'm a beginner player and enjoy table tennis. I play with friends and they play 21 pts and 4 players. We do 5 serves and serve from the right and left corners. According to the lessons, serves should be only from the right. What are your thoughts? Rita
  • Question 5 - 10:08: what is the best paddles and balls to buy?
  • Question 6 - 12:37: I've got a question about my anti spin rubber. What is the best way to block the ball? (on the backhand) Huub from Holland
  • Question 7 - 14:25: How do I improve myself more easily? Brock

Best Points of Simon Gauzy

Here's the new Highlights video (3:59) showing the best points by world #37 player from France.

Former U.S. Table Tennis Champion Paddles Numbers

Here's the article about 11-time U.S. Women's Singles Champion and 2-time Olympian Insook Bhushan, who now works as an accountant in the Colorado Department of Military and Veterans Affairs Budget Office.

Ping Pong a Game for Everyone

Here's the article from the Hattiesburg American. "But in this week's column, I want to talk about a real sport — one of deft skill, requiring a sharp eye and lightning quick reflexes. It's an unforgiving sport, punishing the smallest mistake but rewarding precision and control. It's a game that's simple to learn, but truly takes a lifetime of commitment to master. I'm talking, of course, about table tennis, more commonly known as ping pong."

Female Table Tennis Player, Male Coach Suspended Over Late-Night CCTV Footage

Here's the article and video (8:15) - shocking!!!

Chinese Players in Local Attire

Here's Ma Long and Fan Zhendong (?) in local Arab attire after the recent World Team Cup in Dubai, United Arab Republic. Here are more pictures.

12 Horrible Messages in Forrest Gump

Here's the video (8:22) - or go directly to 3:07 where there's 9 seconds on table tennis!

Are You Not Table Tennis Entertained?

Here are pictures you'll wish you'd never seen.

Goldfish Pong

Here's the cartoon!

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