In order to fully prepare the 2011 Rotterdam world table tennis championship. The Chinese national table tennis team had the last closed training in the Chinese National Table Tennis Training Center (CNTTTC); recently, the international table tennis federation specially entitled the article of how the Chinese team was trained in order to deeply uncover this Table Tennis Dream Team and reveal part of their preparation for common people.
    The training system of Chinese table tennis team possesses the top professional techniques in the world table tennis domain. Jus as everyone has known that, the glorious combat gains yearly have explained this point.
The first impression has left for you when entering the training gym at Chinese national table tennis training center is that the facilities are very advanced and the equipments are abundant, different training equipments have different training ways and each way has its special training goal.
    In the training process of Chinese table tennis team, one of training ways which has success and uniqueness is the training with multi balls—the coaches are feeding the balls continuously and players practice it, it’s specially designed for different players and training. This professional training skill is extensively used among the whole Chinese players. Especially in the pre-match preparation for the world table tennis championship which is going on at Rotterdam now.
Scenario 1
    The coach feeds the backspin short ball for the player’s forehand and the player moves and adjusts the body, then return the ball to coach directly. Next step, the coach serves back a long ball and sees if the player can make forehand attacking immediately.
    Training goals: this way of training is most commonly used in the training process of Chinese team. It requires the player to forward the body and serve back the ball at first time, and then adjust the balance of body quickly in order to smash the long ball out of the table. This movement way of back and forth is rarely seen in the table tennis sports and pragmatic.
    Scenario 2
    The coach severed the topspin with middle speed; the dropping point will be at all over table surface in order to test the player’s forehand attacking ability after the quick adjustment and movement.
Training goals: it is one of the notable features for the players with attacking type in the Chinese team that we still take proactive way specific to the ball coming from different dropping point and this multi ball training model has rightly simulated the topspin in the practical competition. If the feeding of the ball is appropriated, it can test the player’s quick movement ability and develop the forehand attacking ability. In the Chinese team, the coaches attach great importance to the quality of every returning ball. Any disparity comparing with the anticipated performance will be corrected by the coach.
    Scenario 3
    In order to develop the player’s quick movement and action, the coach will feed the short ball from different spiny direction and returning ball with aggressiveness. 
    Training goal: in the way of playing among the Chinese athletes, there is a common point that the players always find a favorable opportunity and take the active condition. This way is mainly for developing the player’s aggressive techniques and confidence; even take the positive action when the opponent doesn’t think that’s an opportunity. In addition, the forward movement speed’s importance will be embodied when you receive the short ball.
    Scenario 4
    This is a unique and interesting training method. It needs the coach and another player’s coordination. Firstly, the coach serves the short forehand ball. When the players return the ball, the coach needs to return it with a backhand long ball. At this moment. The player needs to adjust the balance of body quickly and attack with forehand by sideways. The main player at the coach’s side needs to serve the ball at the opponent’s direction again, and then both players go on with several rounds’ attacking until the miss of the other side.
    Training goal: this training should be very strict, it not only needs player’s quick adjustment at the footwork, but also needs the player’s quick action facing the ball from different spiny direction and forehand attacking. In the process of training with multi balls, there is a common way with three players’ cooperation. It is flexible when taking this way. However, the coach is mainly inspecting the player’s training value.
    Attention on the details
    The above mentioned scenarios have embodied another point. Every training way is specially designed for player with different type at the exact goal. The Chinese coach group has 9 members in total, but the number of players can reach to 24 members. But when the beginning of training with multi balls, the coach will take the different measures in order to make every player have the opportunity of training and won’t miss any player, maybe this is the way to boost the Chinese table tennis domain for so many years.

Chinese national table tennis training center http://www.cntttc.o

  My name is Michelle Quach. I´m 19 years old and play table tennis in the national team. I have played table tennis for 8 years. I’m in my last year of school in science line in a sport school, in Köping. This summer I have spent almost all my time on playing table tennis all day. I have been at two national camps (one for seven days and the other ten days) and 6 weeks in China. I want to talk about my visit in China because I have learnt very much since I came here and it is a different practice if you compare it to the training in Sweden.
  I was in a Chinese National Table Tennis Training Center (CNTTTC), 4 hours from Beijing. It is a center for both girls and boys of all ages.  It’s a very big centre, the Paralympics Games have been held there before. The centre has 3 halls. One of them fits 50 tables and the other 2 fit maybe 30 tables each. The coaches here were quite strict. They scream or hit players when they aren’t content with them.
  My time in China has been more than very good I think. The practice has always been very good. I can´t get better practice then what I got in China. I always played with players who are better than me.
In the mornings we always practiced normally with single ball and in afternoon we played multiballs. My skills at feeding balls are the not the best because I haven’t ever practiced it before. Some girls were quite angry at me when I couldn’t feed it good enough. Every day the Chinese practice 2-3 times. One session is 3 hours. They even practice Sundays. But I spend the Sundays for rest.
  My experience in China
  It has been an amazing experience. I have practice every day, twice a day. Some days I only practiced one time because I have some problems with my body but some days I practiced 3 times. The practice has been hard but worthwhile. I must always use 2 shirts on every practice because it was so hot there! I also played teams matches against other countries which was a good experience.
  I think that if you want to be a good player you should have good quality in the practice. Even if you feel very tired in the practice, you must try to focus even more. Don’t hit or miss too many balls and try to play like you do in a match. The Chinese player’s rarely miss. If you force yourself to not to miss too much, it will help you very much in matches. If you look at the top players from China they don´t make any easy mistakes when they play.
  In multiball training: If you want get something out of the multiball practice you should play exercises that you feel you can get very tired of. If you play hard exercises it will help you very much to get stronger in your legs and mentally it helps you very much. If you have played some hard exercises you can play easier after, but you must think like you play in match! If you just play easy exercises all sessions it doesn´t help you so much. I always think: you must practice in training as if you are in a match.
  I think every table tennis player who really wants to be good in table tennis should go to China at least one time in their life. It is a good experience. You can feel and realize why the Chinese players are so dominate in the world of table tennis. They practice very much every day. You can see another perspective of practice when you are in China. The practice is more effective and harder. You should always know what you are doing in the practice and always think what is wrong when you miss ball. Even if it cost a lot to go to China, it is worth it.
  Before you go to China: You should be aware that the practice is much harder than in your home country. You should have good physical before you go there. If you are physically fit and strong you will be able to practice more often and be able to concentrate longer without getting injured. It is a different culture with different food and a different environment. Even if you feel tired and you don´t want to practice you have to force yourself, because you can do more than you think. Everything is sitting in the head.
  However, If your body doesn’t feel good or you’re in pain, you shouldn´t practice. Because if you practice when you are hurt, you will only injure yourself further. REST is my advice to you! For me when I had been in China for 6 weeks it was more important for me to feel my body. If I practice when I’m hurt I know that I might not be able to practice for the next few weeks.
  I don’t regret my time in China. I feel that I have become faster in my game. I have learnt that to be a good player you must practice hard with good quality and high intensity. You must sacrifice very much to be a good player, both money and time. But always remember that hard work will be repaid.
  There are some more pieces which matter in your development. Such as preparation is very important, as well as food, sleep and rest. If you don’t eat, how can you have energy to practice hard? No sleep? How can you manage to work hard if you’re tired? No rest? How can you play good with no mental concentration if you are tired? There are many things which matter in you development. The thing is you must find your own solution to be a good player.
  This was my experience and thoughts about in China. It has been unforgettable experience. I have made some new friends from Mongolia, Canada, USA, Slovenia, Japan and China. I would like to back to China because I love the country. But mostly I like to practice hereJ!
Michelle Quach, Sweden
Chinese national table tennis training center http://www.cntttc.org/