Why China is So Good at Table Tennis

When it comes to table tennis, there is no doubt about the fact that China is one of the countries that excel the most. China is so good at this indoor game that it constantly appears on the list of top 10 table tennis countries. The Chinese have continuously displayed prowess and dominance in the sport with countless victories. For example, in the last Olympics, which took place in Rio, China ranked 1st with a total of 6 medals followed by Japan which only had 3 medals. To be precise, the Olympics table tennis champions bagged 4 gold medals and 2 silver medals. Nevertheless, in the previous Olympic games that happened in London, again China won 6 medals i.e 4 medals followed by Japan which only managed to secure 1 medal. China has continued to demonstrate dominance in the game of table tennis since 2008.Why is China so good at table tennis anyway?

1.  Rigorous Training

• One would say practice makes perfect, but rigorous practice makes more perfect. All prominent international tennis players train rigorously and work very hard sure, but trust me China trains more intensively and more rigorously.
• China’s top players work extremely hard and that is one of the primary secrets behind their consistent performance. They put in a lot of focus on quality training. Their typical training routine takes the form of seven hours of tennis practice a day, six days a week. Training entails regular practice with a partner, multi-ball training, service practice as well as physical training. It incorporates all the insights highlighted by the Ping Pong World Magazine

2.  Early Talent Identification and Early Specialization

• China identifies tennis talent in its people early and natures it early. Chinese kids are tested not only for tennis skills, but also for other sports skills at a very young age. If they seem talented in a sport, they are transferred to specialist sports institutions to nature and perfect their talents from as early as the age of 5.

3.  The Chinese Focus On Quality More than Quantity when It Comes To Training

• Chinese athletes put a lot of emphasis on quality than quantity when it comes to training for any sport. From an early age, Chinese kids with a talent for table tennis will do the same basic techniques repeatedly until perfection.

4.  Psychological As Well As Tactical Support

• The specialized sports institutions available in China have sports psychologists that have a tremendous ability to help young and raw tennis players become prominent players in the future. They work with the players in order to help them improve their mental skills and link those skills with the tactical moves required to excel in the game.

They say China is tennis and tennis is China. The reasons why China is so good at this indoor game are crystal clear. Rigorous training, early talent identification and nurture, focus on quality training more than anything else and psychological as well as tactical support is what makes Chinese tennis players unbeatable. These are the primary secrets behind China’s excellence when it comes to tennis.