Prime Age

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The prime age for any aspiring athlete is always next year. There are already enough hurdles to deal with for age to be a psychological headwind.
 
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Generally the muscles and strength of a human peaks at age 25. So a logical answer would be around 25. But of course other factors must be included and it's very individual.
 
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I would say 22-28 and after that we usually dont see them around alot !
 
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Pro I'd guess 22 - 28 or so. Certainly the ability to be very good before or after that.

Amateur? Certainly you'll be in your athletic peek during that same timeframe but the real answer is that it's almost unlimited. I've seen too many good TT players in their 60s or up who can wipe the floor with good players 40 years younger than them. That's what's great about this sport.

So I would say there really isn't one as much on the amateur level. Just depends on how much time you can or are wiling to put in and/or get professional coaching.
 
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the correct answer is : 70
I never played better than I do now. (Mind you i do suck at TT) ;)

Joke aside, it is not just a physical thing, don't forget.
TT is a lot about what goes on between the ears and there comes in just about every match the moment when it comes down to Brain vs. Brain .........................which is of course why I suck at TT :D
 
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Chinese earlier, europeans later.
 
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the correct answer is : 70
I never played better than I do now. (Mind you i do suck at TT) ;)

Joke aside, it is not just a physical thing, don't forget.
TT is a lot about what goes on between the ears and there comes in just about every match the moment when it comes down to Brain vs. Brain .........................which is of course why I suck at TT :D

Yeah, well anyone that’s classed as being ‘in their prime’ anywhere between the ages of 10 and 28ish ( before mental and physical fitness has started to drop) should be given a suitable handicap, such as playing with shoe laces tied together, blindfolded, using a racket that is the size of a teaspoon, that sort of thing,

am I jealous, you frickin bet I am ;););)
 
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This question is hard to answer. Years ago, it was thought that players peaked when they were young in their early 20s. With the success of Timo Boll and some others, some players are playing extremely well close to 40. I think a lot depends on the player's style and their ability to stay healthy. Table tennis isn't just an athletic endeavor, although many athletes in other sports these days are able to maintain their skills while approaching 40. Table tennis has a strong mental component, so experience counts for a lot and experience comes with age.

When I went to China to train at the ancient age of 22, they told me I was too old and made me practice with people who basically never had played before. It was quite depressing. That was some time ago, so maybe their philosophy has changed with Ma Long and Xu Xin playing phenomenally at age 30.
 
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Pro I'd guess 22 - 28 or so. Certainly the ability to be very good before or after that.

Amateur? Certainly you'll be in your athletic peek during that same timeframe but the real answer is that it's almost unlimited. I've seen too many good TT players in their 60s or up who can wipe the floor with good players 40 years younger than them. That's what's great about this sport.

So I would say there really isn't one as much on the amateur level. Just depends on how much time you can or are wiling to put in and/or get professional coaching.


This, though I'd say pros can usually make it to the mid 30's on average (in some cases, late 30s). Amateur...at least 50...
 
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This makes no sense.

I think this is alluding to the fact that Chinese players typically have trained so many hours and in a manner in which it is common to see such players going through the professional system reach their peak at around age 18. Likewise, entering the national team has a lot more barriers and is more time sensitive in China than it is in European countries. European players oftentimes haven't put in the same manner (emphasis on technique vs. matchplay and strategy) and time of training, and oftentimes peak in their 20s.

I am not sure if that is what Lula is saying but that's my guess.
 
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I think this is alluding to the fact that Chinese players typically have trained so many hours and in a manner in which it is common to see such players going through the professional system reach their peak at around age 18. Likewise, entering the national team has a lot more barriers and is more time sensitive in China than it is in European countries. European players oftentimes haven't put in the same manner (emphasis on technique vs. matchplay and strategy) and time of training, and oftentimes peak in their 20s.

I am not sure if that is what Lula is saying but that's my guess.

It doesn't seem to be based on career trajectories of any recent top players, including Ma Lin, Ma Long, Wang Liqin, Xu Xin, and others. FZD is better now than he was at 18. When did Ma Long win his first WTTC? China has such a depth of great players it is easier for some young hotshot to take the place of anyone whose game slips eve a little. But intrinsically they can maintain their level as long as anyone else. See for example players from Taiwan a d Chinese living abroad.
 
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This one is suitable to be tackled from Hong Kong's perspective, Li Ching's and Ko Lai Chak's, to be precise.

Li Ching @ 31
Li Ching vs Schlager @ MT QF WTTC 2006
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eeEu_o7zyA

Li Ching vs CWX @ MT QF WTTC 2006
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68qYUGKAhCo

Li Ching vs Chiang Peng-lung @ MT Grp D WTTC 2006
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiuPJJrvQbc

Li Ching vs CCY @ MT Grp D WTTC 2006
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1-Zmjl1YO0

Ko Lai Chak @ 32
Ko Lai Chak vs Ovtcharov @ MS R16 Beijing 2008
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFOu0trDeuo

Ko Lai Chak vs RSM @ MS R32 Beijing 2008
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwBjGtBWPQk

Ko Lai Chak vs Gionis @ MS R64 Beijing 208
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qb1mgG-tAnw

http://sports.sina.com.cn/o/2006-06-05/12072256936.shtml
  比赛的进程既在陈江华的预料之中,也在他的预料之外。施拉格给香港男队制造了非常大的麻烦,他在第二盘以3比1击败了梁柱恩,这恐怕是陈江华没有想到的。在关键的第四盘较量中,已经31岁、曾经在中国国家队打过球、曾经将打法从直拍改成横拍又改回直拍的老将李静发威了,他用自己冷静的判断力和果断的反拉弧圈球在决胜局摧垮了施拉格的攻势,以3比1将港队送入四强。对于李静的超水平发挥,陈江华早有预料。“以前不代表现在,你现在进步了,况且现在的施拉格也不是两年前的他了,按照你现在的实力,我看了他之前几场球的发挥,觉得你有很大机会赢。”这是赛前准备动员会上,陈江华拍着李静肩膀说的一席话。当晚比赛结束后,在香港队上上下下庆祝胜利的时候,陈江华又这样对李静说:“你啊,是三十多岁了才学会打球……”

  对于陈江华的话,李静不置可否,因为他俩的关系,除了教练和队员,恐怕更多的像是无话不谈的兄弟。李静承认,以前一直以为自己会打球,但很多冤枉球都输了。可以说这是一个境界的问题,过去自己有技术,但总是发挥不出来,突破不了自己,这次击败奥地利队后可以说是迈过了一道门槛。
The progress of the match was not only within Chan Kong Wah's expectations, but also beyond his expectations. Schlager caused a lot of trouble for the Hong Kong men's team. He defeated Leung Chu Yan 3-1 in the 2nd match, which Chan Kong Wah did not expect. In the crucial 4th match, Li Ching, a 31-year-old veteran who has played in the Chinese national team, and has changed his style of play from penhold to shakehand and back to penhold, showed his power. He used his calm judgment and decisive counterloops to destroy Schrager's offensive in the deciding game and sent the Hong Kong team to the semifinals by 3-1. Chan Kong Wah had already expected Li Jing's super-level performance. "The past doesn’t mean the present, you’ve improved now, and Schlager is not the same as he was 2 years ago. According to your current strength, I’ve seen his performance in the previous matches and think you have a great chance to win. "This is what Chan Kong Wah said when he patted Li Ching on the shoulder at the mobilization meeting before the match. After the match that night, when the Hong Kong team was celebrating the victory, Chan Kong Wah told Li Ching again: "You see, you only learned how to play in your 30s..."

Regarding Chan Kong Wah’s words, Li Ching did not comment, because of their relationship, apart from the coach and the player, is probably more like brothers who talk about everything. Li Ching admitted that he had always thought he knew how to play, but he'd lost a lot of winnable games. It can be said that this is a problem of "realm". In the past, I had the skills, but I always failed to display it and couldn't break through myself. After defeating the Austrian team this time, I can say that I have passed a threshold.

http://sports.sina.com.cn/o/2008-01-31/04043452474.shtml
  “如果不来香港,我们现在都不知道在哪里呢,”坐在记者面前的高礼泽,文静但健谈,接受采访时他刚刚结束了在澳门举行的三英杯乒乓球邀请赛回到香港。回想起当年他和李静初来香港的情形,他还是连连感慨。

  李静是珠海斗门人,高礼泽则是广东佛山人。他们曾经是广东乒乓球队的一员,曾代表广东省夺取全国锦标赛的男团冠军和男双亚军。他们有着相似的经历,上世纪90年代初,他们相继入选过国家队,不过没有太多作为,坐了两三年的板凳,他们回到了广东省队,却进入了运动生涯的瓶颈期。李静那段时间已经不想打球了,甚至开始着手找工作,高礼泽心情也不好,整日闷闷不乐,不久后远走德国打球。同样来自广东、赴德国打球近20年,之后应邀到香港男队执教的陈江华算是两人的师兄,不久后他就向李静和高礼泽抛出了橄榄枝,这两个看香港电视长大的小伙子毫不犹豫就答应了。

  加盟香港队之后,李静和高礼泽获得很多参加国际比赛的机会,只要他们愿意,一年10个公开赛可以一个都不落。在这种以赛代练的优越条件下,他们渐渐成为中国男队的头号劲敌。雅典奥运男双决赛是李静/高礼泽终生难忘的一场比赛,一方面他们对自己以2比4输给马琳/陈玘而错失冠军感到遗憾,另一方面也正是在这场决赛之后,他们成为了在“东方之珠”一夜成名的明星。
"If we didn't come to Hong Kong, we don't know where we would be now," Ko Lai Chak, who sat in front of the reporter, was quiet but talkative. When he was interviewed, he had just finished the San Ying Table Tennis Invitational in Macau and returned to Hong Kong. Recalling how he and Li Ching came to Hong Kong back then, he still sighed again and again.

Li Ching is from Doumen in Zhuhai, and Ko Lai Chak is from Foshan, Guangdong. They used to be a member of the Guangdong Table Tennis Team and represented Guangdong Province to win the men's team championships and men's doubles runner-up in the national championships. They have similar experiences. In the early 1990s, they were selected for the national team one after another, but they didn't do much. After 2 or 3 years of being benched, they returned to the Guangdong team, but they entered a bottleneck period of their sports career. During that time, Li Ching didn't want to play anymore, and even started looking for a job. Ko Lai Chak was in a bad mood and was depressed all day long, and soon went to Germany to play. Chan Kong Wah, who also came from Guangdong and went to Germany to play for nearly 20 years, was invited to coach the Hong Kong men's team and could be regarded as their senior. Soon after, he extended an olive branch to Li Ching and Ko Lai Chak, the 2 young men who grew up watching Hong Kong TV agreed without hesitation.

After joining the Hong Kong team, Li Ching and Ko Lai Chak have many opportunities to participate in international competitions. As long as they were willing, they could attend any of the 10 Opens a year. Under such superior conditions of tournament-based training, they have gradually become the number 1 rival of the Chinese men's team. The Athens Olympic men's doubles final is an unforgettable match for Li Ching and Ko Lai Chak. On the one hand, they regretted that they lost the title by 2-4 to Ma Lin/Chen Qi. On the other hand, it was after this final that they became stars by becoming famous overnight in the "Pearl of the Orient".

http://sports.sina.com.cn/o/2010-10-23/15285265567_2.shtml
  这原本是一场没有野心的出走,“来香港打球绝对不是要证明我比内地选手要强,只是为了延长自己的运动寿命,有机会打世界比赛。”在中国队的四年,高礼泽没有获得一次代表国家出战的机会,训练的时候,主力们在最靠近教练的球台上练,由教练盯着贴身指导,高礼泽则一直都在训练场的角落处,同样大的一块地方,主力区摆放两张球台,非主力区要挤下三张。

  整个中国男队近二十人,前辈王涛还没退下来,同辈刘国梁实力较其突出许多,后辈马琳进步的速度也让高礼泽想到了“长江后浪推前浪,前浪死在沙滩上”的未来。日复一日处于尴尬中的生活,终于在1999年结束———不是他出人头地了,而是在国家队的选拔调整中,高礼泽被退回了省队。

  距离国际赛场越来越远,“退回省队,就意味着只能打国内比赛,那有什么意义?我不是没打过国内比赛,不是没拿过全国冠军。”长期生存在夹缝中,还曾经想过要退役的人,愿望确实纯朴得让人有些不相信,他只是想继续打球,可以到外面的世界看一看。于是,由港队教练陈江华牵线,高礼泽辗转德国(俱乐部)再投奔香港,不谈薪酬、不谈条件,“来了就可以马上打国际比赛,为什么答应?我不敢说一定能赢(内地选手),但至少是能出来打了。”
This was originally a departure without ambitions, "I came to Hong Kong to play not because I want to prove that I'm better than the mainland players, it's just to extend my sports career and to have the opportunity to play in the world." 4 years in the Chinese team, Ko Lai Chak did not get a chance to play on behalf of the country. During training, the main players practiced on the table closest to the coaches, and the coaches kept a close eye on them with personal guidance. Ko Lai Chak had always been in the corner of the training hall. In the same large area, 2 tables are placed in the main area but 3 tables are squeezed in the non-main area.

The entire Chinese men's team had nearly 20 people. The senior Wang Tao had not retired yet. The strength of his peer Liu Guoliang was much more prominent. The speed of the junior Ma Lin's progress also reminded Ko Lai Chak of the future of "the back waves of the Yangtze River push on the front waves, and the front waves die on the beach". The awkward life, day after day, finally ended in 1999 - it was not that he made a name for himself, but that Ko Lai Chak was returned to the provincial team during the selection and adjustment of the national team.

Getting farther and farther away from the international arena, “returning to the provincial team means that you can only play domestic competitions. What's the point then? Not like I haven’t played domestic competitions or won the national championship.” For someone who has survived in the cracks for a long time, and has thought about retiring, the desire is indeed simple and unbelievable. He just wanted to continue playing and to take a look at the outside world. So, with the Hong Kong team coach Chan Kong Wah, Ko Lai Chak moved to a German (club) and then went to Hong Kong. Without discussing salary or terms, "You can play international competitions right away. Why not? I don't dare say that I can beat (mainland players), but at least I can come out and play."
 
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Another point. If China was as "forgivable on win rate" as Europe, then many Chinese legends could've played just as long as many of the European legends.

Boll lost so much in 2015 and 2016 that he would've been replaced if he were in China.

8leqyHs.jpg
 
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