Is 10 years training, a lot?

[CLV]

Years really don't mean much I think, if anything it should be hours, because 2 years at 1 hour a week is obviously worse than 6 months with 10 hours a week (case one is 104 hours overall and case two is 260 hours overall).

Also the intensity of training matters, some basically only do Warmup and match play while others will do an organized training with focus on technique, ball bucket and so on.

I mean if your BH is weak and you spend an hour just working on backhand with a qualified coach it will improve more than if you just warm up and then play a match with a friend.

That's exactly how I think about it. It's about training with intent to improve. With a plan that works out in the long run. Offcoarse time is a factor. But for us amateurs it's about training smart. We don't have the time a pro can invest. You can only do that by learning from experienced players or coaches what it is you need to do to become better. Watch yourself, film your playing. Be critical (but not to much) and set yourself a goal. Don't only practice technique and arms movement, practice movement and ball placement. Your feet and power from legs are the most important part of the game. 70 procent of my mistakes are made because I'm not in the right place in the right time. Afterwards practive TT-smarts and match play. Playing smart often beats playing 'correct'.

When I was a kid I started playing at the young age of 6. I had some talent, a very motivated father behind me and a good club with good coaches. I trained dead serious for 15 -20 hours a week, with a lot of tournaments and matchplay. I did this for 5 Years and burned out. I was top 8 in the country for my age, but had 1 guy in the club my age who was always better. I Quit TT and didn't do sport for 25 Years. I hated it, neglected my body and had serious health issues because of it. Had 3 major back surgerys and needed to reconnect with my body. Because I only knew how to play TT, I started playing again just before pandemic. I've been playing for 2 years and I now play in the higest regional league in my country, just below national level. I got there so fast because I had the basics down, just needed to adapt to my bigger body and knew from previous experience how to do this. Did a lot of practice drills, cardio, strength training and serious dieting. And the good thing is, I have fun doing it this time around I set myself a goal to become a national level player in 3 seasons of matchplay. I'm close, but have another season the get there after this one. Settings myself this goal and making a plan to (hopefully) get there is a huge motivator for me.

 

[jammmail]

I mean if your BH is weak and you spend an hour just working on backhand with a qualified coach it will improve more than if you just warm up and then play a match with a friend.

This bit is key - sometimes people don't fundamentally have the time. We aren't pros and cant dedicate as much time and have relationships/children/work etc that are more important.
But you can make gains by being smarter and more focused. Someone having 1-on-1 training or focused sessions for a smaller amount of time will show progress quicker than someone who just goes through the motions isn't focused on a particular area or just having a 'knock'. Even if they spend hours and hours doing that.
Thats why the discussions about FZD are a bit of a 'red herring' as he has thousands or hrs built up in the tank and isn't relearning or changing fundermentals.

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

We aren't pros and cant dedicate as much time

This is what is in the back of my head when I coach in Africa.

I was invited by the Namibian national team to run a junior training camp....

I called 10 mins break.
and these 2 go and continue to train and make notes on the phone/notepad.
Have my respect for life!

I told the players at this training camp that you need to manage your time better as you don't have the luxury of training a lot of hours in a week.
So, when you have the chance, train. Training is not just on the table, but there are a lot of things you can do, to make you become a stronger and better athlete.
I told them that Ariel Hsing, US tt champion/Olympian would do her home work by wall sitting, and then this happened....

https://www.facebook.com/TonysTableTennis/photos/a.708678262516432/708679029183022

 

[jammmail]

This is what is in the back of me head when I coach in Africa.

I was invited by the Namibian national team to run a junior training camp....

I called 10 mins break.
and these 2 go and continue to train and make notes on the phone/notepad.
Have my respect for life!

I told the players at this training camp that you need to manage your time better as you don't have the luxury of training a lot of hours in a week.
So, when you have the chance, train. Training is not just on the table, but there are a lot of things you can do, to make you become a stronger and better athlete.
I told them that Ariel Hsing, US tt champion/Olympian would do her home work by wall sitting, and then this happened....

https://www.facebook.com/TonysTableTennis/photos/a.708678262516432/708679029183022

Amazing!