Tuesday, February 24, 2009
10:35 AM
Cracking the Whip
New coach Zhou wastes no time drilling players technically, physically

THEY are the world's second-best women's table tennis team, having won the Olympic silver medal.

But there is still plenty of room for improvement, and the new head coach of the Singapore women's team, Zhou Shusen, is wasting no time taking his charges' skills to the next level.

The training regimen enforced by the 67-year-old Hangzhou native, who took over the reins a month ago and has been tasked with delivering two Olympic medals at the 2012 London Games, has led to the team spending an hour more each day training on the court.

National paddlers like world No. 6 Feng Tianwei and Yu Mengyu now train six hours a day.

Zhou explained: 'There are many technical aspects in the players' games that we can improve on.'

Not wanting to disclose too many details of his training methods, he indicated that he has been drilling his players on their offensive game - taking the ball early and attacking it on the rise to give opponents minimum reaction time.

They have also been working on returning serves more aggressively.

Changes will not happen overnight. 'But over time, they will have more dimensions to their game,' said Zhou - the coach who nurtured Olympic and world champion and world No. 1 Zhang Yining.

Starting next month, former national paddler Jing Junhong will assist him in his duties after she was appointed the deputy coach of the team yesterday.

The Sydney Olympics women's singles semi-finalist will be seconded from the Singapore Sports Council to join the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA) for a two-year period.

STTA president Lee Bee Wah said: 'Her familiarity with the strengths and weaknesses of our women players will complement the recent appointment of Zhou.'

Their first major test will come in April when they will lead their troops to battle in the World Individual Table Tennis Championships in Yokohama, Japan.

The world's best paddlers will feature at the biennial event.

While the Olympics might be the most prestigious title for paddlers, achieving honours at these championships is a taller order because of the stronger field.

Table tennis powerhouses China, whose players occupy the top five slots in the women's world rankings, are allowed to send a maximum of seven paddlers for the women's singles, whereas the number is capped at three in the Games.

For the Singapore players, it has been a time of adjustment.

Feng said: 'Training has been good. The coach is attentive to every detail. But I'm still trying to get used to a new style of coaching.'

The STTA's high performance manager, Eddy Tay, believes that while it would take players about six months to adjust to the new training methods, they have already started to show improvements.

Zhou believes in the benefits of sports science and sports medicine, and works closely with strength and conditioning coaches to plan gym and physical training routines, said Tay.

'The players are fitter now,' he noted. 'Zhou has what it takes to bring out the best in them. He is not only a coach but also a mentor.'

Tay added that Zhou's communication and management skills have featured prominently in fostering team spirit.

The German Open next month will kick off competitive action on the Pro Tour Circuit for the likes of Feng, world No.7 Li Jiawei and world No.8 Wang Yuegu.

After that, they will undergo a month-long centralised training stint in China before the World Individual Table Tennis Championships.

Zhou will be hoping to better the result of 2007, when Li and Wang won a bronze in the women's doubles.

He said: 'I've challenged the players to deliver one more medal from the World Championships within four years.'

(Source: The Straits Times)




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