What is talent in table tennis?

[temu_boll]

i like to think of talent(in all things, not just TT) like a ratio. How much SKILL can you achieve with a given amount of TIME? some people are 1:1(or less...). some people are 20:1. then those few people have to be extremely passionate, injury free, in a place where they can get quality training etc.

 

[NetProphet]

This is what the trend of specialization tends to look like. The early birds do well young but then get overtaken by the later specializers. It doesn't mean that starting young is bad, just that focusing intently on one sport from young is a poor strategy. View attachment 43505

The question is 'What is talent in table tennis?'
Specialising early in TT is definitely an advantage.

 

[Gozo Zyreruna]

Spoiler: This is talent:

1. No need to move about.
2. Stand on one spot close to the table like a coconut tree planted firmly on the ground.
3. 100% funky wrist movement, 0% footwork

 

[zeio]

I feel like Talent is a lazy way to categorize everything that ISN'T the hard work put in.

To me, that's genetics and prior experiences. There isn't much to argue about genetics (I wish I were taller), but there is much to discuss about experiences. It's like a head-start.

At 14 years old, I started table tennis in July 2012. And in Nov 2014 I was rated 2049.

I played other sports before table tennis (badminton, tennis, basketball, swimming, etc).
I like to read encyclopedias for hours.
I was great at math and science.
Played lots of video games.
Liked to obsess over hobbies and do them for hours (cubing, video games, card games, chess, violin, etc).
I had Wii Sports Resort (has table tennis).
I threw and hit a ping pong ball at the door (American handball style) when I was bored when I was toddler.

When I took my physics classes in high school, I just breezed through it. Was I just talented at it, no work needed?
Or did I actually have tons of work put in elsewhere in semi-related areas?

The problem solving skills, the coordination, the speed, the mental skills: I better not hear you guys say they "just came naturally".

Is that you in the avatar? Then your ethnicity checks out.

 

[Gozo Zyreruna]

I feel like Talent is a lazy way to categorize everything that ISN'T the hard work put in.

To me, that's genetics and prior experiences. There isn't much to argue about genetics (I wish I were taller), but there is much to discuss about experiences. It's like a head-start.

At 14 years old, I started table tennis in July 2012. And in Nov 2014 I was rated 2049.

I played other sports before table tennis (badminton, tennis, basketball, swimming, etc).
I like to read encyclopedias for hours.
I was great at math and science.
Played lots of video games.
Liked to obsess over hobbies and do them for hours (cubing, video games, card games, chess, violin, etc).
I had Wii Sports Resort (has table tennis).
I threw and hit a ping pong ball at the door (American handball style) when I was bored when I was toddler.

When I took my physics classes in high school, I just breezed through it. Was I just talented at it, no work needed?
Or did I actually have tons of work put in elsewhere in semi-related areas?

The problem solving skills, the coordination, the speed, the mental skills: I better not hear you guys say they "just came naturally".

I think your talent comes from Super V with two Z03. Nuff'said.

 

[Aizen]

For me the talent is the superior ability to `Learn faster, adapt quickly, apply successfully` than others.

No one is ignoring the talented one's efforts. But this is the reality, someones grow more quickly than others.

I've started table tennis with my friend around 13 y.o, at similar time, with the same coach, same club, we were training at school, and club at same time mostly together. Same age, academically same success, physically very similar, same height etc.

However, I was no equal to him, even though I've trained more than him, watched TT matches more than him, thought about my technique and game more. He was always better than me.

20 years past, not regularly but I kept playing & training. He hasn't played since (as far as I know), but I'm sure if he starts to train again, after 6 months he will easily surpass me.

It's one personal experience but I've observed similar cases in different clubs time to time. Some gets better easier than others.

Of course, never know, If both of us, played endlessly, maybe he will be capped at some point and I might surpass him.

And when we consider over 6 billion people live in the world, there should be far more talented people than current world class players, yet they never played table tennis or never pushed their talents to go further or something else.
So we watch those who put their life into table tennis with a some talent in WTT events.

 

[sebi]

Talent is the ability of the brain and nerves to adapt new movement or new thinking fast and build better neuroligcal bridges/links to the body parts or brain.

My take if kids grow up moving more or watching people move they have a better neuroligcal connection to their body parts and they can make that connection even better faster.