Table tennis is a sport where the dominance is without doubt held by Chinese, whether it is in the form of China National Table Tennis Team or Chinese people representing other country.
So what is the secret of Chinese dominance in the table tennis sport? Why European nation like Germany could only be a formidable challenger without ever actually beating the Chinese National team? Why China is so strong in table tennis? What is the secret behind all these things?
What is actually the formula of China success in table tennis? Why other powerful nation cannot beat the China National team?
From my humble opinion and observation, the Chinese success factors in table tennis are speed, determination, hard work, focus and believe.
Table tennis is not an easy game. It might look fun and simple in an evening outing but in a real tournament table tennis is full of tension and deception. You might end up looking like an idiot if you face a formidable player who shows no mercy.
Speed
National players for Chinese team retire around early 30s, a relatively young age. This is simply because at that age they might loose some speed although their skill is intact. It is hard to find a Chinese player who plays defensively. They are mostly attack-minded and they will attack upon receiving the first ball without even thinking about the suitability to attack. Bruce Lee is a good example of speed that could beat bigger opponents. China adapt it into table tennis because table tennis is about speed and precision.
Determination
The China national table tennis team is treated like golden son by Chinese government. Fans look upon them like some sort of god. So all players dream to be in the team and all selected are determined to defend their position. They do not tolerate mistake and they do not see some fun outing as fun, all they want is to play perfect table tennis. In Olympic London 2012 final, Ma Long slapped his own face for making a silly mistake although he was leading the game at that time.
Hard work
It is not fair to say that other nation such as German does not work hard to train their table tennis athletes. Somehow, China give it all their heart by not simply work hard but they rather die trying than giving a half-heart attempt. Just look at how dangerous Qi Gong training, Kung Fu or even acrobatic arts, but they are willing to endure all the pain to achieve success. They applied the same principle in table tennis. They started at the very young age and never look back.
Focus
The players who represented China in table tennis do not marry until some time later on. They do not have much fun other than training like a soldier. Nobody complaints nevertheless. They respect their coach like an emperor. They set a certain target for each player and achieving it is a must without any excuse. They train hard in physical and also mental department. They are human after all, but a hardened athletes nevertheless. Look at Ma Lin who cried after winning gold medal in 2008 Olympic final beating his compatriot Wang Hao. No words here could explain it. Look at it yourself.
Believe
For Chinese, dragon is a major influence. This mystic figure is very much associated with Chinese culture. In a competition, especially against foreign player, Chinese player do not look like a normal human being. They mostly look like a human being possessed by a fierce dragon. If you don't have a self believe, you simply cannot play competitive table tennis.
It will be hard for other nation to catch up with Chinese but if they are willing to learn and copy the formula from their Chinese counterpart, table tennis can be a competitive sport again. Until that time arrive, we must simply stay put to think that when it come to table tennis, God simply choose China as His preferred team!
