Newgy’s Blog

I’m sure you have heard of “Balls of Fury”, right? How about “Forrest Gump”? What about “Korea”? If you answered “yes” to the last one, you must be thinking of some other movie. But next year sometime there will be a new table tennis movie coming out called “Korea”.

It is based on the true story of the division of North and South Korea. During this, the women’s table tennis teams of North and South Korea combined at World Championships. It is told through the eyes of the head coach of the team at the time. She even played a large role in making the movie. She edited the script and even taught the actors to play with the correct technique. So look for this next year in theaters.

Pierce Scott

Chances are that you’ve heard someone say, “I would have beaten them if it weren’t for that nasty serve that they had.” If you think about it, your service is really the only part of each point that you have total control over in table tennis. You are the only person who dictates where the ball will go, what spin it will have, and how fast it will be. Though service practice is often overlooked, it is a necessity for any top player.

The smartest way to practice your service is by taking your time on each ball and pretending that you’re in a tight match. If you have noticed, it’s quite difficult to serve short with decent amount of spin whenever the match is close and near the end of the game. It is very important to take your time on each serve while practicing to simulate match play. When I was younger, I would place 3-4 balls in my hand at a time and just keep serving one after another, which I later found out was not useful in the least bit.

Here are a couple of tips you can use to help you make the most out of your serving practice:

· Serve one ball at a time

· Be patient with your serves

· Begin serving short without a lot of spin- as you get more consistent you can gradually add different types of spins

· Study some videos of the top players’ serves- the contact, spins, placements, etc.

· Experiment! – This is VERY important. Try to create your own serves and see what works. Chances are you may develop a weapon of your own!

Good luck and happy practicing!

Michael Landers

It is a well-known fact that practice makes perfect. It’s virtually impossible to just get good at something overnight. Just like in any other sport, muscle-memory is extremely important in table tennis. When I was younger, my coach would have me stand in front of a wall for 20 minutes each day practicing my forehand stroke. In table tennis, stroke repetition is possibly the most important method for a beginner. It is an absolute necessity to have a basic stroke that is exactly the same every time before you can move on to more advanced play. If your arm movement deviates too much, developing a more advanced stroke in the future is nearly impossible. Many players who never had a coach to show them how to properly hit the ball use the unorthodox strokes they learned in their basement and find it difficult to improve their game. By learning how to hit a correct forehand and backhand, the chances of improvement are greatly enhanced. There are so many table tennis players who maxed out their potential due to the sole reason of not learning the game correctly. The basic forehand stroke should go something like this:

You should start somewhere around your hip and finish in line with your forehead. By accomplishing this, you put yourself in the right spot for becoming a better player.

Other info:

Many newcomers to the sport of table tennis never learn one important thing: the proper stance while hitting the ball. It’s important to position your legs correctly so that you are properly balanced. For right-handed players, you should position your left leg a tiny bit in front of your right, enabling you to get into a rhythm while rallying forehand to forehand. While hitting the ball, try to transfer your weight from your right leg forward. For left-handed players, do the opposite. (Right leg in front of left) Make sure your legs are positioned correctly and remember the stroke: low to high – this generates the spin on the ball, thus making it arc over the net and landing on the other side of the table.

How to practice:

To practice these first steps to becoming a champion, set your Newgy Robo-Pong table tennis robot on a relatively low frequency and speed. Have the robot dispense the ball to your forehand and do so for about 20-30 minutes every day. When I was younger, I would do the same with my Robo-Pong every night. I quickly saw an improvement in my game. If done correctly, you’ll be ready to move onto the next step in little to no time at all.

Good luck and have fun!

Michael Landers

Earlier this year I decided to move my table tennis training inside the gym that my trainer owns. I placed a top-of-the-line Cornilleau ping-pong® table along with a Newgy Robo-Pong 2050 table tennis robot inside the large wooden-floored space in the downstairs part of the gym. I have been training with the robot and lifting weights nearly every single day since.

Now, I don’t have to travel all the way to the city for training, and have a huge space with high ceilings to play matches with people in, unlike my house. Everything has been working out great thus far, and my friends at the gym are starting to see how much of a workout table tennis can actually be with the Robo-Pong. Having the Robo-Pong in the gym is great because it allows me to train by myself and also teach and correct others’ strokes without having to feed them balls by hand. A few people there already want robots for themselves and are looking into it!

Michael Landers

Picture this: You are playing the most important table tennis match of your life in the final round, crowds have gathered, big money is at stake, you are preparing to serve, the score is 9-9… should you call timeout?

The question above could be answered “YES” or “NO” depending on the circumstance. In the above situation, you should possibly call timeout if:

1. You need to consult your coach. If you are unsure on what to serve or what strategy to use, ask your coach.

2. You are serving. The server usually has the advantage because he sets the tone for the point by choosing the spin, speed, and location of the serve.

3. You are fatigued. At 9-9, you might need a 60 second rest to recover from a long match. When you are fresh, you can serve better, move better, relax more, and think more clearly.

4. When your opponent has momentum. In the above situation, if you were winning 9-4 and your opponent tied the score at 9-9, you need to call timeout. If you were losing 9-4, then had a great comeback, don’t call timeout.

In conclusion, your timeout is a great tool if chosen wisely. Don’t forget to take 6-point towel breaks to help recover as well; consider those to be “mini-timeouts.” Also, think clearly between points. You don’t need an official timeout to think strategy, take a few deep breaths, and beat your opponent!

Samson Dubina