This summer I spent, what felt like an
eternity, hitting a small white plastic ball back and forth in front of some
unimpressed Chinese table tennis players. Four England Junior players journeyed
to the east side of China, Shanghai, for a series of Chinese lessons,
calligraphy, paper cutting and of course the main reason, table tennis
practice.
The practice included sessions running from
8.30-11.30 with a short 15 minute break halfway through and the afternoon
sessions ran from 2.30 to 5.30. The exercises set by the head coach out in
Shanghai University of sport were originally challenging and pushed us to our
limits but throughout the time there we grew stronger and they didn’t seem so
tough at the end. Many exercises such as free play to backhand block, serve
then free and relooping exercises were frequently set and with each exercise
battling on for 10-15 minutes, you can imagine the amount of sweat dripping off
each England player. Five to six litres of water were being drunk by us every
day due to the intense training and heat. The humidity out in China exceeded
our expectations for the 3 of us who had never been before; we often craved to
be inside where the air conditioning could reach us.
Compulsory physical exercise was set by the
England Coach, Matt Stanforth, every morning which consisted of 2km runs and
core circuits, on occasions we were joined by some of the other European
players who were also at the training camp in Shanghai.
As well as the training we managed to venture
out into central Shanghai: on one day we went up the third tallest tower in the
world and overlooked the whole of Shanghai. On another day we went to the
ancient town of Shanghai followed by a trip to a traditional acrobatics show.
The scariest day for many of us was the adventure to the underground markets,
where the shop assistants would grab us and follow us around the market
bargaining for the best price of the ‘real’ electronic items.
Lessons in Chinese (mandarin), calligraphy and
paper cutting also broadened our knowledge of Chinese culture. Overall my time
in Shanghai was worthwhile as I think my fitness, table tennis performance and
ability has increased which was the primary purpose of going out there. I think
another trip to China is on the cards.
