The Expert Table Tennis Podcast

Alex Horscroft: Serving Your Way to County Champion (Bonus Interview)

Tue, 31 Mar 2020 15:01:41 +0000

The Expert Table Tennis Podcast is back (finally). But we’re currently in lockdown because of coronavirus, so I thought I’d do something different. In this episode, I’m joined by Alex Horscroft – a new guest writer for the Expert Table Tennis blog!

Alex only started playing table tennis at the age of 12 and he admits that he didn’t even take it very seriously at first. Despite that, he managed to become the top-ranked junior in his county of Suffolk. And interestingly, he attributes his success to the quality and deceptiveness of his serves.

Sponsored by… TableTennisUniversity.com

Today’s episode is sponsored by TableTennisUniversity.com who are currently offering 50% off Coach Tao Li’s entire online curriculum!

Simply enter the code LOCKDOWN to join TTU (Premium) for just $148.50, or click the link below with the code already applied…

https://tabletennisuniversity.com/p/premium/?product_id=920168&coupon_code=LOCKDOWN

This is the BIGGEST discount they’ve ever offered and the price will go back to $297 at 23:59 (UK time) on 31st March 2020.

And as I say in the podcast, if you’re reading this in April and the coupon code has expired, drop me an email (ben@experttabletennis.com) and I’ll see if I can create a custom discount code for you.

In this episode you’ll learn:

Why Alex is on the podcast today
How he got started playing table tennis
Some of the highlights and lowlights of his career, so far
The strengths and weaknesses of Alex’s game
The importance of developing “killer” serves
Alex’s top tips for winning local league matches
And loads more!

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

Don’t forget to go and check out TableTennisUniversity.com and save yourself $148.50 on their premium membership with the code LOCKDOWN.

And it would be amazing if you could support this podcast by sharing it with your friends, subscribing on iTunes, and leaving us an honest iTunes Podcast review.

The post Alex Horscroft: Serving Your Way to County Champion (Bonus Interview) appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

Talent, Practice, and Why Harrie Almost Quit Table Tennis (S02E08)

Thu, 28 Nov 2019 16:49:35 +0000

This is Episode #8 of The Expert Table Tennis Podcast with Ben Larcombe and Harrie Austin-Jones. This month we’re talking talent, practice, and why a few weeks ago Harrie almost quit table tennis altogether!

If you’ve ever worried that you might be untalented and felt on the verge of quitting, this is the episode for you! I hope it’ll also be interesting for anyone who’s pondered the impact that natural talent has on your table tennis potential.

Sponsored by… TableTennisUniversity.com

Today’s episode is sponsored by TableTennisUniversity.com – and in particular their Black Friday promotion.

This year, for Black Friday (and Cyber Monday), they’re giving you their best offer ever…

Buy 1 of Tao’s ‘Mastery’ courses and get the other 3 for FREE!

There will never be a better time to purchase these four courses and discover how to serve, loop and smash like a Chinese professional.

Purchase one of the four courses below, TODAY!

This promotion ends at midnight on Cyber Monday (2nd December). No code/coupon required. Following a successful purchase, you will be manually enrolled into the other three courses. This may take up to 12 hours to process.

In this episode you’ll learn:

Why Harrie almost quit table tennis
If talent is important in table tennis
How to figure out if you are talented or not
How you should train as an “untalented” player
Some of the struggles of an “untalented” player
How we’ve changed Harrie’s training (once again)
What’s more important; technique or ‘feeling’
Why the ability to improvise is key
And loads more!

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

Don’t forget to go and TableTennisUniversity.com and especially their Black Friday special.

And it would be amazing if you could support this podcast by sharing it with your friends, subscribing on iTunes, and leaving us an honest iTunes Podcast review.

We’ll be back with Episode #9 at the end of December. As always, if you have a good idea for a topic, do send me an email!

The post Talent, Practice, and Why Harrie Almost Quit Table Tennis (S02E08) appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

Tom Lodziak: How to Crush It as an Adult Beginner (Bonus Interview)

Wed, 30 Oct 2019 11:04:16 +0000

Harrie’s not been very well this month so this is a special bonus episode of The Expert Table Tennis Podcast with Ben Larcombe. In this episode, I’m joined by Tom Lodziak for a chat about how to crush it as an adult beginner.

Like Harrie, Tom didn’t start playing table tennis until his mid-twenties. Over the past 12 years, he’s worked hard to improve his game, move up the levels, and he now competes (very well, I might add) in the top division of the Cambridge Table Tennis League.

In this episode you’ll learn:

How Tom went from adult beginner to adult expert
That it’s normal to have ups and downs
How to bounce back from setbacks
That talent comes in many different forms
Why consistency is the real key to success
The importance of thinking tactically in matches
How to move from the bottom division to a middle division
How to move from a middle division to the top division
Tom’s top tips from adult beginners
And loads more!

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

Don’t forget to go and check out PalioETT.com and particularly their new “3.0” range of table tennis bats.

And it would be amazing if you could support this podcast by sharing it with your friends, subscribing on iTunes, and leaving us an honest iTunes Podcast review.

Harrie will be back with me for Episode #8 at the very end of November. We’re going to be chatting about the subject of talent in table tennis. As always, if you have a good idea for a topic, do send me an email!

The post Tom Lodziak: How to Crush It as an Adult Beginner (Bonus Interview) appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

Quality vs Quantity: Table Tennis Training (S02E07)

Thu, 26 Sep 2019 14:41:58 +0000

This is Episode #7 of The Expert Table Tennis Podcast with Ben Larcombe and Harrie Austin-Jones. This month we’re discussing the quality and quantity of your training.

This season, Harrie’s made some changes to his weekly training schedule. Instead of playing as much table tennis as possible, he’s going to focus on just three high-quality sessions per week. To find out why you’ll have to listen to this episode.

In this episode you’ll learn:

How Harrie got on in his first league match of the season
Why Harrie has started playing less table tennis each week
How much you should train as an adult beginner
Why working with a coach is so important
What happens if you only ever play against “weird” players
Why you shouldn’t listen to every coaching tip you’re given
What Harrie’s typical week of table tennis now looks like
How to figure out how to beat unorthodox players
How to convince better players to train with you
Why training with others improves the quality of your session
And loads more!

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

Don’t forget to go and check out PowerPong.org and particularly their new Power Pong 5000 robot.

And it would be amazing if you could support this podcast by sharing it with your friends, subscribing on iTunes, and leaving us an honest iTunes Podcast review.

We’ll be back with Episode #8 at the very end of October. As always, if you have a good idea for a topic, do send me an email!

The post Quality vs Quantity: Table Tennis Training (S02E07) appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger Table Tennis (S02E06)

Sat, 31 Aug 2019 18:02:07 +0000

This is Episode #6 of the Expert Table Tennis Podcast with Ben Larcombe and Harrie Austin-Jones. This month we’re chatting about the physical side of table tennis.

Is physical training even important for table tennis? If so, what kinds of stuff should we be doing? Harrie has a background in physical power sports like rugby, sprinting and bodybuilding, so I wanted to pick his brain!

Sponsored by… TableTennisUniversity.com

Today’s episode is sponsored by TableTennisUniversity.com – a revolutionary online training program created by former Chinese pro, Tao Li.

For the next 8 days, they’re giving you $100 off their ‘Premium’ bundle!

If you’d like to purchase the entire TTU curriculum at this bargain price, all you need to do is click the link below and you’ll be taken to their site with the ‘SEPTEMBER’ discount code already applied…

www.experttabletennis.com/september

This is the lowest price you’ll ever find for TTU and on top of that, they offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. So you can join today for $197, start watching all of their videos right now, and then if you aren’t 100% satisfied just drop them an email and they’ll give you a full refund!

This offer expires at midnight on Sunday 8th September 2019.

In this episode you’ll learn:

That Harrie can’t click his fingers (lol)
That you can reach a pretty high level without being particularly fit
But you do need some basic cardio fitness to play “proper” table tennis
How to be realistic about your physical limit/potential
Why some styles of play require different levels of fitness
The best types of physical training for table tennis players
What on earth are “plyometrics”?
Why you should probably buy yourself an agility ladder and a skipping rope
How to add “overload” to your table tennis training
Why you should keep your bat/racket in hand during your physical training
Harrie’s thoughts on his upcoming 2019/20 season
And loads more!

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

Don’t forget to go and check out TableTennisUniversity.com (before the $100 off voucher expires on Sunday 8th September).

And it would be amazing if you could support this podcast by sharing it with your friends, subscribing on iTunes, and leaving us an honest iTunes Podcast review.

We’ll be back with Episode #7 at the very end of September. As always, if you have a good idea for a topic, do send me an email!

The post Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger Table Tennis (S02E06) appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

Beating Nerves, Handling Pressure, and Managing Your Emotions (S02E05)

Mon, 29 Jul 2019 08:57:24 +0000

This is Episode #5 of the Expert Table Tennis Podcast with Ben Larcombe and Harrie Austin-Jones. This month we’re chatting about the mental and emotional side of our sport.

If you struggle to beat your nerves, handle the pressure of a big match or manage your crazy emotions at the table – and let’s be honest, that’s all of us, at one time or another – then this is the episode for you!

In this episode you’ll learn:

How Harrie’s summer training is coming along
What Harrie does when he gets really angry playing table tennis
Some of my experiences learning to manage my emotions
Why you need to understand your own personality/character
That you should judge your performance on your decision making
What happened to me at JBL when I let pressure get the best of me
What to do when you’re really nervous and anxious
Why deep breathing can be helpful
How briefly removing yourself from the table is a good idea
Why you should start aggressively and be prepared to lose the first game/set if you need to
How to use positive self-talk during your games
Why you should “be more Paul Paulding” (and what that means)
And loads more!

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

Don’t forget to go and check out EastfieldCo.com (if you haven’t already). We’ve got a growing range of Eastfield bats, rubbers, blades, bat cases, and t-shirts available.

And it would be amazing if you could support this podcast by sharing it with your friends, subscribing on iTunes, and leaving us an honest iTunes Podcast review.

We’ll be back with Episode #6 at the end of August. If you have a good idea for a topic, do send me an email!

The post Beating Nerves, Handling Pressure, and Managing Your Emotions (S02E05) appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

Harrie’s Top 5 Table Tennis Drills (S02E04)

Fri, 28 Jun 2019 11:12:11 +0000

This is Episode #4 of the Expert Table Tennis Podcast with Ben Larcombe and Harrie Austin-Jones. This month we’re chatting about our favourite table tennis drills!

If you’re looking to add some more table tennis drills into your training, this is the episode for you. We’ll be sharing some regular, irregular, multiball, and service/return drills.

In this episode you’ll learn:

Why everyone should practice table tennis drills
If table tennis drills will make you “too robotic”
About some of the different types of drills
Drill #1: Xs & Hs
Drill #2: The Switching Drill
Drill #3: Japanese Box Footwork
Drill #4: Multiball Open-Ups
Drill #5: The Falkenberg Drill
Bonus Drill: Pushing Games
And loads more!

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

Don’t forget to go and check out EastfieldCo.com (if you haven’t already). We’ve got a growing range of Eastfield bats, rubbers, blades, bat cases, and t-shirts available.

And it would be amazing if you could support this podcast by sharing it with your friends, subscribing on iTunes, and leaving us an honest iTunes Podcast review.

I’ll be back with Episode #5 at the end of July. If you have a good idea for a topic, do send me an email!

The post Harrie’s Top 5 Table Tennis Drills (S02E04) appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

Harrie’s 2018/19 End-of-Season Review (S02E03)

Thu, 30 May 2019 11:45:34 +0000

This is Episode #3 of the new style Expert Table Tennis Podcast! This month we’re doing an end-of-season review of Harrie’s table tennis season and setting goals for 2019/20.

We break the year up into three phases; pre-season (May-August), first-half (September-December), and second-half (January-April). We also speak in terms of process, performance, and outcome goals – I explain what that means in the episode.

Sponsored by… TableTennisUniversity.com

Today’s episode is sponsored by TableTennisUniversity.com (one of the other websites I run).

Table Tennis University is a revolutionary online training program created by former Chinese pro, Tao Li. It was designed to transform you into an elite, well-respected table tennis player in the shortest time possible!

Join TODAY, as a free member, and you’ll gain access to;

3 of the 52 video lessons
3 of the 148 drill demonstrations
3 of the 60 coach’s questions videos

TTU really is a fantastic introduction to mastering the sport of table tennis and I’m convinced that you will be blown away by both the quality of the course platform and Coach Li’s excellent instruction. Join TODAY!

In this episode you’ll learn:

How Harrie views his 2018/19 table tennis season
Whether he played as much as he wanted to
What his favourite weekly training session is and why
Which areas of his game improved the most this year
Which aspects have been letting him down performance-wise
The styles/players Harrie likes and dislikes playing against
How he did in the Maidstone and Medway leagues
What his plans are for pre-season summer training
And loads more!

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

Don’t forget to go and check out TableTennisUniversity.com (if you haven’t already) and sign up as a free member to gain access to those coaching videos.

And it would be amazing if you could support this podcast by sharing it with your friends, subscribing on iTunes, and leaving us an honest iTunes Podcast review.

I’ll be back with Episode #4 towards the end of June. If you have a good idea for a topic, do send me an email!

The post Harrie’s 2018/19 End-of-Season Review (S02E03) appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Table Tennis (S02E02)

Mon, 29 Apr 2019 09:00:32 +0000

This is Episode #2 of the new style Expert Table Tennis Podcast! I’m joined once again by my good friend Harrie Austin-Jones and this week we’re chatting about the ultimate beginner’s guide to table tennis.

Harrie’s been playing table tennis for about two and a half years now so, in effect, I’m asking him… “If you could go back in time to when you first started; What would you tell yourself? What would you do differently? What do you think you did right?

Sponsored by… TableTennisUniversity.com

Today’s episode is sponsored by TableTennisUniversity.com (one of the other websites I run).

Join TODAY, as a free member, and you’ll gain access to;

3 of the 52 video lessons
3 of the 148 drill demonstrations
3 of the 60 coach’s questions videos

In this episode you’ll learn:

Why you need to find yourself a training buddy
Whether you should buy a table tennis table for your home
The importance of mastering the basics early on
Whether it’s a good idea to watch and copy the professionals
Why you MUST learn about spin and how to deal with it
Why it’s worth starting competitive table tennis as soon as possible
What kind of equipment a beginner needs
What kind of training and drill a beginner should do
Whether you should enter a difficult league or an easy league
And loads more!

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

Don’t forget to go and check out TableTennisUniversity.com (if you haven’t already) and sign up as a free member to gain access to those coaching videos.

And it would be amazing if you could support this podcast by sharing it with your friends, subscribing on iTunes, and leaving us an honest iTunes Podcast review.

I’ll be back with Episode #3 towards the end of May. We’re going to be doing a review of Harrie’s 2018/19 table tennis season – which is something that I think all table tennis players should do.

Do drop me an email if you’ve got questions for Harrie, or any suggestions for topics you’d like us to discuss.

The post The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Table Tennis (S02E02) appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

Who is Harrie Austin-Jones? (S02E01)

Mon, 25 Mar 2019 17:06:06 +0000

After a two-year break, The Expert Table Tennis Podcast is back! From now on, I’ll be joined for each episode by my good friend Harrie Austin-Jones.

This first episode (of what I’m calling “Season 2”) is your chance to get to know Harrie and his epic table tennis journey, so far.

Sponsored by… TableTennisUniversity.com

Today’s episode is sponsored by TableTennisUniversity.com (one of the other websites I run).

Join TODAY, as a free member, and you’ll gain access to;

3 of the 52 video lessons
3 of the 148 drill demonstrations
3 of the 60 coach’s questions videos

In this episode you’ll learn:

Why Harrie first started playing table tennis, as an adult
What he does with the rest of his time (work, other hobbies)
How much Harrie trains and where
Harrie’s experience of local league table tennis
The highs and lows of Harrie’s table tennis career so far
Harrie’s goals for the next few years

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

It’s great to be back podcasting again. I hope you enjoyed this episode and are looking forward to hearing more from Harrie.

Don’t forget to go and check out TableTennisUniversity.com (if you haven’t already) and sign up as a free member to gain access to those coaching videos.

And it would be amazing if you could support this podcast by sharing it with your friends, subscribing on iTunes, and leaving us an honest iTunes Podcast review.

I’ll be back at some point in April with S02E02.

Do drop me an email if you’ve got questions for Harrie, or any suggestions for topics you’d like us to discuss.

The post Who is Harrie Austin-Jones? (S02E01) appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

#41 – Sam Dance: Karaoke, Patrick Franziska, and Local League

Wed, 01 Mar 2017 12:00:12 +0000

Sam Dance is a member of The Expert Table Tennis Academy (my online community) and has a fascinating table tennis story to share that includes some karaoke, Patrick Franziska (a professional German table tennis player), and lots of local league table tennis.

From time to time I like to share the real life story of an ETT Academy member. I always find these really inspiring and I know you guys enjoy them too. Sam is the fifth ETT Academy member to be brave enough to join me on the podcast for an interview!

Sam Dance Interview

I don’t want to give too much away, but this interview is roughly split into two halves. In the first part, Sam shares his table tennis story so that we can get to know him a little better. In the second part, I ask Sam a number of different questions about his training, his competitive results, and some of the lessons he’s learned from getting back into serious table tennis.

In this episode you’ll learn:

How and when Sam first started playing table tennis [1:45]
Why Sam and his twin brother improved so quickly [5:00]
What caused Sam to stop playing table tennis [8:00]
How Sam got into the entertainment industry [11:00]
Who won when Sam played Patrick Franziska [14:45]
What happened when Sam starting playing again [21:00]
How the game has changed at the local level [26:00]
What Sam’s weekly training and coaching looks like [27:30]
Sam’s future table tennis goals [34:15]
A top tip from Sam’s table tennis experience [36:00]

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

I really enjoyed speaking to Sam Dance and hearing from a real ETT Academy member. I always find these episodes really inspiring and I know you guys enjoy listening to them too. Here are four previous interviews…

Rory Scott: Expert in a Year Mark II (July 2015)
Adam Gittings: Hard Work Pays Off (September 2015)
Tom Lodziak: Training at the Werner Schlager Academy (October 2015)
Nick Ryder: Making a Comeback After 20 Years (January 2016)

For those of you that don’t know, The Expert Table Tennis Academy is my online community of over 5,000 table tennis players, from all over the world, who share the same goal; to improve their table tennis. It’s 100% FREE to join!

We also have The Expert Table Tennis Academy Facebook Group with over 1,000 members. It’s a great place to freely communicate and discuss strategies for improving your table tennis with other like-minded individuals.

Join the group and get involved!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ettacademy

Please share the show

I know that lots of you guys are regularly sharing the podcast with other table tennis players all over the world. I just want to say thanks for all the help you’ve given me already! Please continue to support the show and subscribe on iTunes, leave us an honest iTunes Podcast review, share this episode on Facebook or Twitter, or simply just mention it to a friend. I appreciate your help so much!

I’ll be back in a month with Episode #42 – to be released 1st April 2017. As I mention in the show, I’m hoping to be joined by Patrick Franziska to chat about his table tennis career and his new “SpinFit” venture.

The post #41 – Sam Dance: Karaoke, Patrick Franziska, and Local League appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

#40 – Dan Seemiller: Revelations of a Table Tennis Champion

Wed, 01 Feb 2017 12:00:13 +0000

Dan Seemiller is an American table tennis legend. He is five times US Men’s Singles Champion, twelve times US Men’s Doubles Champion, and seven times US Mixed Doubles Champion. That’s pretty impressive, to say the least!

But he didn’t stop there… Dan transitioned to table tennis coaching and coached the US National Team for 10 years. He has also been USATT President and organized dozens of major tournaments. He currently working on the 2018 World Veteran Games, which will be held in Las Vegas.

Dan Seemiller Interview

What makes Dan’s story even more interesting is that he hardly received any coaching as a player. As a junior he trained with his brothers in “the barn” and they all developed their own unorthodox styles of play. Many ‘experts’ told him he would never succeed with such a different technique but Dan was determined to prove them all wrong… and he did!

In this episode you’ll learn:

All about Dan’s new table tennis book [1:00]
How Dan first started playing table tennis [4:30]
What Dan thinks about unique styles and challenging the Chinese [6:45]
Why Dan reached a higher level than his brothers [9:30]
When things really took off for Dan as a player [12:45]
What is the “Seemiller” grip? [16:15]
Dan’s strengths and weaknesses as a player [20:30]
How to identify bad habits vs individual styles [25:30]
How Dan became such a tactical competitor and his tactical tips [28:00]
What Dan thinks about combination rackets in 2017 [33:30]
Dan’s prediction for the next big change in table tennis strategy [37:00]
2018 World Veterans Table Tennis Championships [39:30]
How to change your game/style as you grow older [42:15]
Why you should buy Dan Seemiller’s new book [46:00]

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

I really enjoyed speaking to Dan Seemiller and reading his unique table tennis story in his new book “Revelations of a Table Tennis Champion”. If you are interested in purchasing a copy for yourself you can do so here (US) or here (UK).

Please share the show

I’ll be back in a month with Episode #41 – to be released 1st March 2017. My guest is still to be confirmed, so if you have any suggestions please leave a comment and let me know.

The post #40 – Dan Seemiller: Revelations of a Table Tennis Champion appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

#39 – Samson Dubina: Enhance Your Game with TT-Flex

Sun, 01 Jan 2017 12:00:56 +0000

Samson Dubina was last a guest on the show roughly 18 months ago. In that episode, we discussed his training and preparation for the Team USA Rio 2016 selections. Today, we’ll focus on TT-Flex!

Unfortunately, Samson didn’t quite make it into the Olympic team but he’s had a fantastic 2016 – both as a player and a coach. In May he managed to achieve a career high USATT rating of 2619, a level that very few US-born table tennis players ever achieve. On top of that, he has been coaching many of Ohio’s top juniors and introducing his young kids to the sport of table tennis.

TT-Flex Interview

The main bulk of this interview was focused around Samson new and innovative table tennis training product, TT-Flex. It’s a full-body training tool that has been designed to strengthen the primary muscles used in the sport of table tennis. Samson has been working on this for a while – and keeping it under his hat – but the product is now on sale via his website.

In this episode you’ll learn:

How Samson’s table tennis has improved since we last spoke [1:30]
What separates the best from the rest? [4:00]
Samson’s experience of introducing his kids to table tennis [8:00]
What is TT-Flex? [10:00]
Why should we practice with a heavy bat or dumbells? [12:30]
Favourite ways to use TT-Flex [17:30]
Is TT-Flex suitable for junior players? [21:30]
The effects of TT-Flex on Samson’s game [23:00]
Samson’s top tip for improving your serve return [26:00]
How to buy TT-Flex [29:15]

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

I really enjoyed speaking to Samson about his exciting TT-Flex product. If you are interested in purchasing one for yourself you can do so here.

You should also watch the video below which demonstrates all of the features of the product and how to use it.

Please share the show

I’ll be back in a month with Episode #40 – to be released 1st February 2017. My guest is still to be confirmed, so if you have any suggestions please leave a comment and let me know.

The post #39 – Samson Dubina: Enhance Your Game with TT-Flex appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

#38 – Colin Wilson: How to Fulfil Your Potential

Thu, 01 Sep 2016 11:00:18 +0000

Colin Wilson is probably the perfect guest for an episode of The Expert Table Tennis Podcast. As a player, he represented England for many years and is a double Commonwealth medallist. As a coach, he has worked with the English national team at all levels and trained some of the top players in the country.

On top of all that Colin also works with top business people and coaches to help them to continually improve their performance in a variety of fields. And… he has just opened Corby Smash Table Tennis Club – a full-time table tennis club with big plans for the future.

Colin Wilson Interview

I spoke to Colin for about 40 minutes a few weeks ago. He was already at Corby Smash TTC getting ready for a day of coaching the wide variety of players who were attending their summer training camp. During our conversation Colin shared a number of useful tips for players and coaches of all levels.

In this episode you’ll learn:

How Corby Smash TTC came into existence, and why [1:15]
Who is Colin Wilson [7:45]
What are the underlying qualities of success in any field [14:15]
How much (and how often) should you practice table tennis [21:00]
Matches vs Training – Advice for beginners [27:00]
How to play relaxed table tennis [29:45]
More information about Corby Smash TTC [36:00]

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

I really enjoyed speaking to Colin Wilson and I hope you enjoyed listening to the episode as well.

If you are able to, I would highly recommend getting in touch with Colin and the team at Corby Smash TTC. I am sure that they are going to quickly turn that club into one of the best in the UK and help many table tennis players in improve their performance and fulfil their potential.

The club’s emphasis on forensic practice and cascade coaching sounds particularly interesting. I’m sure that if you are a table tennis coach yourself, you’ve picked up a few interesting ideas from Colin that you can think about implementing in your own table tennis club.

What was your favourite tip from the episode? Leave a comment and let me know what you thought.

Please share the show

I’ll be back in a month with Episode #39 – to be released 1st October 2016. My guest is still to be confirmed, so if you have any suggestions please leave a comment and let me know.

The post #38 – Colin Wilson: How to Fulfil Your Potential appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

#37 – Jeff Plumb & Alois Rosario: PingSkills Answer Your Questions

Mon, 01 Aug 2016 11:00:32 +0000

Jeff Plumb and Alois Rosario are the guys behind PingSkills, easily the most popular table tennis coaching channel on YouTube. They have been teaching table tennis to players the world over ever since they made their first PingSkills video back in 2007.

Alois Rosario is one of the best table tennis coaches in Australia, and has worked closely with the national team for many years. Jeff Plumb is a very high-level table tennis player who represented Australia at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

PingSkills Interview

To date, Jeff and Alois have produce 269 episodes of their PingSkills “Ask The Coach” show. In my mind, that makes them the table tennis Q&A kings!

I thought it was only right to get them one the show to hear about some of the most common questions they answer and also to give them the opportunity to answer some questions from ETT Academy members as well.

In this episode you’ll learn:

The PingSkills story [00:30]
What was the PingSkills “Power of Practice” Challenge? [05:15]
Jeff and Alois’ views on talent, practice, and rates of learning [11:30]
Their most popular “Ask The Coach” questions…
- What rubbers should I be using [18:45]
- How to return spin serves [20:00]
- How to “read” serves [23:30]
- Tips for “smashing” [26:30]
Jeff and Alois’ answers to four ETT Academy member’s questions…
- How to correct bad habits developed during recreational play [30:15]
- Should we be using our backhand more, like the pros? [34:45]
- Advice for older table tennis players [39:15]
- How to avoid choking when you have a lead [43:30]
What’s next for PingSkills [51:00]

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

I really enjoyed speaking to Jeff Plumb and Alois Rosario of PingSkills. I hope you enjoyed listening to the episode as well.

Towards the start of the interview, we spoke about PingSkills’ #PowerOfPractice competition. Below are four videos showing the various table tennis skills you can try. The first is my own video after a week of practice bouncing the ball on the bottom of my blade.

Here’s Marcos Freitas showing off some of his table tennis skills…

Here’s Jeff introducing the Ping Skills #PowerOfPractice challenge and trying out the “table tapper” skill for the first time.

And here’s Alois practising the “spin catcher” skill…

I highly recommend having a go at these three skills. They will certainly improve your hand-eye coordination, as well as your table tennis “feeling” and control in your hand. On top of that, they are great for teaching you about the ups and downs of learning in general. It’s not always easy (or fun) but if you persevere you will surely see results.

Here are my favourite quotes from the interview…

Don’t give up too early – Jeff Plumb

Your brain can only process one thing at a time – Alois Rosario

What was your favourite tip from the episode? Leave a comment and let me know what you thought.

Please share the show

I’ll be back in a month with Episode #38 – to be released 1st September 2016.

Until then, I hope you have a great summer. Enjoy yourself – especially if you are having a break from table tennis. And then it’s time for the new season to begin in September!

The post #37 – Jeff Plumb & Alois Rosario: PingSkills Answer Your Questions appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

#36 – Dan McLaughlin: How to Master Any Skill

Fri, 01 Jul 2016 11:00:21 +0000

Back in 2010, Dan McLaughlin decided he wanted to become a professional golfer. The only problem was, he’d never played 18 holes of golf in his life! He didn’t let that stop him, though.

He packed in his job as a commercial photographer and began “The Dan Plan” – 10,000 hours of golf deliberate practice. He’s now six years into his challenge so I thought now would be a great time to check in with him, find out how he is getting on, and ask him what he’s learned so far from his journey.

Dan McLaughlin Interview

Dan was actually a big inspiration to me and the Expert in a Year challenge. I reached out to him back in 2013 to ask for his advice and discuss some potential ideas.

This interview will be a little different to normal – especially as Dan has next to zero table tennis experience – but I hope that you find his story inspirational, and his dedication and work ethic infectious.

In this episode you’ll learn:

Who is Dan McLaughlin? [00:30]
How to stick with your goals and not quit [08:00]
Dan’s golfing progress over the last six years [10:30]
Should you work with a coach from day one? [15:00]
How to break through a plateau [17:30]
Where Dan is currently along his journey to 10,000 hours [21:30]
Is it more difficult to learn as an adult? [27:30]
Dan’s highlights from The Dan Plan so far [30:00]
Dan’s low point from The Dan Plan so far [33:00]
Which is best: repetition or random practice? [37:00]
How to deal with “haters” [41:30]
Dan’s top tip for aspiring professionals [44:00]
What’s next for The Dan Plan? [48:15]

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

I really enjoyed speaking to Dan McLaughlin and I hoped you enjoyed listening to the episode. To learn a little more about Dan’s story and challenge you should definitely check out the video below…

What was your favourite tip from the episode? Leave a comment and let me know what you thought.

Please share the show

I’ll be back in a month with Episode #37 – to be released 1st August 2016. I’m hoping to be joined by Alois Rosario and Jeff Plumb from Pingskills.

The post #36 – Dan McLaughlin: How to Master Any Skill appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

#35 – Alan Cooke: England’s Performance Coach

Wed, 01 Jun 2016 11:00:45 +0000

Alan Cooke is the Performance Coach at Table Tennis England. That means he works very closely with our national teams and travels with them to tournaments. If you watched any of the World Team Championships out in Kuala Lumpur you will have seen Alan corner coaching Paul Drinkhall, Liam Pitchford, and Sam Walker to an incredible bronze medal result.

As a player, Alan Cooke made his England senior debut in 1984. He won countless national titles and was consistently England #1 during his era. He reached a career high of 27th in the world rankings in 1990 and made a comeback to the sport in the 2000s becoming the over 40 world champion in 2006.

Alan Cooke Interview

Ever since Kuala Lumpur I’ve been keen to get Alan on the podcast. We were finally able to make it happen last week and had a chat about England’s remarkable and unexpected bronze medal at the World Team Championships back in March and their preparation for Rio 2016 (which is only a few months away).

I also asked Alan a number of questions regarding how non-elite players can prepare for and peak at a big tournament/event. Alan gave loads of advice for the build up, the tournament itself, and how to learn from your performance afterwards.

I know a lot of my listeners are really going to enjoy this one!

In this episode you’ll learn:

Alan’s review of the World Team Championships [1:30]
An update on Rio 2016 for Team GB [3:00]
How Paul, Liam, and Sam prepared for Kuala Lumpur [5:00]
The current plans for Rio 2016 [10:00]
How and why to use periodization in your table tennis training [11:45]
How to use goal setting for your tournaments [14:15]
How to stay focused during a tournament [16:30]
Alan’s coaching style and philosophy [19:00]
What Alan says to the players in the corner [22:30]
The correct mindset when facing “unbeatable players” [25:30]
How to debrief, reflect, and learn after a tournament [27:30]
Using video analysis to learn about yourself and others [31:30]
What the plan is for Team GB after Rio [33:00]
What separates top 50 players from top 20 players in the world [35:15]
The future for English table tennis [38:00]

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

I really enjoyed speaking to Alan Cooke and I hoped you enjoyed listening to the episode. Here’s my favourite quote from the interview…

To be a good table tennis player you’ve got to be smart. You need to be thinking your way out of problems and not just trying to bludgeon your way out.

I also thought Alan’s emphasis on staying in the moment, trying to win the next point, and enjoying it was really important. That was clearly what the boys were doing out in Kuala Lumpur when they were all playing the best table tennis of their lives!

What was your favourite tip from the episode? Leave a comment and let us know what you thought.

Please share the show

I’ll be back in a month with Episode #36 – to be released 1st July 2016. I’m hoping to be joined by Alois Rosario and Jeff Plumb from Pingskills.

The post #35 – Alan Cooke: England’s Performance Coach appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

#34 – Gavin Evans: Bulletproof Table Tennis

Sun, 01 May 2016 11:00:57 +0000

In many ways, you could say that Gavin Evans was always destined for table tennis greatness. He was born into a family where both parents played to a high-level and he had two older brothers who were both part of the England Youth Squad. Add to that Gavin’s immediate love of the sport and you have the perfect combination.

He began playing at 5-years-old. By 11, Gavin had overtaken both of his older brothers and was beginning to establish himself as the best young player in Europe. For the next four years, he was near enough unbeatable in his age category and was crowned European Youth Champion in Terni 2008. There was a huge amount of excitement and buzz in English table tennis.

However, as a junior player Gavin was troubled by injuries and held back by three hip surgeries. He attempted to make a comeback but eventually had to accept that his body would not allow him to do the necessary training and competing. He was in constant pain from any table tennis. The dream of becoming a professional senior player was over.

Gavin’s love of the sport has seen him transition to coaching and he now working with players of all levels – from complete beginners in schools to some of the best players in England. Gavin is passionate about helping players achieve their goals, both on and off the table, and has a wealth of experience from 18 years of table tennis to share.

In this interview, we chat about Gavin’s career and some of the many lessons he has learned along the way. I hope you enjoy it!

In this episode you’ll learn:

Gavin’s first memories of table tennis as a five-year-old [1:00]
How Gavin improved so quickly and overtook his brothers [4:00]
Gavin’s experience of playing in China [12.00]
What it was like being part of the England team as a cadet [15:00]
What to do when you’re not playing your best table tennis [24:00]
All about Gavin’s injury problems as a junior [30:00]
Gavin’s advice for dealing with adversity in table tennis and life [34:00]
What life is like for Gavin now [40:00]
Gavin’s Top Tip – Build a bulletproof body [44:00]
How to contact/follow Gavin [50:00]

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

It was really great to chat to Gavin and hear his take on the highs and lows of his table tennis career. I was really struck by Gavin’s positive mental attitude throughout and how he has dealt with adversity. He is certainly a great inspiration and role model for younger players.

During the interview, I mentioned a couple of photos I’d found showing Gavin Evans and Liam Pitchford as cadets back in 2008. The difference in physical size and development is huge…

Gavin shared loads of fantastic advice during the interview. I was particularly surprised by how knowledgeable he is regarding the physical side of the sport. He has a great understanding of the human body and the effects intense table tennis training has on it.

What was your favourite tip from the episode? Leave a comment and let us know what you thought.

Please share the show

I’ll be back in a month with a new guest and Episode #35 – to be released 1st June 2016.

The post #34 – Gavin Evans: Bulletproof Table Tennis appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

#33 – Sean O’Neill: Top Tips for Intermediate Players

Fri, 01 Apr 2016 11:00:57 +0000

Sean O’Neill is one of the most knowledgeable and respected table tennis coaches in the USA. As a player, he represented USATT during the 80s and 90s, reaching a career high world ranking inside the top 100.

In 1995, Sean transitioned to coaching and has worked with a number of top USA players, as well thousands of beginners and improvers. Among some of his students are former guests on the show Brian Pace and Tahl Leibovitz!

This is an opportunity to hear from a really brilliant coach. I decided to keep the interview quite relaxed and simply let the conversation flow naturally. Along the way, Sean provides countless pearls of wisdom to help players and coaches of all levels. I know you are going to enjoy this one!

In this episode you’ll learn:

How Sean got started in the sport and improved so quickly [1:00]
Sean’s views on the future of table tennis [10:00]
Why video analysis and scouting is so important [17:00]
3 tips for intermediate players [25:00]
The important of good footwork and mastering the basics [32:00]
Sean’s thoughts on The Expert in a Year Challenge [41.00]
Encouragement to keep going when times are tough [46:00]
How to contact Sean [52:00]

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

It was really great to chat to Sean O’Neill and learn from all of his table tennis wisdom and experience. I’m sure that whether you are a player or coach you will have picked up loads of useful tips for Sean.

What was your favourite tip from the episode? Leave a comment and let us know what you thought.

Please share the show

I’ll be back in a month with a new guest and Episode #34 – to be released 1st May 2016.

The post #33 – Sean O’Neill: Top Tips for Intermediate Players appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

#32 – William Henzell: Time to Retire

Tue, 01 Mar 2016 12:00:06 +0000

William Henzell is without a doubt the greatest table tennis player Australia has ever produced. He has won the men’s national championships a record 13 times, consistently been ranked among the top 100 players in the world, and had some fantastic results representing Australia in the Olympic and Commonwealth Games.

Then, a couple of weeks ago, Will released a statement on Facebook announcing his retirement from competitive table tennis. With Rio 2016 Olympic qualification just months away this came as a bit of shock to many table tennis fans. Despite cutting back his training in recent years, Will is still the best player in Australia and everyone would have expected him to qualify for his fourth Olympic Games.

We don’t often get to talk to professional players about their retirement and exit from elite sport. In this episode of the podcast, Will is completely open and honest about his experiences over almost 28 years of table tennis and shares plenty of lessons that I’m sure will help to guide and direct up-and-coming players, or anyone serious about increasing their level.

In this episode you’ll learn:

Why Will decided to retire at this point in time.
How his motivation and drive has decreased after since London 2012.
How Will started in sport aged 6.
The role of Swedish table tennis in his development.
Some of Will’s regrets looking back over his career.
Why finding a competitive environment is key to success.
How Will managed to transition from sport to the corporate world.
Will’s big lessons/tips for table tennis players.
Why Will believes having good serves is most underrated.
All about the brilliant ttEDGE table tennis training app.

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

It was really great to chat to Will Henzell and learn from all of his table tennis wisdom and experience. I hope you will follow his advice and make sure you are in the best environment for the advancement of your table tennis. Look for players and coaches who are all focused on giving 100% in every training session.

What was your favourite tip from the episode? Leave a comment and let us know what you thought.

Also, do check out the new ttEDGE app. The video below will give you a better idea of what it’s all about. I love Brett’s videos!

Please share the show

I’ll be back in a month with a new guest and Episode #33 – to be released 1st April 2016.

The post #32 – William Henzell: Time to Retire appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

#31 – Tahl Leibovitz: Ping Pong for Fighters

Mon, 01 Feb 2016 12:00:49 +0000

Tahl Leibovitz is a Paralympic gold medalist, is currently ranked #8 in the world in Class 9, and has over 25 years of table tennis experience as both a player and coach. Who better to join me on The Expert Table Tennis Podcast for the first episode of 2016?

Rio 2016 is just six months away and 40-year-old Tahl is training hard so that he can be in a position to give his all at what will probably be his last major competition. I caught up with him last week for about 40 minutes to ask him about his book Ping Pong for Fighters and to hear some of the lessons he’s learnt from competing at the highest level for so many years.

As he says in the interview, Tahl has been fortunate enough to work with a number of really top coaches and travel all over the world learning about the game we love. There is so much great wisdom in this episode. I really hope you are able to learn something new, apply it to your game, and start seeing results!

In this episode you’ll learn:

Tahl’s story and how he first began playing table tennis aged 14.
How he managed to quickly become a professional player.
What kind of preparation Tahl is doing for Rio 2016.
The difference between competing in able-bodied and Para table tennis.
Why Tahl decided to write a table tennis book.
Advice Tahl has picked up from players like Samsonov.
Dozens of tips to help you perform better in your matches.

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

It’s good to be back with the podcast and I hope you enjoyed my interview with Tahl and took a lot of advice from it. A big thank you to Tahl for giving me an hour of his time to make it happen.

What was your favourite tip from the episode? Leave a comment and let us know what you thought.

Please share the show

As I said at the start of the episode, I am cutting back to just one episode a month for 2016, but I’ll be back with a new guest and Episode #32 to be released on the last Friday in February (which is the 26th).

The post #31 – Tahl Leibovitz: Ping Pong for Fighters appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

#30 – Nick Ryder: Making a Comeback After 20 Years

Fri, 01 Jan 2016 12:00:28 +0000

Nick Ryder started playing table tennis in the early 80s at a young age. His dad was a coach and he was living in Yorkshire, which was one of the strongest counties for table tennis in the country. By the age of 14, Nick was already a very strong player and found himself #6 on the England cadet list.

Upon entering the juniors, Nick found the going tough and wasn’t sure whether all the hard work and sacrifice was really worth it. He slowly began to drift away from the sport and quit completely at the age of 20. He didn’t pick up a bat for twenty years, until coming back to the sport in 2012 after taking his son along to a local kids coaching session.

Nick is my first listener interview and I’m really keen to share his story with you. I know that plenty of players give up the sport once they hit 18, only to take it up again later on in life. Nick is highly motivated, goal oriented, and has been steadily improving his performances and results over the last three years. I hope you find it easy to related to his story and experiences and get some valuable advice from our chat.

In this episode you’ll learn:

How Nick first started playing table tennis back in the 80s.
Why he decided to quit playing as a junior.
What he learnt from training with future England star Mike O’Driscoll.
Why he chose to make a comeback to the sport in 2012.
How he has consistently improved his level over the last three years.
The types of training and drills he’s implemented.
What his goals are for the next couple of years, and beyond.
TOP TIP: Develop a special serve to win you cheap points.

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

It was great to do something a little different and I hope to be able to interview a listener every now and again. A big thank you goes out to Nick for being the first one to step up to the plate!

I’m sure that loads of you guys must have similar stories to Nick. Did you play a lot as a kid and then quit, only to come back to the sport as a veteran? If so, leave a comment below and let us know how you are getting on.

And a big thank you to our sponsor – ttEDGE

Running and producing a weekly podcast costs money (not a lot of money, but I do have to pay out for hosting each money and buy equipment and tools). It also takes up quite a lot of my time (probably about 4-5 hours per episode if you include prep, doing the interview, editing and uploading it, and then promotion).

In order to make it all a little more financially viable, I have taken the decision to have each episode paid for by a sponsor. The format of the show will remain the same, except that after the interview I will give you a very brief message from them, whoever it might be. It could be promoting a product or service. It might be making you aware of a special deal. Anything really. I hope you understand.

And I have to say, I couldn’t be happier with our first sponsor…

ttEDGE is an online table tennis coaching service run by William Henzell (Australian #1) and Brett Clarke (former Australian national team player and coach). They produce top quality coaching videos and offer one-to-one online coaching and video analysis to platinum members of their website.

If you haven’t heard my interview with Brett Clarke yet, you can listen to that here.

It’s actually pretty unbelievable that you can have such an experienced coach as Brett Clarke, watching your videos and giving you one-to-one feedback and advice on your game, all included in the price of membership. I would probably charge £30 an hour just for this alone!

That’s the main reason why I believe joining ttEDGE could have a massive impact on your game. The videos are great, and will help you loads, but one-to-one access to a top quality coach like Brett is what’s really going to push you on to the next level.

If you are interested in becoming a member of ttEDGE, and I highly recommend you do, here is the link you’ll need…

http://www.ttedge.com/signup

Standard membership is free.
Platinum membership, which gives you access to everything and one-on-one feedback from Brett himself, is only $19.95 per month.

If you are interested in sponsoring future episodes of The Expert Table Tennis Podcast, please email me via ben@experttabletennis.com.

Fancy being a guest on the podcast yourself?

Your podcast needs you!

I like to have a variety of different guests on the show (professional players, up-and-comers, bloggers, top coaches, sports psychologists/scientists etc.) to keep each episode fresh and appeal to a wide audience of table tennis fans. One idea I’ve had is to feature you guys, the podcast listeners, from time to time. I think it would be a great way to learn from each other and share what is working in practice.

If you are a regular listener to the podcast, and fancy being on the show yourself at some point, then drop me an email and we can discuss how it would work. My email is ben@experttabletennis.com.

Please share the show

All that I need to say is that downloads are at an all-time high so far this month. It’s a great feeling to see so many people listening to the show and I know that loads of you are helping me to spread the podcast by sharing it with your table tennis friends.

Thanks for all the help you’ve given me already! Please continue to support the show and subscribe on iTunes, leave us an honest iTunes Podcast review, share this episode on Facebook or Twitter, or simply just mention it to a friend. I appreciate your help so much!

This is the final episode of the podcast for 2015 – I decided it was a bit much to release an episode on Christmas Day – but I’ll be back with a whole roster of fantastic guests in 2016. The show is going to be bigger and better and I can’t wait to share loads more amazing interviews with you.

I hope you have a fantastic Christmas and I’ll be back with more great Expert Table Tennis content for you in the new year.

The post #30 – Nick Ryder: Making a Comeback After 20 Years appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

#29 – Billy Shilton: Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Dreams

Fri, 11 Dec 2015 06:00:52 +0000

I first met Billy Shilton about this time last year when he convincingly beat Sam Priestley in Band 6 at the Nottingham Grand Prix during The Expert in a Year Challenge. He was a very solid young player even back then (and seriously under-ranked) but over the last 12 months he has come on leaps and bounds, winning a number of international Para medals.

Billy is now 17 years old and living and training in Sheffield at the national centre. He is still hoping to qualify for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games in his new class (and is flying to Costa Rica next week to see if he can pick up enough ranking points to make it there), but obviously the big one for him will be Tokyo 2020, in five years time.

Billy is a great example of a young player who has made a conscious decision to focus his efforts 100% on table tennis – and he’s getting the results to show for it. He is also thinking long-term and is prepared to dedicate the next five years of his life to full-time training in order to give himself the best possible chance of medaling in Tokyo. Despite his age, I think there is a lot we can all learn from Billy’s single-minded dedication and commitment to his goals.

In this episode you’ll learn:

How Billy got started playing table tennis just four years ago.
About Billy’s disability and how it impacts his table tennis.
Tips for improving your dynamic balance.
What a typical day is like for Billy at the national training centre.
How he manages to juggle both table tennis and college work.
The effect that a confidence boost has had on Billy’s performances.
Why Billy is now a class 8 athlete (he was in class 7 until a couple of months ago).
What Billy learnt from his time in China.
TOP TIP: Why quality is so important in your training.
About Billy’s younger brother Stan who is crushing it in the England U13s.
What’s next for Billy Shilton.

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

I hope you enjoyed listening to my interview with Billy Shilton. It’s brilliant to see a young player so committed to their table tennis and prepared to think long-term and plan for the next five years. I have no doubt that Billy will be a force to be reckoned with by Tokyo 2020.

It’s also amazing to see the Team GB Paralympic players being so well supported. Long may this continue!

What was your favourite part of the interview? Leave a comment below and let us know.

A bit thank you goes out to Billy for taking the time to chat to please. Please like/follow him on Facebook and Twitter to stay up-to-date with his progress and results.

And also, a big thank you to our sponsor – ttEDGE

And I have to say, I couldn’t be happier with our first sponsor…

If you haven’t heard my interview with Brett Clarke yet, you can listen to that here.

If you are interested in becoming a member of ttEDGE, and I highly recommend you do, here is the link you’ll need…

http://www.ttedge.com/signup

Standard membership is free.
Platinum membership, which gives you access to everything and one-on-one feedback from Brett himself, is only $19.95 per month.

If you are interested in sponsoring future episodes of The Expert Table Tennis Podcast, please email me via ben@experttabletennis.com.

Fancy being a guest on the podcast yourself?

Your podcast needs you!

If you are a regular listener to the podcast, and fancy being on the show yourself at some point, then drop me an email and we can discuss how it would work. My email is ben@experttabletennis.com.

Please share the show

Next week’s show (Episode #30) will be the last one of 2015 – I decided it was a bit much to release an episode on Christmas Day! Guest is still to be confirmed, but it will be someone awesome. Then The Expert Table Tennis Podcast will return in early January 2016 with new episodes being released every single Friday. I can’t wait!

The post #29 – Billy Shilton: Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Dreams appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

#28 – Brian Pace: Shadow Training for Table Tennis

Fri, 04 Dec 2015 06:00:25 +0000

Brian Pace is a professional table tennis player, national level coach, and creator of Dynamic Table Tennis. As a player he achieved a peak USATT rating of 2610 and was ranked within the top 300 in the world – so he’s played at the highest level!

I’ve been trying to get Brian on the show from the very beginning and we’ve finally made it happen. We have a great topic to discuss too; Brian has just released a brand new training video, Loop Fundamentals (from his Shadow Training series). It’s definitely the most unique and innovative table tennis training video I’ve come across, combining table tennis-specific fitness drills with shadow play to improve your strokes.

I got Brian on the show to discuss his thoughts on the importance of fitness for table tennis and why he believes high-intensity shadow play could be the best type of cardio training (I have to admit, I completely agree with him). We also chat a little about Brian’s story and what it takes to become a top table tennis player.

In this episode you’ll learn:

Why the loop is the ultimate trump card in table tennis.
How to incorporate shadow play into your practice.
Brian’s story: from late-starter to US national team.
What exactly is table tennis talent?
The importance of table tennis-specific fitness training.
Why shadow training is the perfect cardio.
How to get over the fear of looking stupid.
TOP TIP: Why hand speed is > power in the modern game.
Where to buy your copy of Brian latest training video.

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

I hope you enjoyed listening to my interview with Brian Pace. I feel like this was one of the strongest episodes so far!

As I said many times during the episode – I love this training video. I strongly recommend you buy yourself a copy and start training for table tennis-specific fitness and improving your ability to push through fatigue and maintain a solid technique.

Here’s the trailer…

Loop Fundamentals (Shadow Training Series) is available to buy for just $29.99 from Dynamic Table Tennis as either a digital download or a physical DVD. It would make a great Christmas present for any table tennis player!

If you do buy the video, let me know how you get on with it. I challenge you to complete the full 30 minutes, without missing a beat, on your first attempt. It isn’t easy. It even comes with a health warning at the beginning.

A big thank you goes out to Brian Pace for sharing so much good information and producing such high-quality, valuable training resources.

And also, a big thank you to our sponsor – ttEDGE

In order to make it all a little more financially viable I have taken the decision to have each episode paid for by a sponsor. The format of the show will remain the same, except that after the interview I will give you a very brief message from them, whoever it might be. It could be promoting a product or service. It might be making you aware of a special deal. Anything really. I hope you understand.

And I have to say, I couldn’t be happier with our first sponsor…

If you haven’t heard my interview with Brett Clarke yet, you can listen to that here.

If you are interested in becoming a member of ttEDGE, and I highly recommend you do, here is the link you’ll need…

http://www.ttedge.com/signup

Standard membership is free.
Platinum membership, which gives you access to everything and one-on-one feedback from Brett himself, is only $19.95 per month.

If you are interested in sponsoring future episodes of The Expert Table Tennis Podcast, please email me via ben@experttabletennis.com.

Fancy being a guest on the podcast yourself?

Your podcast needs you!

If you are a regular listener to the podcast, and fancy being on the show yourself at some point, then drop me an email and we can discuss how it would work. My email is ben@experttabletennis.com.

Please share the show

We had another brilliant month of downloads in November – our best ever – with 6,342 downloads in total.

Thank you so much to everyone who has been listening and sharing the podcast. I’m only releasing three episodes in December (I’ve decided putting out a podcast episode on Friday 25th would be a bit much) but if we show continue to grow in popularity then I see no reason why we can’t beat November’s total even with one less episode.

So, please continue to support the show and subscribe on iTunes, leave us an honest iTunes Podcast review, share this episode on Facebook or Twitter, or simply just mentioned it to a friend. I appreciate your help so much!

On next week’s show, I’m joined by Class 8 Team GB Para player Billy Shilton. We’ll be talking about his outstanding recent results, his move to live and train at the national centre in Sheffield, and his hopes and dreams for Rio 2016 and beyond.

The post #28 – Brian Pace: Shadow Training for Table Tennis appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

#27 – Christian Ortner: Mr Piingo Mingles with the Pros

Fri, 27 Nov 2015 06:00:46 +0000

You probably know Christian Ortner as half of Piing of Power, the guys who make table tennis videos for the ITTF, Butterfly and a host of other companies. He has been active in the online table tennis community for almost three years now and has justed started his own YouTube channel, Mr Piingo.

What you probably didn’t know about Christian is that he hasn’t actually been playing table tennis for very long. He only picked up the sport about five years ago, aged 18, and didn’t start taking it seriously until 2012. That means he has had to struggle through all of the typical barriers to entry for adult beginners and forge his own path in the sport. That includes losing to hundreds of small children and OAPs!

What sets Christian apart from your typical adult beginner, however, is the fact that as part of his work he regularly “mingles” with the world’s best players and coaches. Very few hobby players get the chance to play with Michael Maze or ask Timo Boll for some advice! In today’s episode, we hear all about Christian’s experience of being a hobby player surrounded by professionals, and he shares some of the advice he’s received along the way.

In this episode you’ll learn:

What on earth is “Mr Piingo”?!
About the work Christian does for the ITTF
What a typical day is like for Christian
How he first started playing table tennis at age 18
Some of the things he struggled with at the beginning
The #1 tip Timo Boll gave him that changed his view of the game
Stories from meeting other professional players
Why Dimitrij Ovtcharov believes Ma Long is the best ever!
The importance of using deception and “feints” in your game
TOP TIP = Why you must never give up
How to follow Christian and Mr Piingo

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

Thank you so much for joining us for Episode 27 of The Expert Table Tennis Podcast with Christian Ortner. I feel like he was an ideal guest because he had a table tennis story that a lot of us can relate to (starting quite late and struggling to improve) but then at the same time he was able to drop in plenty of advice from some of the world’s best players such as Timo Boll and Dimitrij Ovtcharov.

I don’t know how much time Christian will have over the next few years to focus on improving his game (he’s a very busy guy) but I’m sure that if he continues playing as much as possible, and enjoying it as much as he clearly does, he’ll be shooting up the ratings and seeing some really superb results.

Thanks for a brilliant interview Christian!

And a big thank you to our sponsor – ttEDGE

And I have to say, I couldn’t be happier with our first sponsor…

If you haven’t heard my interview with Brett Clarke yet, you can listen to that here.

If you are interested in becoming a member of ttEDGE, and I highly recommend you do, here is the link you’ll need…

http://www.ttedge.com/signup

Standard membership is free.
Platinum membership, which gives you access to everything and one-on-one feedback from Brett himself, is only $19.95 per month.

If you are interested in sponsoring future episodes of The Expert Table Tennis Podcast, please email me via ben@experttabletennis.com.

Fancy being a guest on the podcast yourself?

Your podcast needs you!

If you are a regular listener to the podcast, and fancy being on the show yourself at some point, then drop me an email and we can discuss how it would work. My email is ben@experttabletennis.com.

Please share the show

By the time this episode is released (at 6am on Friday 27th November) I reckon the podcast will be up to roughly 5,300 downloads for the month. In October, the show received 6,169 downloads so in order to beat that we need to get 900ish over the last four days. I’m sure that with your help that’ll be easy and we’ll be setting new records (I always get excited on the 1st of the month – “stats day” – when I count up all the numbers from the previous month. I’m a geek. I know).

So please support the show and subscribe on iTunes, leave us an honest iTunes Podcast review, share this episode on Facebook or Twitter, or simply just mentioned it to a friend. I appreciate your help so much!

I’ll have a brand new amazing guest for you next Friday. I hope you have a great weekend.

The post #27 – Christian Ortner: Mr Piingo Mingles with the Pros appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

#26 – Brett Clarke: How to Serve Like a Boss!

Fri, 20 Nov 2015 06:00:59 +0000

Brett Clarke is half of the coaching team at ttEDGE, a website created by three-time Olympian William Henzell to provide online coaching and instruction to table tennis players the world over.

Brett was also part of the Australian National Team for over fifteen years and spent two years as National Team Coach in 2009 and 2010. During that time he received worldwide recognition for being a particularly talented server. He now enjoys coaching players of all abilities (both online and in person) and is passing on some of his service tricks to the rest of us through his “How to Serve – Like a Boss!” YouTube videos.

I’ve never had particularly strong serves myself, and I know this is something that a lot of players struggle with, so I decided to get Brett Clarke on the show to give us all some advice on how to turn ourselves into stronger servers. We also have a chat about the ttEDGE system and the current state of online table tennis coaching.

In this episode you’ll learn:

Why Brett is currently living in the Philippines.
How he got involved with ttEDGE and what his plans are for it.
His story from hardbat player to the the Australian men’s team.
What was the highlight of his playing career.
Why he had to start coaching at the age of 19, alongside his playing.
How Brett became such a fantastic server.
Tips to improve your reverse pendulum serve.
How to use deception in your serves.
Brett’s thought on Andy Couchman’s three year challenge.
The importance of learning how to “whip” your wrist and forearm (TOP TIP)
How to email Brett with any questions you might have.

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

Thank you so much for joining us for Episode 26 of The Expert Table Tennis Podcast with ttEDGE coach Brett Clarke. I would like to say a huge thank you to Brett for joining me on the show. I hope you enjoyed hearing a snippet of Brett’s wisdom, especially regarding how to improve the quality of your serves.

If you are interested in becoming a member of ttEDGE, and I highly recommend you do, here is the link you’ll need…

http://www.ttedge.com/signup

Standard membership is free.
Platinum membership, which gives you access to everything and one-on-one feedback from Brett himself, is only $19.95 per month.

Please share the show

As I write this it is midday on Wednesday 18th November and the podcast has had roughly 3,300 views. It looks like we are on track for another 6,000+ month – which is awesome.

I would like to encourage you to please support the show and subscribe on iTunes, leave us an honest iTunes Podcast review, share this episode on Facebook or Twitter, or simply just mentioned it to a friend. I appreciate your help so much!

I’ll have a brand new amazing guest for you next Friday. I hope you have a fantastic weekend.

The post #26 – Brett Clarke: How to Serve Like a Boss! appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

#25 – Daniel Reed: Top 100 in a Year

Fri, 13 Nov 2015 06:00:08 +0000

Danny is currently ranked 5th in England and 217th in the world. At the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, he won silver in the men’s team event and bronze in the mixed doubles. He is training at the world-famous Werner Schlager Academy in Austria alongside a host of top international players. But he wants more!

After taking a year away from international table tennis last season, to finish his Psychology degree, he is back to playing full-time and has set himself a rather challenging goal – to break into the top 100 table tennis players in the world. In many ways, it’s almost like Danny has started his own Expert in a Year challenge. He is going to give it a year and see how close he can get to his dreams.

Back in Episode 10 I spoke to Rory Scott about his goal of becoming a top 100 player on the England ranking list in a year. I’ll be putting similar questions to Danny to try and find out how achievable he believes this goal is and what kind of training he is doing in order to make it happen. We also discuss why a player needs to break into the top 100 if they are to be able to make a stable career for themselves from the sport.

In this episode you’ll learn:

How Danny first started table tennis at Ormesby TTC in Middlesbrough.
Why his coach Carole Moore was so influential in his rapid development.
How much training Danny was doing as an 11-12 year old.
All about his drive and determination to succeed even as a young boy.
Why he decided to study for a degree alongside his table tennis.
What he is currently working on (physically, technically, tactically and mentally).
How tough it is to make a living playing professional table tennis.
Danny’s plans for the next few years.
Why Danny believes players must put themselves under pressure in practice (Top Tip).
How to get in contact with Danny.

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

Thank you so much for joining us for Episode 25 of The Expert Table Tennis Podcast with Danny Reed. I would like to say a huge thank you to Danny for joining me on the show. I hope you enjoyed hearing all about his current goals and training. There were lots of things in the interview that you can apply to your game regardless of your level.

Please share the show

We absolutely smashed it in October and the show clocked up 6,169 downloads. I would like to say a huge thank you to everybody who has subscribed on iTunes, and left the show an honest iTunes Podcast review, shared it on Facebook or Twitter, or simply just mentioned it to a friend. We couldn’t have done it without you and I appreciate your help so much!

It would be amazing to beat that again in November and get up to 7,000 downloads but… the only way that is going to happen is if you guys get sharing on Facebook and Twitter. Please use the buttons located to the left and share this episode NOW!

Thank you so much.

Next week I’ve got Brett Clarke from ttEDGE on the show and we’ll be sharing loads of practical coaching tips to help you play better table tennis.

The post #25 – Daniel Reed: Top 100 in a Year appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

#23 – Tom Lodziak: Training at the Werner Schlager Academy

Fri, 30 Oct 2015 06:00:06 +0000

Tom Lodziak is a Cambridge-based table tennis coach who blogs over at www.tabletenniscoach.me.uk and offers one-to-one coaching to players of all ages and abilities.

Back in May, Tom made the trip to Austria to visit the Werner Schlager Academy Table Tennis School for a week of intensive training. The WSA is one of the best training centres in Europe and many of the top European players are based there full-time. Their Table Tennis School opens up the facility to players of all standards allowing everyone to benefit from the high-quality training and coaching, and get a glimpse of the professionals in action.

I’ve wanted to visit the WSA for a couple of years now but haven’t managed to find the time or make it happen. That’s why I was so keen to get Tom on the show to find out exactly how it all works and if it lives up to the hype.

In this episode you’ll learn:

How Tom got started in the sport in his mid-twenties.
Why he believes training camps are so important for player development.
All about the WSA including; the cost, the entry requirements, the accommodation, the daily timetable, the type of training and much more.
What Tom learnt from top coach Richard Prause.
About some of the other training camps available in the UK and Europe.
Tom’s top tip from his week of training at the WSA.
How you can get in touch with Tom to ask him any questions you may have.

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

Thank you so much for joining us for Episode 23 of The Expert Table Tennis Podcast with Tom Lodziak. As I mentioned in the outro, you can now find these show notes by visiting www.experttabletennis.com/episode23, and I have created similar links for all of the previous episodes.

I would like to say a big thank you to Tom for joining me on the podcast and sharing his experiences at the Werner Schlager Academy with us. I strongly recommend you go and check out the WSA website and have a look at their Table Tennis School. You can find out more information here.

Don’t forget to check out Tom’s blog as well. I really enjoyed his most recent post giving advice to new table tennis players playing in their first local league season. Read that here.

Please share the show

I don’t want to go and jinx it with just a couple of days to go but it looks like we are definitely going to achieve over 6,000 podcast downloads during the month of October! This is a fantastic result considering that just a couple of months ago, in August, the show was only receiving just over 3,000 downloads.

I would like to say a huge thank you to everybody who has subscribed on iTunes, and left the show an honest iTunes Podcast review, shared it on Facebook or Twitter, or simply just mentioned it to a friend. We couldn’t have done it without you and I appreciate your help so much!

That’s all for now. I will have another episode for you next Friday featuring a brand new yet-to-be-confirmed guest!

The post #23 – Tom Lodziak: Training at the Werner Schlager Academy appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

#22 – Marc Burman: Greatness is an Attitude (Part 2)

Fri, 23 Oct 2015 05:00:46 +0000

This is part two of my conversation with English table tennis coach Marc Burman. If you haven’t yet listened to part one you can check that out here.

Marc Burman was my first ever table tennis coach and coached me as a nine and ten-year-old back in 1998/99, at the local leisure centre. I count myself very lucky to have stumbled into his club as a beginner as he not only taught me the basics but also made it fun and got me to fall in love with the sport. He has also coached a number of England’s top juniors, including Emma Torkington.

Marc has almost 25 years of experience as a table tennis coach (we heard about how he first got involved with coaching as a sixteen-year-old in part one) and has loads of wisdom and advice for players that are keen to improve and develop. This part of the interview goes into the practical details of how and what to practice and how to develop a mindset and attitude that will lead you to table tennis greatness.

In this episode you’ll learn:

Why you should focus on your performance, not your results.
Why sometimes it is a good idea to play against your opponents strengths.
What Marc learned from Jean-Philippe Gatien at the London Open.
How to develop the habit of winning.
Marc’s views on the importance of talent and personality.
Six practical tips that will turbocharge your improvement.
The difference between “good mistakes” and “bad successes”.
How to deal with the pressure of being expected to win.
The attitude that will help you to consistently beat lower ranked players.

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

Thank you so much for joining us for part two of my interview with table tennis coach Marc Burman. I really hope you enjoyed listening to both of my episodes with Marc and I’m sure that you’ve got loads of useful tips and insights from him.

I would like to say a big thank you to Marc for joining me on the podcast and sharing some of his experience and wisdom with us regarding the kind of attitude we need to develop if we want to become truly great table tennis players.

Marc doesn’t have anything to promote – he came on the show purely because he loves talking about table tennis – but if you’re based in West Sussex, and are looking for a coach, I would highly recommend getting in touch with him via the Haywards Heath Table Tennis League.

Please share the show

We are currently half way through the month of October and we aren’t far off 3,000 downloads of the podcast. It would be amazing to reach 6,000+ downloads by the end of the month and I’m sure we can do it because I can see the downloads increasing week-by-week. To make that happen, though, I need your help…

Please, please, please (if you haven’t already) would you subscribe on iTunes and leave the show an honest iTunes Podcast review. Success on iTunes is key to the long-term popularity and success of the show.

I would also really appreciate it if you could continue sharing The Expert Table Tennis Podcast with your friends and followers on Facebook and Twitter using the links on this page. Every share puts the podcast in front of potential new listeners and fans.

I will have a new episode for you next Friday (31st October) featuring a brand new amazing guest!

The post #22 – Marc Burman: Greatness is an Attitude (Part 2) appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

#21 – Marc Burman: Greatness is an Attitude (Part 1)

Fri, 16 Oct 2015 05:00:55 +0000

I first started playing table tennis about 16 years ago, aged 9, at the local leisure centre (Westcroft). The coach there at the time was Marc Burman and it was him who introduced me to the sport, taught me the basics, encouraged me to enter my first tournament, and eventually advised me to join Crusaders TTC (who I would go on to represent at junior and senior level for the next 13 years).

Marc was a fantastic coach and helped me tremendously, but he moved away to Sussex in 2003 and it was only a few months ago that I bumped into him again at a British League fixture and we started talking. I was struck by Marc’s passion for table tennis and his extensive knowledge of what it takes to become a great sportsperson. Naturally, we chatted for hours.

Today we carry on that conversation on the podcast. We’ll be talking about a whole host of different topics (there is something for everyone) and we spoke for so long that it was necessary to split the interview into two. This is Part 1. Marc has almost 25 years of coaching experience so, as well as talking about what he can remember from coaching me as a kid, he’ll also be sharing a number of stories to illustrate various strategies and ideas. Whether you are a player, a coach, or a parent, I know you are going to learn a lot from this one!

In this episode you’ll learn:

Why Marc started Westcroft TTC at the age of 16.
How he managed to quickly grow the club both in numbers and level.
What he remembers of me as a nine and ten-year-old.
Marc’s philosophy when it comes to introducing players to table tennis.
Who Marc believes are the three greatest coaches of all time.
The importance of personality and attitude in determining success.
What Marc learnt from Carl Prean and Jean-Michel Saive.
Why it is so hard to play as well in matches as you do in training.

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

Thank you so much for joining us for part one of the interview with table tennis coach Marc Burman. I really hope you enjoyed the show and are looking forward to catching part two next week. I would like to say a big thank you to Marc for joining me on the podcast and sharing some of his experience and wisdom with us regarding the kind of attitude we need to develop if we want to become truly great table tennis players.

Marc doesn’t have anything to promote – he came on the show purely because he loves talking about table tennis – but if you’re based in West Sussex, and are looking to a coach, I would highly recommend getting in touch with him via the Haywards Heath Table Tennis League.

Please share the show

See you in a week for part two!

The post #21 – Marc Burman: Greatness is an Attitude (Part 1) appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

#20 – Larry Hodges: Table Tennis Tactics for Thinkers

Fri, 09 Oct 2015 05:00:26 +0000

How to introduce Larry Hodges? It’s a tough one. He’s probably the busiest man in table tennis! Larry is a full-time table tennis coach at Maryland Table Tennis Center in the US. He also runs the website TableTennisCoaching.com and writes a daily blog and “tip of the week” every Monday. He is a key figure in USATT, has won national titles as a player, organizes tournaments and is a general promoter and figurehead of the sport of table tennis.

On top of all that, Larry has also written several brilliant table tennis books, including the popular Table Tennis Tactics for Thinkers, and it is this book that will be the focus of our conversation in Episode #20 of The Expert Table Tennis Podcast.

Developing a strong tactical game and awareness is a key part of becoming a top table tennis player – but it is so often ignored. Larry is on a mission to “make people think” and encourage all table tennis players to develop the habit of tactical thinking. This episode is jam-packed with tips to help you start working on, or continue improving, your tactics.

In this episode you’ll learn:

How Larry first got into table tennis at the age of 16.
The level Larry got to as a player.
How he first started coaching and why he enjoyed it so much.
Why he decided to write Table Tennis Tactics for Thinkers.
What the snowball effect is and how it can rapidly improve performance.
All about four key points from the book.
Larry’s top tactical tips for the serve, the return, and rallying.
About some of the books Larry has got planned for the future.

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

Thank you so much for joining us. I really hope you enjoyed the show and learned a lot from listening to Larry. It was an absolute pleasure to have him on the show and learn from his years of experience and wisdom.

Do go and check out Larry’s books. Reading table tennis books is a great addition to your typical training and competition schedule. Table Tennis Tactics for Thinkers is brilliant, but I can also recommend all of Larry’s other books including Table Tennis: Steps to Success, Table Tennis Tips and The Spirit of Pong. I can’t wait to read the next book Larry brings out too!

Please share the show

It was my goal to reach 5,000+ downloads of the podcast in the month of September. We didn’t quite make it but finished on a very respectable 4,710. I am sure that with five new episodes being released in October, we are sure to smash through the 5,000 mark but in order for that to happen I really need your help.

Next Friday I will be joined on the show by table tennis coach Marc Burman. Marc was actually my first ever table tennis coach back in 1999ish when I first started playing the sport aged nine or ten. It will be great to talk to Marc about what he remembers of me as a ten-year-old and we’ll also be discussing his experiences as a table tennis coach of all levels of player, from beginners to internationals. I’m really looking forward to it.

I’ll be back in a week. Enjoy your weekend!

The post #20 – Larry Hodges: Table Tennis Tactics for Thinkers appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

#19 – Jesper Ratzer: 6x World Racketlon Champion

Fri, 02 Oct 2015 05:00:48 +0000

If you haven’t heard of racketlon before you need to check it out. It’s an incredible sport that combines table tennis, badminton, squash and tennis to determine who is the best all round racket sports player. The sport is relatively new but is growing in popularity in Europe and already has world rankings and a world championships.

So, who is the best all round racket sports player in the world? Well, he’s Jesper Ratzer from Copenhagen in Denmark and he joins me on this episode of The Expert Table Tennis Podcast. Jesper was an accomplished badminton and tennis player as a child, but it was only when he first got involved in racketlon that he discovered the joys and struggles of table tennis. Since then he has been training hard to improve his game and play, as he says, “proper table tennis”.

Table tennis can be particularly tough for adult starters to get into. Most of the coaching in our sport is aimed at the junior players and seniors are pretty much expected to already be able to play before turning up to most clubs. This means that the majority of adult starters struggle to make any significant progress and find them developing a host of bad habits and tendencies that limit their game along the way.

From what I can tell, Jesper is the exception to the rule. Despite only getting involved in competitive table tennis at the age of 28 he has quickly improved and is now a very competent player in the Danish national league. I wanted to get him on the show to find out a little more about racketlon and also discover the secret of his table tennis success. This is a brilliant interview and certainly one not to be missed!

In this episode you’ll learn:

What racketlon actually is and how it works.
Jesper’s involvement in sport as a child.
How he first got involved in racketlon in 2010.
Jesper’s thoughts on risk vs safety in competitive matches.
How Jesper became world champion after just two years in the sport.
About his intensive table tennis training.
Some of his greatest struggles mastering the game of table tennis.
The strengths and weaknesses of his game.
Two of Jesper’s top tips for table tennis players.
How to follow Jesper’s racketlon and table tennis results on Facebook.

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

Thank you so much for joining us. I really hope you enjoyed the show and learned a lot from listening to Jesper. It was great to hear all about his journey from recreational ping pong player to competitive table tennis champion. He has done a lot of training over the past five years to make that happen! It doesn’t happen overnight. You need to put in the work and get yourself in the correct training environment. Jesper has done everything right and got the results.

If you are interested in watching Jesper in action on the table tennis table then check out the video below. It is the table tennis match from the World Racketlon Championships in 2014.

That is the sort of level you can expect to be playing at after four years of hard work as an adult starter. I’m sure that Jesper would be the first to admit that he still has plenty of areas in his table tennis game that he needs to work on, but at the same time it’s really impressive to see someone playing such high-level “proper” table tennis after just four years of training and experience.

Please share the show

It was my goal to reach 5,000+ downloads of the podcast in the month of September. We didn’t quite make it but finished on a very respectable 4,710. I am sure that, with five new episodes being released in October, we are sure to smash through the 5,000 mark but in order for that to happen I really need your help.

I will have a brand new episode for you next Friday – Episode #20! I can’t believe we have done twenty of these already. I really enjoying interviewing these amazing guests and learning from their stories and experiences. As I said at the end of the episode, if there is anyone in particular that you would like to hear on the show then please drop me a message and let me know. I want to book on the guests that you want to hear from.

I’ll be back in a week. Enjoy your weekend!

The post #19 – Jesper Ratzer: 6x World Racketlon Champion appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

#18 – Chris Main: Bringing International TT to Saltcoats

Fri, 25 Sep 2015 05:00:47 +0000

Chris Main is the head coach of North Ayrshire Table Tennis Club, a thriving club located on the West Coast of Scotland in Saltcoats. Saltcoats is a small town about 45 minutes away from Glasgow but Chris is on a mission to transform it into a hub of table tennis activity.

The club has won the Scottish National League four years in a row, is home to a number of top junior and senior Scottish players, and recently hosted the first round of the prestigious ETTU Cup (which is basically the UEFA Europa League of table tennis). On top of that they have a professional website and logo, host the North Ayrshire Open each year, and have managed to secure funding from Sport Scotland and the local council. Basically, they are doing everything right!

With so much going on at the club I thought it would be a great idea to get Chris on the show and find out a little more about his story and his plans for the future of the club, and Scottish table tennis in general. We talk about a whole range of different topics so there is something for everyone in this interview whether you are a player, a coach, or someone involved in running a club and promoting the sport of table tennis in your area.

In this episode you’ll learn:

How Chris first got into table tennis.
What he did to improve so quickly as a relative late-starter.
Chris’s views on talent vs practice and what he looks for in a player.
Why it is so difficult to improve your table tennis as an adult.
How table tennis is organised differently in Belgium.
All about the ETTU Cup and how North Ayrshire got on.
How Chris manages to coach and play at the same time.
What Chris believes is most important for beginners to understand.
Chris’s top tip for table tennis players.
The future plans for the club.

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

Thank you so much for joining us. I really hope you enjoyed the show and learned a lot from listening to Chris. It was great to have the chance to talk about so many different aspects of table tennis and hear Chris’s views and opinions. We really need more people like Chris in our sport pushing the boundaries and creating growth and value.

After recording the interview North Ayrshire TTC released the following professional highlights video of the ETTU Cup they hosted back in August. It’s an amazing video and gives you a better idea of what Chris was talking about in the show.

It’s fantastic to see so many spectators and it’s obvious that the club did a brilliant job promoting and hosting the event. We need much more of this kind of thing. More buffets and alcohol at table tennis fixtures. Let’s turn table tennis back into an event and a spectator sport again instead of just cramming as many players into a hall as possible a few weekends a year!

Please share the show

As I said last week, The Expert Table Tennis Podcast is on track to have its most popular month ever. As I write this we are on 3,782 downloads so far this month and I know that we can reach the 5,000 mark before the end of September if we have a really big push.

So please would you help to make that happen by subscribing on iTunes, leaving us an honest iTunes Podcast review and sharing The Expert Table Tennis Podcast with your friends and followers on Facebook and Twitter using the links on this page. I really appreciate your help!

Next week I’m joined on the show by Jesper Ratzer, the world champion and world number one at Racketlon. That is an episode not to be missed! Thanks for listening. I’ll see you in a week’s time.

The post #18 – Chris Main: Bringing International TT to Saltcoats appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

#17 – Adam Gittings: Hard Work Pays Off

Fri, 18 Sep 2015 05:00:30 +0000

Adam Gittings is 18 years old, lives in Doncaster, and has Asperger syndrome, dyspraxia, and type 1 diabetes. Three years ago he was invited to a South Yorkshire disabled sports trial day at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield, where he was given to opportunity to try out a load of different sports and see if he had the potential to join any of the regional squads. Little did he know at the time, but that day would change his life forever.

One of the coaches, Shaun Alvey, spotted something in Adam and invited him along to his club. Instantly, Adam was hooked. Despite his late start (15 is considered very old for table tennis, which is an early specialization sport) he dedicated himself to training and played as much table tennis as possible. 18 months later he was the Class 11 BTTAD Junior National Champion.

Adam has now moved on from the juniors to the seniors (but not before winning double gold medals at the Sainsbury’s School Games a couple of weeks ago) and I really wanted to get him on the show to talk about his fantastic results and find out what he’s got planned for the next few years. SPOILER ALERT: Adam has just moved down from Doncaster to Bristol to join the Table Tennis Academy at the Bristol Academy of Sport.

In this episode you’ll learn:

All about Adam’s triumph at the 2015 Sainsbury’s School Games.
How he first got into table tennis.
How disabled table tennis works with the class category system.
The kind of training Adam did to improve so quickly.
What his plans are for the next two years at Bristol Academy.
Who Adam’s biggest rival is in British Class 11 table tennis.
Adam’s top tip for improving your tournament mentality.
How to follow his progress online.

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

Thank you so much for joining us. I really hope you enjoyed the show and learned a lot from listening to Adam. I am so pleased to hear about the positive impact table tennis has had on his life and I wish him the best of luck with his quest to become British #1 and join the Team GB Paralympic squad. Keep your eyes fixed on Tokyo 2020, Adam!

The Expert Table Tennis Podcast is on track to have its most popular month ever. We had seen over 2,500 downloads by the half-way point this month so let’s keeping downloading, subscribing, liking and sharing the show to see if we can break through the 5,000 download mark for September!

As always, you can help me to make that happen by subscribing on iTunes, leaving us an honest iTunes Podcast review and sharing The Expert Table Tennis Podcast with your friends and followers on Facebook and Twitter. I really appreciate your help!

Next week I’m joined on the show my Chris Main, who is a professional table tennis coach up in Scotland and head coach of North Ayrshire TTC in Saltcoats. We’ll be talking about coaching tips, player development and how to improve the sport of table tennis in the UK and abroad.

The post #17 – Adam Gittings: Hard Work Pays Off appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

#16 – Tin-Tin Ho: 12 Years a Table Tennis Player

Fri, 11 Sep 2015 05:00:40 +0000

Tin-Tin Ho first picked up a table tennis bat at the age of two. Three years later, on her 5th birthday, her father announced that she was now ready to begin training for table tennis. She began playing at home with her father and her brother Ping and improved very quickly.

Twelve years later Tin-Tin is still playing a lot of table tennis. She is now 17 (it was her birthday last Thursday) and is one of the best junior players in Europe. Nationally, she has practically won everything there is to win in the junior game and has been head and shoulders above other girls her age. In 2013, aged just 14, she won the U21 Women’s Singles title at the English National Championships.

I really wanted to get Tin-Tin on the show to find out a little more about what life was like for her growing up as such a table tennis prodigy. Tin-Tin has also just started studying for her A-Levels, and I was interested to know how she manages to fit her studying around her hectic training and tournament schedule.

In this episode you’ll learn:

What results Tin-Tin received in her GCSEs.
How she manages to balance table tennis and school.
When she first started playing and the types of exercises she did.
Tin-Tin’s thoughts on her own talent for table tennis.
About the one time when Tin-Tin thought about quitting.
Her advice for players who are coaches by their parents.
The highlight and lowlight of her career so far.
Tin-Tin’s top tip that has helped her achieve such great results.
What is coming up next for Tin-Tin.

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

Thank you so much for joining us. I really hope you enjoyed the show and learned a lot from listening to Tin-Tin. It is a really fascinating story she has to share and it is great to see her love and dedication to the sport of table tennis continuing to grow.

The Expert Table Tennis Podcast is on track to have its most popular month ever. There have been over 1,400 downloads in just the first ten days of September so I am hoping to smash through 4,500 downloads by the end of the month. You can help me to make that happen by subscribing on iTunes, leaving us an honest iTunes Podcast review and sharing The Expert Table Tennis Podcast with your friends and followers on Facebook and Twitter. I really appreciate your help!

I’ll be back with another episode next Friday (guest TBC).

The post #16 – Tin-Tin Ho: 12 Years a Table Tennis Player appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

#15 – Kevin Korb: I Bought a Club

Fri, 04 Sep 2015 05:00:40 +0000

It is the dream of table tennis players the world over to own their own full-time club – a facility they can call home, do whatever they like with, and build into a superclub. I know I’d love to have my own club one day.

Well, one man who has done just that is 19-year-old Kevin Korb from California, who is the new owner of The TopSpin a full-time, 16-table facility in the Bay Area. That’s right… He’s only 19! Kevin has actually taken a year out of studying at USC in order to concentrate fully on building up the club. I decided I needed to get Kevin on the show and find out a little more about how he became surely the youngest table tennis club owner in the world.

In this episode, you will learn all about Kevin’s background and how he first got involved with The TopSpin. Kevin also has a great story to tell as a successful “late-starter” to the sport of table tennis. Despite only beginning to play competitively at college Kevin has quickly risen up the USATT ratings, even breaking the 2000 mark.

In this episode you’ll learn:

More about Kevin’s club The TopSpin.
Kevin’s vision for bringing table tennis to the masses.
What life will be like for Kevin during the next 12 months.
How Kevin first became involved in table tennis.
Why Kevin became table tennis obsessed at college.
How he transformed himself from a hobby player to a 2000+ rating.
What helped him to improve his technique and performance.
Kevin’s future goals for his table tennis.
How to follow in Kevin’s footsteps and thrive as a late-starter.

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

Thank you so much for joining us. I really hope you enjoyed the show and learned a lot from listening to Kevin. I really hope that one day I can be in a similar position to Kevin, owning my own club and watching it grow.

I am pleased to say that The Expert Table Tennis Podcast is getting more and more popular each month. That is all thanks to you guys, the listeners, for sharing the show with your friends. But let’s not stop there! Please would you subscribe on iTunes and leave us an honest iTunes Podcast review (if you haven’t already), and do continue to share The Expert Table Tennis Podcast with your friends and followers on Facebook and Twitter. I really appreciate your help!

I’ll be back with a new episode next Friday (guest TBC).

The post #15 – Kevin Korb: I Bought a Club appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

#14 – Samson Dubina: Rio 2016 Olympic Training

Fri, 28 Aug 2015 05:00:00 +0000

The Rio 2016 Olympic Games are less than a year away (they come around quick don’t they!) and one man who is determined to do everything he can to get there is Samson Dubina from Ohio in the United States. Samson is 32 years old and has been playing table tennis for twenty years. He made it to the World Championships in Japan in 2009, but other than that hasn’t had the chance to represent his country much internationally.

Unfortunately, Ohio isn’t much of a mecca of table tennis and Samson has been ranked #1 in the state for the past 14 years. However, after receiving some extra funding, Samson has decided to commit to six months of intensive training in preparation for the USATT Olympic Trials in January 2016.

In this episode, you will learn a lot more about Samson, including his development as a player from a 12-year-old beginner to his peak in 2008 at the age of 25. You will also get the opportunity to learn how a top player schedules their training to ensure they are fully prepared to play their best at a major tournament.

In this episode you’ll learn:

How Samson first started playing table tennis.
Why he plays so much against his Newgy robot.
How setting high goals kept him focused and motivated.
What Samson thinks about age, starting late, and late bloomers.
Samson’s tips for improving when you don’t have access to good coaching and training.
Why Samson didn’t improve much during his three years training in Canada.
How Samson made the US National Team back in 2008.
Samson’s four-step programme for improving his table tennis level.
Who Samson is currently training and sparring with.
Why Samson plays so many tournaments.
About Samson’s chance of qualifying for the Rio 2016 Olympics.
More details about Samson’s DVD and Book.

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

Thank you so much for joining us. I really hope you enjoyed the show and learnt a lot from listening to Samson.

A big thank you to Samson for joining me on this episode. I really hope he qualifies for the Rio 2016 Olympics and shows everyone that dedication and persistence pay off.

I also spoke to Samson briefly about the current issue of boosting in table tennis. This is something that effects Samson personally and it was great to hear his take on the subject and ideas going forward. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, the section had to be cut from the podcast. But I decided to upload it to YouTube as a stand-alone clip.

I’ll be back with a new episode next Friday. Joining me will be Kevin Korb, the self-proclaimed “tall, lanky, white guy who does trick shots”. Kevin is the new owner of The Topspin, a full-time table tennis club in California, and just a really cool dude.

The post #14 – Samson Dubina: Rio 2016 Olympic Training appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

#13 – Sam Priestley: The Expert in a Year Book

Fri, 21 Aug 2015 05:00:49 +0000

Sam Priestley has been a good friend of mine for over ten years. We first met at a church youth group when we were both 15 years old. Sam has never been particularly sporty. He did a lot of rowing back when I first met him but then quit while he was still in school. He was never particularly good at racket sports or football.

Towards the end of 2013 I came up with the idea of the Expert in a Year challenge and my wife Katie suggested Sam as a possible guinea pig for the experiment. Then, for the whole of 2014, I coached him table tennis and immersed him in the world of the sport I had spent the best part of my life playing. After the challenge finished, and the buzz from our viral video died down, Sam decided to turn the experience into a book and began writing Expert in a Year: The Ultimate Table Tennis Challenge. It is now finished, and available to buy!

In this episode, you will learn a little more about Sam, the challenge, and, in particular, the book. I worked closely with Sam to produce and edit the book and we are both really pleased with it. This interview is a great accompaniment to the book and gives you an insight into how Sam views his experience six months on, and more importantly, what he has learned from the challenge.

Buy the book!

If you would like to buy a copy of Expert in a Year: The Ultimate Table Tennis Challenge (by Sam Priestley & Ben Larcombe) you can do so on Amazon. It is available as an ebook for Kindle, a physical print book, and an audiobook (coming soon).

In the UK, you can buy it from Amazon.co.uk for £3.99 (Kindle), and £8.99 (Paperback).

In the US, you can buy it from Amazon.com for $5.99 (Kindle), and $13.99 (Paperback).

It is also available from Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, and Spain.

In this episode you’ll learn:

How Sam got on training at ISH recently, after a couple of months off.
Why he decided to turn Expert in a Year into a book.
What is in the book and who it is for.
Sam’s top tips for other beginners and improvers.
Practical advice for your training and matches.
What Sam thinks of Andy Couchman’s new table tennis challenge.
Sam’s future table tennis plans, including the coming season.
How to buy a copy of the book.

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

Thank you so much for joining us. I really hope you enjoyed the show and please also support us by buying a copy of the book.

The show had a really great month in July, with over 3,000 podcast downloads, but I would love for that number to continue going up. To help me spread the word about the show and reach more table tennis fans, please could you subscribe on iTunes, leave us an honest iTunes Podcast review, and share The Expert Table Tennis Podcast with your friends and followers on Facebook and Twitter. I really appreciate your help!

A big thank you to Sam for joining me on this episode. I hope he has a lot of success in the upcoming 2015/16 season.

I’ll be back with a new episode next Friday.

The post #13 – Sam Priestley: The Expert in a Year Book appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

#12 – Sam Walker: Entering the Bundesliga

Fri, 07 Aug 2015 05:00:36 +0000

Sam Walker first played table tennis at the age of two. Since then, he’s put in a huge amount of work. He first represented England at the age of 11 and finished the cadets (U15) ranked #2 in the country.

At 16 he took the decision to move to Germany and play table tennis full-time. It paid off! In the past four years, he has transformed himself into the third best player in England (behind Paul and Liam) and achieved a world ranking of around 200th. He is currently living in Ochsenhausen and training at the Liebherr Master’s College.

Sam’s Germany club (ASV Grunwettersbach) were promoted to the Bundesliga last season and are currently training hard in preparation for their first match, against Saarbrucken, on 23rd August. I caught up with Sam for half an hour in between his morning and afternoon training session to ask him how his training was going and find out his goals and ambitions for this season and beyond.

In this episode you’ll learn:

What a typical day is like for Sam Walker.
The thought process behind moving to Germany at 16.
What Sam enjoys about living and training in Ochsenhausen.
How much physical training Sam completes.
Why he believes fitness training is really important for table tennis.
The input Sam has in his training programme.
Which specific drills and exercises Sam is doing.
What Sam is trying to improve this season.
Sam’s future goals and ambitions.
About Sam’s brand new website (that he built himself)

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

Thank you so much for joining us. I really hope you enjoyed the show.

As I said at the end of the episode, if you could go and subscribe and leave us an honest review on iTunes that would really help us out. It’s very simple to do and will help us to get noticed in the crowded world of podcasting.

A big thank you to Sam for joining me on this episode. I am sure he will be breaking into the world’s top 100 players before we know it! I’ll have another interview for you next Friday.

The post #12 – Sam Walker: Entering the Bundesliga appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

#11 – Istvan Moldovan: Motivation and Performance

Fri, 31 Jul 2015 05:00:43 +0000

Istvan Moldovan was my coach on the B75 Summer Table Tennis Training camp that I attended in Denmark last summer with Sam. He is a very experienced coach, a qualified performance psychologist and has played table tennis at the highest level – he was part of the Norwegian national team for many years and achieved a world ranking around the #100 mark.

I wanted to get Istvan on the show to share his thoughts on the importance of fostering motivation in players and how to take responsibility for your own development and learning. I also wanted to pick his brain about a few other topics too and ask him about his master’s thesis; where he interviewed Jan-Ove Waldner and Jorgen Persson!

In this episode, you will learn a little about Istvan and his career in table tennis before we move on to some deeper topics and discussions. I find that Istvan and the whole team over at B75 have a refreshingly different view in regards to how best to develop and support table tennis players on their journey’s that puts the focus on the players and not the coaches.

In this episode you’ll learn:

How Istvan first became involved in table tennis.
What Istvan achieved as an international player.
Why he found himself drawn to sports psychology.
What he learnt from interviewing Waldner and Persson for his thesis.
The differences between the Swedish and Chinese attitude towards player development.
Istvan’s philosophy for getting the best out of players.
More about the B75 summer camp and the ethos behind it.
What Istvan means when he talks about “technique freaks”.
The importance of focusing on improving your competitive performance.
Why you should begin to coach yourself.
Some general advice for becoming a top player.

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

Thank you so much for joining us. I really hope you enjoyed the show.

If you would like to email Istvan you can do so via sport.psychologist [at] live.com

There are now 11 episodes of The Expert Table Tennis Podcast. Download numbers are rising, but it would still really help us out if you could go and leave us an honest review on iTunes. It’s very simple to do and will help us to get noticed in the crowded world of podcasting. Please subscribe as well!

A big thank you to Istvan for joining me on this episode. I’ll have another interview for you next Friday. Have a good weekend.

The post #11 – Istvan Moldovan: Motivation and Performance appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

#10 – Rory Scott: Expert in a Year Mark II

Fri, 24 Jul 2015 05:00:48 +0000

Rory Scott is a table tennis player and coach from Horsham in the UK. He is 38 years old and has been playing table tennis for about 23 years. For the past 10 years, Rory’s level and ranking have been fairly steady and he usually finds himself somewhere between 200th-250th in England.

Now Rory finds himself approaching the age of veteran’s table tennis (40+ years) and after seeing Sam’s progress during The Expert in a Year Challenge in 2014 he has decided to start his own ‘Mark II’ version. He will dedicate himself to a year of training (he usually only coaches and plays matches) to see if he can significant up his game, and subsequently his ranking.

In this episode, you will learn a little more about Rory and his history in the sport before we jump into how he is getting on at roughly a third of the way through his challenge. SPOILER ALERT: He’s made some pretty impressive progress already. If you’re the kind of player that is serious about getting your head down, working hard, and reaping the rewards then I’m sure you will find Rory’s story very motivating.

In this episode you’ll learn:

How Rory started playing table tennis.
Why he decided to start his own Expert in a Year challenge.
The goals he hopes to achieve by April 2016.
How much practice he is getting in each week and what he is doing.
Which equipment he is using and how he plays.
His busy training schedule for the month of August.
What his recent results have been like since starting to practice.
How he got on in a couple of tournament matches against Darius Knight.
What he believes about talent vs practice.
How he views his chances of success.

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

Thank you so much for joining us. I really hope you enjoyed the show.

We have hit double figures! There are now 10 episodes of The Expert Table Tennis Podcast. Download numbers are rising but it would still really help us out if you could s we are a fairly new podcast it would really help us out if you could go and leave us an honest review on iTunes. It’s very simple to do and will help us to get noticed in the crowded world of podcasting.

A big thank you to Rory for joining me on this episode. I’ll have another interview for you in a weeks time, and I’m hoping to get Sam Priestley on the show to talk about how he has got on post-Expert in a Year.

The post #10 – Rory Scott: Expert in a Year Mark II appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

#9 – Paul Drinkhall: England’s No.1 (Part 2)

Fri, 17 Jul 2015 05:00:59 +0000

For as long as I can remember Paul Drinkhall has been the table tennis player us English have put our hopes on for international success. Today, he joins me on The Expert Table Tennis Podcast to talk about life as a professional table tennis player.

Paul entered the senior game in 2009 and I think it’s fair to say he plateaued for a few years, hovering around the #100 world ranking level. In 2013, he had a serious hip injured but recovered quickly and by April 2014 won his first major event, the Spanish Open. Since then he has been on a hot streak, beating a number of highly ranked players and getting through to the final stages in a number of big competitions.

In this episode, the second part of my interview with Paul, we learn a bit more about the last seven years for Paul, his experiences playing at a number of different clubs in Europe, and how he got to where he is now – a world ranking of #41 and playing the best table tennis of his career so far.

In this episode you’ll learn:

How Paul managed to beat the plateau by discovering his own game/style.
About his recover from the hip injury in 2013.
The problems with over practicing.
His thought on his most recent performances and current level.
What he thinks of the new plastic balls.
How he is getting on after moving from Butterfly to Tibhar.
Why he believes more players should give Evolution MX-P rubbers a try.
Which team he is playing for next season.
How he is planning to prepare for Rio 2016 and beyond.
What his long-term goals are for his table tennis playing career.
How he is doing as a new parent.
Jo’s future plans for her table tennis career.
Some of his ideas for life after retiring from international competition (which is a long way off).

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

Thank you so much for joining us. I really hope you enjoyed the show.

As we are a fairly new podcast it would really help us out if you could go and leave us an honest review on iTunes. It’s very simple to do and will help us to get noticed in the crowded world of podcasting.

A big thank you to Paul Drinkhall for joining me for the last two episodes. I’ll have a new guest on the show next week.

The post #9 – Paul Drinkhall: England’s No.1 (Part 2) appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

#8 – Paul Drinkhall: England’s No.1 (Part 1)

Fri, 10 Jul 2015 05:00:55 +0000

Paul’s talent was first spotted at the age of nine (back in the 1999/2000 season) and he has been part of the England squad ever since. By 2008, he was one of the best junior players in the world winning a gold medal at the European Juniors and a silver at the world Juniors.

In the first part of my interview with Paul, we learn a bit more about what life was like for him as an elite junior player. He shares a number of interesting stories and tales of his table tennis training as a boy that I’m sure will inspire many young players and educate any aspiring elite coaches.

In this episode you’ll learn:

How Paul got on at the Heritage Oil Cup last weekend.
His thoughts on his performances at the European Games in Baku.
How he first started playing table tennis.
His typical training load as a ten-year-old player.
Why some described him as a bit of a “terror” and had to bribe him with Freddos.
What life was like living at the National Centre in Nottingham.
How he balanced his table tennis and school work.
Some of the sacrifices he had to make in order to reach the top.
The differences between the junior and senior game.

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

Thank you so much for joining us. I really hope you enjoyed the show.

A big thank you to Paul Drinkhall for joining me on this episode. I’ll have part two of our interview (ETT #9) out next Friday.

The post #8 – Paul Drinkhall: England’s No.1 (Part 1) appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

#7 – Lloyd Gregory: Coaching Theory and Practice

Fri, 26 Jun 2015 05:00:29 +0000

iCoachTableTennis is a new table tennis blog aimed at coaches. It was started by Lloyd Gregory and Daniel Ives (from episode five and six) in March 2015 and on today’s ETT podcast I’m joined by Lloyd.

The idea behind the blog is to bridge the gap between the coaching theory and research Lloyd began learning about during his MSc in Performance Coaching and the typical table tennis coaching environment. Both Lloyd and Dan have been producing articles that apply current coaching theory to the actual practice of coaching table tennis in the real world.

In this episode we learn a little more about Lloyd and the new blog, as well as digging into a few of their most recent blog posts. If you are a table tennis coach I’m sure you will find some of the ideas Lloyd has to share really interesting, and if you are a player there is plenty for you too!

In this episode you’ll learn:

How Lloyd got into table tennis.
Why he decided to start iCoachTableTennis.
The differences between what he learnt on UKCC coaching courses and at university.
How to understand and evaluate true learning.
Some technique that can increase your speed of learning.
Tips for making service practice more enjoyable and valuable.
Which is better; group or one-to-one training?
How to get into coaching and continue improving your coaching practice.
Who Lloyd enjoys following on Twitter for new ideas.

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

Thank you so much for joining us. I really hope you enjoyed the show.

A big thank you to Lloyd from iCoachTableTennis for joining me on this episode. I’ll have ETT #8 out next Friday.

The post #7 – Lloyd Gregory: Coaching Theory and Practice appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

#6 – Daniel Ives: TableTennisDaily in China (Part 2)

Fri, 19 Jun 2015 05:00:52 +0000

Daniel Ives is the founder of TableTennisDaily, one of the most popular table tennis websites in the world. I actually used to play against him as a junior in tournaments and county matches (he would always win), so I’ve known Dan for some time.

In January 2015 he travelled to Beijing, China with STIGA to film a four-part documentary series called ‘STIGA Presents The Journey Through Chinese Table Tennis’, which you can watch here. I decided to get Dan on the show to talk about his experiences and share some of what he discovered about Chinese table tennis.

This is Part 2 (you can listen to Part 1 here) and covers Dan’s trips to the Chinese National Training Center to meet the Chinese National Team and his conclusions from the visit.

In this episode you’ll learn:

At what age players are accepted into the Chinese National Team.
What it is like inside the Chinese National Training Center.
The kind of training routines the players go through.
What life is like for the 88 men and women that make up the squad of players.
Dan’s opinion as to why China are able to dominate the sport of table tennis.
How we can learn from the Chinese structure in our own clubs and leagues.

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

Thank you so much for joining us. I really hope you enjoyed the show.

A big thank you to Dan for joining me on these past two episodes. I’ll have ETT #7 ready for you in one weeks time!

The post #6 – Daniel Ives: TableTennisDaily in China (Part 2) appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

#5 – Daniel Ives: TableTennisDaily in China (Part 1)

Fri, 12 Jun 2015 05:00:13 +0000

This is Part 1 (Part 2 will be released in a week) and covers Dan’s trips to a recreational table tennis club in Beijing, a table tennis school for 5-12 year olds and the Beijing provincial team.

In this episode you’ll learn:

What a recreational table tennis club in China is actually like.
All about the Chinese pyramid system and how it works.
How the ping pong schools select and train their young players.
Which drills and exercises they do.
What happens if they are dropped or kicked out along the way.
All about the discipline and strictness of the training environment.
How the training fits around academic work.
About the transition from school to provincial table tennis.
What life is like as a Chinese provincial table tennis player.
How Dan fared against the young Chinese players.
The level of these young players compared to UK standards.

Links from this episode:

Thanks for listening!

Thank you so much for joining us. I really hope you enjoyed the show.

A big thank you to Dan for joining me on this episode. I hope you are looking forward to hearing Part 2 of our chat next week. It will be released, as usual, on Friday morning.

The post #5 – Daniel Ives: TableTennisDaily in China (Part 1) appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

#4 – Mark Simpson: Train Smart, Play Smart

Fri, 05 Jun 2015 05:00:38 +0000

Mark Simpson is a good friend of mine. I shared a house with him back in 2007 at Grantham Academy. Since then he has studied Psychology at the University of Nottingham, played table tennis semi-professionally in several European countries and completed a Masters degree in Sport Psychology.

In today’s episode I talk to Mark about his ‘Train Smart, Play Smart’ seminars that he is delivering to table tennis clubs up and down the UK.

Mark’s philosophy is all about giving players the skills they need to be able to fix their own performance problems. Instead of troubleshooting individual issues he offers a more holistic approach teaching the key psychology skills that can be used to solve all sort of issues.

In this episode you’ll learn:

How Mark became a semi-professional table tennis player.
Why he moved away from the UK.
What he is doing back in the UK for a couple of weeks.
All about his ‘Train Smart, Play Smart’ seminars.
How you can improve your table tennis with imagery.
A three-step routine to use in between points in a match.
What services Mark offer to table tennis players looking to improve their performance.

Links from the episode:

Thanks for listening!

Thank you so much for joining us. I really hope you enjoyed the show.

As we are a new podcast it would really help us out if you could go and leave us an honest review on iTunes. It’s very simple to do and will help us to get noticed in the crowded world of podcasting.

A big thank you to Mark for joining me on this episode. From now on I will be releasing a show every Friday so there will be plenty of table tennis for you to listen to!

The post #4 – Mark Simpson: Train Smart, Play Smart appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

#3 – Alex Polyakov: Breaking 2000

Fri, 29 May 2015 05:00:41 +0000

Back in 2008 a 28 year old from Pennsylvania decided he wanted to get really good at table tennis. He joined a club, started working with a coach and set his eyes on a USATT rating of 2000. Two and half years later he achieved it.

That man was Alex Polyakov, author of the books Breaking 2000 and The Next Step, and he was my guest for episode three of The Expert Table Tennis Podcast.

Alex find himself in a fairly unique position as one of only a handful of adult beginners to achieve such a high level in such a short amount of time. He is an inspiration to other beginners and has a wealth of information regarding table tennis development and learning. More than that, he knows all the common pitfalls and traps along the way to success in our sport and is happy to help new players on their journey.

In this episode you’ll learn:

Why Alex first started playing table tennis aged 28.
How we came up with his Breaking 2000 challenge.
The kind of training he did to achieve it.
His experience at US rating tournaments.
How he has improved since first reaching 2000 points back in 2011.
Some of his crazy training methods.
A little more about his two table tennis books.

Links from the episode:

Thanks for listening!

Thank you so much for joining us. I really hope you enjoyed the show.

A big thank you to Alex for joining me on this episode and the next one will be released in a week.

The post #3 – Alex Polyakov: Breaking 2000 appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

#2 – Dan O’Connell: Full-Time Table Tennis in Germany

Mon, 18 May 2015 05:00:25 +0000

In episode two I’m joined by Welsh table tennis player Dan O’Connell. Dan is currently ranked number one in Wales and finds himself just outside the top 600 players in world.

He returned just over a week ago from the World Championships in Suzhou, China where he reached the last 32 of the mixed doubles with teammate Charlotte Carey.

During the show we talk about Dan’s experience of spending two years training full-time in Germany. We have seen a number of our most promising players move to Germany recently and Dan gives us an insight into what life is like over there and how he managed to find a club to play for and somewhere to stay.

In this episode you’ll learn:

How Dan first began playing table tennis.
Why he decided to move away to Grantham at 16 and then Germany at 20.
How he arranged his move to Germany.
The differences between table tennis in the UK and Germany.
What a typical training day in one of Germany’s table tennis centres entails.
His future plans now that he is back in Wales.
Who is suited to moving abroad to one of these training centres for full-time table tennis.

Links from the episode:

Thanks for listening!

Thank you so much for joining us. I really hope you enjoyed the show.

A big thank you to Dan for joining me on this episode and I’ll have the next one ready soon.

The post #2 – Dan O’Connell: Full-Time Table Tennis in Germany appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

#1 – Matt Hetherington: Consistency vs Power

Mon, 27 Apr 2015 05:00:02 +0000

It brings me great pleasure to be able to present to you episode number one of The Expert Table Tennis Podcast. I have wanted to start a podcast for so long now and I’ve finally got it all together.

My first guest is table tennis player, coach and blogger Matt Hetherington. Matt runs the popular blog mhtabletennis.com and is well known in the online world of table tennis.

In our interview we talk about the trade-off between consistency and power. I believe this is a particularly important topic in the modern game, which at the highest levels is becoming increasingly more aggressive and powerful.

In this episode you’ll learn:

Matt’s current schedule and future table tennis goals.
Why many of the current top coaches are pushing ‘consistency’.
How the future generation of elite players are being developed.
The importance of restricting power in order to develop consistency, tactics, footwork and control.
The mindset you’ll need to develop to become a consistent player.
Why to start with consistency and then later increase power.
The difference between being consistent and being passive.

Links from the episode:

Thanks for listening!

Thank you so much for joining us. I really hope you enjoyed the show.

As we are a new podcast it would really help us out if you could go and leave us an honest review on iTunes. It very simple to do and will help us to get noticed in the crowded world of podcasting.

A big thank you to Matt for joining me on my first episode and I’ll have the next episode ready soon.

The post #1 – Matt Hetherington: Consistency vs Power appeared first on Expert Table Tennis.

The Expert Table Tennis Podcast

Alex Horscroft: Serving Your Way to County Champion (Bonus Interview)

Sponsored by… TableTennisUniversity.com

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Talent, Practice, and Why Harrie Almost Quit Table Tennis (S02E08)

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Tom Lodziak: How to Crush It as an Adult Beginner (Bonus Interview)

Sponsored by… Palio by ETT

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Quality vs Quantity: Table Tennis Training (S02E07)

Sponsored by… Power Pong

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Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger Table Tennis (S02E06)

Sponsored by… TableTennisUniversity.com

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Beating Nerves, Handling Pressure, and Managing Your Emotions (S02E05)

Sponsored by… Eastfield Co.

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Harrie’s Top 5 Table Tennis Drills (S02E04)

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Harrie’s 2018/19 End-of-Season Review (S02E03)

Sponsored by… TableTennisUniversity.com

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The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Table Tennis (S02E02)

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Who is Harrie Austin-Jones? (S02E01)

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#41 – Sam Dance: Karaoke, Patrick Franziska, and Local League

Sam Dance Interview

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#40 – Dan Seemiller: Revelations of a Table Tennis Champion

Dan Seemiller Interview

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#39 – Samson Dubina: Enhance Your Game with TT-Flex

TT-Flex Interview

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#38 – Colin Wilson: How to Fulfil Your Potential

Colin Wilson Interview

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#37 – Jeff Plumb & Alois Rosario: PingSkills Answer Your Questions

PingSkills Interview