Chinese National Table Tennis Team Sharing Experience with Teenage Players while Training in Macau
The Chinese National Table Tennis Team chose to hold their behind-closed-doors training camp at the Athlete Training and Development Centre after the 2020 ITTF World Tour Platinum Qatar Open in March. When they were training in Macao, these exceptional players were invited by the Sports Bureau to share their experience with and compete against Macao teenage players to give the latter a glance of how world-class professionals train in a systematic manner.
Thirty Macao Teenage Players Selected by Macau Table Tennis Association for Experience Sharing
As organized by the Sports Bureau, thirty teenage athletes from 14 to 18 years old were selected for the exchange activity.“These young Macao players highly value this unique opportunity to train with the Chinese National Team. They are focused and take this experience sharing activity seriously. I hope that they are all able to learn something and improve their skills in the training.” said their leading coach Wong Chong Fan.
Instructions from World-class Coaches and Players
The coaching line-up of the Chinese National Team is impressive even in the pitiful absence of instructions from Liu Guoliang, the president of the Chinese Table Tennis Association. Ma Lin and Wang Hao, both former world champions, along with other top athletes including Fan Zhendong, Ma Long, Xu Xin, Ding Ning, Chen Meng and Sun Yingsha spent time with these teenage athletes, sharing details on training and match experience. Ma Lin, a coach for the national team, believes that given the sophisticated facilities at the Centre and the high aptitude, these teenagers will bring the sport of table tennis in Macao to a higher level if they keep working hard.
Impressive One-to-One with Idols
Mak Tin Ian and Tao Chong said that they were excited about this valuable opportunity to train with their idols, Xu Xin and Sun Yingsha, and they were more impressed that these top national players showed no aggression at all. “We missed the ball from time to time, but they were patient all the time and were always there giving instructions about our moves. We have learned a lot.”
Twins Learning Self-discipline from the National Team
Cheong Chi Chon and Cheong Chi Cheng, twin brothers and Macao professional table tennis players, were even luckier to be allowed to train together with the National Team as they were stranded in Macao due to the COVID-19 pandemic, thus unable to train with the Henan Provincial Team as scheduled. “We wouldn't even imagine that we could be this lucky to train with the National Team before. Being able to go against top players will hone up our skills. We are grateful to the Macao SAR, the Chinese Table Tennis Association and the Macao Sports Bureau for this opportunity. “What we learn from these professional athletes more than just skills, is their sense of control and self-discipline that is required by the national team” said the twins.
