The future of Table Tennis

RIPPER · Dec 28, 2011

---Its up to you---

Okay guys, I want to start a big discussion here on how we personally can revolutionise our sport table tennis for the better. We always talk about the ITTF or National Governing Bodies needing to make a change to help boost the sport, however what can we do personally as individuals to make a change. I want us to come up with good ideas that we can all put across to other people in the World of table tennis. Lets make 2012 our year for TT! If everybody puts that extra bit more of effort into their community then maybe one day we can see table tennis continually progress as a major global enterprise in the future.

Where will table tennis be in the future? And what ideas can you suggest to make the sport more globally recognised?

Photo by: sports.soho.com

Dan · Dec 28, 2011

Awesome discussion, I think what is truly needed is people to firstly encourage people to get into the sport. For example, students and junior aged players need to spread the word around their universities and schools about local table tennis clubs. Young people could also set up after school clubs and help push people into table tennis, or at least give them the opportunity on how amazing this sport really is.

The members and committees in clubs need to all help contribute to promoting the sport locally and not just a one off advertisement. There needs to be an intense intensivity into really pushing the sport in their local areas. Its proven that table tennis can be played at all ages, so everyone can take part thus bringing more people together.

Head coaches/presidents/managers/admins of different clubs need to try link in more with other clubs to cooperate, to encourage friendly competition and to introduce regional training academies that often leads to progression stages for those that want to excel. This will hopefully stop young children dropping out of sport as research by SPARC shows that 70% of children drop out of sport between 13 and 17. It is believed that they drop out as they lose interest due to a lack of fun and competitive variation. Table Tennis needs a huge boost of promotion!

As RIPPER stated, its important that every single one of us on TTD, or anywhere else in the World, need to voluntarily help bit by bit to put this sport into the forefront of the sporting World.

YosuaYosan · Dec 28, 2011

About table tennis future..
WSA will be a great leap to Europe's TT for sure

Chinese will still be one of the strongest force in the future.
Japan's youth together with French's, South Korea's and many others (such as Shibaev from Russia) will be a force to be reckoned with.

To promote table tennis..
We need to keep promoting the sport in any way I could, thats how. Our position, age, experience is different, so one's way to promote might be different from another. Some upload YouTube vids, some held an open exhibition but all is good and well for the sport. Dan is also right that we need to do it VOLUNTARILY with or without reward since the sport being promoted is already a reward.
For now, I help everyone who has technical problems in TT (within my ability of course), advice some people who need to know about equipment, playing fun table tennis with kids, etc but one day I will build a TT academy

So watch out Indonesia will be a great force in TT too >:-D

In the end I hope that the new 'spinless' ball won't destroy table tennis

ConcretePong · Dec 28, 2011

Working to do our part

Permanent outdoor table tennis is almost unheard of in N. America. In China, Germany and increasingly in England tables are available at many parks and schools. China and Germany in particular have achieved Massive Availability. You can go to the park and play TT just like you can go to the park Soccer fields or basketball hoops. Massive Availability not only allows everyone to pick up a bat and ball and play it also builds a larger stronger fan base.
We strongly believe that Massive Availability is key to putting the sport over the top. Permanent public and school tables multiply the opportunity for everyone to get started. Outdoor school tables in particular expose students who can then be given the chance to compete through school leagues or friendly playground competition. Indoor tables are often taken out for a few days a year and stored to make space for other gym activities. Concrete won't replace wood any time soon in the competitive TT world however, concrete has excellent play characteristics and most importantly, it LASTS.
There's a lot more to it than that it's just my intro on this topic.

WiWa · Dec 28, 2011

First of all, I like the expression 'boost the sport'. I'll do that for sure

More on-topic, I think that the concrete tables are a very good idea to make people interested in our sport. The point of it is of course that they will start to pick up playing TT in a club, which not even has to be in a very serious way. Growth of recreational players can also help the growth of the sport as a whole.
To lift the level of play in a country, you must start young. In the club where I play there regularly are clinics/classes for kids from like 5-10 years. It is often a replacement for a school activity I believe. If you get a small percentage of those groups to try out the sport, there will be a decent growth. The practise groups in that age range have grown from those events. And in order to make the clinics interesting, I think it is important that we show what table tennis has to offer, for example by playing an exhibition match. Everyone who has played table tennis for some years can do stuff that makes people go 'wow'. And hopefully they will add: 'I want to be able to do that too'

On the long run, it is good for the sport if there are some national heroes. If not, the sport will not be taken seriously by many people. So it needs a bit of luck as well, that a talented kid walks in to try tt in a professional environment. But if you get many kids to try out tt, the talented ones will automatically be noticed I guess.

harrybelafonte · Dec 28, 2011

It has to come from the top,better tournaments, better set ups, more atmosphere, smaller venues with more crowds, sort out the ball, sort out boosting,make the rubbers cheaper,better coverage, more live coverage,more euoropeans stepping up to the plate,maybe a europe wide practice programme with the top players more often.
as iv said before the major manufactures are making a fortune from rubbers etc they should be puttng more Cash back into the sport.
It is big in Germany due to most of the factors above.Maybe put all the chinese/asian players in one half of the draw..( joke) but maybe they could try it a invitation tournys...so you get a euro asia final...have a world senior invitiation,legends event with big money, waldner, douglas, gatien,klampar,hammersly, popova, boggon, seemiller,jiang , guo,,
make the courts smaller so players can leap the barriers,like they used to.. More controversy more zhang jike moments, let it go....Characters, more edge, connors v mcenroe etc...its all a bit nice..the chinese players give it plenty and take no prisoners, primorac, gatien used to run round the court on big points.more emotion...
Maybe a dedicated venue purely for table tennis in each country over europe ,like shlagers academy.An intersting design , so it could become the wimbledon of its country.
invitation events like defenders v attack, left handers v right, mens v womens h/cap matches, world, olympic, asian,europe, top 12 challane to determine the universe champion.
.But it needs to come from the ittf and they have to do it soon...

RIPPER · Dec 28, 2011

Dan said:
Awesome discussion, I think what is truly needed is people to firstly encourage people to get into the sport. For example, students and junior aged players need to spread the word around their universities and schools about local table tennis clubs. Young people could also set up after school clubs and help push people into table tennis, or at least give them the opportunity on how amazing this sport really is.

The members and committees in clubs need to all help contribute to promoting the sport locally and not just a one off advertisement. There needs to be an intense intensivity into really pushing the sport in their local areas. Its proven that table tennis can be played at all ages, so everyone can take part thus bringing more people together.

Head coaches/presidents/managers/admins of different clubs need to try link in more with other clubs to cooperate, to encourage friendly competition and to introduce regional training academies that often leads to progression stages for those that want to excel. This will hopefully stop young children dropping out of sport as research by SPARC shows that 70% of children drop out of sport between 13 and 17. It is believed that they drop out as they lose interest due to a lack of fun and competitive variation. Table Tennis needs a huge boost of promotion!

As RIPPER stated, its important that every single one of us on TTD, or anywhere else in the World, need to voluntarily help bit by bit to put this sport into the forefront of the sporting World.

Great stuff Dan, yeh market marketing the sport needs to have a huge increase in order for the sport to flourish.

YosuaYosan said:
About table tennis future..
WSA will be a great leap to Europe's TT for sure
Chinese will still be one of the strongest force in the future.
Japan's youth together with French's, South Korea's and many others (such as Shibaev from Russia) will be a force to be reckoned with.

To promote table tennis..
We need to keep promoting the sport in any way I could, thats how. Our position, age, experience is different, so one's way to promote might be different from another. Some upload YouTube vids, some held an open exhibition but all is good and well for the sport. Dan is also right that we need to do it VOLUNTARILY with or without reward since the sport being promoted is already a reward.
For now, I help everyone who has technical problems in TT (within my ability of course), advice some people who need to know about equipment, playing fun table tennis with kids, etc but one day I will build a TT academy So watch out Indonesia will be a great force in TT too >:-D

In the end I hope that the new 'spinless' ball won't destroy table tennis

Thats awesome to hear yosua, yeh the academies are great but then to get into the wsa you need to be very good what sort of things do you think could e done for those with lesser skills?

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The future of Table Tennis

RIPPER

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Dan

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YosuaYosan

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ConcretePong

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WiWa

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