This was inevitable… That AI would “learn” how to coach from video… At this stage, you have to be dedicated to take/make the time to set all of this up, but it’s still amazing to see how good it’s getting. Of course the feedback will be generic unless instructed to do otherwise, but that’s already […]
Archive for the 'Ping Pong' Category
One of the classic complaints of robot practice is that it’s not “natural” and lacks “context”. One of the things I do to create my visual Mental Models for the return of serve is to place photos of a SERVER “doing each serve” so I can “neuroassociate” my technique to the appropriate serve. This is […]
April 1st — Industry insiders are calling it the most disruptive innovation in table tennis since the introduction of sponge rubber. Skeptics are calling it… suspiciously convenient. In a move that has stunned the global table tennis community, a Bitcoin Blockchain enabled Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC) formed by unnamed former professional athletes raised capital […]
In elite table tennis, words matter as much as the ball. When feedback or self-talk is vague (“hit harder,” “move faster”), players can’t create specific, repeatable adjustments. That’s where Deliberate Practice Principles (DPP) come in — transforming generic coaching talk into precise language that targets measurable, controllable elements of performance. Below, you’ll see practical examples […]
Deliberate Practice Principles — a quick synthesis If you’re deep enough into table tennis that you’re reading a post on content curation, you already know something about Deliberate Practice Principles (DPP). But to make sure we’re aligned: Focus on weaknesses, not comfort zones. The magic of DPP lies in pushing just beyond your current capability, […]
Any serious competitive table tennis player will use targets in his/her training sessions… … But won’t look at the targets. He/she will focus on the stroke instead of the target and execution improves – dramatically. This is called having a MENTAL MODEL of what you’re trying to accomplish (learn). It can include visualisation, but should […]
If you’re a keen table tennis player, the table below might just blow your mind. We know the serve is important, but it’s much more important when you look closely at the statistics for competitive league players with an ITTF ranking of less than 2000. IKR? This is definitely food for thought – IF you […]
This is one of the more contentious aspects of Deliberate Practice Principles. Focusing on ONE element or component of the skill you’re trying to acquire. For example: For a table tennis serve, focusing… JUST on increasing spin or; JUST on hiding your racket behind your body or; JUST on the racket contact point to affect […]
If you’re using a table tennis ball-feeding robot to practice your return of serve, you might be seeing this damage to your table… There is a simple solution: Use a wood plank to cover the service contact area on the robot’s side of the table. It needs to have a smooth surface to avoid altering […]
We’ve all heard the idiom: K.I.S.S. Keep It Super Simple. But what does it mean in our day-to-day lives? Today’s 1% Improvement is to be creative and use what you have. My community table tennis “room” has a white ball “scooper” to get the balls from under the table (shown below). I used a marker […]
