The official coaching magazine of Table Tennis England ISSN 2059-4925 Edition Seven | Summer 2017 | £2

WINNING EDGETHE

A New LevelTTE’s ground-breaking Level 3

Aces Up Your SleeveMaking the most of Activity Cards

United Through SportWhen participants aren’t playing to win

SERVE UP YOUR NEXT GREAT SESSION

CLUB COACHES: DREAM BIG

Ideas and

success stories

to inspire your

next great club

night

The Table Tennis England Coach Licence Scheme is a register of more than 600 coaches that we are confident are active and knowledgeable in current coaching methods. It aims to establish a kite mark for the coaching of table tennis in England and to support the professional development of active coaches.

All coaches registered on the Coach Licence Scheme receive up to £10 million Public Liability insurance as well as benefiting from discounts and offers exclusive to our coaches.

Any newly qualified coach (UKCC Level 1 only) will receive a complimentary Table Tennis England Coach Licence until the next renewal period.

What are the benefits of becoming licensed?• £10 million Public Liability insurance.

• Access to our CPD Video Library (coming soon).

• Regular communication regarding coaching developments – blogs, newsletters etc.

• Free access to regional Table Tennis England coach education workshops and CPD topics.

• Priority access to The Winning Edge.

• Only Table Tennis England licensed coaches will be recommended to employers/deployers of coaches.

How much does it cost?• Purchase one individual coach licence – £29.

• Purchase three or more coach licences at the same time (open to Premier Clubs, leagues and county associations) – £24 per coach licence.

• Purchase three years up front – £24 per year (£72 total for three years).

How do I purchase a Coach Licence?

In order to purchase a Coach Licence please create an account on our Coaching Portal and complete the application form and online payment.

COACH LICENCE SCHEME

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3LATEST NEWS

NEWS UPDATE

Growing the clubClaire Brockwell, our Clubs and Leagues Officer, is keen to reinforce the vital role clubs play and is offering an open invite to clubs to attend a Club and Volunteer Conference.

"In order to further develop our Club and Volunteer network, we have announced dates in London and Worcester for September and intend to visit the East and North West during the 2017-18 season.

“Clubs are at the heart of our sport and without them there wouldn’t be so many fantastic opportunities to play. Coaches within clubs play a huge role not only in player development, but also in providing a great table tennis experience that keeps people playing.”

Claire has been busy developing case studies through Sport England’s Club Matters resource, a great source of information and advice for club organisers.

Becoming the analystIt is a requirement for the Table Tennis England Coach Licence that coaches complete CPD at least once every two years. However, coaches should always be seeking to develop and improve their knowledge, due to the constantly evolving coaching environment.

With that evolution in mind, we’ve set up a video analysis CPD, for which you need to choose two coaching topics, watch the embedded videos and answer the questions provided.

This is a fantastic opportunity to think about how different players’ techniques and styles can be.

The Coaching Department is now on Twitter. Follow @TTE_CoachEd

92720 Edited, designed and produced by Coachwise Creative. Published August 2017. Editor: Ian Slattery. Email: islattery@coachwise.ltd.uk Tel: 0113-201 5533Photography © Table Tennis England unless otherwise stated.

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a) What did you notice about the types of exercises that were used for the young players? i.e. a long-distance runner may carry out much more endurance based running as it is more relevant to the sport

WINNING EDGETHE

A first of its kind, the Level 3 course

now available to Level 2 TTE

coaches is pushing the boundaries

of what is required in a coach.

A NEW

LEVEL

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5A NEW LEVEL

he Level 1 and 2 are courses to pass,” began Stuart Laws, a Norwich-based coach fresh from taking his Level 3, “but

this requires you to explore different ways to coach, to think about your athletes’

needs and experiment.”

Learning as a coach is, as Laws puts it, “a continuous journey,” and TTE have designed this Level 3 with that journey front and centre.

“I have always tried to think outside the box, to take ideas from other sports and business disciplines. I feel the Level 3 gives you more confidence and freedom to run with these ideas. It has created an ongoing mindset that you must continue your own development and not wait for the next course.”

Lecturer Paul Garner, who delivers one module of the Level 3, narrowed its innovation down to where the focus is.

“Level 2 courses are generally about what the coach needs to deliver, about content. It’s the professional knowledge. Whereas this Level 3 looks at how we build relationships, communicate and understand ourselves.

“For anyone who really wants to make a difference, this would be really helpful and give them another string to their bow.

“A coach needs a good balance of professional knowledge, interpersonal skills and intrapersonal skills - knowing your own strengths and weaknesses. We try and marry those three things together on this Level 3.”

While much of this may sound like common sense – of course you need to be a good communicator to be a great coach – Garner explained that this Level 3 is actually one of the first of its kind.

“What we teach here should be universal across all sports, but it’s not yet. This is the only Level 3 I know of which brings the interpersonal and intrapersonal side of things into it. Most coaching courses, including the TTE Level 2, focus on professional knowledge across the board. They touch on interpersonal things but don’t go into any detail.”

For Garner, success with this course isn’t about being better at any one aspect of coaching, it’s having a more balanced understanding of what good coaching means – a holistic approach.

“I’d like to see coaches come away from this course with a heightened level of self-awareness, in terms of what’s happening in their own practice. So perhaps they leave here thinking about their body language or tone of voice. Perhaps they leave here with a better realisation of the importance of interpersonal and intrapersonal skills.

“Instead of focusing on what drill they can do to improve a player, they may realise that it could be a problem at home that’s impeding their progress, and have the confidence to help the player in that aspect of their life.”

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VIDEO

Co-presenting the second weekend of the course is Simon Mills, Head of Talent and Performance at TTE.

His speciality may be the elite side of the game but in explaining what to expect from his modules it’s clear that, as he put it, “the principles can be applied anywhere.”

A key figure behind the performance pathway, Mills is keen that the TTE trademarks – what English players should become known for – are not only understood amongst coaches but also taught in the right way.

“One of the most powerful things was needing the coaches to go away and reflect on what they’re doing and not doing. For example, one of our trademarks is being excellent at serving and receiving. Coaches knew that, but recognised that they don’t spend enough time practicing it. So we were challenging the goals within coaches’ thinking. They came away with a lot of questions about what they’re doing and how they’ll help their players learn.

“A lot of coaches are embedded in a technique focus. We’re not saying that’s not important, but we’ve got to look at how it’s applied and how it’s learned. So on this course we challenged some of the things that coaches think they know.

“For example a player might have a forehand topspin where the arm of the elbow is tucked in. Most coaches will talk about needing that arm to be further away from the body. The traditional view is to get them to move the elbow away, to use the wrist and forearm more.

“However, we’re saying that that might not be a technical issue, that might be a physical issue. They might not be strong enough to consider moving their elbow away.

“Coaches need to know or think more about how you support the player in that situation to learn a more efficient forehand, not simply tell them to do it the correct way.

“Whether that player is on a talent pathway or a 45-year-old looking to improve, the principle is universal.

“I do this course coming from the performance domain but the principles can be applied anywhere. Understanding what conditions create the optimum learning environment are very much applicable to any level of the sport. We challenged coaches to take that information and apply it to their context – be that club, school or high performance.”

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UNIVERSAL PRINCIPLES

i Course Guide Coaching Courses and Workshops

This Level 3 looks at how we build relationships, communicate and understand ourselves.

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THE

WINNING EDGE

https://tabletennisengland.co.uk/organise/pride-of-table-tennis/

WINNING EDGETHE

s the success of Ping! has shown, table tennis is a brilliant sport to introduce to an unsuspecting general public.

While that project is often separate to local coaches and clubs, the idea of transporting the sport

to a ‘real world’ environment is one Bolton TTC has ran with.

“Our head coach, Andrea Holt, got funding for me to do free coaching outside of our normal sessions, to grow table tennis in Bolton and grow the club,” explained Sam Evans, one of the club’s coaches.

“The problem with club nights is that, for some people, they have that stigma of it being a place for ‘training’, which can put casual players off.”

So how do you run a table tennis session without a sports or school hall and with no players booked in to play?

“We already had a relationship with the manager of our local Decathlon sports shop, which has a table tennis section and was clearly going to be good place to meet the public. It might not be as bustling as somewhere like a marketplace but it had all the equipment we needed, bar the robot, so we didn’t have transport or material costs to worry about.

“We let people come over who were walking around, or if it was quiet we’d walk around and speak to shoppers. We also set up a robot challenge, with Decathlon vouchers as a prize.”

That incentive, which was a plan formed in tandem with the store manager, and the busy location kept a steady stream of participants coming through, with 15 regular players six weeks after they’d first set up.

It was also a positive experience for Sam as a coach, and one he’d recommend to any club coaches looking to expand their skillset.

“It allows you to not take yourself too seriously. To just be professional and accept the diversity that’s out there in the public. Use your experience as a coach to be flexible with the different kinds of people: you certainly can’t just coach as you would with regular club players.”

A

UV TABLE TENNISAnother of Bolton TTC’s successful alternative sessions has been UV table tennis, set-up in conjunction with the local university.

The plan? Set the hall up with UV (ultraviolet) bulbs, turn off all other non-essential lighting and play in the glow!

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INNOVATE TO

A coach’s job doesn’t have to end with training the players in front you. The following pages are packed with examples and ideas of going beyond the club scene to find a new crowd, and a new challenge.

DECAMPING TO DECATHLON

VIDEO

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9INNOVATE TO FLOURISH

FINDING THE FUNDING

ormed in 2013, Brandon and Byshottles TTC won the ‘Club of the Year’ award just three years later. Explaining their sudden success, secretary Tony Taylor

hailed the range of players they appeal to - and the specific sets of skills they bring to the club.

“We’re not just for talented players, we exist as much for social and recreational players, and we’re totally inclusive, with players aged from eight to 86.”

That inclusivity is something they promote, as many other clubs around the country do too, but it’s not the end of their scope as a club.

Based in an old Miners’ Welfare hall, in a part of the country once famed for its coal but now struggling to create opportunities for its once tight-knit community, Taylor explains that they’ve been able to access all sorts of funding by offering sessions that are specifically aimed at health or socialising. It’s a paperwork-heavy but rewarding route towards grants that fund sessions – and coaches.

“Local doctors were asked to prescribe exercise so we created a Wednesday morning session aimed at the elderly, which is being funded by the local NHS trust.”

While Taylor reserves praise for the club’s volunteers and their skill with funding applications, they aren’t doing anything other clubs can’t do, especially if you’re not afraid to ask for help.

“We’ve made links with County Durham Sport, the clubs officers there, they are full of great help and advice and a point of access for funding.”

They’ve also been on their toes when it comes to innovative opportunities. “Tuesdays are Cub Scout nights at our hall, but instead of just accepting that as an evening off for our club, we’ve gone down and got involved with the Cubs – and Brownies – doing coaching sessions with them some weeks.”

Just as all areas will have the potential to access funding to pay for coached sessions, so all club venues will have within them opportunities for you to branch out.

Maybe youth or OAP groups use the same building at different times of the week – make contacts there, offer taster sessions or joint events.

Perhaps there’s a bingo session every Friday night – advertise for people to come half an hour early and warm up with some friendly table tennis.

And if you’re the only coach and active board member at the club, delegate to your players. Chances are they’ll catch wind of opportunities just as quickly as you.

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We created a Wednesday morning session aimed at the elderly, which is being funded by the local NHS trust.

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WINNING EDGETHE

inking to This Girl Can seemed obvious,” said Andrew Millar, Head Coach at New Milton TTC and instigator of one of the most

popular new sessions on the south coast.

“This Girl Can helped with the posters and logos, while Table Tennis England paid the initial costs of the project, allowing it to be fully-coached.

“Most of the advertising and building for the project came from us though, whether that be social media, the club, handing out leaflets or coverage in the local newspaper and radio station.”

It may seem like an unfeasibly time-consuming aspect of growing a new session, and one which requires skills – like social media use – which many coaches don’t have. But Millar insists that the bulk of the task can be done by utilising the one resource all coaches are familiar with: your club.

“I’m linked to the Weymouth league so I’ve got friends there, I send out a weekly newsletter that goes out to members and contacts. Through that we attracted players from all over Dorset, more so as word spread around.”

It also made the project more appealing to regional coaches, who were more willing to travel from other towns to help out if they believed it was a session that had been planned and developed in a skillful, serious way.

Most importantly it attracted participants that, for one reason or another, needed the vibrant, women-only, fun sessions that Millar was offering.

“We’ve picked up people who have played for 20 years, who told us ‘I saw your ad and wanted to come back and play.’ But we’ve ranged all the way from there to complete beginners.”

With that wild variation in ability in mind, Millar carefully planned each session to make sure no one was left behind, or bored.

“Each session starts with a fun warm up - an around the table game or bat skills. Then we get everyone together for a demo, with a couple of skills and drills.

“We do these as practical drills for all abilities. They watch the demo then go off to the tables to practice, and the coaches help. Then we finish with games at the end.

Dorset’s coach-led women-only project has been a barnstorming success.

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11INNOVATE TO FLOURISH

“Recently we had a doubles week, which was really popular, even just learning the rules and the whole social side of things.”

Having planned for an eight-week run, the project was extended to 10 weeks, with over 30 attending regularly and 50 participants in total.

Millar was keen to make the sessions financially accessible, while acknowledging the value of participants feeling like they have a stake in the project.

“On our advertising material we said £1 a session or eight weeks for £5, which we were able to do with Table Tennis England funding. We then had a deal where they can have a beginner’s bat, which costs £10 normally, for free if you pay £10 to come to all the sessions.

“That gives them something they can take away and play with throughout the week. We ordered 15 bats but keep having to order more so that deal’s been great. Having a bat also allows them to come back here or to other clubs after these sessions have finished.”

Although these were all-female sessions for those playing, the coaching was done mainly by men so not having female coaches in your region doesn’t need to be a barrier to setting up This Girl Can sessions at your club. Increasing the number of women playing can also positively impact on other aspects of your club and coaching, from membership dynamics to playing styles.

“We’ve developed all-female teams in the local leagues and players from there have been coming and helping out. Having the This Girl Can sessions has been such an important focal point for these players, and for our members and coaches too.”

• Don’t be shy in promoting: talk, post and write about it.

• Include as many coaches and helpers as possible and plan each session with them.

• Make it a fun, social occasion.

• Be creative with costing: suggest offers or deals, plan prizes and raffles.

• Speak to us about funding to develop new sessions for young people.

TIPS FOR SETTING UP A WOMEN AND GIRLS SESSION

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WINNING EDGETHE

WE

hese activity cards are a fantastic print-off-and-keep option for any table tennis coach. Split into two

groups, technique and games, they offer handy guides and ideas that would fit any situation, from a

beginner’s group to a one-to-one, focused training session.

With bright images and clear text, they can also be shown or passed around the participants to enable small groups to split off and attempt a new game or practice a new technique. These will be available soon to purchase for all coaches - keep your eyes peeled for the launch.

Available activity cards will include:

CES UP YOUR SLEEVE

TECHNIQUE• Forehand drive

• Backhand drive

• Serve

• Ready position

• Backhand push

GAMES• Top Table

• Pacman

• Bucket ball

• Hot Seat

• Throw hit catch

One player is chosen to be Pacman. Similar to tag, the player must stay on the line in the hall to catch another player.

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15ACES UP YOUR SLEEVE

To name but a few!

WINNING EDGETHE

W hen you coach recreational table tennis, you might not be fretting over results. But important

challenges remain.

Bringing together a diverse group of people – and making them a unit that plays the sport and has fun – is not easy, regardless of the age group.

Part of Gemma Sandberg’s role is spotting the best places to offer sessions and meeting demand where it exists. She works with local authorities and community sport partnerships to draw on their knowledge, and talks to as many people in the area as possible to ensure she understands what they want – and where and when they want it.

‘You wouldn’t just put on a session and expect people to go to it,’ she explains, ‘it’s about going where the potential players are.’

She gives the example of a group of women – all parents of children at a local primary school – who asked for a session to run between 8pm and 9pm. They had demands on their home life earlier in the evening, but were keen to use their free time to play sport.

‘It’s all demand-led,’ Sandberg emphasises, ‘and it’s all participant-centred. It doesn’t really fit around what we think – it’s very much what the participants want.’

She has run sessions on housing estates at lunchtime and in the evening, with groups of women who have English as a second language. She is very aware that learning table tennis could be intimidating, so ensures that every session she designs is as accessible and enjoyable as possible.

‘We’ll do some fun games and make it very social, to start with, so that they’re exercising but they spend a lot of time chatting as well,’ Sandberg explains. ‘It’s not like the gym where you’re on your own and running on a treadmill. Then I look at what I think those participants need, and we do a bit of skills work.’

Sandberg is well aware that sport is not a priority for her novice players, but she is entirely happy with that.

‘They’ll start to come very sporadically and (see) whether it fits in with their life,’ she says. ‘After six months they’ll be there every single week. After 10 months they’ll be going to more than one session, then all of a sudden they’ll find this competitive edge where they want to play in leagues.’

UNITED THROUGH SPORT

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Not every club, teammate or athlete is after trophies. Carrie Dunn assesses how trainers cope with those players who aren’t ultra competitive.

17UNITED THROUGH SPORT

If they do, Sandberg sees it as part of her role as a coach to support them in finding the right league for them. Formal competition isn’t compulsory, though. She recalls a team whose skills had progressed hugely but who were adamant that they did not want to play competitively, and wanted to continue with their fun training sessions.

‘They’d built up these social lives,’ she says, ‘and it was really nice, it was like a little family. They just wanted to stay in their team and they were really comfortable with that.’

The same thing applies to children as well. Nick Davis coaches in schools and in a variety of junior teams, but perhaps the most interesting session is the league he runs on a Saturday for children with a range of abilities.

Woody’s Soccer League was founded to offer a place to play for children who were struggling to find a club, as well as for those with less football talent than some of their peers, who felt left out on a Monday morning when their more gifted classmates regaled them with tales of their weekend matches. The league is open to boys and girls aged 6-16, with each child playing with and against children of similar age and ability. Davis and his colleagues have established a league with an ethos of inclusion, welcoming boys and girls of all abilities, and encouraging the more able to help others too.

‘We keep them with children of roughly their own ability so they can progress together,’ Davis says, emphasising that understanding the dynamics of the individuals in the group is important. ‘You know which ones are capable of what, and what kind of personality you’ve got to work with, so you pair them up with partners that are going to help each other.

‘For the little ones, a lot of it is motor skills, getting them coordinated with a ball, playing little games where they’re learning but they don’t realise they’re learning,’ he says. ‘I’ll send a session plan to all the coaches, and for the first hour they’ll stick to the plan, then they’ll do a bit of coaching, and for the second hour they’ll play a form of match where they get the chance to put what they’ve done in the coaching into practice.’

Davis says it is key to employ staff who understand how to work with these groups, promoting the right kind of welcoming and friendly atmosphere. Each new coach is given a short trial, pairing them up with a more experienced member of staff.

‘We want to see how they relate to the children,’ Davis points out. ‘We want it to be very fun-based, we don’t want it to be like school lessons, where it’s strict. We want someone with a personality who can have fun and a laugh and a joke with the children, as well as delivering what they want. We look for someone who’s not afraid to make a wally of themselves.’

TIPS FOR COACHING SPORT FOR FUNGemma Sandberg:

• Take the sessions to your audience, don’t sit and wait.

• Don’t forget they’re probably there primarily for fitness and a social life.

• Make it what the participants want it to be.

• Don’t be put off if they don’t want to play competitively. Not everyone likes the idea of leagues and tournaments!

Nick Davis:

• Try and keep players of a similar ability together.

• Understand their personalities and change the sessions to suit.

• Limit parents to positive praise – no information or instructions!

• Keep the sessions fun and use coaches with a personality to match.

This feature was previously published in magazine. Edited for publication in The Winning Edge by Ian Slattery.

‘We keep them with children of roughly their own ability so they can progress together.

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