says
The sticky bit is stuck.
says
The sticky bit is stuck.
No, I don’t suffer and can’t relate to the winning fetish.
Winning is overrated. The game itself is the prize.
I wouldn't have spent time on ML's interviews in my youtube channel if I didn't. I wouldn't have spent time on Ishikawa's interviews if I didn't. I wouldn't have spent time on subbing all these interviews to keep the West posted if I didn't want table tennis to get more respect.
The thing is table tennis is already a niche sport. I'm tired of people trying to make it only about 1 player and everyone else irrelevant, disregarding their legacies and contributions to the sport. It saddens me how little the West knows and shows next to no respect to the golden generation of European table tennis.
In terms of Standard Mandarin, Ishikawa is the best. Fukuhara speaks the Northeastern variant at near-native level. Harimoto speaks with a little Sichuan accent, as pointed out by those from Sichuan.
But yeh, Harimoto still has trouble coming up with the right words from time to time, though he has gotten better compared to last year. He understands the questions better and is more eloquent now. He literally spoke in phrases more than sentences last year.
I can assure you that "west" knows about that generation you talk about. It's not that they don't "show respect", it's that this generation is not winning. Every casual fan of any sport, from football to table tennis, is only going to know guys who are winning. And the people winning now are chinese. People make it about 1 player because this player is WINNING.... a lot. Simple as that.
I can give you an example from other sport : Lev Yashin, a goalkeeper from Russia (back then USSR). Only goalkeeper in history to win Golden Ball. Ever. I'd say that he contributed to the sport of football, especially for goalkeepers, but does anyone who isn't a diehard football fan know him ?
People who play table tennis from "west", especially from countries with table tennis history, such as Hungary, England, France, Germany, Poland, etc. know those players. But casual fans will probably care only about winners.
That isn't what I'm talking about. By "know so little...", I don't mean knowing about those players by name. It's the lasting impact of that generation on the then-future trajectory of contemporary table tennis that has largely been overlooked and brushed off when people compare achievements. That's where the West pays little respect.
It's not about not mentioning ML's accomplishments. That's so superficial. It's more than just stats. It's about how people fail to see from the perspective of the past and how it relates and translates to the present. Basically, most people just assume the players of today are always faster, higher and stronger than those of yesterday.
Is that really the case?
I have a pet peeve with this exact topic, on this exact video. About people who glorify the past over the present.
Given that in this exact video, he spends almost the entire second half of the video explaining exactly why athletes of today are 'faster, higher and stronger'.
I don't think too many people are arguing that humanity as a whole have become much better in a base biological sense. But even that video supports that the people that compete, especially at a high level, at these sports are precisely, on average and probably at the top, better than "those of yesterday".
Improvements in technology aside, we do choose athlete's with more suitable body types/talents. We have better understanding of biomechanics/nutrition/medicine/sport psychology. We have accumulated more knowledge about how best to play these sports, and how to train in them. People in general, have more free time and more access to resources to dedicate themselves to the sport as a profession. And yes, we also sometimes cheat better at sports.
While most of the increase in performance in many sports, including TT may be due to changes in rules and technology.
It still doesn't change that, athletes today still perform better, on average, than those from before.
With or without technology, these 7 feet basketball players are probably better players than people of 'average body type', swimmers who use the flip turn are probably better at the sport of swimming the same athlete who doesn't use it.
They may be the beneficiaries of immense improvements in lifestyle, infrastructure, selection and technical knowledge in their sport, but when push comes to shove, and these athletes are asked to perform, they DO perform better, it makes them 'faster, higher, stronger'
You know what. You can blame the ITTF for that with all these equipment changes, people start to talk about "cell ball era", "poly ball era" and whatnot. One needs to understand her history to understand the future.
It's easy to get caught up in nostalgia. It's human.
Well, nostalgia isn't what it used to be if you ask me.
I have a pet peeve with this exact topic, on this exact video. About people who glorify the past over the present.
Given that in this exact video, he spends almost the entire second half of the video explaining exactly why athletes of today are 'faster, higher and stronger'.
I don't think too many people are arguing that humanity as a whole have become much better in a base biological sense. But even that video supports that the people that compete, especially at a high level, at these sports are precisely, on average and probably at the top, better than "those of yesterday".
Improvements in technology aside, we do choose athlete's with more suitable body types/talents. We have better understanding of biomechanics/nutrition/medicine/sport psychology. We have accumulated more knowledge about how best to play these sports, and how to train in them. People in general, have more free time and more access to resources to dedicate themselves to the sport as a profession. And yes, we also sometimes cheat better at sports.
While most of the increase in performance in many sports, including TT may be due to changes in rules and technology.
It still doesn't change that, athletes today still perform better, on average, than those from before.
With or without technology, these 7 feet basketball players are probably better players than people of 'average body type', swimmers who use the flip turn are probably better at the sport of swimming the same athlete who doesn't use it.
They may be the beneficiaries of immense improvements in lifestyle, infrastructure, selection and technical knowledge in their sport, but when push comes to shove, and these athletes are asked to perform, they DO perform better, it makes them 'faster, higher, stronger'
Ugh, it's not that. The reason I posted that Ted Talk by David Epstein is to show that players from different eras aren't really all that different, after taking into account the impact of all external factors.
That isn't what I'm talking about. By "know so little...", I don't mean knowing about those players by name. It's the lasting impact of that generation on the then-future trajectory of contemporary table tennis that has largely been overlooked and brushed off when people compare achievements. That's where the West pays little respect.
I wouldn't judge the Chinese of TH and KI if I could not distinguish the meaning of a common Chinese word 代 in different context as a native Chinese speaker. Double standards again and again lol
After FZD lost to ML in China Open, he said, I don't feel a shame to lose to him. Whoever thinks he can beat ML, go for it. Then when ML was asked why he can keep winning against most players. ML said, he doesn't know why and he has difficulties to play many players. But as the match going, maybe he can play better and make the opponents uncomfortable. He doesn't think he is stronger than others in terms of techniques and tactics.
When ML was asked why he can beat LGY easily recently, what makes the difference, he said their levels are very close, he won by small margin. In WTTC, maybe LGY had no experience to play QF; in China Open, maybe LGY was tired out after many deciders.
I guess ML's words will be taken really seriously by our beloved member here. What a good support that TT world is weakest! ML wins just because his opponents suck (no hunger, injured, tired, no experience, choked, etc)
And I do wish other players won't take ML's words that seriously. They need to appreciate a word, modesty.
That's where you and most miss the point, when comparing 7-foot giants to people of average body type. Account for all the potential factors and suddenly the gap doesn't look that wide anymore. That's the message Epstein tried to get across.
I referred to his comments that he doesn't think his techniques and tactics are stronger than others. Technical wise, he is not possible to be best at individual technique but he is most well wounded and very good at most. He keeps using many old fashioned techniques not banana flick everything at every corner, and they work. Tactics wise, many players don't have many tactics in their mind when playing, or they don't know what or when to adjust tactics during match. So if they simply think ML beat them not because ML used better techniques and tactics but because ML is more experienced, they won't improve much the next time.Not just modesty. He learned the hard way the pressure you put on your game when you tell yourself you are much better than other players. So add experience to modesty.
I referred to his comments that he doesn't think his techniques and tactics are stronger than others. Technical wise, he is not possible to be best at individual technique but he is most well wounded and very good at most. He keeps using many old fashioned techniques not banana flick everything at every corner, and they work. Tactics wise, many players don't have many tactics in their mind when playing, or they don't know what or when to adjust tactics during match. So if they simply think ML beat them not because ML used better techniques and tactics but because ML is more experienced, they won't improve much the next time.
Playing more definitely provides experiences like sustaining pressure or playing better against certain player but that's not enough. Be more versatile on techniques and tactics in addition to train hard and perfect those already mastered. What's more, game reading, or brain. That's what ML thinks his strength is. That's what CNT coaches think ML special since he was a teen when he was still criticized by those coaches to be lack of physical power, lack of killing shots, lack of mental strength, etc. No one criticized him not play smart. Play smart and know when it is the chance. Win if capitalize the chance with the support of body condition, techniques/tactics, determination to win, self confidence, etc. Lose if not capitalize. That's nothing new from the past of this sport, to play the game with not only body but also brain.