by Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Editor
A total of 13 students attended the ITTF/PTT Level One Coaches Course, travelling from throughout the country; they ranged from physical education teachers to national team players as well as to active coaches and members of the German GIZ Foundation.
Throughout the whole itinerary matters were conducted in the national team training hall where four table tennis tables and hundreds of balls were provided for practical training, a projector was available for the theory classes.
Each day two sessions were held, the first from 10.00am to 1.00pm, the second from 2.30pm to 5.30pm.
Everyone was enthusiastic, during the break times table tennis was always the topic; no-one was more motivated than Noah Lichtenhaeler from the GIZ Foundation.
“I learned a lot and also had a lot of fun playing table tennis. A wide range of topics, including techniques were covered being taught well with detailed explanations. One of the more interesting parts of the course was the last day when we focused on helping players who have disabilities. During the breaks everyone was together to talk about table tennis.” Noah Lichtenhaeler
Meanwhile the training camp focused on players under 15 years of age; Mohamed Atoum, being assisted by Ghazal Hashem, the national team coach for many years and Ayman Hadeed from the Al-Yarmouk club
“During breaks in the training camp, Noah Lichtenhaeler played Odai Aldmaisy, a member of the Jordan national team. The first two times they played, Noah won but the third time Odai won easily; Noah was somewhat surprised when he realised that on first two occasions Odai had been using his weaker hand, not his playing hand!” Mohamed Atoum
Improving technique was a major aspect of the camp, in addition to improving stability and being effective on the first three balls in a rally.
Just as with the ITTF/PTT Level One Coaches Course; players travelled from a wide range of clubs and training centres in Jordan in order to attend, thus making the overall initiative a most valuable experience.
