Daniela Gomes, ITTF Development, Education and Training Projects Officer
The International Table Tennis Federation developed a coach education resource specifically aimed at the development of coaches with high potential. Matt Stanforth travelled from England, where he is the National Youth Coach, to learn from CTTC coaches; he chose to focus on the transition of players from youth to senior ranks.
Liu Ruizhi, in charge of coach education is one of the expert mentors. She acted as spokesperson for the Mentor Coaches.
“This year’s mentorship programme has finished. It was a fantastic experience. I guided Matt´s visit to China’s National Training Centre in Beijing for two and a half days from Wednesday 18th to Friday 20th October. The visit was received with close attention being paid by the China national team; the coaches for both men and women teams answered all Matt´s questions on the selection system, competition system and many other questions on technique, tactics and mental training, with great enthusiasm. Matt also watched the training of team one and team two for both men and women.” Liu Ruizhi
High Performance Coaches need to be at the cutting edge. They must be able to advance their educational and professional development activities and practices according to high demands.
Every detail counts. In order to be more successful, coaches need access to more training, education and mentoring programmes; this is where the ITTF Mentorship Programmes becomes involved. Learning by watching and doing; this was what happened in China.
Matt Stanforth showed high commitment during the CTTC Youth Team Training. Photo by: Matt Stanforth
“Matt´s multi-ball training technique and on the theme transition of youth players was one of the main topics addressed. Matt visited the China Table Tennis College Youth Team training and actively took part; his technique on multi-ball-feeding was highly praised by Mrs. Li Nan, the Head Coach of the CTTC Girls’ Team. They also exchanged some ideas on junior training in the two countries.” Liu Ruizhi
A ground-breaking approach towards High Performance, ITTF Mentorship will hopefully support Matt and other coaches advance their careers; certainly Matt benefited from a warm welcome from the Chinese stakeholders.
A gift for life, Matt Stanforth showcases the China National Team T-shirt, kindly offered by Mr. Shi Zhihao. Photo by: Matt Stanforth
“Mr. Shi Zhihao showed high appreciation and offered a set of shirts from the China National Team on behalf of the Chinese Table Tennis Association, the China Table Tennis Team and China Table Tennis College.” Liu Ruizhi
It was an unforgettable experience for Matt, to be mentored by a team of cutting edge coaches from China; success is measured by results and we look forward to see him progress.
A special thank you goes to the Chinese Table Tennis Association, China Table Tennis Team and China Table Tennis College for a valuable experience.
Development, Education and Training, Coaching