I would like to congradulate Joe Ciarrochi as being player/coach of the month. Not just during the month of December, but throughout the entire year Joe has really been a joy to work with. He is eager to learn new skills (and realizes that it isn't easy) while at the same time offers advice to anyone in his path. Joe, keep working hard on your game - I appreciate the hard work in your own game and the hard work that you invest in others!
Check out the most recent article by Joe Ciarrochi...
Balance, Balance, Balance
The physical, mental and spiritual aspects of winning TT.
Common sense will tell you how important it is to have good physical balance while playing any sport. In football, the defense wants to knock you down. In table tennis, your opponent wants to knock you off balance making it hard for you to hit your shots with consistency and rhythm.
My table tennis coach is always working with me on footwork. To me, you can't have good footwork without good balance. The better our balance, the better our shots. But our opponents aren't always cooperating. They seem to find our uncomfortable middle or they transition during a rally just as we get comfortable.
Coach Samson says "proper footwork expands your hitting zones." There's a big difference between reaching and moving...., balance. Keeping your center of gravity over your knees while moving and positioning yourself to make a quality shot is essential.
Beginners through intermediate players mostly play the game off the ends of the table. Corner to corner, your side of the table is only five feet wide. Toss in an angle or two, and realistically the game is mostly played no wider then 6-7ft. Most adults evolving in the game can cover that with no problem. But can they smash, attack, block, loop, flip effectively just because they can reach the ball? You can't hit high quality shots if you aren't balanced. You can't move into position for the next ball if you aren't balanced. The key is to move both feet at the same time. When only one foot moves it's usually a reach and reaching creates off balance. It may not show up during the shot at hand, but following it up with quality becomes more difficult.
Next time at your club or tournament, watch beginners/intermediate players and their footwork. Ask yourself if you see balance or lack of in their game. How often for each? Then watch top players. They seem to rally forever. Why?
If you're like me, you want to hit the ball back quick to exploit your opponents position. I tend to punch instead of letting the ball come back a split second longer so I can loop. I also move my hand first before my feet therefore locking up my footwork. Or I anticipate a forehand and lock myself out to anything but, as the ball hits my belly.
Mental balance is just as important as physical balance. Quick story; a few years ago I was 1300 or so, I played in a league where I was to take on the number two rated player in Ohio, Keith Pech. For sure I would lose. Before the match, I said to myself "I'll just work on my opening loops." I served first, a nice short low serve to his forehand side, I set up in perfect FH looping position with a deep knee bend and my racket well below the table. Surely he would push long. But because I premeditated a thought, I wasn't ready when he simply pushed short off the bounce! There I was crouched and ready to unleash the loop of a lifetime while watching the ball bounce several times on my side of the table. It was such a surprise I could only laugh. My mind was completely out of balance.
The better I became the less obvious the contrasts were. I've learned that mental balance can only be achieved by an open, relaxed mind. And still it's tough.
Good coaching is important with learning how to receive serves effectively. I'm taught to read the type and the amount of spin at contact point, determine the direction of the ball, then if it's short, medium or long. Quickly move to the location with both feet and apply one of many returns based on what I see. But by this time my mind is racing 100mph and it now gets in the way of my intentions and I end up punching or blocking the ball back because I'm reaching out over my knees instead of letting the ball come to me. Somehow I have to apply the knowledge and return the ball with as much quality as possible.
QUICK READ! QUICK MOVE! BUT SLOW DOWN to confidently apply a relaxed stroke. Sounds easy! It is for top players with years of experience. But for a middle aged intermediate adult like me? No.
The serve takes probably a half second to figure out before you return it. A clear and balanced mind along with an athletic engaged stance with muscles in my legs ready to fire, are necessary for me.
Balance between playing within yourself vs outside your comfort zone is also very important towards your improvement. If you don't take risks, you're surly to plateau, if not regress. Do you only take risks when your winning or losing by a large margin? If you're mind is balanced with long, medium and short term goals then you can make a clear distinction between the two and do the right thing for your overall improvement.
Emotional balance is also very crucial. I'm going back to my days as a competitive bowler...., I was in the final match of what would have been my biggest tournament win of my young career. I just took out my last opponent with a 269 in the semi finals, but as I put my balls down on the championship pair, I caught a glimpse of the winners plaque....,All of a sudden I wanted to win so bad it hurt.
My emotions were too high as the match started, I was too anxious to make the detailed adjustments to the new pair of lanes. I went on to loose the match before I could establish any rhythm. My dad always said "act like you've been there before." Boy was he right!
I've since learned that you can't win any tournaments in the first game or the first few points. I'm not saying not to be emotional. Heck, no one was more emotional when they competed then me in my younger days. But I definitely had to find the balance between too high and not high enough.
Sometimes you can see it in an athlete's eyes. Which brings me to another story..., my first year coaching girls high school basketball, I was lucky enough to watch a junior named LeBron James at practice everyday as we shared the same gym. It was also the first year for the boys new coach. Their team was coming off their second consecutive state championship. They were good and they knew it. They messed around at practice. Sometimes too much. Long story short. They lost the state final. What happened the following year was very impressive. They had that look. The eye of the tiger! No messing around. Intense practices throughout the whole year on their way to the top rating in the country as well as a third state title in a four year span. It took a setback for them to regain their focus, but wow, how you could see it in their eyes from one year to the next.
Emotional balance can also affect you if you get too down on yourself. After all this is only a game. I'm convinced that I would play this game simply because I love it no matter how bad I get beat up. I know we all strive for those big wins at the tournament level. But if you play enough tournaments, you'll eventually be somebody else's "big" win.
To remedy my emotional roller coaster, I use a system my old bowling coach (former team USA coach, Fred Borden) taught me..., the Five rule. Translated to table tennis; 5 seconds after a point, forget about it! Five seconds is long enough to understand what just happened and short enough not dwell on the good or bad so it doesn't affect the next point. 50 seconds after a game. When that time has passed, start thinking about the next game. 5 minutes after a match. Again, enough time to analyze your performance. And finally, 5 hours after a tournament. Big head or damaged ego, you have five hours to get back to normal.
Balance between the think circle and the rally. As a beginner/intermediate player, you know it's very hard to think during a rally. Thats the time it's all about reacting. That's why you should take the time to think in your imaginary circle you create between points. After all, you have at least 5 seconds! Think so you don't have to think!
Use your conscious mind in your circle and let your subconscious mind play the rallies. One mind can wreck havoc on the other if not correctly balanced.
Finally, spiritual balance. I'm a God fearing man, and He is important in my life, but it's not just about religion. It's about you and what's going on in your life. I mentioned my bowling career earlier. I competed in approximately 30-35 tournaments a year. I was sponsored. My entry fees, travel and equipment were paid for. But my everyday bills weren't. Which meant if I didn't cash, my kids didn't eat. I may be exaggerating a little, but I had a wife who worked full time with two babies at home. That meant even if I cashed, I still came home to a stressful situation, justifiably so. But my point is, sometimes things aren't always right inside of us. If your life isn't balanced then it's hard to perform. If you can't make your car payment maybe you shouldn't enter the next tournament. If your kids wonder what you look like, then you may be playing to much table tennis.
If your grades aren't good, fix them. If work calls you in, go. Oh, I'm happy to say that my beautiful bride and I will be celebrating our 30th anniversary this January.
Keep yourself balanced as a person. If you coach your kids, balance fun and development. Sometimes lean towards fun more...., No, lean towards fun all the time.
I've had great satisfaction and a strong bond was built while coaching my two daughters in grade school, AAU, and high school. I had the pleasure of sitting back and watching them play in college. We've had some great times together. Luckily, I knew they were going to be my daughters long after they played basketball. The sport, is only a small part of the whole dynamic of a great spiritual balance. The things your kids learn working hard will translate into life long lessons. But remember, you get more out of sugar then you do vinegar....And the ride home is more pleasant!
