Category: Table Tennis Coaching

Individual or Group Table Tennis Coaching?

June 28, 2018

If you had a choice of Individual or group table tennis coaching? which would you pick?

Instinctively, I believe most would pick individual coaching! I would like to point out the pros and cons of both. I hope it will help you choose the best pathway for your table tennis development.

Group Table Tennis Coaching

We often start our table tennis journey inside a group of players. The sessions are either lead by a coach or players run the session constructively or freely.

Pros:

1. Verity: Often a group will provide many challenges alongside different playing styles. Verity of play can make the game more enjoyable which may entice positive self-development.
2. Challenge: A group of players working towards higher achievement by setting goals pushes will certain individuals to develop faster. This can have a domino effect making everyone thrive towards greater success.
3. Learn from each other: As the saying goes two heads are better than one. When a group of collective people are in search of development they will find answers quicker than one person. It also helps to have different opinions and thoughts but be careful as it can be overwhelming and can lead to negative effects.

Cons:

1. Motivation: A group may be content just playing. If this is the case your development will be limited because there is no objective towards growth.
2. The same: We are all unique and in most cases required personal coaching to develop specific needs. More often than not groups as a whole, do the same exercises regardless of individual requirements.
3. Limited focus: If you have a coach running the group session, you have a very small amount of their time. Receiving limited personal attention can and most likely will deter your progression line.

Sam Priestley receiving private coaching — Coaching Sam Priestley from Expert in a Year

Individual Table Tennis Coaching:

Pros:

1. You’re the centre of attention: A coach will give you 100% attention and hone in on your specific requirements.
2. Individual: You can work on your specific needs rather than working on something generic.
3. Monitor: A coach can develop programmes that monitor your progression line. Via: video, log book, rankings and tournament results.

Cons:

1. The coach: If the coach is inexperienced or set in their ways, you may receive poor advice. This can have a negative effect on your game and overall confidence.
2. Your requirements: Every table tennis coach is different and some may not suit your personal requirements or needs. For example, if you’re a penholder player it may be slightly more beneficial getting a coach who plays that specific style. Not always but it can have the added benefits of their personal experience.
3. Money: A high-quality table tennis can be an expensive investment. A low-quality coach can be even more expensive! (Lots of cheap sessions with no results)

Rough Guide to Individual or Group Table Tennis Coaching:

Personally, if I was still a player I would want a little from both worlds.

Pro level
An individual table tennis coach for 2-6 hours per week and 15-25 hours group table tennis coaching. I would also have a few hours of personal training with a sparring partner or group of partners. Total 30 plus hours per week of table time.

National to international level
Individual coaching 1-4 hours per week and group coaching 10-20. Furthermore, I would create personal sessions with a sparring or group of players for 2-4 hours per week

Local to a county level
Attend a group table tennis coaching session 1-2 per week with 5-10 hours of group coaching. Have 1-2 hours of individual coaching and arrange some personal training 1-3 hours a week.

Local league
Attend a group coaching session once or twice a week and have individual coaching 1 hour per week or fortnightly.

Which would you choose? Individual or group coaching?

There’s no right or wrong answer, it all depends on your specific needs and personal requirements.

Examples of Individual Coaching

Examples of Group Coaching

If you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact me.

Written by Eli Baraty
eBaTT (Eli Baraty Academy of Table Tennis)
Coach Me Table Tennis
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3 Ways to Win a Table Tennis Point!

May 28, 2018

Have you ever thought about how you can win a table tennis point?

Each table tennis point is evidently different and no player plays the same way!
But there are three different ways we approach a point or match.

Play not to lose:

I believe we all start playing with a winning mentality, we want to win. As we develop expectations enter our environment each individual responds differently. This is where some become fearful of losing. They want their opponents to make mistakes and lose to them rather than find ways of beating their opponents.

Middle game:

This is where players enjoy the process, winning or losing is of little importance. They enjoy a good game, with a positive outcome and the journey is their main concern.

Play to win:

Keeping a winning mentality at all times is very tough. Very few players are able to sustain a winning mentality at all times. This is where you want to beat your opponents at all costs. Regardless of level, event and personal circumstances, ‘the will to win’ drives that kind of person. Michael Jordan, Roger Federer, Wayne Gretzky and Rocky Marciano are good examples. They are athletes with a winning mentality, they find ways to win more often than not! Michael Jordan, famously said, training is no different from the competition. I hate losing in practice as much as I do in an official event. This mentality enabled him to excel under severe pressure and come out of the sport as the best player the game has ever seen. You must develop the character of ” I want to win a table tennis point at all costs”.

How do you approach a table tennis point?

Look at the three key points above and ask yourself who are you? How do you win a table tennis point?
Do you enjoy playing? Do you have a fear of losing? Or do you have a winning mentality?

Regardless of your answers, there is pros and cons to each one. I believe you can change your mentality depending on what you want. You’re in control of your pathway but your choice will require certain sacrifices.

Sacrifice:

Play not to lose – mentality: You will never achieve your potential and in time your level will decline.
Middle game – mentality: You will enjoy playing and progress or decline a little, more often than not you’ll sustain your playing level.
Play to win – mentality: Progression is practically inevitable as long as you are training correctly and if you are you will, most likely become a winner. The issue, it’s often a lonely road with many sacrifices. Including external jealousy, hard work, selfishness, and a huge amount of energy will be expelled, sometimes unnecessarily. Click here to see a young man training with a winning attitude

So, how do we win a point? It’s down to us to find out who we are or what we want to be. Once we truly know ourselves and our character, then we can develop methods to suit our mindset.

Written by Eli Baraty
eBaTT (Eli Baraty Academy of Table Tennis)
Coach Me Table Tennis Instagram: _elibaraty
Twitter: @elibaraty
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Learn from the Best Table Tennis Coaches

April 26, 2018
April 1, 2024

This Weekend, I was privileged to work with some of the best table tennis coaches in Europe! how makes these coaches some of the best table tennis coaches in Europe?

Mario Genovese –

From Malta, Mario’s record as a coach and player is extraordinary producing top-class players with very limited resources and facilities in Malta. Mario is a current world record holder with 22 Men’s singles National titles and is still capable of increasing that record. He was an international player for many years and a professional player based in Sweden. Currently, Mario is an ITTF level two coach and he knows and has worked with many world class players and coaches. Today Mario has produced Malta’s no.1 Table Tennis club and all the nations best players have come from his base over the past 10 years. For more information click here

Afonso Vilela –

From Portugal, started Coaching in a little place called (Madeira) famous for players such as Marcos Freitas. Afonso worked closely with Joao Monteiro, in a successful attempt to qualify for 2012 London Olympic Games. They were very proud to achieve it and Afonso was Joao’s personal coach at the Olympic Games. Afonso, went on to work with many clubs across Europe gaining vast experience in the sport. Recently he took a head coach role in India, where he coached a group of young players including world no.1 ranked Junior (Manav Vikash Thakkar). Afonso aims to have his own table tennis centre soon with plans in place to develop a full-time table tennis centre catering for all players. Alongside side a future vision of creating and developing a new batch of Portuguese Table Tennis Superstars.

Julien Girard –

From France, A former top junior and senior player himself decided he would shake the French system by producing top players outside of the national governing table tennis system. Julien believes in results, not accreditation and he wanted to prove it by investing in personal and physical investment. In France, you need to pay thousands towards a coaching diploma (to be a qualified table tennis coach). Julien redirected the money and invested it by taking himself to as many top clubs and coaches across Europe and Asia for 5 years. This was in pursuit of learning his current craft hands on, from the best in the world. Today Julien has taken a small club in a small town south of France to the top division (Pro A) with French players only. He has produced and developed 4 men’s singles titles in the past 5 years, with his players including; Alexandre Robinot, Adrien Mattenet, Jeremy Petiot and Stephane Oauiche. For more information click here

So, what have I learnt from the best tabe tenis coaches?

1. Attention to detail:

Often I go around England looking at table tennis clubs and coaches and they are content with basic play. The saying in England is “practice makes perfect” nothing could be further from the truth! It’s ‘perfect practice that makes perfect’, therefore we must look at perfecting our clubs and players not just allowing them to take part.

2. Secrets:

Each coach has one or two secrets by this guys have plenty because they are open-minded, willing and want to learn. They openly ask what do you do? and how do you do it? I often feel coaches in England don’t share knowledge and we don’t learn from one another. We need to have; open workshops, coaching collaborations and clubs competing against each other in a competitive way but with open arms when it comes to growth for our players and sport.

3. Experience:

You may have all the qualifications in the world but if you have not been on the job experimenting and trying out the theory’s you don’t know what works best. Each coach has their particular way but with experience, you can find ways that work better than others and that takes time to implement. You must go to other clubs and coach many players. Try to visit other countries to see different systems and philosophies. This will provide you with vital experience to truly succeed.

I have been blessed to work with these amazing coaches (some of Europes best table tennis coaches) and today we are called UNITED TABLE TENNIS COACHING (Team) We have a Facebook page and soon to have a website. Our aim is to grow and develop table tennis in Europe to compete with Asia but also find ways to beat them.

We want you to be a part of our journey, so please keep an eye out for our coaching seminars, videos, developments and coaching days across Europe which will be published soon.

Please excuse any spelling or grammatical errors

Written by Eli Baraty
eBaTT (Eli Baraty Academy of Table Tennis)
Coach Me Table Tennis
Instagram: _elibaraty
Twitter: @elibaraty
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W: www.ebatt.co.uk
E: elibaraty@hotmail.com
M: 07900401144

High-Quality Shots in Table Tennis

April 13, 2018

How do we develop high-quality table tennis shots?

First, we must understand the difference between perception and what is actually high-quality shots in table tennis!

Perception versus reality:

There was a time when I saw others put topspin or side-spin on the ball and making it bend in the air, it appeared to me as the ultimate shot. As I personally developed spin and high-quality shots, my perception changed.

My early developments included seeing a top England junior training with his coach (regular drills) and that appeared in my mind as a person who was a machine. I developed my level and the past machine became a good player. Then I saw world-class players training and playing matches and felt I could execute shots like them.

My perception changed from when I was a beginner seeing the low-level play but (believing its inhuman) to an elite level and thinking I can do that.

what makes the difference between world-class players and us mere mortals?

Consistency: Top level players can execute high-quality shots consistently and most players are able to execute high-quality shots but on a reduced level of consistency.
Footwork: Top players develop dynamic movements that enable them to generate huge power and higher tension shots compared to recreational or good players
High-quality shots: When you watch recreational players, you will rarely see high-quality shots and when it does occur they are ecstatic. A good player top 100 level in most countries will produce high-quality shots between 50%-80% of the time. Then you watch world class players (top 50 in the world level). They produce 80-90% high-quality shots and the top 10 players in the world have a percentage of 92-95% HQS.

What’s a high-quality ball?

This is a ball that has high tension; lots of spin, power, placement, width or depth, deception, varying heights and all these balls possess high energy.
If you ever block for a world-class player, you’ll quickly notice the speed power and weight on the ball once it hits your bat. This is all because they have developed their strokes to generate all the qualities mentioned above.

How to develop high-quality shots:

If you want to be a world-class player, I advise you to watch them training live. Notice the; footwork, speed, power, agility, sound when they hit the ball, arm speed, body movements and focus on producing a high-quality ball on every shot. They are not content with a softball and aim to produce as much energy as possible regardless of stroke execution.

If you’re willing and truly want to become a top player, then you require discipline and acceptance that it requires time. Time alongside, good coaching and guidance toward excellence.

When you commit yourself towards self-development, then and only then will you get your desired outcome.

High-Quality table tennis shots displayed in this video click here
Written by Eli Baraty

eBaTT (Eli Baraty Academy of Table Tennis)
Coach Me Table Tennis
Instagram: _elibaraty
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W: www.coachmetabletennis.com
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M: 07900401144

Discipline in Table Tennis

April 6, 2018

If you’re serious about becoming successful in the sport then discipline in table tennis is essential towards achieving your goals.

Table Tennis Malta

I’m currently leading an Easter Table Tennis Training Camp in Malta. At the HiTT Academy in Valletta run by world-renowned table tennis coach Mario Genovese.

The moment I stepped into the training hall, I instantly noticed something extra special!
Let me paint the picture for you before I reveal the speciality.

The Club:

Has one main hall, with six tables
Two other small areas where you have one table and potentially 1 or 2 tables area but it’s mainly used for physicals.
Back run space is very small, only close to the table play is possible, unless you reduce the number of tables and manoeuvred them lengthways.
The hall is underground which gets humid and dusty.
The hall is limited in usage because it’s a school hall.
The lights are poor

The list can be continued but I’ll leave it there as it’s just a taste in what the players deal with.

Today the hall had some building work and naturally, there was plenty of frustrating noises. Nevertheless, training continued and this is where I must admit I’m yet to have coached a more disciplined group of youth & adults.

Special attitude and discipline:

On my arrival I was warmly greeted and respected instantly which made me feel empowered towards giving everyone my best. I gathered the players for a physical warm up and it was beautiful watching them gracefully go through the routines; No cheating, no talking, no arguing when one person got in someone’s way by mistake, it was simply bliss!

A did my usual group chat prior to our training and each player aged 7 upwards was fully attentive and responsive when directed to or questioned.

Why this club is the most successful club on the Island by a country mile and then it hit home. Leading table tennis nations such as; Japan, Germany, China, France, Korea are top of the tree because table tennis requires DISCIPLINE. Without that special attribute, you will not and can not succeed inside the sport.

Disciplines in Table Tennis, include:

Commitment: Wanting and willing to do what is required to get results.
Hard work: Willingness to; sweat, train harder, smarter and longer than others
Drive: Making your surroundings suit your needs and accepting certain circumstances with a will to make the most of it. Or change to a different environment which you feel will cater for your needs.

Deal with it!

There was not one person in the hall today who came up to me complaining, something I constantly deal with on a daily basis in England!
They had about 20 different legitimate reasons to complain about but they smiled and in many ways embraced the good fortune of having; a hall, a coach, tables, balls etc.

It’s a lesson that we must all encirclement and if we can install this kind of discipline and gracious attitude, we’re guaranteed success.

Written by Eli Baraty featuring HiTTA Malta

eBaTT (Eli Baraty Academy of Table Tennis)
Coach Me Table Tennis
Instagram: _elibaraty
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M: 07900401144

A guide in FINDING THE BEST TABLE TENNIS COACHING for You!

March 3, 2018

Its a daunting task finding the best table tennis coach for yourself or your child, especially in England.

Table Tennis Coaching for Kids

Table Tennis coaching for kids begins with nurturing your child’s learning process. Your son or daughter has shown some ability or possibly natural “talent” for the game. The next step would be to get a good coach for further development.

Sportsperson of the Year - Coached by Eli Baraty — Miri with Eli Baraty her Table Tennis Coach

Finding a good table tennis coach

Finding a good table tennis coach for yourself, son or daughter can be like walking through a desert in search of water.

Here’s a guide to help you find the best table tennis coaching for you.

Tip 1: Find a club or Academy that has a low player to coach ratio.

There is an abundance of camps, academies, coaches and clubs out there that would all love to have your hard-earned cash. They may even have big names and famous past background playing careers.
However, you need to do your homework and find out if your child will actually be coached by these so-called top coaches/players, or is your child in a group of many players overseen by an aspiring young coach who is mentored by a legend but has limited interaction with your child!

121 coaching (Private coaching)

Getting a one-on-one lesson if possible it’s a great way of advancing your child’s game. Of course, the price will depend on the coach which is dependent on location, past and present success. The advantages of a private coach are the same as in a school classroom; the one-to-one ratio ensures the teacher’s full attention and causes your child to focus on the teacher and their learning, not his/her classmates. Sometimes A two-to-one or three-to-one lesson can be even better, as the players may feed off of one another but beyond that, the learning becomes decreased.
Therefore if your child is in a big group constantly their growth in development is reduced unless there is a ratio of max 1-8 players.

Tip 2: Find a self-developing coach.

If you have decided to appoint a coach on a 1-2-1 or small group lessons, you need to discern which coach is the right one for your child.

How to evaluate a good coach? Look at his/her resume and find out where they have coached, who have they coached, have they developed and moulded their coaching style over the years to keep up with the modern game?

DO NOT evaluate a coach form his/her qualification. Why? ‘you ask’ would you take a brain surgeon with the highest marks in England for his PhD and he has only done one surgery? or would you take a surgeon lower level PhD marks with 20 years of experience and 500 successful surgeries under his belt? The answer should be clear…
Qualification gives the fundamentals and in a certain aspect grants permission to do what you do in your field, it does not state your level of coaching ability.

Tip 3: Sometimes what you see is what you think!

By this I mean, does the coach keep him or herself in good condition physically?
Does he or she play regularly?
Why does this matter? well for several reasons: (there are exceptions of course)

Can they keep up with the child when training them, or will they get tired and take many breaks?
Will they have the energy to make the session high intensity? If not, then the student usually responds in the same manner.
Does the coach still play competitively? If so be careful, as they may still be fully focused on themselves and just do the coaching for a little extra income and lack desire to make your child great. On the other hand, if they compete occasionally this can be great as they know how it feels to compete and how the game is evolving. This allows them to give advice using recent and personal match experience rather than just from the past.
Physical appearance can also play a huge psychological factor in self-confidence, and the best coaches do have a certain level of confidence.
If the coach demands hard work and discipline, does he or she follow that same principle? If not, your child will notice this immediately and use it as their personal excuse to adopt the same attitude.

Tip 4: Watch the coach in action.

If you are allowed ask a coach when their next training session is on and go have a look, watch them in action. If they have video tutorials on YouTube have a watch and see if you like their coaching style.
Take note:

Was the coach on time? Did the lesson begin on time?
Did the coach have a plan and was he/she able to adapt and change if necessary?
Is the coach creative?
Is the coach engaging? good communication? uplifting, positive?
Most importantly does the coach care? Do they want their students to be the best they can be or is it just a job?

“Coaching is teaching, and some people are suited for it while others are not. In fact, some of the best coaches are those who did not ascend to the sport’s highest level.”

Tip 5: Your child’s perspective

Everyone is different and we all respond differently to things, therefore a simple recommendation is to ask your child what they thought of the coach? Often, they know if the coach is right for them.
A good coach in most cases will be able to adapt to that child’s specific needs, character and learning style.

Tip 6: The Past has gone, the future is not here yet, so focus on the present

A club or Academy’s past is irrelevant, it’s a guide but does not determine the present state and the prospect of its future. Therefore, I recommend looking at the history of the coach and his environment and using that as a guideline. But more importantly look at what the coach is saying and doing, are they ambitious are they driven and do they still possess passion?
Simple questions would be:
What are your goals?
How long do you expect to be at this club?
What drives you?

I hope this has been a useful insight for people looking at getting a coach.

How to Make High-Risk Table Tennis Shots Into Low Risk

February 6, 2018

We are often told, that was a high-risk table tennis shot, or we tell ourselves that was a poor shot selection. After one or two high-risk shots our game instantly changes into:

Reduction of power
More spin less power
Directing the ball towards the centre of the table for more safety

Well, I agree with all of the above but…

I also believe we should train at high risk more often.

The more you practice hitting the white line and exposing the ball into the wide angles the safer that particular shot will become
The more you practice and expose yourself against fastballs with positive blocks and counters the more accustomed you will become to it and develop a positive but secure defensive game.
If you implement an increase of harder and faster hitting the balls in your training session with the correct adjustments the risk percentage will decrease in your favour. You will learn how to time the ball correctly and this is exactly what the best in the world do. When you watch them hitting such wonderful shots which seem virtually impossible, you will soon understand that training at high risk becomes a low risk in due course, if done correctly.

Filip Szymanski Hertitage Oil Table Tennis Tournament — Filip Szymanski Heritage Oil Table Tennis Tournament

So, go and hit some high-risk shots and develop it into low risk. To witness this in action I have developed a video that illustrates a high-risk table tennis shot, click here to see it.

Written by Eli Baraty
eBaTT (Eli Baraty Academy of Table Tennis)
Coach Me Table Tennis
Instagram: _elibaraty
Twitter: @elibaraty
FB: Eli Baraty
W: www.coachmetabletennis.com
E: elibaraty@hotmail.com
M: 07900401144

All Good Things Come to an End but an Ending Provides New Opportunities…

October 5, 2017

I have coached at The Harefield Table Tennis Academy for 10 years. Unfortunately, all good things come to an end but an ending provides new opportunities. I am a person always looking to embrace change! I was fortunate to work with many wonderful players and people at a wonderful facility. Coaching beginners, county, national and international players was a privilege, but the most rewarding aspect was seeing all become amazing young people.

Table Tennis in Harefield — Harefield Table Tennis Academy

Building something from nothing

After 10 years of doing something you love, it became clear to me that I have to choose whether to leave or should I stay and continue at Harefield. It’s a tough ask, continue doing what you love or look to grow as a coach and person. Some may say “why would you want to change a good thing?” and keep going but I believed that it was my time to spread my wings and fly higher.

The world has so much to offer and staying in one place may mean the world for one person but for someone like myself, it means I’m not growing and more importantly I’m not sharing.

Embrace Change

Being involved in Table Tennis for 26 years has made me realise how new opportunities can be greater than what you originally had. And whether you like it or not and I embrace change.

So the lesson for today, if you truly wish to be a pioneer in your chosen field you must be willing to step outside of your comfort zone and embrace change.

Why I Coach Table Tennis

March 31, 2017

Why I Coach Table Tennis, well it all started from watching a film which inspired me to play table tennis. From being a player I quickly fell in love with helping and guiding others inside the sport.

The Begining:

It all starts somewhere and the initial impact can shape the direction in which we ultimately go towards. Getting hammered by every opponent was not a pleasant experience, we all experience some sort of humiliation by certain individuals for not having good skills and that can be soul destroying. I remember progressing in the sport yet at the time my level was still low and after six months of playing I remember a common theme; I would ask good players to play with me and their response would be sorry “I’m playing x,y and z maybe later! or “you’re not good enough” “I’m tired” then go off and play with someone else! there were many more excuses and it dawned on me there and then, (if I ever become a top player, I’ll play with anyone..)

Coaching Miri, table tennis coaching 1-2-1

We all start at the bottom, of course, some progress faster than others but in reality, our starting point is virtually the same, ‘BEGINNER’ level. I began to coach table tennis when I was 18 years old and I was fortunate to inherit a coaching job from my coach (Gideon Ashison). I soon realised that coaching is much more than just correction of strokes and game development.

Coaching gave me the opportunity to help others in their game but most importantly believe in them, something I wanted as an aspiring young player.

Today I’ve coached many national and international players simply because:
I Care
I’m Passionate
I have studied and never stop studying Table Tennis

I want to see players I coach regardless of age or level; learn, improve and achieve…

So, if you are really serious about your game, contact me so I can help you develop your table tennis.

Written by Eli Baraty
T: @elibaraty
FB: Eli Baraty
W: www.ebatt.co.uk

The Power of Words – Coach to Player

March 1, 2017

We are all victims!

We forget the power of words, I took a group of players to a tournament today and I received a phone call from an assistant coach. He Said, “Eli, tell the kids not to stress, don’t worry and just play their game” I replied NO!!! Obviously, his intentions are/were good and he did not realise the power of words, but if I tell you… I don’t want you to think about the colour red, what colour pop’s into your head? red of course!

Telling your students not to stress and not to worry, subconsciously triggers stress and worry!

Every word counts — Choose your words wisely

Try to only use positive words when mentoring and coaching your students.

Table Tennis Club London