Today I’m thinking about our training volume and intensity. This is a concept that has been around for decades in bodybuilding training but I don’t feel is discussed enough in skill-based sports such as table tennis.
The basic argument is this; is it better to practice for several hours each day but at a relatively low intensity (volume training) or to practice for much less time but work significantly harder in those short sessions (intensity training). In current professional table tennis practice it appears that there is a clear winner. Volume training. The top players claim to practice for anywhere from 25 to 45 hours per week and rightly so, we say, because it is their ‘job’ after all.
The questions I’m asking are; “Is it necessary to practice for 5-7 hours a day in order to become a top player?”. Are there any shortcuts or hacks we can use to achieve similar results with a much lower volume of practice? Does high intensity training hold any of the answers and can it be applied to table tennis?