Is Over Celebrating Points A Problem In Table Tennis?

Is over celebrating points a problem in table tennis? Or is it a display of passion that makes the sport more entertaining?

Tomokazu Harimoto champion of the under 21's at the Japan Open 2016!
Photo via ITTF

Tomokazu Harimoto, the 12 year old Japanese wonder kid, has shaken the world of table tennis yet again. This time by taking the under 21 Japan open singles title, beating his 18 year old compatriot Kohei Sambe in the final. Making him the youngest player ever to win an under 21 World Tour event by three years. This is on top of his shock wins in the last year against multiple highly ranked players such as Jens Lundqvist, Tan Ruiwu and Seiya Kishikawa has propelled him into the global table tennis spotlight.

Although this is an incredible and unheard of achievement for a player of his age, some of the table tennis community seems to be more focused on how he conducts himself on the court rather than his age defying feats. We are talking of course about his loud outbursts after a lot of points he wins. Of course he is still only a young child, and like most young children, he is very excitable. You would think as he matures and the pro tour environment becomes more normal to him he will change, and calm down a bit.

That being said, does he even need to calm down? What Harimoto is doing is displaying his unfiltered passion for the game, should he be pulled up on this or are emotional outbursts like this what the sport needs to make it more entertaining?

He is not the only professional player who has been criticised by table tennis fans for potentially over zealous celebrations. A wide variety of players for instance polarising figures such as Zhang Jike, Jean Michel Saive, Dimitrij Ovtcharov to name a few, are all known for their passionate displays on the court. They all have something in common though. Everyone wants to watch them play, they provoke discussion, they have an air of unpredictability about them so you are compelled to watch them because you never quite know what they are about to do next. Surely this is good thing and benefits the sport?

But is there a line that shouldn't be crossed? If so where do we draw this line? Should there be laws put in place to prevent over celebrating if it's deemed too disruptive?

We'd love to hear everyone's opinions on this subject and any examples you may have encountered where over celebrating has caused an issue.

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Written by: Thomas Jeffcott
TableTennisDaily

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

I think the grammar police are coming to get you for that title. [emoji2]


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[Mikael Berglund]

Yes it is! Bring back sportsmanship!

 

[anchorschmidt]

Honestly, it becomes a bit annoying. At least Zhang Jike mixes it up and keeps it interesting. All of the Chinese players have taken it down a notch. I don't mind if loud outbursts are for really important points but it doesn't have to be done all the time.

I always mute the video whenever Ovtcharov played

 

[TT_Rogue]

no. and no. This is just a complain from low-level players that were never standing in an important event and are not able to focus. And of course that they are playing bad is then the fault of the opponent.

 

[ajtatosmano2]

It's nonsense. Celebrating isn't a measureable thing. And what is over celebrating? Kicking barriers yes. But choing no. When you cho directly into the opponent's face, it's impolite and offensive and should be punished. But it isn't celebrating. Choing for yourself and for the spectators is celebrating, even when it can be annoying for someone (I don't mind it).

 

[bobpuls]

For me it is rude and it is something like insult.... I acept it only betwen friends where they just kidding between them self.

 

[Thomas Jeffcott]

I think the grammar police are coming to get you for that title. [emoji2]


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Why??

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Why??

Well, Dan edited the title and now it is fine but my memory is that the original title was not well written. I can't remember exactly what it was. But the purpose of my post was to get Dan to edit and fix it. Now that it has been fixed the grammar police have resumed their usual routine.


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[Airoc]

no. and no. This is just a complain from low-level players that were never standing in an important event and are not able to focus. And of course that they are playing bad is then the fault of the opponent.

Sometimes the pressure needs to go somewhere. Kicking stuff or verbal self-humiliation are punished with yellow cards, and surely expressing yourself positively is better anyway ;-)

I see a fine line, not even where someone celebrates the opponent´s mistakes - a point is a point. This is often criticized in the lower leagues "You can celebrate your point-winning strokes, but not my mistakes" - but if good playing leads to mistakes it´s just as well for me.

It´s not in the volume either. For some it´s "cho", for others "CCCCHHHHOOOOLLLLEEEEEEEE!".

But a lot of kids these days return from their celebration round and during service preparation, no matter if their own or the opponent´s, have a lot more to say along the lines of "yo sa cholee sa cho come on". THAT is a little annoying, I think.

As a kid, I celebrated as a ritual, now it depends on the situation and the game. But then I also insulted myself quite a lot, which I have also reduced to a minimum, and if possible with humour, as in "If you had legs as well, what a player you´d be" ;-)

 

[Dan]

Well, Dan edited the title and now it is fine but my memory is that the original title was not well written. I can't remember exactly what it was. But the purpose of my post was to get Dan to edit and fix it. Now that it has been fixed the grammar police have resumed their usual routine.


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Haha you know me and my grammar is never up to scratch Carl

 

[Thomas Jeffcott]

Well, Dan edited the title and now it is fine but my memory is that the original title was not well written. I can't remember exactly what it was. But the purpose of my post was to get Dan to edit and fix it. Now that it has been fixed the grammar police have resumed their usual routine.


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Ahh good Dans useless with his grammar God knows how he got a degree haha

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Ahh good Dans useless with his grammar God knows how he got a degree haha

Yeah. We have to look out for Dan. But it won't stop him from finding creative ways of using reflexive pronouns like myself or himself as though they are personal pronouns instead of reflexives. Good thing everyone understands him when he does that anyway. Hahaha.

And good thing that someone who makes up their own rules for grammar can still communicate and teach people table tennis quite well.


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[Der_Echte]

Well, Dan edited the title and now it is fine but my memory is that the original title was not well written. I can't remember exactly what it was. But the purpose of my post was to get Dan to edit and fix it. Now that it has been fixed the grammar police have resumed their usual routine.


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Well, that is a better outcome than the Goon Squads...

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[Nuke Skywalker]

Whether an act is considered over-celebrating is largely cultural, and age-relative. In my culture...as a gen-x 40 something year old from the US, I find over-celebrating disrespectful. I appreciate athletes like Jerry Rice or Barry Sanders who scored TDs and simply ran back to the huddle with barely a fist pump as if to say "I don't need to celebrate because winning is normal for me and I OWN you."
But even American culture has changed in that way. Now over-celebrating is more accepted.

I also happen to be 1/2 Japanese, and Japanese culture used to frown on over-celebrating, but it seems that this too has changed amongst the youngsters.

IMO, choing just seems silly, even embarrassing, particularly for English-speakers. Just my opinion. I mean, if I play any other sport, I don't say "Cho" when I sink a bucket or score a goal. I say "Yes!" or "C'mon" and maybe do a fist pump. In TT, that's all I do, a fist pump and maybe a "yes!"

Also, for English speakers, when I hear a dude born and raised in middle america yelling "Cho"...I just think: "What a poser." Kind of like Stephen Segal when he pronounces the word "Karate" while sporting his ponytail and tabi boots out in public. If I find that my opponent is over-choing, I'll even stop between points and ask them what they are saying and what it means. Throws their timing off, and sometimes they become self-conscious.

 

[mcaibyz2]

Watch the matches between Xu xin and Ma Long, and you will know what a real top player should behave.

 

[zzzuppp]

Haha you know me and my grammar is never up to scratch Carl

Case in point. The odd comma wouldn't go amiss, and you really shouldn't scratch Carl.

 

[Der_Echte]

Case in point. The odd comma wouldn't go amiss, and you really shouldn't scratch Carl.

Zzzupp dude whassup FREEKING whassup?

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[Kobecouyoumjian]

Honestly, it becomes a bit annoying. At least Zhang Jike mixes it up and keeps it interesting. All of the Chinese players have taken it down a notch. I don't mind if loud outbursts are for really important points but it doesn't have to be done all the time.

I always mute the video whenever Ovtcharov played

. I'm with you on this one

 

[Kobecouyoumjian]

When some players celebrate and yell it sounds really good like Zheng Joke because his voice is deep....with these other players it just sounds annoying