(by: Joanna Sung)

As a first year college student, I find myself with significantly less time to practice table tennis
compared to my high school years.

Weekly schedules composed primarily of studying, lectures, and club events left limited space for what once used to be daily hours of practice. Nevertheless, I strived to maintain my current skill level by trying to find time at least twice during the week to practice with my UCLA clubmates. I also took on the activity of coaching, which I found to be fulfilling and enjoyable. Most of my weekends were spent coaching at Coach Gao’s club, California Table Tennis, where I taught private lessons for beginner players and acted as a practice partner for advanced players.

The younger players I taught resembled myself as a kid and the moment I saw my past self in their shoes admittedly felt a bit bittersweet, as they reminded me of the early days when I first started playing table tennis with my dad. Coaches hold profound and long-lasting impacts and influences on their students, especially beginner students of a young age. Even now, I still clearly remember the first coaches I ever had and my gratitude towards them for guiding me in the right direction.

To illustrate, coaches for beginner players take on the responsibility of adjusting the bicycle seat to the right height, so that students have the ability to pedal forward. A like to how every student will require a different height for their seat, every student I taught learned differently and possessed varying strengths. While I may have not performed the best this recent U.S Open, I experienced a different feeling of fulfillment and happiness through my students that I watched compete and my interactions with them.

A common question young students asked was how to calm nerves before matches and how I prepared myself for a match. I explained to them that everybody will find a sort of routine that works best for them, which will slowly develop into a habit. Before matches, I always check-in early, use the bathroom and take some time alone to slowly walk to the table and stretch along the way. I asked them to try to find activities or motions they find comforting and to try many of them out before finding one that works best for them.

Once they found the most comforting motions, I told them to stick with that routine. Most importantly, I wanted them to have faith and confidence in themselves and the time they dedicated to training. I undoubtedly still have much to learn regarding coaching, but I aspire to become someone who encourages kids to take on and continue the sport. Table tennis truly proves to be an incredible sport and I hope that the sport continues to grow and inspire others to join the table tennis community.

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