May 19, 2015

Another Eventful Day

Here’s a rundown of yesterday’s events.

  • Disabled Veterans Camp. From 10AM-1PM I ran the first day of a two-day clinic for disabled veterans. (I did this last August as well, so perhaps it’ll be an annual thing.) It was supposed to be four days, but we didn’t get anyone signed up for Wed and Thur. We only had three signed up for the first day, but have about ten coming today.

    I went over the basics – grip, forehand, backhand, pushing, serve, receive, and looping. We used the robot a lot. There was a wheelchair player, so I spent some time with him going over the differences there. I also explained various organizations – USATT and Paralympics, MDTTC, and local leagues. The players were surprisingly good – probably close to 1000 level with a little practice.

    There was an interesting juxtaposition at the start – on three nearly adjacent tables we had two disabled military veterans (one in a wheelchair), two Buddhist monks in full robes who had come in for lessons, and two 2550 players (Wang Qing Liang and Han Xiao).

  • Orthopedist. I arrived at 2:20 PM for my 2:30 PM appointment for my arm problems, but they were overbooked, and I didn’t see the doctor until 3:25 PM. After a rather painful examination where he basically pushed at the injury in every possible way and I found all sorts of creative ways of yelling “Ow!”, he concluded what I sort of already knew, that it was tendonitis. He gave me a brace to wear when I play, a type of inflammatory cream, and in a few days I start ultrasound treatment. The brace, a Bandit Therapeutic Forearm Band, does seem to relieve some of the pressure. It fits on the arm like this. We’ll see how it goes – this morning I’ll try the brace in action.

    Meanwhile, I’ll likely have to cancel all my private coaching this week, as I did last week, and as I did a couple of other weeks when the arm first started hurting. However, let’s see how the arm is today, my first day with the arm brace.

  • USATT Teleconference. The USATT Board had a teleconference last night from 7PM to about 8:30 PM. Here’s a brief rundown.
  1. Roll Call and Conflict of Interest (no conflicts)
  2. Approval of Minutes from March 28 board meeting in Baltimore. The minutes were only distributed about an hour before the meeting, so not everyone got a chance to read them, and so it was tabled. We’ll vote on it next meeting.
  3. 2015 World Championships Report. Much of this was from CEO Gordon Kaye, and included info on the U.S. getting the World Veterans Championships for 2018. There was some discussion of some issues, such as the new rule (starting Oct. 2016) where coaches can coach between points; a lowering of the time limits required before juniors who switch countries can represent their new country; and of a new task force to look into fixing the problem with hidden serves. (I may get involved in that.)
  4. Financial Review. CEO Gordon reported on this. All is well for now.
  5. Review of 2015 Strategic Initiatives. Gordon reported on a few of these doings, including sponsorships, marketing, fundraising, RailStation and ratings, and committees. I’ll comment more on these perhaps when the minutes come out.
  6. Discussion about next in person board meeting. It’ll likely be in late August. (We have a teleconference scheduled June 15.)
  7.  Legal Update and Executive Session. Alas, I can’t talk about what happens in Executive Sessions. But Wow!!! Golly!!! Jesus!!! (I guess you just had to be there.)
  8. Adjourn.
  • A little Photoshopping. Didn’t feel like going to bed, so had some fun with Photoshop – see Jimmy Butler segment below. (Sorry Jimmy!)

The Spirit of Pong

Have you bought a copy yet of The Spirit of Pong, my new table tennis fantasy novel? Well, for gosh sakes why not?!!! (Here’s my blog about it.) C’mon, it’s only 100 pages, even you can get through it!

Crystal Wang and Derek Nie Featured in Washington Post

Here’s the article and pictures in this morning’s paper, where they are featured in “Kids Post.” (They are both from my club. I’m quoted in the article.) Here’s what the paper version looks like. (I’m not sure, but you may need a Washington Post account to see this – but if so, it’s free.) I have my own copy since I get the Washington Post every morning in my never-ending quest to destroy the Amazon forests and convert them into table tennis books to sell on Amazon.com.

Jimmy Butler Makes Breakthrough at North America Cup

Here’s the article and a supposedly 44-year-old Jimmy Butler winning the North American Cup, with an obviously doctored photo to try to hide his true age. Now, in a TableTennisCoaching.com exclusive, the truth comes out - I give you the Actual Picture of Jimmy Butler as he wins!

Seeing Your Opponent: Knowing Where to Hit

Here’s the new coaching article by Samson Dubina.

Ask the Coach

Episode #126 (33:55) –Topspin Variations.

Dan O’Connell: Full-Time Table Tennis in Germany

Here’s the podcast (25:53) from Expert Table Tennis. O’Connell is the #1 player from Wales.

Zhang Jike Training

Here’s the new video (7:33).

Tahl Leibovitz Gets a Master’s

Here’s his robed graduation picture. He’s the author of Ping Pong for Fighters and a Paralympics Gold Medalist. (Here’s his bio.)

Butterfly Party at the Worlds

Here’s video (1:26) of the party they held at the Worlds – see how many big names you recognize!

Portable Net

Here it is! It folds small, and attaches to just about any table. I have one, which I often take on trips. You never know when you’re going to want to string up a net and play somewhere.

Prince Harry Plays Table Tennis

Here’s the article and pictures from Table Tennis Nation.

Opus, Bloom County, and Berk Breathed Makes Fun of Table Tennis

Here’s the cartoon. “Welcome to POTV…the 24-hour Cable ping-pong network…all day…all night…exciting ping-pong! Ping-pong news…ping-pong personalities…lots and lots of ping-pong…”

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