February 2012 / January 2012 /December 2011
The summer competition is now well underway and we hope everybody is enjoying the challenge of getting their teams into the finals. Division 2 is looking like the most even grade with 6 out of the 9 results being decided by only one rubber. The Alligators have been the unluckiest team losing all three of their matches so far by only 1 rubber.
Division 3 has been a bit unsettled with two players having to drop out of the competition and a lot of reserves having been used. The dingoes however are looking like the team to beat having won all their matches and having a very good percentage. The Alsatians are struggling as their number 1 player has been unavailable but a couple of good results over the next couple of weeks can change things very quickly.
Division 1 has also been affected by a player having to drop out of the competition and we would like to thank Rex RAYNER for agreeing to fill in as he is now playing as a permanent player two nights per week. After three weeks all the teams have had a win with the Hawks the only undefeated team.
All the results are available on our website at southerntabletennis.org.au and now also include individual player percentages.
Winter Competition
Normally each season we work out which division will be playing on which nights after we have received all the player nominations. However in order to allow some players to plan ahead we thought that this year we would like to indicate to everybody that Division 1 will be on a Thursday night. This is because we normally have an influx of Division 1 standard players who also play in the city competition and Thursday night suits them the most.
If you know of any past players or other people who might be interested in playing in our competition now is the time to approach them about getting involved. Last year we had 90 players which gave us a lot of flexibility in how we structured the competition.
Shoes
The floor at the stadium can be damaged very quickly if people fail to wear non marking shoes or have stones stuck in the tread of their shoes. So we ask everybody to make sure that they are wearing the correct type of shoes and take care to wipe their feet when entering the stadium. Resurfacing of the floor is expensive so we would really like to avoid causing unnecessary damage.
Rubbers
Recently an issue arose as to the legality of a rubber which a player was using. All blades and rubbers must be approved by the International Table Tennis Federation who has a complete listing of approved rubbers on their website. Approved rubbers should have the ITTF logo visible on them. It is also acceptable that rubbers have slight wear and tear to them as long as this does not significantly change the characteristics of the rubber.
We also regularly hear negative comments from people having to play opponents who use anti spin or pimple out rubbers. On behalf of the people who do use these rubbers I would like to point out that they are perfectly legal and a valuable part of keeping the game of table tennis interesting. Table tennis is as much a game of tactics as it is ability and having to adapt to these rubbers is the same as having to adapt to the many different styles of players. Every rubber has unique advantages but also disadvantages which can be exploited. The internet is a great source of information on how to play against different styles of rubbers and opponents.
Table Tennis and the brain by Daniel G. Amen, MD
My favourite physical activity is table tennis, which also happens to be the world's best brain sport. It is highly aerobic and gets both the upper and lower body moving in every which way — twisting, bending down low, reaching up high, and shuffling from side to side. Plus, it gives your brain one heck of a workout.
Also known as "ping-pong," the game is great for hand-eye coordination and reflexes (cerebellum and parietal lobes). You have to focus (prefrontal cortex) so you can track the ball through space (parietal lobes and occipital lobes), figure out spins (parietal lobes and occipital lobes), and plan shots and strategies (prefrontal cortex and cerebellum). Then you have to follow through and execute those tactics successfully (prefrontal cortex and cerebellum). All the while, you have to stay calm so you don't get too nervous on game point (basal ganglia). And you can't dwell on that point you blew a few minutes ago (anterior cingulated gyrus) or blow your top when you make a mistake (temporal lobes). It is like aerobic chess.
Marcel STORKEN
President Southern Table Tennis
January 2012 Newsletter
We have had another good response to our Summer Competition with over 72 entries received despite the fact that we are missing a few regular players who have elected to be reserves only for this season. Putting the teams together is always a challenge particularly when we have quite a few players who are only available on either the Thursday or Wednesday night. We are always mindful of trying to give all players a challenging season and take many factors into consideration beyond just your overall ranking. However we are limited in what we can achieve by when players are available and the need to get a reasonable number of people playing on the Thursday night. One of the main factors that we do try to balance up however is if you have played at the top or bottom of a division for several seasons then we will try to fit you into a different position if we can for the next season.
On the Wednesday night please note that division 3 will commence at 7.15 pm and will have exclusive use of the two spare tables up until the start of the first doubles matches. We have done this to ensure that Division 3 get through the first round of 6 singles matches quickly which should set them up for the rest of the night. Once the doubles matches start for Division 3 one spare table will be allocated to division 1 and the other spare table will be for division 3. The other big change for division 3 will be that after feedback from last season the number 3 players will be able to play in the last doubles match if they choose to do so.
If anybody is interested in being on the competition committee or being a division coordinator for future seasons please contact me as it is always useful to have a broader group of people involved in this task.
We hope that you all have an enjoyable and challenging season.
WORD OF MOUTH
One of the main goals for our club is to build up participation numbers. Very simply the more people we have in our competitions the more even and better the competitions will be. The more people attending our practice and social sessions the better those sessions will be. Achieving this however is not an easy task. In the past we have tried advertising in local papers and distributing flyers but the cost has far outweighed the benefits. Although most people have played Table Tennis and might enjoy playing at a club they will not come out and have a look just due to advertising. So we need you, our members, to encourage people you know and who would enjoy playing table tennis to come to our club and have a hit. You might be surprised who you can attract and how that can have a domino effect.
JUNIOR TABLE TENNIS
This year we will once again be running a junior coaching program which takes place all year during school terms on a Tuesday nights between 7.00 pm and 8.30 pm. If you know anybody who might be interested please encourage them to come out and have a look, their first attendance is free. During school term 2 we will also be running an individual competition in a snakes and ladders style format and in term 4 we will be running a team based competition. Last year we had up to 30 children attending these sessions so if anybody is interested in coaching and would like to help out on a regular basis please contact Marcel STORKEN.
SPRING COMPETITION 2011 RESULTS
Congratulations to the finalist for the 2011 spring competition. There were many close games and some of the results could easily have gone the other way.
Division 1 Eagles 10/38 defeated Falcons 5/21
Eric MASON Tom BLOCH
John CAMPBELL Paul WELDON
Mark BLOCH Craig ZANKER
Robbie LAAN Kelly CAMPBELL
Alvan WHITE Ingrid FLOWER
Division 2 Alligators 10/36 defeated Crocodiles 8/29
Ken FOX Tony BYGRAVE
Steven DUNCAN Barry PHILLIPS
Phil GLITHEROE Ryan KITCHEN
Damir KOLAR John HACK
Max GORDGE Anna TWARTZ
Division 3 Wolves 8/30 defeated Kelpies 7/26
Lenny McINTYRE John PAUL
Tegan BLEWETT Griff BLEWETT
Wesley TREBILCOCK Ton FRAHN
Gerad HARRINGTON Warren DUFF
SERVING
The issue around how players serve continues to be problem in our competitions and we would like to encourage everybody to consider whether they are serving correctly and in the spirit of the game. The basic rules for a legal serve are that the ball must be tossed directly upwards and struck from behind the end of the table or the extension of a line drawn along the end of the table. The ball should be thrown from the palm of the hand without imparting spin and be thrown upwards a minimum of 16cm. The ball should also be able to be visible to your opponent during the whole serving process.
This issue has been raised several times in newsletters over the last couple of years and we remain concerned that there are players getting an unfair advantage, particularly when hitting fast serves straight out of their hands. This season we will endeavour to be more proactive in approaching players who are serving incorrectly so that we can improve the standard of serving at our club. If you do get challenged about your manner of serving please do not take it as a personal attack but consider the advice given and attempt to improve your serving action.
In a match the role of acting upon illegal serves is the responsibility of the umpire only and under no circumstances should players directly challenge each other about serving actions. An umpire has the ability to warn a player if they serve illegally and if the illegal serving action continues to call a fault and award a point to the receiver. We strongly believe that this should only occur in extreme circumstances and would rather that any issues be dealt after a match through some friendly discussion. We understand that this issue is not going to be solved overnight and some people will struggle to correct their serving action after many years of slipping into incorrect habits.
Marcel STORKEN
President SOUTHERN TABLE TENNIS
Summer Season
The entry forms are now out for the 2012 summer season and we encourage you to get them in now before you forget and it is too late. At this stage we expect that the competition will again be split between Wednesday and Thursday nights and hope that as many people as possible make themselves available for either night to give us flexibility in making up the teams. If you have any requests such as needing to play on the same night as another player, having a preference for a particular night or any other factor you want us to be aware of then please write this down on the entry form.
We have always had a policy of allowing juniors to play in our competitions and over recent seasons have tried to ensure that they finish at a reasonable time of the night. However with few spare tables being available it is very hard to organise things for any player to be able to finish before 9.30 pm on a regular basis. As this is probably too late a finish for some junior players we will be holding a junior competition on Tuesday nights of school terms 2 and 4 next year which will finish by 9.00 pm each night.
We are also always looking for plenty of reserve players so if you think you will not be available for several weeks in the season then consider nominating as a reserve player. If we know you are a keen reserve player we will go out of our way to use you whenever you are available.
Spring Season
The spring season has one round remaining and there are several teams still trying to cement their place in the finals. Unfortunately a couple of teams have been hampered with players having to drop out and injuries but in general the competition has been close. Good luck to those teams that do make the finals.
Feedback for the 5 person teams
We have tried a new 5 person team format for divisions 1 and 2 this season and we are now looking for some feedback. My initial impression is that it has worked well. The positive factors that I see is that it takes away the influence of just one player on results, improves the social aspect of the night and provided greater flexibility in putting teams together. Some of the negative aspects were that the number 3 player did not get to play doubles and some players had long periods between games. So if you think the number 3 players should be getting a doubles match or have any other opinions that you want to let us know about please speak to Marcel or Alvan or send an email to president@southerntabletennis.org.au
We would like to point out that our preferred format is to have 3 person teams whenever possible but sometimes that just does not work in a way that gives enough players what we would call a competitive and satisfying season so we look at alternatives like 4 and 5 person teams.
Making life easier for our volunteers
We consider everybody who plays at Southern Table Tennis members of our club and hope that you are all also prepared to share in the responsibility of looking after our stadium. Each of our sessions is run by a volunteer who opens up the hall, looks after the canteen and then tidies up at the end of each session.
To make life easier for those volunteers we ask that when you have finished with your table at the end of a session that you put the covers back on the table, put the scoreboard away and straighten out the barriers. Players can also assist by tidying up at their centre isle table by removing any rubbish and leaving 5 chairs placed neatly around the table.
Results of the Annual General Meeting
As a result of the recent AGM the executive committee remains the same as last year apart from the addition of Don LUGG as a member delegate. As Don has been a very valued and active volunteer at our club for a long time it is great to now also have him contributing his opinions at the executive committee meetings.
The main points identified from the AGM are that our club is being efficiently managed with minimal volunteers, has good player participation rates and is in a sound financial position. However we have noted that it is important that we continue to try to improve participation rates even further and that we get more people involved in contributing to the running of the club. So if you have any interest in getting more involved, in any aspect of our club then please have a chat to one of the executive committee members and let them know. The larger the group of people involved in running Southern Table Tennis the better we can do things.
Marcel STORKEN
President Southern Table Tennis
Last Updated: 10 Feb 2012 12:38 PM