Interview with Thomas Keinath

says Check out my Podcast Talkin' Smash!
says Check out my Podcast Talkin' Smash!
Moderator
Oct 2010
2,655
1,350
4,197
Read 12 reviews
33
See original content at http://matthetherington.blogspot.com

"No Pain, No Gain" Keinath Lives up to His Favourite Line

Thomas is an energetic and successful table tennis player who has had a lot of success in Eastern Europe and the United States over the years, including having 2 victories at the US Table Tennis Open and frequently appearing in the Challenger Series where he has had great success. On his site he confesses to being one of the craziest players in the top 100 World Rankings, a real character and great to watch! Thank you Thomas for the interview.

Full Name: Thomas Keinath
Age: 34
Date of Birth: 31.08.1977
Nation Represented: Slovakia and Germany
Highest World Ranking: 53

268276_10150232569951872_43283691871_7665052_82135  7_n.jpg

Thomas Keinath
Image Courtesy of Joola USA


Equipment Used: Joola
Blade: Sting FL
FH Rubber: Haifu
BH Rubber: Joola Explore Max

Your Career:

How long have you been playing table tennis, when and how did you start?
I started when I was 8 years old


What is your biggest and proudest moment in table tennis to date?
The Brazil Open. I was 3rd place. I beat 3 Top 20 WR Players. And the US Open. I won that two times.

What is your next big goal for table tennis?
I want to play the Olympics next year.

Why do you think the Chinese are so dominant in the sport? Who do you think will be the next country to rise and start beating them?
Nobody. Maybe Japan. Many young player come up.

What do you think the sport of table tennis is lacking around the world? What could be done to improve it from an international player’s perspective?
Practice in China.
Thomas works towards developing the sport already and has a table tennis school and a table tennis shop under his business Keinath Sport. He also has his own site at http://www.thomas-keinath.de/thomas-keinath/

keinathsport.png


Thomas also has a forum at www.tischtennis-community.de/forum


Who is you favourite international player?
Timo Boll and Wang Tao

What do you think is the hardest thing about playing table tennis internationally?
Service and return and counter loop. You must pratice these 3 things very much.

What do you think is most important in creating a successful international player?
Pratice very hard and train many balls and try to play many tournament

If you are winning 10-0 do you give a point or try and win 11-0?
In very very important tournament I try to win 11-0. Everything is possible that you can lose.

Do you feel the Challenger Series is good for developing your game and do you enjoy the competition?
Yes I enjoy this tournament and I can try more things that I learn in pratice.

Off Topic Questions

Favourite food:
Chinese food and Slovakian food
Favourite Movie:
All funny movies
Dream Car:
BMW X6
If you were stuck on a desert island, which table tennis player would you have with you there?
My girlfriend. She playing also very good. And my best friend Torben Wosik and Zoltan Feyer-Konnerth
First thing you would do if you won $1 Million:
I will buy a new house.

Thomas' US Open 2010 Final against Sharath Kamal Achanta
 
says hAHAHAHA THANX MATE :D
says hAHAHAHA THANX MATE :D
Well-Known Member
Mar 2011
1,877
145
2,076
54
If you were stuck on a desert island, which table tennis player would you have with you there?
My girlfriend. She playing also very good. And my best friend Torben Wosik and Zoltan Feyer-Konnerth

Interesting answer to the question, but I doubt his best friends want to be stuck on a deserted island. ahahahaha
 
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Active Member
Sep 2011
913
66
1,009
Read 4 reviews
I personally love his attitude towards the sport, but hate his technique. From what I've heard from players in the U.S. that play him, his style of play is so very awkward. His technique is mostly all home grown and his service is very good. He's able to hit shots at very weird angles with the use of his wrist. As far as a TT school would go, I would not want to learn from him other than maybe service and some tactics. I don't think people can be successful as he is with his technique. He's just that one of a kind player that no one can really compare to.
 
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Well-Known Member
Jun 2011
3,095
1,277
5,264
Read 7 reviews
Yes Dingo, hopefully..
But I think there are many people who doesnt like his technik.. Its really weird.. :D
Right now you can see him in the Challenger series, where he will play Fedor Kuzmin in the morning :)
And probably later in the finals too..
I would like to know whats the language he speaks when he is angry during the matches.. I dont understand a word and I do speak Slovak and also German and English but it sounds so weird.. :)
 
This user has no status.
haha true he plays very strange, odd technique, but he is very good still, great ball contact and timing :) apparantly a "serve specialist". Enjoyable to watch, a friend told me that on the last world champs he spent all day in training hall, and someone asked him why he plays so much and non stop (from my understanding he wasnt even in the competition) and his reply was in a very uber enthusiatic manner: "I JUST LOVE TABLE TENNIS, IM A TABLE TENNIS FREAK!" haha :)
 
This user has no status.
I would like to know whats the language he speaks when he is angry during the matches.. I dont understand a word and I do speak Slovak and also German and English but it sounds so weird.. :)

In the past he used German most of the time but sometimes its a bit hard to understand ;) He has a bit of a lisp an if he speaks really fast you soemtimes have to concentrate a bit more to understand everything correct :) And what many people don't know that he has some hearing problems so it's even more impressive that he is such a good player...
 
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Well-Known Member
Mar 2011
3,144
143
3,552
Read 1 reviews
haha true he plays very strange, odd technique, but he is very good still, great ball contact and timing :) apparantly a "serve specialist". Enjoyable to watch, a friend told me that on the last world champs he spent all day in training hall, and someone asked him why he plays so much and non stop (from my understanding he wasnt even in the competition) and his reply was in a very uber enthusiatic manner: "I JUST LOVE TABLE TENNIS, IM A TABLE TENNIS FREAK!" haha :)

Haha! What a guy :D
 
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Active Member
Sep 2011
913
66
1,009
Read 4 reviews
He is not joking when he says he's the craziest player out there. He's got a fantastic attitude toward TT. He's always happy to talk about it or play a rally. I've heard he's had some great connections with the U.S. and North American organizations so that helps him a lot.

As far as technique goes you teach what you can show. If you can't show someone how to do what you're telling them to do then your credibility goes way down. I'm sure that he teaches the use of his wrist with a more standard forehand drive, but there's not doubt that a lot of his views on TT are just extremely old fashioned. His footwork is not as advanced as the Chinese and it really mimics much of Vladi's footwork where he will be in position based on his placement of shots, but he is also about tactics and with the use of his wrist he's able to stick to his strategy because he'll plan it all out ahead of time with adaptations based on the opponents position.
 
says 2023 Certified Organ Donor
says 2023 Certified Organ Donor
Well-Known Member
Sep 2011
12,822
13,211
30,389
Read 27 reviews
Interesting answer to the question, but I doubt his best friends want to be stuck on a deserted island. ahahahaha

Give the man credit. first thing out of his mouth was he wanted a WOMAN. That is a man who knows his priorities and how to deal with a situation.
 
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Well-Known Member
Mar 2011
3,144
143
3,552
Read 1 reviews
Top