Stages of Development

10.000 uur naar uitmuntendheid

Many parents want to know in more detail what their children do and can expect at different ages. The below is an extract from the Canadian Table Tennis Long Term Development Model and closely aligns with the principals that TTV Amsterdam follows. Clearly different children develop at different speeds and ages so this should be seen as a guide rather than a blueprint as we focus on developing each member at the pace that is appropriate to their skill and desire.

Active Start

Age: 3-5/6

Mission of the coach

Teach fundamental movement skills and link them with playing in a safe, stimulating and FUN environment.

General objectives targeting the child

Have fun
Develop camaraderie
Learn how to move skillfully

Guiding principles for the coach

Focus on improving fundamental movement skills such as running, jumping, balancing twisting, wheeling, kicking, throwing and catching
For this age category, physical activity is essential for healthy development and must become a part of the child’s daily life. It is therefore important to educate parents to teach their child not to be sedentary for more than 60 minutes at a time except while sleeping
Games for young children (3-4 years old) should be noncompetitive and participation oriented
Active participation of the children in the activity is of primary importance

Specific objectives for the child

Acquire all basic movement skills building towards more complex movements
Explore risks and limits in safe environments
Build confidence and self-esteem
Get familiar with hand-eye coordination and more specifically with racket games

Fundamentals

Age: 5/6-8

Mission of the coach

Develop fundamental movement skills, build overall motor skills (ABC’s) and teach basic sport specific skills through active participation in a fun and safe environment

General objectives targeting the child

Develop basic multi-sport skills involving fundamental movements (running, jumping, balancing, twisting, wheeling, kicking, throwing and catching) in different environments (indoor, in water, in snow, on ice, etc.)
Introduce motor skills (agility, balance, coordination, rhythm, time/ space orientation, speed, dexterity, hand-eye coordination, etc.)
Acquire and develop basic table tennis skills
Learn the basic rules of the game and ethics of sports
Develop focus, self-confidence, and positive attitude
Try to instill the love of sports through active participation

Guiding principles for the coach

Teach basic technical strokes (based on biomechanical principles), the correct racket grip
Appropriate rubbers to spin the ball must be used
No periodization but well structured programs and practices
To learn a good technique, repetition in short, entertaining exercises is required
Limit the information communicated to the participant to what is essential
Table tennis organized activities once or twice a week at the beginning of this stage and 3-4 times a week at the end of this stage (the child should also participate in other sport activities)
Encourage training groups over private training (child needs to interact with other kids)
Competition must be participation oriented (not winning oriented) and age based (not rating based)
Be clear, concise and adapt the terminology to the age level
Coaches should be knowledgeable in child development
Create a fun, safe & joyful environment

Specific objectives for the child

Execute basic table tennis strokes in simple exercises with consistency
Learn good body position and basic footwork technique
Hit the ball from different parts of the table
Understand how to respond to different spins
Develop the ability to focus on the task
Learn to appreciate competition as a learning environment

Learning to Train

Age: 8/9-11/12

Mission of the coach

Develop general physical fitness, teach sound basic technical & tactical skills and develop basic mental qualities

General objectives targeting the participant

Continue to develop basic multi-sport skills involving fundamental movements
Develop motor skills (agility, balance, coordination, rhythm, time/space orientation, speed, dexterity, eye-hand coordination, etc.)
Develop and consolidate all basic technical skills in controlled conditions • Develop basic mental skills
Develop basic tactical skills
Introduce and develop basic practical tactical knowledge
Introduce conditioning
Introduce ancillary activities (warm-up, hydration, cool-down, stretching, etc.)

Guiding principles for the coach

Technical and tactical acquisition must come at the beginning of the session (learning requires a rested central nervous system and concentration)
Only communicate the technical or tactical information the participant needs to know to accomplish the task
Frequent multi-ball training to consolidate basic techniques
Exercises with 70% success rate is necessary for learning to occur
Skill (technique) learning must come under the umbrella of tactics. The participant must have a clear idea of what tactical problem he/she can solve with the skill taught
3-4 training sessions a week at the beginning of this stage and 5-6 sessions at the end (1.5 to 2 hours each session) plus other sport activities
Encourage training groups over private training
Monitor PHV (peak height velocity) with girls
Cash in on the windows of optimal train ability: flexibility; speed; endurance • The young athlete should spend more time training than competing (70%/ 30%, as an indicator only)
Introduce single periodization

Specific objectives pursued by the athlete

Develop all technical strokes in opposition confrontation situations
Develop efficient footwork technique
Develop a taste for effort & conditioning
Develop the capacity to adapt to different situations
Learn how to focus on the opponent
Develop a positive attitude
Start to self-analyze training habits and performances in competition

Training To Train

Age: 11/12-15/16

Mission of the coach

Raise the performance capacity of the athlete, prepare her/ him to perform at identified competitions and reach a peak performance at the decisive competition(s) of the year.

General objectives targeting the athlete

Consolidate and refine all basic technical skills in competitive situations
Increase the athlete’s repertoire of skills
Commit to a style of play
Consolidate / Refine basic practical tactical knowledge.
Learn how to play against different styles
Acquire new practical tactical knowledge tailor made to the level of performance of the athlete.
Develop decision making.
Introduce game plan.
Learn how to cope with the challenges of competition
Develop endurance, strength, speed and suppleness
Further develop basic mental skills
Introduce ideal performance state
Develop ancillary capacities (warm-up, hydration, cool-down, stretching, etc.)

Guiding principles for the coach

Focus on the quality of training (the player needs to be challenged throughout a training session)
Frequent multi-ball training to consolidate/stabilize techniques
Guide the player through his style of play
5-6 training sessions a week at the beginning of this stage and 8-10 sessions at the end (2 to 2.5 hours each session)
Introduce sport medicine and sport sciences (work with specialists such as sports psychologists, nutritionists and physical trainers)
Encourage training groups over private training
The skills or tactics have to be consolidated or performed in a state of light to moderate fatigue in order to prepare the athlete adequately to competition.
When preparing the athlete for competition, the training sessions must mirror the requirements of competition regarding active time and rest time.
The athlete has to learn to extend to the limit of his/her performance capacity systematically in order to improve.
The training load should be raised gradually and progressively.
Be aware of the growth, development and maturation process in boys.
Monitor PHV (peak height velocity) with girls and boys.
The ratio training to competition should be around 60%/ 40% (as an indicator only)
Coaches should be knowledgeable on growth, development and maturation process
Apply single or double periodization

Specific objectives pursued by the athlete

Adapt technique to different spin, speed, placement and trajectory
Develop an efficient service and return game
Build strong tactical patterns
Develop anticipation
Control the activation level
Focus on elements you can control

Training To Compete

Age: 15/16-21/23 (late bloomer)

Mission of the coach

Integrate all performance factors in a complex and harmonious blend in order to perform on a regular basis at identified, major, domestic and international events

General objectives targeting the athlete

Determine clear goals and identify the path to reach them
Develop all sport specific physical qualities and continue to develop general physical qualities
Refine/Maintain/Master all technical skills in competition situations. Develop game plans and apply them efficiently
Develop and improve ideal performance state
Optimize ancillary activities and develop autonomy
Refine / maintain sequence of basic sport skills at competition intensity/density (1 sport).
Develop consistency in implementing variants of basic skills and the new skills acquired in a competition environment.
Increase and improve the athlete’s repertoire of skills.
Increase the success rate of the skills executed in competition.
Increase the success rate of the basic practical tactical knowledge implemented in competition.
Develop / Consolidate new practical tactical knowledge tailor made to the strengths of the athlete.
Improve decision making (individual tactics)
In an analogous competitive situation, the player should be able to solve the same tactical problem using different ways (skills/techniques).
Develop general physical conditioning as well as specific physical conditioning.
Continue to develop fundamental mental skills.
Develop the performance capacity of the athlete/team and integrate the performance factors (10 Ss) to reach a peak performance at a pre-determined time of the year.

Guiding principles for the coach

Training intensity must always be high to optimal
A lot of repetition is required to automate technique
Link technical work to decision making and variations
Individualize the work accordingly to the style of play
8-12 training sessions a week (2 to 3 hours each session). Significantly raise the volume during school vacations.
Encourage training groups over private training
Manage and lead an integrated support team (IST) becomes important
In competition, the athlete should concentrate on the task to do, not the outcome
Frequent matches where the player can win and lose against opponents of the same gender and age category (cadet, junior or under 21). The choice of competitions must favor athlete development.
Training intensity must always be high to optimal. Sub-maximal intensity will alter the motor coordination of the athlete
In training, more time should be spent on random conditions (to mirror competition) than on controlled conditions
Monitor fatigue / recovery adequately
Be aware of the factors that influence tactical thinking when the athlete is confronted with a decision making situation: speed of the action taking place; quality of the observation of the athlete; experience and tactical knowledge of the athlete; memory (remembering practical problems solved) and emotional state of the athlete.
When preparing for a competition, the athlete should focus on exploiting the flaws and deficiencies of the up-coming opponent.
The athlete must learn to stick to a game plan and not to panic when encountering difficulties
Apply single, double or multiple periodization tailor made to the athlete’s needs and the competition calendar

Specific objectives pursued by the athlete

Develop specific physical qualities according to the style of play
Practice with “in game” philosophy
Develop a good tactical knowledge about oneself and main opponents
Adapt quickly to the opponent’s strategies and variations
Constantly force the opponent to adapt
Develop visualization abilities
Introduce and develop ideal performance state
Learn to relax in stressful situations

Learning To Win

Age: 18/19 + (depends on the rate of development)

Mission of the coach

Monitor all aspects of performance in order to help the athlete reach a peak performance in major international events

General objectives targeting the athlete

Is fully committed to the pursuit of international excellence
Develops an efficient personalized approach to performance
Has good consistent international performances
Raises the level of her/his game in decisive moments
Explores aspects related to the post-sport career

Guiding principles for the coach

Understand the path the podium: early senior years are difficult for a young player.
Integrate performance factors to meet the up-coming competition requirements
Organize training in mostly random conditions
Employ video analysis as an important part of success (especially in competition)
Ensure personalized work with the best sport science specialists
Lead 10-12 training sessions/week (2-3 hours each session) and regular training camps.
Manage all demands related to the athlete’s career (accommodation, support staff, sponsors, media, etc.)
Model all possible aspects of training and performance.
The training structure of high performance athletes is a mirror image of the coordinated and goal adapted method. Because of the international competition calendar, training is punctual and temporarily focused on special preparation for major events.
In training, more time should be spent on random conditions (mirror competition requirements) than on controlled conditions (block learning).
Monitor fatigue / recovery adequately.
Frequent preventive breaks permitting recovery to avoid overtraining and injuries.
Coaches have to be more effective in managing and leading an integrated support team (IST)
Apply single, double, triple or multiple periodization tailor made to the international competition calendar and the athlete’s contextual reality.

Specific objectives pursued by athlete

Continue to develop general and specific physical qualities according to the her/his needs
Master techniques and all its variations (spin, speed, precision and trajectory) in competition situations
Develop a precise mental and tactical profile
Refine basic strategies against the different styles
Take information on opponents (during the point and between points) and uses it to win points
Continue to develop the ideal performance state

Living to Win

Age: 24/25 + (peak performance: 25-35)

Mission of the coach

Monitor in detail all aspects of performance in order to help the athlete reach the podium in major international events

General objectives pursued by the athlete

Fully commit to the pursuit of international excellence
Refine personalized approach to performance
Have excellent consistent performances
Peak for major events
Raise the level of game in decisive moments
Have personal projects besides table tennis

Guiding principles for the coach

Plan towards winning major events (not to earn money)
The athlete must have the opportunity to face the best athletes in the world regularly
The smallest details will make a difference
7-9 training sessions a week (2 to 3 hours each session). Regular training camps. (The volume diminishes because of the high number of competitions and traveling days.)
Statistically based video analysis is an important part of success (especially in competition)
Ensure close and personalized work between the best sport science specialists, the athlete and the coach
Make sure all demands related to the athlete’s career (accommodation, support staff, sponsors, media, etc.) are monitored
Single to multiple periodization (based on major events)

Specific objectives pursued by the athlete

Refine and maintain specific physical qualities according to the style of play
Mastery of technique and all its variations (spin, speed, precision and trajectory) in stress situations
Use very subtle variations to win points
Develop a precise mental and tactical profile of main opponents
Be able to surprise the same opponent from one match to another
Take information on your opponent (during the point and between points) and use it to win points
Refine ideal performance state

Active for Life

The athlete enters this stage at the point of withdrawal from high-level competitive table tennis. When it occurs, two options are offered:

1. Keep training to stay physically healthy:

Practice table tennis for fun
Play in regular league competition
Keep competing at Master’s level (in table tennis or in another sport)and/or

2. Stay involved in table tennis :

Move to sport-related careers (coaching, administration, officiating, small business enterprises, media, etc.)
Become a volunteer (board member, mentor, etc.)

Main Philosophy for Players Remaining in the Organized Table Tennis Training Structure:

Mission of the coach:

Facilitate life long participation in sport for the pleasure and wellness derive

General objectives for the participant

Integrate sport in a healthy lifestyle
Stay fit
Have fun

Guiding principles for the coach

Choose the best training group for the participant depending on her/his characteristics (goals, level of play, commitment, style of play, etc.) and on the local sport’s structure characteristics (number of groups available, goals and profile of each group, etc.)
Scan the interests of the participant to help the sport structure (club level, provincial or national organization, special projects such as organizing competitions, fund raising, etc.)
Create a stimulating environment and an enjoyable social context

Specific objectives for the participant

Maintain a good level of strength, suppleness, agility and aerobic capacity
Adapt the style to the physical abilities
Continue to improve mental and tactical aspects of the game