Extreme excessive screaming by Harimoto

A few posts have appeared recently about Harimoto's loud cheering but the World Junior Championships is a bit to much don't you think?

I read on a French site that Alexandre Cassin was really annoyed at Harimoto.

But his opponents are not that quiet either. According to the screams in background Harimoto could easily be not the loudest there Probably his body language is what annoyed them.

Being annoyed/complaining about excessive screaming (as long as it's before or after a ralley) always seems a little foolish to me - especially after losing a match. It just seems like you're looking for an excuse.

BTW, I wonder if he (or actually any other pros) yell in practice matches? Pissing off your practice partners can be actually a bad thing to do.

"However, you cannot really blame him but rather his coaches."

Huh? It is completely his choice as to whether or not he screams before and after every point. The coaches clearly don't give a shit, but this kid makes the decision.

I think its both. His coaches probably give him little tournament tactics such as screaming, and he decides to go along with it because it seems to work against certain opponents. Even his little sister screams like him.

Honorable mentions: Sakura Mori, Kim Song I, Bernadette Szocs, Liu Dingshuo

There are some people who plays better when they vent out, while some plays better when they don't. Yelling has always been one way of letting out your adrenaline.

I don't mind Harimoto cho-ing every single point, but it needs to be done at the appropriate time. If you are on your 7th game or playing something like semi-finals and finals, sure. We all have seen ma long, zjk and mizutani when playing important matches. or look at Ryu seung min against wang hao at 2004 athens, it was a full blown yelling war but everyone understands what was at stake in that match, no one's gonna complain they were hyped like mad.

Originally Posted by laistrogian

There are some people who plays better when they vent out, while some plays better when they don't. Yelling has always been one way of letting out your adrenaline.

I don't mind Harimoto cho-ing every single point, but it needs to be done at the appropriate time. If you are on your 7th game or playing something like semi-finals and finals, sure. We all have seen ma long, zjk and mizutani when playing important matches. or look at Ryu seung min against wang hao at 2004 athens, it was a full blown yelling war but everyone understands what was at stake in that match, no one's gonna complain they were hyped like mad.

I just don`t mind when opponent is screaming when he hit it the way i can not reach the ball or so .... but when he scream like hell when i make a mistake is like insult for me ..... and this one is the exactly one who just do not have respect from the opponent ... what is more sad in this days ,,is most of the young players takes only this bad habits from the pros ...
But i can not remember player from top 20 who has such bad habits.

you are right but its not very easy to tell in table tennis when is when ... I know a player who keeps on changing the spin on the ball a little bit at a time so that when you miss you keep feeling that its your fault but its not ...

Originally Posted by bobpuls

I just don`t mind when opponent is screaming when he hit it the way i can not reach the ball or so .... but when he scream like hell when i make a mistake is like insult for me ..... and this one is the exactly one who just do not have respect from the opponent ... what is more sad in this days ,,is most of the young players takes only this bad habits from the pros ...
But i can not remember player from top 20 who has such bad habits.

My... how are you wondering that he has mental issues when half the people he knows wants to have sex with an octopus and other half wants to watch people have sex with an octopus

Originally Posted by Der_Echte

A pic right up Country Bread's alley.

Why I do believe you've just discovered a new breed of feline in its natural habitat. The cho cat! Notice how one arm is bigger than the other and its perfect looping form. Outstanding work der_echte!

My personal feeling is that these kids are being coached to do this. Otherwise it is just hard to see how screaming like that after every point is in any way natural. It is a relatively recent thing too, at least at this level. Waldner didn't do it. WLQ didn't do it. Zhang Yining didn't do it.

I hate it. I personally I think ITTF should do something about it. They won't. They took away ZJK's prize money but they won't do anything about this.

I fear that one day one of his opponents is just gonna snap and knock him flat with a swinger right to the dome. The immature sociopathic part of me wouldn't feel sorry, maybe even enjoy it. Yes, I'm sort of joking, I do not wish him harm.

But he causes harm to his opponents. The screaming doesn't prove him "right", like someone here said. Of cause it will affect even the strongest of mental mindsets, who would even contest that? You play against someone, you make a stupid little mistake like pushing an easy ball into the net, you think "God damnit, that was unnecessary". The other guy had absolutely no doing or credit in him receiving an additional point in the set and all you instantly hear is a ridiculous bellowing. You fail a service return on the first or second point of the set, CHOOOOO!!!!!!, you misjudge the spin of the third ball a little and just barely overshoot the table and you wonder whether your opponent will be able to speak the next day.

I have not the slightest of aversion to a shout of relief after a well fought rally. I have absolutely nothing against a stress relieving short "SO!" just before serving. But that, that is not natural. That in my opinion is unspeakably terrible sportsmanship. It is bad intent, and if its not bad intent, its ignorance. He might as well replace the CHOOO with HAHAHAAA. I would love to watch his games but I just can't.

I'm probably on the more sensitive end of the spectrum and I'm sure there are players that absolutely accept this as part of the game. But I personally want to win by being better at the game. I want to win because I am mechanically more skilled, because I possess more finesse and game sense, not by psychological warfare. The mental part of the game does not imply that I would want to try to make my opponent worse by shouting him down - and I expect my opponent to do the same. Where I play, people actually sometimes say "Good one!" after their opponents hit a particularly nice shot on them. That is beautiful and humbling!

For a positive note: Isn't it thrilling to see upcoming talents like these? I wonder how high he will be rated in his prime! He has many, many good years to come Will he have a shot at beating Ma Long in 2 years time as a 15 year old like Wang Chuqin?! I do hope though that he keeps working hard and doesn't waste his talent or that he doesn't get bored with the sport... Would be a big loss!

I think even more comical in the final, is that his opponent is named Cho! So every shout is like a direct call out, lol... CHO!

Originally Posted by Badger

"However, you cannot really blame him but rather his coaches."

Huh? It is completely his choice as to whether or not he screams before and after every point. The coaches clearly don't give a shit, but this kid makes the decision.

I suspect the coaches are telling him to do it, that this is good for him. Some sort of martial arts theory or something. Who knows? But in general people don't do this kind of thing spontaneously, not for the vast portion of the long history of the sport, and it is not like the psychology of sport has changed. Balls have changed, serve rules have changed, but people still feel the same pressures that they always did. I am convinced there is an intent behind it, and I suspect it is directed at the opponent, and I think it should be yellow and red carded.