So I’m on week 2 of my table tennis training. I had a really busy week and am still getting over a bad cold so I was only able to play table tennis one day this week. I played with Liliana, one of the members of the Newgy Table Tennis Training Center. We had a lot of fun playing and I feel like I got a great workout. After just hitting the ball around for awhile we realized I was playing mostly with my backhand, even on shots that clearly should’ve been hit with my forehand. I guess I just feel more comfortable with my backhand so far. So we decided to work on my forehand and alternating between the two. I had to really make a conscious effort to hit the ball with my forehand. After a little bit, I started to feel more comfortable with it. That is something I will definitely be working on now.

Also, I noticed that when we were practicing alternating between my backhand and forehand strokes that I wasn’t moving my legs enough. I think I was leaning into the shots more and that made me end up missing some of them because I couldn’t get close enough to the ball. It’s just so much to think about at once – getting my stroke right, keeping my eye on the ball and moving my legs the right way. Table tennis truly is a sport that benefits your coordination.

Serving. Now that takes coordination. I just can’t do it very well. That is something that I am going to be practicing this coming week. After talking to other people that play table tennis, they all say that is one of the most challenging aspects of learning the sport of table tennis. More to come next week…

Jena Newgarden