This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Member
Hi,
this is a thread about the table tennis base in Zhengding, China.
I will try to make two posts, one about the actual practice and one about the facilities and travel to Zhengding, China. I met @thethundertt there and he might want to comment on some of the details.
This one is about the practice. Just to give you an idea of what it looks like, see the picture below.
Breakfast starts at 07:20 and is followed by practice which starts 08:30.
First, you warm up for about 10 minutes which consists of running around the hall, stretching arms, core and legs.
After that, a grueling experience awaits when the coaches line you up and choose your partner. They try to arrange one Chinese player with one foreigner. When you have a partner, one of two things happens.
A) Multi-ball. For the reminder of the session you will practice multi-ball. This is quite straightforward, as you together with one or two players depending on the coaches wishes, will play the living daylights out of each other.
Normally you start with two-point forehand. This is my worst exercise as it is so tough on your cardio.
Then it is usually irregular topspin balls all over the table.
Then half long backspin in forehand.
Then you might play the Falkenberg drill.
Then backhand loop against backspin.
Now you are really tired and the clock is around 10:00 which means you might have a break, but this is not guaranteed. Time to get an ice cream for 2,5 RMB!
10:20, back to work.
Forehand flick.
One backspin to your backhand followed by one topspin to your backhand and one topspin to your wide forehand.
Things might cool down now and you can either play matches (rare) or practice serve and receive.
11:20, time for lunch!
B) Single ball practice.
This is really single ball, you will get one three star ball and you will keep it for the remainder of the session.
First, 15 minutes of forehand from your backhand to your partners backhand.
Then, perhaps 15 minutes of alternating forehand and backhand in your backhand.
Then you might do 15 minutes of the Falkenberg drill.
What about 15 minutes of irregular all over the table?
Keep on with these steady drills until the break.
Keep on after the break until lunch.
Before each session, when you have your partner you warm up by doing simple counter strokes in forehand and backhand for about 10 minutes. This is repeated after every break.
Depending on your skill level you get to do more advanced exercises. I'm not that good so I'm stuck with the basics.
At 14:30 the machine starts grinding again and warm-up begins. Exactly the same as above happens in the afternoon. The difference is that if you have played multi-ball then it's single ball time and the opposite.
That's it! Your highway to table tennis mastery. No complex drills, just keep on pounding the basics until you are fast and stable in your play. If you are lucky, the coaches might comment on your technique and try to help out. Most of the time they are lingering around and the master coach can be seen smoking in the corner.
Matches? Once a week you might have some matches. Otherwise, it's back to the basics.
this is a thread about the table tennis base in Zhengding, China.
I will try to make two posts, one about the actual practice and one about the facilities and travel to Zhengding, China. I met @thethundertt there and he might want to comment on some of the details.
This one is about the practice. Just to give you an idea of what it looks like, see the picture below.
Breakfast starts at 07:20 and is followed by practice which starts 08:30.
First, you warm up for about 10 minutes which consists of running around the hall, stretching arms, core and legs.
After that, a grueling experience awaits when the coaches line you up and choose your partner. They try to arrange one Chinese player with one foreigner. When you have a partner, one of two things happens.
A) Multi-ball. For the reminder of the session you will practice multi-ball. This is quite straightforward, as you together with one or two players depending on the coaches wishes, will play the living daylights out of each other.
Normally you start with two-point forehand. This is my worst exercise as it is so tough on your cardio.
Then it is usually irregular topspin balls all over the table.
Then half long backspin in forehand.
Then you might play the Falkenberg drill.
Then backhand loop against backspin.
Now you are really tired and the clock is around 10:00 which means you might have a break, but this is not guaranteed. Time to get an ice cream for 2,5 RMB!
10:20, back to work.
Forehand flick.
One backspin to your backhand followed by one topspin to your backhand and one topspin to your wide forehand.
Things might cool down now and you can either play matches (rare) or practice serve and receive.
11:20, time for lunch!
B) Single ball practice.
This is really single ball, you will get one three star ball and you will keep it for the remainder of the session.
First, 15 minutes of forehand from your backhand to your partners backhand.
Then, perhaps 15 minutes of alternating forehand and backhand in your backhand.
Then you might do 15 minutes of the Falkenberg drill.
What about 15 minutes of irregular all over the table?
Keep on with these steady drills until the break.
Keep on after the break until lunch.
Before each session, when you have your partner you warm up by doing simple counter strokes in forehand and backhand for about 10 minutes. This is repeated after every break.
Depending on your skill level you get to do more advanced exercises. I'm not that good so I'm stuck with the basics.
At 14:30 the machine starts grinding again and warm-up begins. Exactly the same as above happens in the afternoon. The difference is that if you have played multi-ball then it's single ball time and the opposite.
That's it! Your highway to table tennis mastery. No complex drills, just keep on pounding the basics until you are fast and stable in your play. If you are lucky, the coaches might comment on your technique and try to help out. Most of the time they are lingering around and the master coach can be seen smoking in the corner.
Matches? Once a week you might have some matches. Otherwise, it's back to the basics.
Last edited: