Breaking 2000 - Now in Paperback!

JimT,

Thank you, Chronos.

You are correct. I did not make everything super obvious. One can interpret some of the information differently and will find more in same sections than another reader. It is done on purpose to accommodate both young and adult audience.

The way the book is structured, same topics come up numerous times in various parts of the book. I also tried to always recap and go back to previous sections so that the PATH is clearly identified. I tried to bold out sections in quotes in the paperback to state main points, but in some areas, I really could not do it, because I would have to bold out complete pages or sections. Nevertheless, because of the bolded sections in paperback, the subtleties are better visible.

Regarding the books. I prefer books that are written by plain people for plain people. I prefer logical reasoning than scientific, so I tend to seek out books that are experience based not "medically" proven. I don't know how to explain it, call me a minimalist I guess.

So yes, I read a few, and no the one you mentioned is not on my list. I looked at it when it came out and while I don't want to immediately jump to conclusions, the introduction really read like power point presentation. I need simple plain language, I need logic not bullet points, so I am probably not going to acquire a copy.

I did read some other ones. My top 3 are:

1. Winning Ugly by Brad Gilbert - a MUST OWN, not just read. ( I also suggest reading "I got your back" another book by Brad Gilbert. It is best for someone interested in coaching. )
2. With winning in mind by Lanny Bassham - it is great for understanding and learning how to energize yourself positively and use visual reinforcement.
3 Last one, I don't know if it exists in English and it is not what you expect. It is not about table tennis at all. I can't really translate it to any other name than "Psychology of close quaters combat". It is a book on weaponry in close proximity situations. It covers speed, reaction, bodyguarding techniques. Its not about table tennis at all as I said, but it teaches quick observations, quick movements, mobility, preparedness, and commitment to actions as opposed to inaction.

Hope it helps.

Chronos, since you liked the book, could I trouble you for a favor? Any chance you could add a few words about the book on Amazon? Thank you in advance.

Originally posted by mhnh007 I'd like to see you give more detail on how you deal with these bad losses, and perhaps use it to maybe comeback stronger...  Was there a time when you actually doubt yourself (You mention that your coach has some doubt in the beginning).  I am sure every player has to go through this from time to time, and each one deals with it differently, but since you have a goal and agreat expectation of yourself, these bad loss must have been devastating to you.

Three of the biggest rating point losses in a tournament for me were 76, 68, and 67 points. These are not large losses in comparison to lots of people I know. So it depends on what you mean devastating.

Was I disappointed that I had losses to lower ranked players? Yes. Was I upset? Absolutely. Was I devastated? Umm, no, not at all.

The biggest problem I had was not the losses, but the fact that I could attend a tournament and have great wins and bad losses all at the same time. My performance and focus were fluctuating. Some of it comes from how I deal with my diabeties during competitions - sometimes I handle it in a very poor way and that has an immediate impact on my movement and reaction. However, looking at other reasons for losses, such as bad strategy, unforced errors, etc. I do not feel ashamed for losing. Actually I am quite glad I lost, because the loss pointed out something I had to work on. Something I could correct by working on it.

So in short I was not quite devastated, I was just very much impatient.

The answer to dealing with this is quite simply, more patience. I use hard work to clear my mind and nothing erases the losses better than harder and finer focused training. Sometimes, one also needs to take a little break, but I guess every person has their own approach to re-aligning their goals and recover their initial drive and focus towards the finish line.

Sorry for a late response. I have been away for a few days and did not have access to email.

 

Thank you for your feedback!

 

In regards to your questions, I don’t mind typing so I will put up the responses here on the pages so readers can follow it.

 

1.

Before I begin to answer this question, I would like to urge you to look past the age of a player. Player’s age is important when looking at the physical aspects ( and family time commitment constraints ) pertaining to the game, but during training, this is not something that is crucial. I think first thing to do before looking at the hours one spends on training is looking at what is it exactly that the time is spent on.

 

There are many things in training that can be done more efficiently. Patience is probably the biggest element us “older” players can bring to training. Improved logical understanding of why we work on certain exercise is another. Repetition obviously has its benefits but it is not necessary to only aim to achieve high repetition.

 

You seem to have figured out how much time you need to spend training to maintain and improve. That is a good measure. Regarding my 2.5 years of training, I have spent 7 days a week playing for the most part of the first year. Then, most of it I’ve spend training about 3-5 days a week for about 4-5 hours a day. Hence my improvement. Looking back however, I think if I had to do it again, I could have been even more efficient with some other things, but I think that is material for the next book.

 

2.

Balance in coaching, playing, and tournaments is one that will be different for every player because of the different skills the player may be working on. Some skills require more time to improve others less, so its best to do things in terms of long term goals and short term goals. This works for both coaching, and tournament.

 

The way I worked on things is discussed the elements my coach and I would work on and then plan the tournaments around the milestones for training. That way I was ready to compete with the tools I had learned and was more capable of using these new tools in the game. Unfortunately I have also competed when I had no confidence in using new learned material and fell back to the old way of playing the game. This was not always good in my experience.

 

For coaching, you need a sustained schedule. It is best to train with the coach once a week for an hour every week, rather than come out for cramming sessions or camps once in a few months. You need someone to teach you and also to monitor your progress. Without that, you have no true commitment from the coach and also you are left alone to perfect a new skill, which is not enough to do in a single day of practice.

 

One of the examples of getting a lesson every blue moon is telling the coach you have a problem with a forehand and he looks at it and sees it as a “timing problem”. So you start working on the forehand ( attempting to fix the timing ), while in reality timing problem is caused by a wrong foot position. In the case of training with a coach who you only see once in a blue moon – the foot position will be overlooked.

 

Back to your question, I am in a pretty much the same boat right now as you are. I only practice and play two times per week at most. I have to plan out my tournaments in the future and mark the ones I will attend ( while having my wife agree to me going too J ). Then I try to schedule training sessions well in advance to get ready for the tournament. After practice sessions with coach or partner, I usually aim to play games and win or loose I will execute what I have been practicing. I don’t care whether I win or loose in the club match using the elements I have just practiced, I aim to win the tournament instead by preparing for it properly.

 

3.

I think for the most part, it is not possible to earn a living coaching table tennis unless you are national level and well recognized, so I don’t buy into the tournament coaching time as something coaches need to be paid for. I think it is in the coach’s interest to come out to his player’s games and see their progress in order to modify the training plan. I also think that coaching during tournaments is the only place where players can be taught to properly learn and apply strategies and tactics – which is another reason why coaches need to come out for these events with their players.

 

Besides, there is no better advertisement for a coach than a player’s accomplishments – the players progress and wins! So coach should come out and and advertise himself!

 

 

If I am ever in a tournament and you guys need coaching help, come and grab me. I am willing to help. I might not be able to allocate a lot of time depending on whether I am playing or not, but I am certainly open to helping others.

 

Hope this helps.

Originally posted by capablanca8 Thank you, Leshxa, for the very thorough and helpful reply!  The biggest problem I find is what you describe here:    "Unfortunately I have also competed when I had no confidence in using new learned material and fell back to the old way of playing the game. This was not always good in my experience."    I, like many others, find it a challenge to integrate what I learn from a coach into competition play--esp. when a game is on the line!  I like your idea of using club play to practice implementing what you worked on in a coaching session--and not worrying about winning or losing club matches.  This makes good sense.  I think I have to play these matches without caring about losing to players that I may be able to win against.    For busy folks, club play can sometimes be frustrating, since some of the good clubs can be crowded.  And then you spend half of the time waiting instead of playing!  (This is even more the case if you lose matches, which means you don't get to stay on the table!)   Thanks.

I understand. It seems that if you are not winning matches in the busy club, you are wasting time. I have been there and also remember feeling that I am sitting instead of playing. However, in the long run, tweaking your game and eventually improving is a better alternative even if you have to give up some matches while you try to integrate the learned material into your match play.

If winning is very important ( because you should always aim to win ) you have other alternatives, such as taking a lead early and winning 2 games before you begin to "experiment". You could find a balance and try to insert new material when you are up a few points or down many points - when you have nothing to lose.

I guess the biggest thing that we all can learn is that nothing in table tennis learning is ever black or white. There are many gray areas that can be used to your advantage. The learning patterns are different and if you are creative enough, you can always figure out a way to achieve a balance in practice, learning, and competition. This balance is different for every person, but if you can find the level of balance that works best for you, it will serve as a great platform for further improvement.

Originally posted by Toprank Originally posted by capablanca8 Leshxa,  I just read your book in the paperback edition and enjoyed it very much.  Your advice was both inspiring and practical!  I will recommend it to my friends.    I have a few questions.  It is possible you have already addressed some of them online, so feel free to direct me to those posts.    1.  How many hours a week of training do you think is necessary for significant improvement?  It seems to me--as a middle aged player learning basic skills and strategies--playing/training intensely (2-3 hours) once a week allows me to maintain my skills; and twice a week of training allows for slow, gradual improvement.  There is steady improvement, but nothing even close to the kind of progress you made over 2.5 years.    2.  What kind of balance do you recommend between coaching sessions, playing at clubs, competing in tournaments, etc.  Do you recommend playing as many tournaments as possible (which also take up a lot of time!), or to play one every couple of months?  Did you do lots of club play every week in addition to working with your coach?  I'm trying to figure out how best to use the approx. 6 hours I have each week for TT.    3.  I think it is awesome that your coach watched and coached you through so many matches.  Getting that sort of feedback is amazing.  I'm not sure all coaches are willing to do that though, or many may charge some kind of fee, which I think is fair enough, since coaches need to earn a living.  I see lots of coaches in the corner for juniors and also for very high-level players.  But I rarely see coaches there for beginner-intermediate adult players.  Do you recommend trying to get your coach to observe as many of your matches as possible?    Thanks, and sorry for so many questions!  Perhaps you will become a coach one day! : )     Some of what you mention above is what I've experienced since I started playing T.T. at a club in the last year. When I first started I lost to all the regular guys.   We basically have three groups. Newbies- which I've always been able to beat and people stay away from because of a lack of a challenge. The old spinmasters and the Loopers. I ended up playing old spinmasters the most because the newbies weren't challenging and the loopers typically just played each other. The old spinmasters tried to get me to play a much more conservative style. Telling me that I had to push their push. I was determined to loop their constant pushes and lost and then sat down, lost and sat down and lost and sat down again. At times it was frustrating. At times I decided to give in and push with them realizing I was getting the same results because if I get into a push contest with these old guys I'll lose every time, but when I attempt to loop it and miss, I still lose.   But to me it was and still is a PROCESS and I said if I continue to practice looping their push, eventually I'll have something they don't have which is a more aggressive style. This past monday I beat all the older guys that rely on spin, funky serves, and you making mistakes. Now I gotta go to the next step and take on the loopers and learn how to deal with heavy top spin. Since I was a newbie they stayed away, but I'm progressing and getting games off them now.   Anyways, long story short understand that is a process and I don't look at my results or read too much into one loss or another. Make sure you are progressing to the type of player you see yourself and keep trying to make improvements in that direction. Even if that means losing and sitting.   I actually held my table for entire night last monday for the first time. People came and went and when I first started I lost to every single one of those players, now it's my turn.

Edited by Leshxa - 03/21/2012 at 2:07pm

Originally posted by mcam9-15  No offend. But your stroke look weird.

That's the only reason he is not a world champion by now

Originally posted by JimT Originally posted by mcam9-15  No offend. But your stroke look weird. That's the only reason he is not a world champion by now

That's right. That and maybe 15 more years of training and maybe 200k extra in resources

Originally posted by kickass Originally posted by Leshxa Originally posted by mcam9-15  No offend. But your stroke look weird. None taken.  Are you referring to the picture on the book cover? he must be referring to your videos. to be honest i find your stroke somewhat unconventional also.  your forehand looks like a seemiller stroke.  obviously not necessarily a bad thing since seemiller became world class with that kind of stroke.

Could you describe what you see? Perhaps I am not seeing the same thing. My forehand stroke is relatively short and I drive the ball by going through it, although I can go around it with brush for slow spin. I think the reason I have this unconventional style is that my upper body strength allows me to deliver the shots this way without exerting lots of force from the legs. I am working right now on improving the use of my footwork for the same strokes. I think my forehand looks different in the latest videos than in the Introduction video.

Feel free to chime in. I am interested in your opinions.


Edited by Leshxa - 03/21/2012 at 10:37pm

Originally posted by kickass it looks like you are holding your blade close to orientation as seemiller grip which has a natural motion like a wiping motion. i could not see very clearly but it looks like you are not cocking or bending your wrist back when you loop or drive. in other words, your blade head slightly leads your wrist, am i right?  conventional shakehand looping stroke generally has the blade head in straight line with the arm or slightly trailing the wrist, more like dragging the blade than pushing it.  also as you said you may be using upper body strength more. i think conventional forehand looping stroke involves more weight shift from the back leg to the front leg.

Actually not quite. My wrist is back most of the time on power shots. I am a power player, so its an element that allows me to maintain consistency on that stroke. The follow through on the open wrist makes the blade seem that I hold it differently, but by that point, the ball is long gone. I use the "orientation" hold on some shots where extra spin is necessary without the speed - it actually was something new I was working on with the coach last year.

What I think I do differently is that I tend to go through the ball more than around the ball, hence my elbow is becoming a forward directional pivot point, rather than forward and upward pivot point, but looking at how the spin was generated with the 38mm ball, I seem to have some elements of that in my spin shot.

I have been working on fixing the shift in balance on forehand shots, but it is a work in progress. With my limited training at this time, I don't focus too much on technique. I try to pay more attention on the strategy and tactics in the game. I also began to focus more on improving my defense and counter attacking, instead of always being a power player. Besides, forehand is not the shot that wins me the most points.

Honestly, I really do not compare the look of the stroke and try to copy any players. Technique is measured by the quality of the shot based on a wide variety of incoming shots. So far, I have not hit any problems with my present technique - my consistency is pretty constant against a wide variety of shots that I encounter. If I will begin to experience problems with some of the incoming shots, I'll start looking at how to tweak it, but if its not broken why fix it?

Funny thing is that I used to do more windshield wiper strokes and inside out loops on the forehand, but have not been using these shots in many many months. Maybe I should go back to it. Those were very fun and deceptive, especially on the opening loops.

I just wanted to bump this thread. My girlfriend bought me this book spontaneously and I started reading it and never put it down. Just wanted to say thanks for taking the time to put something like this out there. It's really insightful.

Thanks guys for the feedback. I'm glad you find my "work" worth while ( can't call it work since I truly enjoyed writing ).

I do have some good news though. Recently I rolled back over 2000 again and now I'm at my highest yet 

@beeray1

By the way, if a girl buys you a table tennis book - she is a keeper!!!!


Edited by Leshxa - 09/25/2012 at 8:52pm