Table tennis: Swinging the racket billions of times, achieving a grand slam

Chapter 487 Three Events in One! Preparing for the US Grand Slam!

6 month 20 day.

Summer is in full swing, and the sun is scorching and bright.

A black Maybach was parked at the entrance of the training headquarters.

The car door opens.

Zhang Jiahao crouched down and climbed out of the car, stretched, looked at the General Administration's signboard, and shouted, "Training General Administration, I, Zhang, am back!"

This vacation is to prepare for the US Grand Slam.

The WTT Grand Slam consists of four events throughout the year.

This year's US Grand Slam is scheduled to take place from July 3rd to 13th at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.

Whether it's the championship points of up to two thousand or the single championship prize of one hundred thousand dollars, no table tennis player dares to take it lightly.

The roster for the Chinese men's table tennis team has already been published.

Singles: Chen Jin, Wang Chuqin, Lin Shidong, Liang Jingkun, Xie Mingyang, Lin Gaoyuan, Zhang Jiahao.

Doubles: Chen Jin/Zhang Jiahao, Wang Chuqin/Liang Jingkun.

Mixed Doubles: Lin Shidong/Kuai Man, Chen Jin/Ye Sijia.

The release of the list means that Chen Jin will be competing in three events.

Singles is undoubtedly the core and the most important skill.

As for the men's doubles, he and Zhang Jiahao will defend their title.

For Chen Jin, mixed doubles presents a completely new challenge.

Apart from last year's Lima regular challenge and World Junior Championships, he has rarely partnered with anyone in mixed doubles since then.

Moreover, this US Grand Slam is the first time he has partnered with Ye Sijia to participate in such a high-level international event.

more importantly.

Both Chen Jin and Ye Sijia are right-handed players.

They have inherent weaknesses in doubles positioning and defense in the middle position.

Therefore, the two need more training and practice to get to know each other.

Allocating physical energy is another major challenge.

Chen Jin had no complaints about this.

The next day, early in the morning.

Players and coaches gathered at the training hall.

Wang Liqin stood at the front, his gaze sweeping over the faces of everyone present.

"Grand Slam tournaments, especially singles, bring together 64 of the world's top players, so we can't afford to be careless."

Wang Liqin's voice, steady and powerful, echoed in the stadium: "Of course, no matter what level of competition it is, as long as you participate, you should find more reasons to win and not make excuses for losing."

"Our goal for this US Grand Slam has been the same from beginning to end: the championship!"

"I want all five championships!"

"Are you confident?"

The players and coaches shouted in unison, "We have confidence!"

"very good."

Wang Liqin waved his hand, "Then let's not waste any more time, let's get started."

Immediately, the crowd dispersed.

They each went to their own table tennis table.

"Las Vegas...hehehe."

Zhang Jiahao rubbed his hands together, his face full of anticipation.

"Look at that sly grin on your face."

Chen Jin glanced at him. "What? Want to play a few rounds?"

"how is this possible?"

Zhang Jiahao immediately stopped smiling and said seriously, "I am a model young man born under the red flag and raised in the spring breeze. How could I let sugar-coated bullets corrupt my noble character?"

"A model student? A person of noble character?"

Chen Jin sneered, "Dare you publish your phone's browsing history?"

"Don't dare!"

Zhang Jiahao stated confidently, "But that doesn't change the fact that I'm sworn to be irreconcilable with drugs and gambling."

……

Pre-training preparation: stretching and warming up.

Since Chen Jin is competing in three events, the coaching team had already planned his training schedule.

In the morning, we had singles practice.

The coach in charge is not Li Qian.

Instead, men's table tennis head coach Wang Hao personally took to the court.

Wang Hao's fondness for Chen Jin was no secret within the team.

To some extent, Wang Hao has become Chen Jin's de facto head coach.

After all, Chen Jin's strength and record speak for themselves.

With Li Qian's qualifications, although he holds the title of head coach, when it comes to penhold backhand, who in the entire Chinese table tennis team can compare to Wang Hao?

"pace!"

"Faster!"

"Hit your crotch out!"

"Seize the opportunity during the rising period!"

"very good!"

……

Wang Hao stood on one side of the table, in a horse stance, his lower body as stable as a rock.

Hold a horizontal racket in one hand and catch multiple balls in the other.

With extremely high frequency and speed, combined with different spins and landing points, they launched a continuous attack on Chen Jin.

Multi-ball training, death swing speed.

This is the most effective, but also the most brutal, way to hone your reaction time, footwork, and seamless transitions!
Chen Jin uses a forehand and backhand combination to hit the ball.

They moved swiftly, their feet like the wind.

"Snapped!"

"Snapped!"

"Snapped!"

……

Sweat had already soaked Chen Jin's hair and clothes.

However, its power and speed remained undiminished.

"Thirty seconds left."

A coaching assistant, holding a stopwatch, timed Chen Jin's swing speed training.

"Ten seconds left."

"Nine."

"Eight."

"seven."

……

When the assistant coach shouted "one".

Chen Jin was about to put down his racket and take a breather.

Unexpectedly, Wang Hao's serve showed no sign of stopping.

Fortunately, Chen Jin reacted very quickly.

Continue swinging the racket, swinging the racket to hit the ball at high speed.

Another moment passed.

Wang Hao then stopped, bracing himself on the table tennis table with both hands, panting heavily, and smiling as he looked at Chen Jin: "Not bad, your reaction time is pretty fast."

He looked exhausted.

Training break.

Wang Hao unscrewed a bottle of mineral water, walked over, and handed it to Chen Jin: "How are you feeling?"

"good."

Chen Jin took a few sips and said, "I think I can last another two minutes."

"It's been eight minutes already."

Wang Haodao.

"Ten minutes, no problem."

Chen Jin laughed and said, "How about we try it later?"

"never mind."

Wang Hao waved his hand, "If I were ten years younger, I would definitely make it more difficult for you."

This eight-minute death swing is the limit for him now.

If we continue like this, we'll be completely exhausted.

There was a pause.

Wang Hao patted Chen Jin on the shoulder: "Your technical framework and physical qualities are excellent, and your awareness and reaction are top-notch, but you still need to pay attention to the key to adjusting and restoring your center of gravity in high-speed combat."

"In addition, technical skills, physical fitness, and mentality are all indispensable."

"Every step you take now is preparation for the Los Angeles Olympics three years from now."

He looked at Chen Jin, his eyes filled with expectation.

At the same time, he also carried some regrets about his unfulfilled professional career.

"Before Luo'ao, every match you participated in, big or small, was like a heavy hammer, constantly honing your skills, tactics, and mentality, allowing you to perform steadily under pressure." Wang Hao said earnestly, "Don't be like me, whose mentality suddenly collapsed at crucial moments."

He reached the Olympic finals three times, but missed out on the championship each time.

This undoubtedly became the biggest mental obstacle in Wang Hao's career.

That's why he understands even more the importance of mindset for athletes.

"Chen Jin, you are now only one Olympic singles title away from a Grand Slam."

Wang Hao cautioned, "You must not lose heart."

"We haven't produced a Grand Slam winner in many years with our penhold grip."

The last penhold grip player to win a Grand Slam was Liu Guoliang 36 years ago.

And the only one.

With equipment reforms and technological advancements, the penhold grip style of play has become the dominant style.

The space for penhold grip players to survive is becoming increasingly narrow.

Wang Hao himself, as a master of the penhold backhand style, missed out on an Olympic singles title and a Grand Slam honor during his professional career.

This became a regret he would never forget.

"I hope that before I retire, I can see penhold players once again reach the top of the world and achieve a Grand Slam, or even a Super Grand Slam."

Wang Hao's gaze drifted into the distance before quickly returning to Chen Jin. "Chen Jin, keep it up."

"Ah."

Chen Jin nodded heavily.

He didn't say much, he just gripped his racket tighter.

"Have you rested enough?"

Wang Hao suddenly clapped his hands. "Continue?"

"continue!"

Chen Jin stretched his arms and legs.

"Ten-minute death swing, dare to try it?"

Wang Hao laughed.

"It's not that I dare not, it's that I'm afraid Coach Wang, you won't be able to persevere."

Chen Jin raised an eyebrow.

"Good boy!"

Wang Hao grabbed a handful of training balls, saying, "I'll risk my life for you."

"Prepare!"

"start--

The words have not yet fallen.

One after another, white training balls, carrying the force and spin of a lightning bolt, hurtled towards Chen Jin like a storm.

……

Afternoon training sessions mainly consisted of doubles matches.

Li Qian was in charge, while Wang Hao supervised from the side.

The doubles partnership between Chen Jin and Zhang Jiahao needs no further explanation.

A men's doubles title at the Singapore Grand Slam and two men's doubles gold medals at the Doha World Table Tennis Championships speak for themselves.

However, even the best achievements belong to the past.

"Jiahao, pay attention to your protection range. Make sure you have an extra rebound, especially when Chen Jin makes a side-step charge. Don't stand still; you must immediately cover and connect with the next rebound."

"Jiahao, after you serve, if the opponent returns a short ball, Chen Jin, you should chop it long to force the opponent to hit the ball directly. At this point, the opponent can only hang the ball, and the quality will not be very high. Jiahao, you should prepare to attack... Yes, yes, that's it. We must develop our own scoring routine."

Li Qian today is a completely different person from before.

In front of the pool table.

Chen Jin and Zhang Jiahao kept moving around, exchanging whispers, and scrutinizing every detail.

During the Chinese Table Tennis Super League, Chen Jin partnered with Xu Xin and gained a lot of experience in doubles.

This training session will allow me to integrate my training with Zhang Jiahao.

The third-ball attack strategy after the serve, the topspin and short push control when receiving the serve, the continuity and variation of the landing point during rallies, and the transition and counterattack when on the defensive...

The two repeatedly pondered and discussed, refining every detail.

……

Physical training at 7 PM.

Under the guidance of a strength and conditioning coach, participants undergo core strength, lower limb explosive power, and endurance training.

Barbell squats, bench presses, ab wheel workouts, jump rope, shuttle runs... every training session challenges Chen Jin's physical limits.

Performing three events places even greater demands on physical fitness.

In particular, during the packed schedules of Grand Slam tournaments, without sufficient physical reserves, all tactics and techniques are just empty talk.

Every drop of sweat shed during training gives you more confidence on the field.

After physical training, it's usually already nine o'clock.

However, Chen Jin's training is not over yet.

After quickly replenishing his energy, he returned to the training hall.

His mixed doubles partner, Ye Sijia, had already finished warming up and was waiting for a long time.

Seeing Chen Jin running over covered in sweat, Ye Sijia smiled and handed him a towel: "Chen Jin, I can finally partner with you in mixed doubles again. Please give me your guidance."

Both players were selected in the same year's U16 selection competition and were outstanding performers.

In less than a year, Ye Sijia's achievements, though not as dazzling as Chen Jin's, were still gratifying.

Ye Sijia's achievement of reaching the semifinals in singles at the Doha World Table Tennis Championships is enough to prove her strength.

In this US Grand Slam, the coaching staff paired Chen Jin and Ye Sijia together in mixed doubles, which is clearly paving the way for the future of Chinese table tennis.

Ye Sijia's playing style is also masculine.

It has great power, strong spin, fast swing speed, and a fierce and aggressive playing style.

It complements Chen Jin's style perfectly.

The only problem is that both of them are right-handed.

Positioning and handling of the middle position became key to the two players' training coordination.

As soon as the training began, problems indeed emerged.

Because both players employ an aggressive style, they possess exceptional ability to maintain a prolonged stalemate.

Therefore, the partnership cannot be like that of Chen Jin and Li Linghan before, with them positioned one in front and one behind, one attacking and one defending.

Although the two had partnered in the World Junior Championships mixed doubles, Ye Sijia has not participated in doubles since then.

Moreover, the opponents in Grand Slam mixed doubles are not comparable to those in the World Junior Championships.

The requirements for doubles are even higher.

Compared to Chen Jin, Ye Sijia's doubles experience is clearly insufficient, and her positioning and awareness are slightly lacking.

Sometimes, when a ball is aimed at her forehand side and is too fast for her to react to, she will instinctively reach out to catch it.

They even forgot to position themselves.

This is especially true for balls in the middle position.

The two players' rackets collided several times, almost causing them to lose their grip.

"Ye Sijia, after you finish, don't stand still, move to a new position immediately."

The mixed doubles coach shouted, "You have to trust Chen Jin, give up your position in time, and be ready to cover for the ball and connect shots."

"sorry."

Ye Sijia looked apologetic, "Mine, mine."

"It's okay, take your time."

Chen Jin comforted him.

Seeing that Ye Sijia's doubles awareness was indeed relatively weak, the two began to practice in a targeted manner under the guidance of their mixed doubles coach.

From the simplest fixed-point sway speed to the complex unpredictable movement across the entire island.

Fortunately, Ye Sijia has excellent ball intelligence and adaptability, and quickly adapted to the rhythm of doubles.

Once the positioning and cover issues are resolved, the two players can unleash their full firepower.

Chen Jin's powerful topspin forehand and backhand, combined with the penhold grip's control of the table, and Ye Sijia's strong rally ability, once the momentum is established, they are unstoppable and incredibly powerful.

"Wow, not bad."

Seeing the increasingly seamless teamwork between the two, the mixed doubles coach couldn't help but smile.

Although the two still need more practice in terms of positioning.

However, Chen Jin and Ye Sijia were very compatible in terms of offensive aggression and rhythm.

……

Half past ten in the evening.

Most of the team members have finished training and returned to their dormitories to rest.

The training hall gradually quieted down.

Only a few figures remained, still practicing extra hard.

Chen Jin was one of them.

To strengthen a specific technical aspect that was exposed during the day's training, or to practice some new tactical routines.

Sometimes, Wang Hao would join Chen Jin in multi-ball training.

Alternatively, watch match videos to analyze your opponent's technical characteristics.

"Look at Hugo's backhand topspin; it's very sudden and the landing point is tricky. Pay attention to the change in his wrist at the moment of his move..."

"Felix's grip is similar to his push block, but when he generates power in his backhand topspin, his fingers make subtle adjustments..."

Under the light.

An old man and a young boy, two heads huddled together in front of the tablet computer, watching intently and analyzing carefully.

(End of this chapter)