Favourites to win the Girls’ Team title at the ITTF Cadet Challenge in Guam?

Unquestionably that accolade is bestowed on Asia; the continent fields a very impressive quartet.

They include in their squad the players who currently occupy the top two places on the Under 15 Girls’ World Rankings: China’s He Zhuojia and Japan’s Mima Ito.

He Zhuojia is at no.1, Mima Ito at no.2; it could hardly be more impressive and the supporting cast is equally imposing.

Hong Kong’s Minnie Soo Wai Yam and Thailand’s Tamolwan Khetkuen complete the line-up. Presently, Minnie Soo Wai Yam is listed at no.10 on the Under 15 Girls’ World Rankings, Tamolwan Khetkuen is at no.16.

Notable Successes

Furthermore, all four have enjoyed notable successes in 2012.

He Zhuojia won the Cadet Girls’ Singles title at the recent China Junior and Cadet Open in Taicang on her one and only appearance on this year’s ITTF Junior Circuit.

Two Appearances, Two Wins

An unblemished record and it is the same for Minnie Soo Wai Yam in Cadet Girls’ Singles events on the ITTF Junior Circuit.

She was on duty in her native Hong Kong and in Thailand; on both occasions she secured the top step of the podium.

Also Two Titles

Two titles for Minnie Soo Wai Yam and it is the same for Tamolwan Khetkuen; earlier in the year she won back-to-back Cadet Girls’ Singles titles in the Czech Republic and Sweden.

The odd one out of the quartet is Mima Ito who has ventured into the cadet arena but has posted notable result.

Fine Performances

Incredibly the winner of the Junior Girls’ Singles title at the Chinese Taipei Junior and Cadet Open in September 2011 when still only 10 years old; in 2012 Mima Ito qualified for the main draw of the Women’s Singles event at the GAC GROUP 2012 ITTF World Tour Spanish Open in Almeria and was a quarter-finalist in the Junior Girls’ Singles event at the Nikon Hong Kong Junior and Cadet Open.

On both occasions she was beaten by the eventual silver medallist; in Spain by Korea’s Yang Haeun, in Hong Kong by China’s Gu Yuting, the 2010 Youth Olympic champion.

Over Half a Century

Team Asia, the favourites for gold as is has been in female table tennis for over half a century.

In 1955, when the late Angelica Rozeanu of Romania won the last of her six Women’s Singles World Championships, who would have predicted that the title for the next 50 years and beyond would always go to Asia.

The pundits would have split their beer in hysterics. You can only judge history by what has gone before, not with the miracle of hindsight.

Europe Dominant

Prior to 1955 five countries had provided winners of the title with Europe in command.

Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Romania had produced gold medallists with Ruth Aarons of the United States being the one interloper in 1936 in Prague.

Only Four Countries

However, ever since 1995 China, Japan, Korea or DPR Korea have provided the winners and judging by the results gained at this year’s LIEBHERR World Team Championships and at the Olympic Games, it does not appear that the situation is about to drastically change.

Logically in 1955, Asian players studied Europeans and learned; surely in 2012 European players should study Asian players and learn.

Teach from Beginning

Time and again I hear the comment from coaches: “It’s good to practise against the Asian players because they are faster than us” or “We never get a chance to practise against that style of play”; the latter comment usually referring to defenders.

So why don’t we teach the players to be fast from the very beginning? Why don’t we teach a wider variety of styles? In over have a century have we not learned that something must change and the Asian players and coaches are doing something very correct? Should the rest of the world not be following Asian principles?

Too Simplistic

Surely Asian players are not inherently faster or more adaptable?

Perhaps the argument is too simplistic but this is where the ITTF Cadet Challenge has a role to play and is playing a role.

Practice Against Players from Far Afield

The programme commences on Saturday 27^th October with a three day Training Camp under the guidance of Richard Prause, the Head Coach at the Werner Schlager Academy, and with Jarek Kolodziejcyk and Dejan Papic the principal supporting coaches.

There are two sessions on each of the three days with the first five sessions seeing competing teams practising with each other; the World Hopes Team, Africa, Oceania, Latin America and Europe all are afforded the opportunities to practise against the Asian favourites.

Only the concluding session is termed “free practice”.

Inaugural Event

Nobody in their right mind would suggest that suddenly practising against Asian excellence will result in a super human performance in the main event.

Although I do receive the comment from some people who are a grain bereft of wisdom.  “Can you find me a Chinese coach?” The tenor of the request is that suddenly the players in the group will escalate to the greatest heights in second; the krypton factor and superman with his underpants outside his skin clad uniform doesn’t exist in sport.

Talent, mental strength and downright hard work enter the equation; if the player has two left feet it’s hard to move as fast as the Asians!

An Aid to Improvement

However, can each player learn something, can the visiting coaches learn?

Can every player take away something from each coaching session, something away from each match, something to consider, something to aid improvement?

Return home wiser, practise and become a better player, then perhaps Asian excellence might be challenged.

The Effect

The effect of the ITTF Cadet Challenge Training Camp will not be immediate, the long term effect may well be so.

In Guam, listen, learn and then practise, practise and practise!

Article By: Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Editor

Photo By: Donald Chin