September 21, 2016
New ITTF Coaching Rule and Board Discussion on Saturday
This Saturday at 9:30AM the USATT Board will have a teleconference on whether to adopt the new ITTF Coaching Rule that allows coaching between points. I think it’s a horrible rule, and yet we’d be handicapping ourselves if we don’t adopt it, so it’s not an easy decision, and I’m still undecided – though I’m leaning slightly toward adopting it, with a note in the minutes that we should take this up again at the December Board meeting so we can evaluate it. This is your chance to chime in.
Here’s what Samson Dubina wrote me about it:
It is a terrible rule and should never have been passed by ITTF. However, as you mentioned in the blog, we need to follow the ruling if we want to have any chance to have success at the international level. USATT really needs to have a conference call about this asap. Myself, as well as the other US Coaches, need to be developing a system of communication with our players and have a few months to adjust and perfect the system.
Here’s my letter yesterday to the USATT Board, which includes links to my two blogs on the topic. (Some people have text-only email, so I put the links in explicitly.)
Dear Board,
The decision on the new ITTF coaching rule is not going to be an easy one, and could be the most consequential vote we make this year as it will have a major impact on the sport. I think it's a horrible rule, but at the same time I'm struggling with whether we should adopt it, since if we don't, our players will not be prepared when they play at the U.S. Open, the North American Teams, and in the various Olympic, Pan Am, and Paralympic continental trials. (Those are all run under ITTF rules.)
I have blogged about the issue twice. On August 19 I blogged about why it's a bad rule, and gave 14 reasons:
http://tabletenniscoaching.com/node/2470On August 26 I blogged about whether USATT should adopt the rule:
http://tabletenniscoaching.com/node/2476On July 7, the USATT Umpires and Referees Committee voted 4-0 (see Motion 2) that USATT not adopt the rule:
http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Table-Tennis/Features/2016/July/25/Umpires-and-Referees-Committee-Motions-and-Actions"MOVED that the URC make the recommendation to the USATT Rules Committee and USATT Board that ITTF's new rule permitting coaching at times other than between games not be applicable for United States tournaments that are neither ITTF sponsored nor sanctioned."
Strangely, though they voted on July 7 to make this recommendation to the USATT Board, I do not believe they ever notified the Board of their recommendation to us. (I don't know if they notified the Rules Committee.) On Aug. 30 I asked the Rules Committee Chair (Kagin) for their recommendation on this, but was told they had no recommendation at that time.
As a professional coach who will have to coach under these new rules, I am disgusted, and am not looking forward to this. I'm fairly certain that the rule will be overturned within a few years, but we'll see.
-Larry Hodges
Women’s World Cup
Interested in attending this international event, which takes place in Philadelphia, Oct. 7-9? MDTTC has a special group rate discount. Here’s info! The best women in the world will be there, including the top two women in the world, Liu Shiwen and Ding Ning of China, and USA’s own Lily Zhang.
Looping Flips
Here’s the new coaching article by Samson Dubina.
MH Table Tennis Coaching Blog
Here are the coaching article archives of Matt Hetherington, with 31 different articles. (I think I’ve linked to them all over the last few years as they went up, one by one, but now you can browse them all at once!)
USATT League Software Ready to Launch
Here’s the USATT news item.
Full Youth National Teams for 2016-2017
Here’s the USATT Announcement of the final selections.
Most Expensive Coach in the World?
I am the most expensive coach in the world. Well, sort of! This past Sunday I had a 90-minute session with a player from out of town come in on business in DC, which is about 20 miles south of my club, MDTTC. The actual cost of the lesson was $90. However, he also spent $176 using Uber to get back and forth, so it was $266 total, or about $177/hour. That’s my new coaching rate. Any takers?
34th World Table Tennis Championships and Sportacus ‘77
This is my newest table tennis book – the 204-page program for the 1977 World Championships, which John Olsen gave to me over the weekend. It’s now the latest addition to my collection of 239 table tennis books.
Ping Pong Partyz in the DC Area
Here’s the new business – “We provide young and fun professional level ping pong players to provide entertainment for events and parties.”
Table Tennis Camp for Veterans with Disabilities in Phoenix, AZ
Here’s the USATT article.
A Museum Devoted to Table Tennis
Here’s the article in the Shanghai Daily (in English).
Quadri Aruna Hopes to Surpass Quarter-finals Record at World Cup
Here’s the article on the Nigerian star from the Nigerian Daily Post.
Japan’s Table Tennis Star Fukuhara Announces Marriage
Here’s the article. She’s marrying Taiwan's table tennis Olympian Chiang Hung-chieh.
Chinese Fans go Crazy for Fang Bo
Here’s the video (37 sec), with Adam Bobrow doing the commentary. Now imagine if that were Ma Long or Zhang Jike!
Nurse Pong, 1942
Here’s the picture from a 1942 issue of Shorpy.
Classical Music + Ping Pong =
Here’s the video (1:22)!
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