Is natural ability needed to reach the top in TT?

2020 tt star · Oct 23, 2013

Do you need natural ability to make it to the top of table tennis, or is practise enough?

Is shier hard work dedication and practice all that is needed to make it as a top table tennis player, or do the top players have something that everyone else dosent like natural ability?

Tony's Table Tennis · Oct 23, 2013

I don't think it is about natural ability.

At young age, practice and delication for sure.
Once basics is learnt, then important is game IQ, or psychological ability.

The top level need to have both skills and pscychological ability.

Of course some one who hit the FH shot 1million times will be more stable than someone who only hit it 100k times. But it is not only about practice, as you will only become a robot.

2020 tt star · Oct 23, 2013

thanks tony, but do you not agree that sometimes two people start at the same time and play the same amount, one of them progresses faster than the other due to a "natural feel for the ball"

MDanielCRO · Oct 23, 2013

2020 tt star said:
thanks tony, but do you not agree that sometimes two people start at the same time and play the same amount, one of them progresses faster than the other due to a "natural feel for the ball"

Yes that is true, someone is more talented, and some less, that's why some people need to practice more then others to play in same level. But talent is only I would say 10%, It can help you in becomeing player but talent without a lot of practice=0

2020 tt star · Oct 23, 2013

so even if a player does not have that "talent" with determination and practice he can still be a top tt player or the "talent" or "gift" is essential?

Amayzde · Oct 23, 2013

I just think you just need motivation when your younger. Motivation that you make want to inprove and get your game to the max.

My motivation came when I was 15 because I started to watch professional players and they gave me motivation to inprove my game. Its to bad the motivation came so late oterwise I maybe was playing on a way higher level now.

So its not really talent or a gift, you just need alot of motivation at young age already I think.

Tony's Table Tennis · Oct 23, 2013

I think you must first define talent.

The worlds best female table tennis player "failed" the scouts report and did not go through the normal system.
Her name is Deng Yaping.

Same token, Ma Long was scouted as the most talented, and future world champion at age 15, Zhang Jike was not.
So talent itself means nothing.

TT is not just a 1 or 2 year thing, it is about 10 to 20 years, so few percentage different per year will end up being a huge gap at the end.

Aleksandar · Oct 23, 2013

Before few months Chinese coach Liu Guoliang was commenting a match and he said that Ovcharov has incredible backhand. The other commentator asked Guoliang if Ovcharov is trained for that or he is just gifted. Liu Guoliang answered: - He's gifted. It's impossible to train to that.

My conclusion from this statement is: if you want to be among top players in the world, you have to be extremely born gifted for table tennis.

Tony's Table Tennis · Oct 23, 2013

Aleksandar said:
Before few months Chinese coach Liu Guoliang was commenting a match and he said that Ovcharov has incredible backhand. The other commentator asked Guoliang if Ovcharov is trained for that or he is just gifted. Liu Guoliang answered: - He's gifted. It's impossible to train to that.

My conclusion from this statement is: if you want to be among top players in the world, you have to be extremely born gifted for table tennis.

But fair to say, for one to identify these gift, requires to first participate in thousand of hours of training first?

They way LGL said about gift is the same thing as Kreanga. It is beyond training, as only some of them have those skills.
But then, when talked about the Koreans about footwork, then no one is gifted, but rather most Koreans are gifted with footwork.

So I think it is a very thin line, but with out hard work, having good coaching staff, support from everyone, the gift is pointless

but one thing to agree with you is that all "super" stars are gifted, ie Waldner, Deng Yaping, even Wang Nan, Zhang Yining, LGL, KLH etc

TTFrenzy · Oct 23, 2013

Aleksandar said:
Before few months Chinese coach Liu Guoliang was commenting a match and he said that Ovcharov has incredible backhand. The other commentator asked Guoliang if Ovcharov is trained for that or he is just gifted. Liu Guoliang answered: - He's gifted. It's impossible to train to that.

My conclusion from this statement is: if you want to be among top players in the world, you have to be extremely born gifted for table tennis.

Chen Qi Hao Shuai have terrible feeling for the ball yet they are top

Chen Weixing also, Suss, Timo Boll has soft BH (compared to the top 30 players )and average short play and yet he can beat the chinese

Panagiotis Gionis is not so talented just very smart hard working guy with strategic play that has been developing for years since he was 8 years old and now he is 32 33.

talent will only give you a very small advantage at certain strokes, hard work wins the tournaments

Ovtcharov has a natural talent for BH yes but his short play is awful. Talent is nothing, it is just a natural tendency to do things better than others in specific strokes and you dont need talent if you want to be a top player, you need dedication high quality training good psychology strong personality and balanced life so you can improve even at your 30's

TTFrenzy · Oct 24, 2013

Aleksandar said:
Before few months Chinese coach Liu Guoliang was commenting a match and he said that Ovcharov has incredible backhand. The other commentator asked Guoliang if Ovcharov is trained for that or he is just gifted. Liu Guoliang answered: - He's gifted. It's impossible to train to that.

My conclusion from this statement is: if you want to be among top players in the world, you have to be extremely born gifted for table tennis.

Chen Qi Hao Shuai have terrible feeling for the ball yet they are top

Chen Weixing also, Suss, Timo Boll has soft BH (compared to the top 30 players )and average short play and yet he can beat the chinese

Panagiotis Gionis is not so talented just very smart hard working guy with strategic play that has been developing for years since he was 8 years old and now he is 32 33.

talent will only give you a very small advantage at certain strokes, hard work wins the tournaments

Ovtcharov has a natural talent for BH yes but his short play is awful. Talent is nothing, it is just a natural tendency to do things better than others in specific strokes and you dont need talent if you want to be a top player, you need dedication high quality training good psychology strong personality and balanced life so you can improve even at your 30's

Kenta Cipriano · Oct 24, 2013

The natural ability from everyone,obvious exists.But the meantime,while you are growing,is so or more important then ability imo.
A kid who does like 4/5 sports between table tennis,like athletism,basketball,Voleyball,swimming and some more like,would have better agility and way of thinking then one who only plays Football,for example.
Im giving a kind of Testimony here...in my childwood,many players from my club did more the 3 sports simultaneous,and some only one, or only even Table tennis, and the ones Who played more sports "at same time",got better evolution and better rankings(better technique overall) then the others who did less sports.

Greetings

Aleksandar · Oct 24, 2013

Tony's Table Tennis said:
But fair to say, for one to identify these gift, requires to first participate in thousand of hours of training first?

They way LGL said about gift is the same thing as Kreanga. It is beyond training, as only some of them have those skills.
But then, when talked about the Koreans about footwork, then no one is gifted, but rather most Koreans are gifted with footwork.

So I think it is a very thin line, but with out hard work, having good coaching staff, support from everyone, the gift is pointless

but one thing to agree with you is that all "super" stars are gifted, ie Waldner, Deng Yaping, even Wang Nan, Zhang Yining, LGL, KLH etc

You have used the real word - superstar, thank you. I'm talking about them. There are several hundreds guys in the world that train thousand of hours, have superb couches and other conditions. But the superstars have born gifted body that can stand all that hard work and even more, born gifted emotional intelligence and mindset that allows them to give their best in crucial moments.

Tony's Table Tennis · Oct 24, 2013

I think the right conclusion is

Natural ability is only developed and work side by side with hard work, dedication, hours of practice, strong coaching staff, external support.

With out natural ability, one still can become the top player (OP didn't define Top clearly), but not super star player.

strideforward · Oct 24, 2013

Talents on different aspects form the different style of players. Some are good at ball placement, some have good at defence. A distinctive style sometimes shows more protentials to improve to top level, which is an effect of talent, otherwise one would have limited scope for improving.

strideforward · Oct 24, 2013

And a special training for a player also including refining his or her style (merit) while in the long run trying to make up drawbacks.

Dan · Oct 24, 2013

Here's a interview with Zhang Jike's coach about what he looks for in player development

Herbert · Oct 24, 2013

For becoming good, sem-professional just practise is enough, but for becoming a world class player like Waldner or Wang Liqin you need a special talent and a natural gift for the sport.

In my opinion..

strideforward · Oct 24, 2013

Dan said:
Here's a interview with Zhang Jike's coach about what he looks for in player development

very instructive

TableTennisDaily · Oct 24, 2013

There are a lot of other comments on a similar discussion here if anyone is interested: http://www.tabletennisdaily.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?4736-Liam-Pitchford-Nature-or-Nurture

Is natural ability needed to reach the top in TT?

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