Coach Samson Dubina US National Team Coach 4x USATT Coach of the Year
 

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Fuel for the Fire

Learn to energize your next training session!

 
 
It is 2pm on a Saturday afternoon.  You are just about to leave for the table tennis club and practice hard from 3pm-6pm.  You need some extra energy to fuel your training session.  What should you get?  A triple-thick chocolate milkshake from McDonalds?  Three candy bars from Wal-Mart?  A Java Monster from Speedway?  I would recommend a high-energy fruit smoothie. 
 
Here is my newest mixture that I have recently been enjoyed over the past 1-2 months…
 
1 cup of ice
1 cup of fresh mango (cut up)
½ cup of fresh strawberries

What about Anxiety?

Learn what the Bible says about this difficult topic

Philippians 4:6
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let you requests be made known to God, and the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
 

A Letter From the Instructor

Read some info regarding the ITTF Training Course coming to Ohio!

Hello to all Samson Dubina Table Tennis Academy Members,
 
The Academy is hosting an ITTF-PPT Level 1 Coaching Course from July 28 through August 1st.  The Course will be held at the The House of the Lord Gymnasium  -  1650 Diagonal Rd Akron, Ohio.
There will be 30 hours of instruction given over 5 days with two sessions planned each day, 10am-1pm and 2pm-5pm. 
Course Conductor:

Two Important Questions

Samson Dubina Interviewed by Rahul Acharya

 
I had a chance to see, talk to, and learn from some top international and national table tennis players. In this and the next couple of posts, I will share interviews with the experts.

I saw Samson Dubina (#1 player in Ohio and top 20 men in US (over 30)) stretching in preparation for a match and asked him for advise that I thought many of us could use.
 

Group Session FAQ

Learn how to improve your skills through group training!

I receive frequent e-mails with questions regarding weekend group clinics.  In the article, I’m going to outline the details of my group coaching sessions.

Mental Strategies - Part 25

Feeling Moody? Read this article!

 
 
 
Be Happy
 
     At tournaments, some players are very happy and others are very disappointed. 
 
Is it the winning that changes the mood? 
 
Or is it the mood that changes the winning? 
 
     It could be both.  But in this article, I would like to address the fact that staying positive and cheerful and excited will help boost your confidence and help you play your best.  I feel that often the mood, before and during the match, really changes the outcome of the match.

Bible Thought of the Week

Read a short story about sheep, grass, and snow...

This afternoon, I read a short story that relates to 2 Bible passages…
 
A little girl was once looking at a sheep as it ate green grass.  She thought to herself how nice and white the sheep looked against the green grass.  Then it began to snow.  The little girl then thought how dirty the sheep looked against the white snow.  It was the same sheep, but with a different background.
 
When we compare ourselves to the background of man’s standards, we come up reasonably white and clean.  Compared to other people, we don’t see the wickedness of our sin. 
 

100 Steps to Elite Table Tennis

Written by ITTF Coach Richard McAfee

In this article, Richard McAfee lists 100 steps that every top player need to take to reach perfection in table tennis.  I hope that reading this will be as beneficial to you as it has been to me.
 
Technical development
STAGE 1
1. Athlete will be able to produce and explain a proper grip, including pressure points.
2. Athlete will be able to demonstrate the proper ready position.
3. Athlete will be able to execute the following basic strokes with correct form, directional control, and with an 80% success rate when fed by coach:

An Update From ITTF

Get the latest scoop on the new ball!

Here are some rules regarding the new plastic balls....
 

  1. Plastic balls will be used at ITTF Sanctioned events from 1st July 2014
  2. As an exception celluloid balls will be used at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games and at four (4) ITTF Junior Circuit events taking place after 1st July 2014 but before the 2014 YOG

Here is the list of the four (4) ITTF Junior Circuit events exceptionally using celluloid balls in the period between 1st July and 15th August 2014:

Thinking Ahead...

Read this short article about setting goals in table tennis

Goal setting is very important in life, school, work, athletics, and many other areas of life.  If you want to train in table tennis with excellent focus and you want to perform well in competition, I would recommend writing out a long-term goal.  Long term generally means 2-10 years from now.  After you have written it out, hang it in your training room for a daily reminder.
 

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