Newgy’s Blog

Encouraging and coaching fellow club members at tournaments is one of best aspects of a competition. In this article, I’m going to outline how to coach another player between games. If I were coaching a friend or student, here is what I might possibly say.

Good game – you ended strong with a nice comeback.

He is having difficulty when you attack first into his wide forehand; try to open most of your loops to his wide forehand side. Once the rally begins, your opponent nearly always backs off the table. Once he is far from the table, his backhand with pips gets pretty weak.

Remember to keep using your strong loops; stay close; be aggressive; and try to play long rallies. You are much more consistent than he is in the long rallies.

The above coaching had 3 parts:

#1 Positive Comment

Good game – you ended strong with a nice comeback.

Your friend needs to see that you are on his side. Don’t start arguing with him; stay positive!

#2 Two Observations

He is having difficulty when you attack first into his wide forehand; try to open most of your loops to his wide forehand side. Once the rally begins, your opponent nearly always backs off the table. Once he is far from the table, his backhand with pips gets pretty weak.

You are suggesting some game sequences that worked very well for him during the previous game.

#3 Reminder About Using One’s Strengths

Remember to keep using your strong loops; stay close; be aggressive; and try to play long rallies. You are much more consistent than he is in the long rallies.

Giving your friend positive reminders is one of the best ways to build his confidence.

Samson Dubina

When the entry form for the U.S. Olympic and National Team Trials came out, for once, I didn’t throw it in the trash. Usually the U.S. Team Trials event is part of the U.S. Nationals and working at the Newgy Robo-Pong booth keeps me so busy that performing at my best is difficult. But with the London Games this summer, the Trials would take on a life of its own in Cary, North Carolina on February 8-12! Having played at the Cary Cup quite a number of times, I knew it would be a great opportunity to get a little of the Olympic athlete experience in a great venue!

Joining me in the process was Liliana Kohann. She boldly stated that “If you go, I will too”. Once the entries were confirmed, the training schedule was created. Utilizing the Newgy Table Tennis Training Center for a combination of robot training with the Robo-Pong 2050 and personalized coaching, Liliana and I were training a minimum of two hours per day during the week and a Saturday session lasting four to six hours!

My core drills on the Robo-Pong 2050 consisted of drill #6 (two ping-pong® balls to the backhand followed by two to the forehand) done at the regular designed settings for two cycles of two minutes, then adding to both the speed and frequency for the next cycles. I focused on actively blocking for two cycles of two minutes, then with an active block on the first ball and a loop on the second. This drill is great at improving the recovery time between two strokes while still requiring movement.

My second core drill was a modification of drill # 52 or Falkenburg (two backhand ball locations, followed by a wide forehand ball). Using the Robo-Soft application, I moved the wide forehand closer to the center line. Having had a knee injury, I wanted to build the strength of movement first then gradually go back to the wide setting over the course of the near two months of training.

The third core drill was for serve return, it was a mix of drills #16 and 17. The focus was attacking the under spin, so I would alternate a flip or roll, then a fast, low and deep push.

I always ended my robot session with a random session either drill #26, 27 or 28 to increase my anticipation. My goal was to loop with more spin than speed every time – regardless of the position!

Roger Dickson

I’m happy to report that I earned my spot on the United States Olympic Team by finishing in first place out of a twelve-man round robin this past weekend! This qualifies me for the next and final stage of the Olympic Trials, which will be against Canada in April.

On top of that, I’ll be going to the World Team Championships in Dortmund, Germany. Even though I feel like I’m so close to achieving my goal of becoming an Olympian, I know that there is still a long way to go and I can’t look back now. My schedule for the next two months is pretty packed in order to prepare for the upcoming tournaments. In 11 days, I’m headed back to the TopSpin Club in California for a few weeks to prepare for the World Championships. Then, I’ll fly to Frankfurt and meet up with the rest of the Men’s team to have some pre-worlds training in Grenzau, Germany.

After finishing the World Championships, I’ll fly back to San Jose for another few weeks of training there. Finally, after a few weeks, I’ll fly back to New York and pack my bags for the final stage of the Olympic Trials in Cary, North Carolina. The next few months are going to be difficult, but I’m sure that I’ll get through them and perform my best at both tournaments.

Wish me luck!

Michael Landers

This event is open to all participants. This is not an event for disabled people nor does it count for rating. This is the only event in a tournament where all participants have an equal opportunity to win. In this event, the higher rated player is “handicapped” because he gives the lower player points. The match is played 1 game to 31 points. The amount of handicap will depend on your rating vs. your opponent’s rating.

For example:

Bob is rated at 890 and Sue is rated at 1124. Because Bob is 234 points lower, he will start the game with an 8 point lead.

Wang is rated at 1560 and Steven is rated at 2577. Because Wang is 1017 points lower, he will start the game with a 25 point lead.

If 2 players are very closely rated, they both start at zero, there is no handicap.

This event is fun yet very competitive because everyone has an equal chance to win. If you are entering a tournament to win money in the main events, it is a great consolation event if you don’t walk home with your desired result. If you are playing in the recreational events, it is a great opportunity to beat one of the “top guys.”

Samson Dubina

All serious table tennis players should have a long term goal. This requires hard work over an extended period of time. To make each practice session more effective, it is important to write out an exact game plan. In this article, I’m going to ask you many questions about your game. Get a notebook and write out answers to each of the following questions. Once you have answered these questions, it will be easy for you to write detailed strategies on how to progress your game.

During the next year, look to improve one level; this is a great starting point. If your rating is under 1000, then a level is about 300 points. From 1000-2000 rated, a level is about 200 points. From 2000-2600, a level is about 100 points. Over 2600, a level is about 50 points. Your goal should be to improve your game, not your rating. Your USATT rating just gives a starting point to make your goal.

Start out by watching many players who are one level above yours and ask yourself the following questions listed below. Once you have answered these questions, you should have a good idea of what your weaknesses are. It is very important to continue practicing your strengths as well as improving your weaknesses.

How are their serves better than mine?

Do they have more spin?

Do they have better placement?

Do they have more spin/placement variation?

Do they keep with bounce lower?

Do they disguise the backswing, contact point, and follow through better than I do?

Serving practice is one of the fastest ways to improve. You just need a table and a bucket of balls. Focus on keeping your short serves spinny and low with good variation. Focus on keeping your long serves fast as a surprise with good placement.

How are their serve returns better than mine?

Are they able to attack the long serves?

Are they able to control the short serves with a variety of returns – flip, drop, and long push?

Are they able to adjust to different spins?

Are they able to keep the ball low enough?

The best way to progress your serve return game is to play against many different opponents by playing at different table tennis clubs and tournaments. Instead of merely trying to touch the ball back onto the table, learn how to stroke the ball onto the table using spin. Your opponent’s spin will affect you less and you will be making it more difficult for your opponent on the next ball.

How are their attacks better than mine?

Are they able to attack with more power?

Are they able to attack with better placement?

Are they able to attack more consistently?

Are they able to attack with both forehand and backhand?

Are they able to counterattack against an attack?

Are they able to consistently attack both backspin and topspin?

Most likely, power is not the main problem. The main difference is usually ball placement and consistency. If you attempt ten opening loops in the first game and miss five of them, it’s like spotting your opponent five points before the game even begins.

How is their defense better than mine?

Are they able to return many different loops?

Are they able to combine both offense and defense?

Are they able to vary their defense?

Are they able to adjust to different kinds of attacks coming at them?

Many attackers only focus on attacking. In tournaments, you cannot always attack first. In this case, you will need to learn how to block, chop, or counterloop. If you have no defense at all, you probably won’t move to the next level.

How is their footwork better than mine?

Are they able to make small steps and adjust for every ball?

Are they able to make long dives to save a wide ball?

Are they able to move forward and adjust in for the slow block?

Are they able to move in-and-out faster for the short ball?

Footwork is one of the main reasons that top players are very consistent. This takes time to develop. If you improve your balance and footwork, you will see long-term benefits.

How are their game patterns?

Most players have very common patterns that they consistently play again and again. Some players have very fast serves followed by hard smashes. Some have well-placed opening loops followed by killer forehand loops. Some have heavy pushes followed by a wide block. If you have several patterns that you can force onto your opponent, it becomes much easier to win a few cheap points each game.

How are they able to adjust to the playing conditions?

Are they able to quickly adjust to strange tables, balls, floor, and lighting?

Do they have a pre-game warm-up and stretching routine?

Most top players will arrive at a tournament venue three days in advance to adjust to the conditions and prepare well. Even if you can’t arrive three days early, I suggest that you arrive at least two hours early to do some light jogging, stretching, basic warm-up, footwork, points, rest, and then another brief warm-up just prior to your match.

After you have answered these questions, highlight the areas that you feel are keeping you from that level. Each month, take up the task of improving two of your biggest weaknesses. Every month, review these questions and update your answers based on how your game is progressing. Hire a professional coach to give you guidance on how to improve long term. Changes take time, so be persistent in practice and look to have great results within one year.

Remember to also keep practicing your strengths! By keeping your strengths strong and improving your weaknesses, you will be on your way to the next level.

Samson Dubina