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Junior of the Month: Adam Hugh
by Ben Wolski
Adam is the top rated under 16 player in the U.S., and he won Under 16 Boys' Singles at the U.S. Open. He recently came within one game of making the U.S. National Team. He comes from a family of table tennis players: His sister won Under 16 Girls' Singles at the U.S. Open; his mom was on the USA Olympic team; and his dad is a top senior player.
The first time I experienced the strength of Adam Hugh, he was doing multi-ball practice with Wally Green in the NJTTC. Wally was feeding the balls at six times the speed of a regular feed. Adam danced side to side like a prizefighter. He hit the feeds back with perfect timing, form, location and footwork as if the whole practice session was being shot in super high-speed film. His orange laser beam firecrackers echoed throughout the whole club. I stood watching in awe; it was not possible, I thought, to look so effortless yet be so powerful.
With Adam, it is in fact very possible. He is one of the brightest stars in USA table tennis. And he benefits from the collective wisdom of Olympian Lily Yip (his coach/mom), Barry Dattel and numerous NJTTC members.
I'm not sure, however, where Adam learned to throw his paddle at a ball and have it go over the table! Recently, during the Stiga Open in Delaware, his opponent Thomas Keinath hit a ball that just cleared the net. Somehow, Adam released the bat from his hand. Not only did he make contact, but he managed to return the shot with an airborne paddle. Sadly, the rules state that you must always have a playing hand connected to a racket and so Adam lost the point.
There are certain times in a young athlete's career that signify an advance in status within a playing community. In basketball, a younger player dunks over a veteran with authority. I think, in table tennis, when you have the firepower to stand up to world-class competition, it is time to recognize and embrace a gifted young player.
It is impossible for juniors to develop in America without great coaching. And it is sad to see young players enter clubs without proper coaching - only to get crushed and run back to the basketball court. But a chosen few with a ton of desire get to a very high level of play . Adam Hugh makes you think only about these possibilities.
He has a twenty-foot high-toss serve that zips deep down the line, loops that players don't even bother trying to return and light speed hand-eye coordination. And, for those of you who play in his stratosphere of elite American table tennis, I've got bad news: he is still very much growing into his game.
Part of this growth, I think, is due to intense multi-ball training. Often, people in table tennis circles think past how important this is to junior development. Chinese style multi-ball practice can have even the best athletes sucking wind in less than three minutes. Instead of hitting three hundred backhands per coaching session, you hit forty-five hundred. And the drills, which cover every aspect of the game, never go out of style with a strong coach. With elite players, multi-ball is also a way of testing the breaking point: Can you really loop thirty-five times into the corner while you suck wind and trip over bad footwork? Or are you going to break down? When are you really ready to quit? That, in some ways, is the best test of an athlete. And while there are no multi-ball championships, Adam Hugh is training this way. He is finding and correcting weaknesses, making strengths stronger, and getting stronger and stronger.
What I also find interesting about Adam his introspection: his constant desire to improve his mental game. Often, the grizzled table tennis veteran can break down the more talented junior by honing in on one little weakness and riding it to a "he could not beat me victory." Or, the grizzled veteran looks for impatience. Anything to throw the kid off balance. Adam is aware of this and seems to always be working on getting stronger in this area.
True intimidation in table tennis is often silent physical confidence. There are few juniors in the world with the grace and movement of Adam Hugh. That one multi-ball drill left me dreaming about his potential for the future of USA table tennis.
How old were you when you first started playing?
My mom, Lily Yip, started me early in multi-ball training. At the age of 10, I started playing in competitions.
How would you define your style of play?
Two-winged looper. I'm working on moving more towards my forehand.
What are the most common mistake juniors make at tournaments?
Many juniors underestimate their opponent by looking only at ratings. Also, not being mentally prepared before each point.
Why do you think the NJTTC in Westfield turns out strong junior players?
Great coaching. Also, the fact that you can play almost anytime you want.
What table tennis achievement are you most proud of?
Almost making the National Men's team. I felt my game was very strong at that point in time.
What events are you looking forward to?
The Macy Block Open, The Olympic Trials and The World Cadet Championships.
Do you have a professional player you look up to?
Kong Linghui. He is so smooth and powerful at the same time. I admire his mental strength and consistency.
Who do you train with?
Judy Hugh, Lily Yip, and Barry Dattel.
What is your favorite kind of drill?
I enjoy fast multi-ball feeds with random movements.
What has table tennis taught you about life?
Show respect for people on and off the court.
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The Great Norm Bass
By Ben Wolski
Norm Bass has stood on the mound as a professional pitcher with the Kansas City A’s, pounded the gridiron in the backfield of the Denver Broncos and, in perhaps his greatest athletic accomplishment, won a Bronze Medal for the U.S. in the Paralympics. He is a pure mental athlete: a smooth competitor who wins through self-awareness, hard work, confidence and match intelligence. According to Sean O’Neill, who coached him in Sydney, “Norm is in the top 1% of all athletes,” in terms of psychological toughness and fighting spirit.
A defensive genius with a pick-hit backhand and killer chop, Norm methodically breaks down his opponents; he has thrown many world-class table tennis players into uncontrollable fits of rage! The soul of his table tennis game is built from his experiences as a major league pitcher. If you think about the mental toughness required to stand on the mound in front of 60,000 people and throw a fastball low over the plate—then you begin to understand why Norm Bass has little or no trouble with match pressure in table tennis. He knows when to bring the heater and when to throw the junk out over the plate; he knows when to stall and when to step back on the rubber. All of tricks of the pitching trade are present in his game tactics.
Norm can trash talk Muhammad Ali style or silently stare you down like a Buddhist monk. Either way, you are going into the ring with a mental tiger. Norm has pure sense of what it takes to win; the vast majority of his serves have been thought out well in advance. His returns and angles have a purpose: they are pointed at a perceived weakness in an opponent. Norm, in many cases, finds a way to beat the so-called better players through intelligent play and not giving away any points. He has a reputation in the international table tennis community (in his class of standing competition) as the one player you really don’t want in a draw, because there are absolutely no free points. Norm is the kind of player that gets stronger as a match progresses over time; he will find the glaring weakness and engineer a brilliant implosion.
To become a decent tournament level table tennis player starting as an adult in the U.S. is a daunting task. You need to be willing to wage a war against old stroke mechanics left over from basement ping-pong and get pounded on weekly in a local club for years. Norm somehow found a way—mostly through innate athleticism and hard work--to build himself into a brutally tough table tennis player despite an early lack of training and foundation. There was no master Chinese coach feeding multi-ball to Norm at age six or German stroke technician breaking down the complex points of a forehand loop. Norm, like many American players, built his game mostly on hand eye coordination and sheer will power. And, amazingly, he is able to consistently thrash players who have all of these built in technical advantages on a national and international level. As Norm puts it: “a lot of players have a great looking game, but no personality”
What makes Norm story even more unique is the level of life adversity he faced above and beyond just this athletic hurdle. His incredible life story: how he overcame meningitis as a child, battled rheumatoid arthritis, and transformed his life has recently been written into a book which can be found here: http://www.amazon.com/Color-Him-Father-American-Redemption/dp/1419627198/sr=8-4/qid=1161151349/ref=sr_1_4/102-4436685-5658544?ie=UTF8&s=books
Norm is, in many ways, an ambassador for the entire sport of table tennis. He proves if you are willing to not give up—amazing things can happen in your life through sport. To play a highly competitive game with a tough case of arthritis and excel beyond anyone’s realistic expectation is a testament to his amazing will power and mental toughness. As he puts it: “all sports are intertwined.” Whether it is throwing a major league fastball, tackling an NFL player, or chopping down loopers from Asia, Norm Bass has the winning personality.
Links:
Lily Yip - All around Super Mom, world class player and world class coach.
Larry Hodges - The man, the editor, the myth, the legend.
Clubs That Rule:
Pottsgrove Table Tennis Club - A number of top PA players.
Maryland Table Tennis Center and New Jersey Table Tennis Center - The two big player clubs of East Coast Table Tennis.
*Coach Wolski uses Double Fish Balls and Double Fish Tables for junior training and development.
