Team Table Tennis - 7/25/15

We started this adventure almost a year and a half ago and now have around 80 events complete!  Not too much farther to go!!!

That first event back in February 2014 was Table Tennis.  We did a round robin style singles tournament.  So for the team event, we thought we'd see if we could get some actual coaching.  We were glad we did!

On a Saturday morning, we met with Donna Chen, founder of DFW Table Tennis.  There are a LOT of members and they meet a couple of times a week to play pick up games or do lessons.  Ages range from young children to elderly adults.  Donna had a couple of coaches work with us to learn the ropes of team play.  First, what does "team" table tennis mean?  Isn't it just doubles?

Well, in 1992, the Olympics actually awarded two bronze medals because of one country's dominance.  China had made a habit out of regularly sweeping the gold-silver-bronze in the singles AND doubles, both men and women.  In 2008, doubles was replaced by the team event.  In this format, three to five athletes would be on one team and during competition, could rotate into and out of play.  This was in an attempt to combine doubles pairings into a larger team.  This didn't completely work.  Finally, in 2012, it was decided countries could only enter two teams, thus  completely eliminating the possibility of a sweep.

All of that said, we were glad to get some help with the nuances of four people being at the table.  We got pointers on the proper way to serve (ball must be tossed straight up, at least 6 inches, from the flat palm of your hand) and the proper arm position and technique for hitting forearm and backhand shots.

J gives R room to properly serve.

As quickly as the game moves, it is important to stay relaxed and not be in a hurry.  Coach Chen kept correcting my swing because I was hitting it too soon, and thus sending it directly into the net instead of over.

L2 hits a backhand shot over the net

Eventually, we all kind of got into enough of a rhythm that we had a couple of good rallies, hitting the ball at least a few times each before a point was scored.

 

We all agreed that there is so much more than meets the eye with this sport.  We're glad we took the time to work with DFWTT to learn just a little bit more!

 

With Coach Chen - Team Table Tennis complete!