How much is enough? (Training that is)
Posted by Alois Rosario on August 25th, 2007
The question I pose is, ‘how much practice is necessary to perform at your best’?
If you are 8, 12, 18, 25 or 32 years old, if you have been playing for 2, 10 or 20 years, is the answer to the above the same? Surely the answers are very different.
I believe table tennis players are very much individuals in an individual sport. Who am I to tell an elite player how much practice is required for them to perform at their best. Isn’t the true test of who is the better table tennis player, their ability to win a match. Isn’t that what the rules of table tennis are for? I can’t see anywhere in the ITTF rules a rule about how many hours a player must practice to win a match.
Photo courtesy of ITTF
Let us look at a recent example. Co-host of this website, Jeff Plumb is a prime example. Recently entering the Victorian Super League after 7 years of non playing or practicing regularly. His results so far are admirable including last weeks win over Australia’s number 2 player, Kyle Davis. Yet Jeff was booted out of an Australian team some 10 years ago for not training enough and hasn’t trained much since. Would Jeff have been a better player if he had trained full time for the last 7 years. If so, how much better.
It has long been asserted that practice hours should be a criteria for selection of players for teams. Aren’t the rules of Table Tennis the selection criteria themselves or does that not allow enough control for those who need to make the big decisions?
Should ‘Practice time’ and ‘Player selection’ be linked?
Should ‘Player selection’ be based on Results alone?
Let us know your thoughts.
giuls
commented on October 4th, 2007 at 12:27 pm
practice time and player selection should be linked. it shows players’ devotion to the game. although it should not be the main criterion for the game. some learn faster than others.
destr0yer
commented on November 22nd, 2007 at 1:50 pm
pratice isn’t just for yourself, you may be very likely the most talented player in your team but talent only takes you so far. I believe it was a legitmate reason for Jeff to be booted out of the team for not training enough because training also helps players in the team, and only with a strong team, and a large variety of players (like China), can a champion emerge.
Jeff Plumb
commented on November 22nd, 2007 at 8:26 pm
Thanks for the comments destroyer. I agree that training with your team is important. Unfortunately for me, I had work commitments at the time and so was not able to train for 30 hour per week as the coach would have liked. Back then and still today, it is not possible to earn a living by playing Table Tennis in Australia. It is possible for the very best Australians to live overseas and earn enough money to survive on. In fact William Henzell is Australia’s best player now and is having some excellent results and he lives in Germany. However as you mention, if the best players are overseas, then the next ranked players don’t get the benefit of training with them.
The coach at the time was new to Australia from Poland and I don’t think he understood that Table Tennis in Australia was still an amateur sport.
I was still training as much as I could and enjoyed training! The player that was picked to replace me was the same age as me but retired 1 year later. I left the National training squad, and found my own training partners and managed to continue improving and after the Polish coach had left, qualified for the Sydney Olympic Games. It was then I rejoined the National squad.
So I agree with your comments to some degree, but I still think that results should be the major factor in selecting teams. If you have a strong healthy sport, then you will need to train if you are going to get results. It is only if the sport is not strong enough that these discussions even arise!