TABLE TENNIS
By KATRINA BRANDON
TRARALGON Table Tennis Association (TTTA) has five new TOPS (tabletop) or beginner coaches ready for action, thanks to a recent visit by Manningham and Table Tennis Victoria coach, John Ind.
Coach Ind visited the Traralgon club to teach them how to be decent juniors or beginners coaches, teaching basic table tennis skills and the concepts of group management, organisation, activity safety, and creating an enjoyable training environment.
The new Traralgon coaching group includes Heath Spasato, Peter Gomez, Mark Strini, Kerri Thompson and Robert Thompson.
Coach Ind doesn’t have much history in table tennis, but he comes from a military background, where he practised his instructional abilities. He also told the Express that his journey into teaching table tennis started when the Manningham club asked if anyone in the club was interested in taking up coaching.
“I got into coaching because, at my club, the coach asked quite a few of us if we would like to do coaching, so we all said yes,” Ind said.
“We were all doing this course (TOPS) here, but he (the coach) passed away before that, so I decided to step in. After completing the TOPS course, Table Tennis Victoria saw something in me that they didn’t see from the normal coaches coming through. Before I knew it, they placed me on the Level 1 and Level 2 courses, the international Level 1, and the instruction that I do for the TOPS Course and the Level 1 is what our aim was, in the long run, to get me involved.
“It wasn’t because I played table tennis. It was because I could instruct and teach people and make them comfortable.”
The first course that coach Ind taught in 2018 happened to be in Traralgon. The TTTA is home to a unique piece of equipment that seems mundane to some. The item is a ball picker and wire that helps pick up balls. While Ind’s version is ‘2.0’ with an additional stick to get balls from under the table, Ind said he was wrapped to return to Traralgon to see how much has changed.
From 2018 to now, Ind has taught about 80 coaching courses, whether TOPS/beginner, Level 1 and Level 2. Ind is a Level 3 coach who has coached all over. He also told the Express that most who attend his course find his methods differ from what other coaches are used to.
During the course at Traralgon, the new coaches practiced session planning, basic techniques, multiball skills and practical coaching. The coaches also underwent assessments to see where their skills were.
During the session planning assessment, coaches were to plan a 50-minute lesson with beginner-level students. The lesson plans included the level of players, how many they would be coaching during that lesson, what equipment they would need, location (such as a school or at the association), warm-up activities, a skill development section, games to improve those skills, and a cool-down.
Each coach then had to demonstrate the lesson plan to the group, which tested the educator’s communication, teaching ability, and organisational skills. The lesson plan criteria showed suitable goals for the training lesson and appropriate warms/cooldowns.
During the TOPS coaching course, coaches also underwent a multiball demonstration and performance, each demonstrating direct and indirect multiballing techniques. Coach Ind helped both coaches improve their techniques along the way and showed them ways to improve their coaching multiball skills, whether it be speed, placement, or general technique.
Coach Ind also recommended that coaches get a first aid certificate to help them know what to do when a student gets injured. During the course, Ind reviewed safety measures and dangers to look out for around the court, such as what type of dividers are used (if net, that it isn’t a slipping hazard) and that students and coaches should never go under the table for a ball. Instead, there should be tools around courts to help retrieve balls.
Coaches received a Table Tennis in Schools program book at the start of the course, where coaches can go back through the material for inspiration or just general needs before the lessons. The booklet covers general stuff such as bat grips, serving rules, games, and a step-by-step of multiple techniques.
