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Bright Spot presentations at NWTRPA and Youth Centre Conference

TT NORTH 594 comments
Table Tennis North took part in the NWTRPA and Youth Centres’ Conference in Inuvik, September 28th, 2017.
“We love being part of events like this” says Thorsten Gohl, who was sharing information about the growth and excitement of Table Tennis joining the North Sports Association and presenting “Table Tennis for Elders program” at the Bright Spot session of the conference. It’s a program that the Territorial Sport Organization has been hosting since 2016. The Bright Spot Presentations are about things that organizations and communities are doing well, celebrating innovation and success!
Thorsten was definitely excited about this, “This is my first time in Inuvik!! It is so great coming together with communities all over the North!! Sport events are supported by the communities and we are also here to support the communities of the North. We have the similar ideas and definitely the same goals; participation, health, growth, fun and showcasing the communities!! we are a sport that is not competing with other sports, but complimenting them, helping create role models, bringing youth and elders together, bringing our communities together and having alot of fun while doing it.”
The NWTRPA was pleased to host Table Tennis North to present at our Bright Spot plenary at this year’s conference in Inuvik. The Bright Spots session focused our attention to how organizations and communities are making a difference in NWT communities, how they got their start, and tips for success. Table Tennis North showcased how their programs are building connections in our communities, building confidence in our youth, and allowing for lots of fun!
About Table Tennis North
As a not-for profit organization we support, promote and develop an active, healthy and playful environment with the sport of Table Tennis in the Northwest Territories.
About NWTRPA
The NWT Recreation and Parks Association works with communities across the NWT to promote healthy living through active recreation.

Paul Devitt at the World Champion’s Table Tennis Academy

TT NORTH 3,360 comments

California, June 2017 – Yellowknife’s Paul Devitt is known for his love for Table Tennis. This time it brought him to the World Champion’s Table Tennis Academy in California, the home of US Men’s National Team player JHA Kanak and his coach Stefan Feth.

“Zhang, Li, Nan, and Stefan are great people and amazing coaches. They did an excellent job organizing the camp and showing me what I needed to focus on to improve my game” Paul shared about his experience at the Academy.

 

Coach Stefan was very impressed “He is a very nice guy and worked very hard.”

Additional coaches are Li Zhenshi und Zhang Li, each of them, 4 times World Champion in Table Tennis. “It was great,” Paul said, “I was especially impressed to see a picture of Li next to President Nixon as part of the Chinese National team that participated in the historic “Ping Pong diplomacy” initiative. That initiative helped establish diplomatic relations between the USA and China.”

Well done Paul!! Inspiring for us, seeing you improving your game, and representing the Northwest Territories with pride!

A fun way to learn Table Tennis

TT NORTH 6,892 comments

After playing Table Tennis with over 2,500 kids, you can definitely see a pattern. Not that it is a lot of fun, but also an it’s an amazing learning experience for students, teachers and myself.

It all starts off with the introduction. “Good Morning everyone!” and right there is the first indication on what the next 30min to 1.5 hours will look like. Most of the time you will hear a very loud “GOOOOOOOOOD MORNING” and we are ready to go. If not, it will definitely come after the full introduction. “So, my name is Thorsten, but you guys can call me THOR” and you can see the smiles on the kids faces. Of course some random comments of “Where is your hammer?” or “How is your dad Odin doing?”, but that is good, that enables them connect right away. And they bring their attention!

If you ask the questions “Who can play Table Tennis?”, 95% of the kids of all ages will say “Me!” and they raise their hand. If you ask, “Who can beat me in a match to 11 points?”, guess what? 95% of the kids will still say, “Me!”

Having experienced and played many international competitions, I can tell the kids that I will play them with one eye closed, hoping on one leg, my dominate arm behind my back, playing with my non-dominate hand and singing the German National Anthem, all at the same time. It is always fun to see the kids getting excited about it. Guess what? 95% of the kids still say that they can beat me!

Day 1 | eye-hand coordination

We begin to get the kids used to the table, the balls and the environment that Table Tennis can provide them. There is no need for any rackets at this point, as they need to work with eye-hand coordination first.

Some fun activities include, try to bounce the ball from one side to another, hitting targets or keeping control of throwing and catching the ball. There are hundreds of possibilities to set this up. Keeping the kids engaged, excited and competitive. Learning while playing, playing and learning!

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Day 2 | Racket Skills

First off, how to hold a racket. There is 2 different kind of grips, can you guess them? If you said Shakehand and Penholder, you are right.

We are building a little “parkour” for the kids that will get them moving. Again, the competitive part plays a big role. Going through the ladder, side stepping around the cones, jumping over the hurdles and back into line up.

If that sounds too easy, let’s try that with balancing the ball on your racket. Then bouncing. Still easy? Let’s try forehand, backhand, alternating from one side to another. Still too easy? You might be a professional free style Table Tennis Athlete! So, you can see where this is actually going and how many varieties you can add to this. A great way to learn some eye-hand coordination, this time with the racket.

For the younger ones we use balloons instead of Table Tennis balls, always a lot of fun to see the kids get excited about it and even better, a wonderful photo opportunity!!!

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We can also work on more skills like rolling the ball on the floor, first against the wall by yourself, then adding a partner, …

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Playing games, competing together, is always a great way to get the kids interactive. Relays are the best way, if you include a few teams and make some obstacles!

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Day 3 | Target Practice

We are going back to the set up from Day 1, but this time we add the racket. To begin, one person will throw the ball, like a serve, to the other side and then, we hit it back. Working as a team to practice together. 

Let’s make it easier in self bounce the ball before hitting it back to the other side. When the ball comes to you, try and hit it to yourself, let it bounce one time on your side, and then over. So again, there are ways to make it easier and harder, depending on the experience the kids already have. 

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Day 4 | Play Time

Everyone worked very hard and now it is play time. We have good basic of skills. Yes, we hear, “When can we finally play at the table?”, but most of the time, the kids are not ready. The skills training may seem like a waste of time, but if you include a challenge, combined with a competition, you will be the winner! So, it’s time to play now!

“Around the world” with an obstacle! You have to run through the table. Everyone has a few lives and you loose them if you are unable to play the ball on the the table. BUT, you always loose a life when you actually get hit while running through the table. That definitely adds a fun “kick” to the game.

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Champions Table is well known among many sports and a favourite for most. The winner moves up a table, the other person moves down a table. At the end, we can see who will achieve the top table. To make it a bit harder, we can add obstacles on the tables, where you can only play on one side or maybe over a higher net, and so on.

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If you do this for 19 days long, 4 to 9 classes a day, then yes, it is getting repetitive. On the other hand, you are building the foundation blocks for those kids in fundamental basic skills. Table Tennis will score 8 out of 9, because it includes agility, balance, co-ordination, catching, throwing, hitting, running and jumping (Paul Noel, Saskatchewan Table Tennis Technical Director). The only one that is not included is kicking. So, not only are we teaching the skills of Table Tennis, we are also supporting skills for overall athletic skills, with a fun sport to play. 

It always amazes me on how fast everyone can learn. Seeing them being excited about something new is great, actually being able to control the ball for a few bounces for and back, is absolutly amazing. The most important thing of all is to keep them accoupied with competitions and challenges, create obsticles and you are golden. As an experienced coached, you already have 100 different scenerios in your head, but if you start of, be prepared to adjust your plan.

The best part of  Table Tennis clinics for me is always afterwards. You go shopping, into the restaurant, or just walking on the sidewalk and there is always one kid that says “Hi Thor!” and you just cannot help it, but SMILE … makes my day!

 

Story & Images by Thor

North Slave Youth Tour

TT NORTH 64 comments

Table Tennis North visited Łutsel K’e and Whati for a Table Tennis Youth Tour in the North Slave Region of the Northwest Territories. Colinda Blondin, North Slave Youth Coordinator for MACA took Table Tennis North and Thor into the communities.

Thor, Executive Director Table Tennis North, has definitely been excited about this and says “Table Tennis is a great sport for smaller communities, so easy to set up, young kids can play it, elders can, beginners and professionals. I love to see the kids smiles, especially the younger ones when they try to balance the balloon or challenge each others in teams doing relays. AND, there are already so many kids with some amazing Table Tennis skills already!!! A huge thank you to MACA and Colinda for having us.”

Lutsel K’e will try and bring some kids to the Territorial Championships hosted January 27-29th 2017 in Fort Providence.

Colinda Blondin, MACA Regional Youth Programs & Volunteer Officer for the North Slave Region, “I enjoy seeing an interest build in the kids. A big curiosity factor with anything and I love how Table Tennis can play a part of that. So great to have another way of reaching the kids.”

We want to say a big “Thank You!” for having us on this tour to the NWT Department of Municipal and Community Affairs and their North Slave Regional Youth Coordinator Colinda Blondin.

Łutsel K’e

Whatì

Sport North visiting Table Tennis at Sir John High School

TT NORTH 6,130 comments

It was a very exciting time for Table Tennis North when Doug Rentmeister, Executive Director of Sport North, came for a visit to Sir John High School. He observed the clinic that coach Thor was hosting with the Sir John Sport Academy.

Table Tennis is the 30th Territorial Sport Organization and newest member under the Sport North Umbrella. Now 16 months old, Table Tennis North has reached 11 communities, plus played and workshoped with over 2,500 children in the Northwest Territories. This month of November has included  5 schools in  Yellowknife. 

“Sport North is the foundation of our success. They welcomed us into their family just over a year ago, giving us the possibility as a Territorial Sport Organization to expand and grow. It is very important to come together and make the North stronger, we work and succeed together with one common goal.”

NCCP Table Tennis Community Coaching Course

TT NORTH 423 comments

Coaches in the Community Sport stream typically become involved on a voluntary (and often short-term) basis because their children participate in a sport. They tend to work with participants of all ages who are new to the sport.

Pathway for the Community Coach in Table Tennis

Here is some more information on the Table Tennis Canada Website about Coaching in Canada: http://ttcan.ca/en/home/sty/337/760/coach-education.aspx

The course will be talking about:

Table Tennis Technique
Simple Games to play
General Table Tennis skills

Where?

Weledeh Catholic Church
5023 46 St, Yellowknife, NT X1A 1L3

When?

November 12th 2016
9am to 12pm

Cost?

$50

What to bring?

Indoor shoes
Water bottle

Interested? Send us an e-mail to info@tabletennisnorth.ca

9 more Tables for the Northwest Territories

TT NORTH 592 comments

We will have another 9 tables in the Northwest Territories. That will make it 35 new tables in the North since Table Tennis North started in September 2015.

How exciting!

Northern Youth Abroad

TT NORTH 666 comments

Northern Youth Abroad received one of Table Tennis North’s THOR Mini Tables. Thank you again for all your help and support throughout the Territorial Championships.

Isn’t fun to see them play!? Keeping active and having fun, that is the goal!!!

Northern Youth Abroad visit

TT NORTH one comments

Great to have Thorsten from Table Tennis North stop by the NYA office today to teach us a few tricks!

Training Camp in Fort Providence

TT NORTH 2 comments

Table Tennis North is hosting a Table Tennis Trainings Camp in Fort Providence on November 13th till the 15th. For signing up or more information e-mail info@tabletennisnorth.ca

 

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