Tip of the Week
Should You Hit or Loop the Backhand?
Two Weeks in a Desk
I'm still fighting off the cold I've had the last two days. However, I was already out of shape before I caught it.
The two weeks working on Tim's History of U.S. Table Tennis, Vol. XIII, left me way, way out of shape. Sitting at a desk 12-16 hours/day for two weeks can do that to you. On Saturday, after coaching all day (arriving at the club at 10AM), I was a practice partner for a 4:30-6:30 match session. By this point I was exhausted as well as out of shape and stiff as neutronium. I was also probably tired from the early stages of the cold I would not realize I had until the next day.
Yet, by playing sound tactics, I was able to beat a 2300 player, and mow down a whole bunch of 1800-2000 players all 3-0. Here's a summary of tactics I used to make up for slow feet, an erratic forehand, and general exhaustion.
USA Team to the Worlds
Here's USATT's official announcement of the USA Team to the World Championships coming up in Paris, May 13-20. (Peter Li qualified for the fourth unfunded spot on the Men's Team, but turned it down. The fifth spots were coach's picks - Chodri and Lin.)
ITTF Education Platform
Here's the page - "the new learning platform for the International Table Tennis Federation."
Ping-Pong: Head Game
Here's an article in the New York Times on table tennis this past weekend. The author writes, "This is not the kids’ game I grew up playing in my dorm at school."
Qatar Open
Here's the home page for the Qatar Open that was played this weekend, with results, articles, and pictures. Here's a video (8:24, with time between points removed) of the all-Chinese Men's Final between Ma Long and An Yan. Here's a video (6:23, also with time between points removed) of the all-Chinese Women's Final between Ding Ning and Liu Shiwen.
Zhang Jike: Fully Recovered?
Here's an article on Zhang Jike's recovery from a series of poor performances.
Interview with Joo Saehyuk
Here's an interview with the South Korean defensive star.
New York City Table Tennis Academy
Here's a video (4:26) featuring the NYCTTA and Coach Ernesto Ebuen.
Wang Liqin Tricks
Here's an article on Wang Liqin, which includes a 21-second video of him doing table tennis tricks, including showing how tacky his rubber is. (It holds the ball upside-down.)
World's Perfect Vacation?
Here's beach table tennis.
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