Tag: table tennis

How best may I serve

Tim Brattan on

Many years ago I was the publicist for the Marin-based Whole Life Expo, and with its successor New Living Expo. During those years I attended dozens of lectures and workshops with many of the genre’s luminaries, including the late Wayne Dyer. Dyer, who died in 2015, was often called the Father of Motivation. You may remember seeing him as a regular guest on PBS where he paired fundraising with his seemingly endless supply of books and videos.

In one of his workshops I remember him pacing the stage imploring us to consider the mantra, “How best may I serve?” Of his many other memorable maxims there’s another one I’ve always liked, “Miracles come in moments, be ready and willing.”

I’ve entered a couple of events at the US National Table Tennis Championships happening in July, this year in San Jose. I was thinking at my age I’ll need all of Wayne’s motivational help, especially serving at my best.

 

 

 

Spinning Spirals

Tim Brattan on

I was thinking about how Chakra energies apply to ball spin as a measure of the health of a player’s table tennis game. You mat-tested yogis may be thinking, “say what?!”

Chakra is a Sanskrit term that translates as “wheel” or “disk” – one of 7 elusive and mysterious energy centers in the body. They emerged in the writings of the Vedas, ancient Hindu philosophical texts written between 1500 and 500 B.C.E. Chakras flow from the base of the spine through the crown of the head and have the loving responsibility of taking in, incorporating and sending out energy to keep us functioning at optimal levels.

The root chakra (Muladhara, symbolizing stability, survival and security) of table tennis is spin. Imagine the spin an advanced player can generate on a 2.7 gram plastic ball that has to fly over a 6-inch net and land within a 4.5 by 5 foot space on your opponent’s side of the table. Now that’s skill in action.

An estimated 300 million people play table tennis making it one of the world’s most popular participation sports. Needless to say, it has advanced light years beyond Marty Supreme’s era. Hundreds of table tennis blades and 1,600+ different rubber models span 40 brands of gear. Offensive/attacking, defensive, anti-spin, hard bat, pistol grip – the list is long with paddles for every level and style of player.

Generally speaking, attacking players maximize top spin, while many defensive players counter with backspin. Add to those 180 degrees of right and left side spin and you have a universe of possibilities when ball meets rubber. To add to the possibilities, there are players who use pips-out rubber – small, raised conical bumps facing outward with lower sensitivity to incoming spin, flatter trajectories and deceptive spin manipulation. Jesus-God-Shiva!

Those spinning wheels of chakra energy in table tennis create a symmetry between ball, player and table surface that combines intense physical exertion and immediate, high-speed tactical decisions for spin and placement. Or as someone quipped, like running a 100-yard sprint while playing chess.

Chakra energies are the ebb and flow, the joy and the dance that is table tennis. A spinning orb of light energy bounces in, and is sent out in a continuous loop that keeps us functioning at optimal levels – physically, mentally and emotionally. The often recited yoga class closing mantra sums it up: Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu, May all beings everywhere be happy and (spinning) free.