A Day in the Life of a Pro Player - Michael Maze

[TableTennisDaily]

Hey guys,

Here is episode 2 in our “Day in the life of a pro” series. This episode features the 2009 European Champion, former world number 9 and all around table tennis legend Michael Maze!

Michael is one of the most popular table tennis players of all time and has created all kinds of incredible and famous moments throughout his illustrious career.

In this video we got to hang out and get to know Michael off the table in his incredible home city of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Michael Maze recently announced his full time comeback to table tennis in 2018 after a lengthy lay off due to multiple serious injuries. In this video we discuss his incredible table tennis career, his comeback, his lifestyle as well as this Michael talks candidly about the current state of international table tennis as a whole.

In the video we also cover:

- Training methods
- Gym routine
- Nutrition
- Match preparation
- Psychology

 

[lugi2000]

Great to have him back. I'm going to get a brew and watch this now

 

[Table Tennis Reborn]

The bit about nutrition and taking % from here and there is really interesting. Never thought about it like that before. From 13.48

 

[jawien]

The first time I saw Michael Maze live, was Warsaw 2008 Pro Tour. I remember he was very unhappy loosing to Timo in the final, he even kicked the table back then At that time I was just falling in love with table tennis and it was mesmerizing for me, to see how Michael was able to lift those heavy backspin balls with such a feeling and mastery, the wrist movement oh - ah ... amazing to watch. Next year of course he won his European Championships in Stuttgart, rightfully so.
I hope he will have a great come back and still be able to show his character in the sport ...

@Great video and looking for more!

 

[TTHopeful]

Keep them coming. Would like to see one of Waldner

 

[yogi_bear]

Awesome video mate!
Lessons that you can learn:
- 5 to 6 hours of service practice per week
- 6hrs a day practice which means you have to give up a lot for this like education and the normal growing up activities of a normal teenager.
- that being a spirtsman also teaches you life lessons where if you down you can always come back and get up.

 

[AKB5]

Awesome interview!

First off, I met Dan at the Joola North American Championships in Washington, D.C. area a few months ago (Nov 2018), and he couldn't have been more kind and more gracious. Kudos to being a stellar guy and developing this website.

Second, Michael Maze is my favorite table tennis player ever. His game style is so fun to watch and so creative, to me the only parallel is Xu Xin who is another level of talent/skill/hardwork, but Michael Maze has the game, the personality, the charisma, style, and model looks that makes him fun to watch. My wife, who doesn't care much about table tennis, loves watching videos of him (partly b/c he's handsome) b/c she sees stuff that none of the top guys can replicate. At the 19:00 min mark, he is spot on that the games look so similar. Ma Long, FZD, Zhang Jike, and many of the top guys look the same, and while there is some variation, it's more about power, speed, and consistency than creativity. I loved that about Michael Maze and now with Xu Xin.

Thirdly, I saw him in-person in Chicago, Illinois in 2008 in a North American exhibition tournament, and he was so fun to watch in person. His speed is deceptive and really cool to see him lop some top international players (Chen Qi).

Fantastic interview and thanks again, love hearing him speak and tell his story.

 

[Xylit]

Awesome stuff

 

[Table Tennis Reborn]

An amazing video... I really enjoyed it. Dan when you doing another one.? Can't wait.. you touched on so many areas of his life, so good.

 

[Lula]

The bit about nutrition and taking % from here and there is really interesting. Never thought about it like that before. From 13.48

I also liked that mindset! I tried to think so when competing. If i went to bed early i already had an advantage against my opponent. But it must be hard to think taking % from everywhere all the time. almost obsessive i think. But it seems like the pros are very good because of their high standards.

My old coach told me that he saw Timo Boll in practice and when he missed a return he got absolutely crazy, like it should not be possible. So he made the training partner do that serve again 5-6 times in a row so he could make the correct return before they continuing playing.

 

[Suga D]

Hey guys,

Here is episode 2 in our “Day in the life of a pro” series. This episode features the 2009 European Champion, former world number 9 and all around table tennis legend Michael Maze!

Michael is one of the most popular table tennis players of all time and has created all kinds of incredible and famous moments throughout his illustrious career.

In this video we got to hang out and get to know Michael off the table in his incredible home city of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Michael Maze recently announced his full time comeback to table tennis in 2018 after a lengthy lay off due to multiple serious injuries. In this video we discuss his incredible table tennis career, his comeback, his lifestyle as well as this Michael talks candidly about the current state of international table tennis as a whole.

In the video we also cover:

- Training methods
- Gym routine
- Nutrition
- Match preparation
- Psychology

Thanks Dan, another great video.
Very interesting insights on the unforgettable match against Hao Shuai.
A Maze zing.
[Emoji2]

 

[Table Tennis Reborn]

My old coach told me that he saw Timo Boll in practice and when he missed a return he got absolutely crazy, like it should not be possible. So he made the training partner do that serve again 5-6 times in a row so he could make the correct return before they continuing playing.

Amazing storyy this shows the types of personalities professional players have. Dedication is paramount to be at the top!

 

[Dan]

The first time I saw Michael Maze live, was Warsaw 2008 Pro Tour. I remember he was very unhappy loosing to Timo in the final, he even kicked the table back then At that time I was just falling in love with table tennis and it was mesmerizing for me, to see how Michael was able to lift those heavy backspin balls with such a feeling and mastery, the wrist movement oh - ah ... amazing to watch. Next year of course he won his European Championships in Stuttgart, rightfully so.
I hope he will have a great come back and still be able to show his character in the sport ...

@Great video and looking for more!

Thanks for the comment Jawien glad you enjoyed the video I remember watching the European Championships live to, what an unbelievable tournament he had. I went crazy when he won, i think I ran around the living room haha! Yeah I really hope we see him take on the top guys on the circuit in 2019.

Keep them coming. Would like to see one of Waldner

JO would be awesome!

Awesome video mate!
Lessons that you can learn:
- 5 to 6 hours of service practice per week
- 6hrs a day practice which means you have to give up a lot for this like education and the normal growing up activities of a normal teenager.
- that being a spirtsman also teaches you life lessons where if you down you can always come back and get up.

Hey Yogi_bear, you're right the focus, discipline and sacrifices you need to do to reach the top level is incredible.

Awesome interview!

First off, I met Dan at the Joola North American Championships in Washington, D.C. area a few months ago (Nov 2018), and he couldn't have been more kind and more gracious. Kudos to being a stellar guy and developing this website.

Second, Michael Maze is my favorite table tennis player ever. His game style is so fun to watch and so creative, to me the only parallel is Xu Xin who is another level of talent/skill/hardwork, but Michael Maze has the game, the personality, the charisma, style, and model looks that makes him fun to watch. My wife, who doesn't care much about table tennis, loves watching videos of him (partly b/c he's handsome) b/c she sees stuff that none of the top guys can replicate. At the 19:00 min mark, he is spot on that the games look so similar. Ma Long, FZD, Zhang Jike, and many of the top guys look the same, and while there is some variation, it's more about power, speed, and consistency than creativity. I loved that about Michael Maze and now with Xu Xin.

Thirdly, I saw him in-person in Chicago, Illinois in 2008 in a North American exhibition tournament, and he was so fun to watch in person. His speed is deceptive and really cool to see him lop some top international players (Chen Qi).

Fantastic interview and thanks again, love hearing him speak and tell his story.

Hey it was great to meet you at the North American Champs to! What a fantastic tournament, I had a great time! Really glad you enjoyed this video, plenty more to come Hope to see you soon in another epic US event in the near future!

An amazing video... I really enjoyed it. Dan when you doing another one.? Can't wait.. you touched on so many areas of his life, so good.

Thanks Table Tennis Reborn! Good question I hope to have a new one out by the end of this month, stay tuned!

Thanks Dan, another great video.
Very interesting insights on the unforgettable match against Hao Shuai.
A Maze zing.
[Emoji2]

Thanks Suga! That match against Hao Shuai was one of the best matches I've ever seen! I loved how Michael said it was probably the biggest bank robbery in sports history!

 

[LordPippington]

Wonderful little video there! Put it on and the next second, 25 minutes had gone by!

Who wants to start up a GoFundMe for maze's car? Lol

Maze was a good one because he didnt seem to have much of a filter on his answers. My one critique would be when maze was driving and he kept looking over at dan, I expected the camera to pan over to Dan's horror filled face!

I'd personally like to see an interview with a chopper or some kind of high level junk player. To get their experiences on ranking up as the "odd man out" and the differences they go through. Weixing would have been a good one, after he got done kicking your butt haha

 

[lefty]

Really enjoyed that, definitely interested in seeing more of these.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[NoFootwork]

Great interview and insight into Michael Maze, one of my favorite players. After I got back into playing table tennis again in 2006 after 23 years away from the sport, I purchased and used the Butterfly MM blade for many years. That was a great blade.

What a great interview! It's wonderful you have access to these pros, please keep the interviews coming.

Its a shame there isn't much money in TT for someone who has dedicated their life to the sport (compared to many other sports.)

I had a brief conversation with Lucjan Blaszcyk when he was visiting my club not long ago and the topic of prize money came up. He said you can make a comfortable living in TT as a pro, but that is very different then that is available as the earning potential available in many other sports.

 

[jawien]

Thanks for the comment Jawien glad you enjoyed the video I remember watching the European Championships live to, what an unbelievable tournament he had. I went crazy when he won, i think I ran around the living room haha! Yeah I really hope we see him take on the top guys on the circuit in 2019.

Ha ha, no surprise Michael Maze was first (right?) on your list Dan The ball returning to the table over this high, long arc after Schlager's smash was a highlight for a long time. Michael just knows how to create drama in the table tennis match. His duel with Ma Long during WTTC in Tokyo 2009 and his interaction with the lady Umpire ... drama, yet it was so funny at the same time ...

 

[Simas]

Yes a very nice and down to earth guy. The thing I found from the interview which I think isn't true, is that everyone can become a top 100 player...

 

[NoFootwork]

Yes a very nice and down to earth guy. The thing I found from the interview which I think isn't true, is that everyone can become a top 100 player...

Yes, of course. Of the hundreds of thousands or millions that have started training seriously as kids only 100 can be top 100 in any given month and over the years only a few thousand have reached this milestone, so it indeed is difficult.

I think he was speaking from his perspective and his own journey making it to top 10. I interpreted this comment as the effort he put in to make it to 100 was much less difficult than to then make it to top 20 or top 10 after making top 100.

He is currently #278. I wish him well to get back to top 100 and then reach much, much higher.