Table tennis players showing improvement
-- says Chinese coach Zhou Ping
By Leeron Brumell
Guyana Chronicle
January 27, 2004
CHINESE Coach Zhou Ping is optimistic that the Guyanese breed of table tennis players can improve greatly with more training hours.
Ping, speaking through interpreter Qin Jian, at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall last Friday, told Chronicle Sport that the players need more hours during the week for them to reach their true potential.
“More timing is what they need in each day. If they can get more they will be good.”
In a release Ping further noted that the junior and senior players work hard and are serious in the training.
He said they have improved to some extent, adding that they should be able to use their heads better in the international competitions ahead.
Ping has been working with the players for the past three months and has a further nine months before his one-year stint comes to an end.
The coach also said that the government has provided an excellent facility for training in the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
Ping is here on a Government of Guyana/China agreement.
He noted that the Guyanese government has attached great importance to sports, notably Prime Minister Samuel Hinds and Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Gail Teixeira, who have even participated in training.
He said that he was surprised to find that the level of table tennis here is higher than expected, while congratulating the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) for its perfect organising body and well-conceived yearly programmes.
Before his stint is up, Ping is hopeful that he can pass on advanced techniques to the Guyanese youngsters.
“I hope more young people would like this game. Often playing table tennis can improve physical fitness and enrich one’s life. At the meantime, I hope there are more parents supporting and encouraging their children to participate in it. I will make a contribution to the promotion and development of table tennis in Guyana.”
National coach Linden Johnson has supported Ping and has noted that both the junior and senior players have been responding well to the training.
He said that he can see marked improvement in play from Jody Ann-Blake, Michelle John, Christopher Franklin and Matthew Khan, just to name a few.
Johnson too is optimistic that the players will benefit greatly from the training.