Madeira Focal Point for Talent Identification
Courtesy of ITTF

Notably the home of Marcos Freitas, the Atlantic island of Madeira hosted recently a training camp with the focus on young talented players.

Supported by the ITTF-Europe Development Program and organized by the Madeira Table Tennis Federation, the head coach for the proceedings was Croatia’s Neven Cegnar, the Development Officer for the European Table Tennis Union.

Home for the whole proceedings was the Rafael Gomes Table Tennis Sport Hall in Funchal, the principal city in Madeira.

Schedule 
Play commenced on Friday February 5th and concluded on Monday February 8th; the first day involved a practical session from 3:30pm to 6:30pm and a session to exchange ideas from 7:30pm to 9:30pm

On Saturday February 6th a theory and practical session was held from 9:00am to 2:00pm with matters concluding on Monday February 8th with a practical session from 7:00pm to 2:00pm.

There were no training sessions organized on Sunday February 7th.

Principal Areas 
Throughout the theme was “Plan, Patience and Discipline”.

Three principal areas were covered in the scheduled 15 hours. The itinerary comprised the teaching of technical skills, determining the most suitable style for a player and the practices that may be adopted when using multi-ball as a practice.

A detailed itinerary was the order of the day, which paid attention to all aspects of trying to determine a basis from which young players are able to progress and realize their potential.

Notable young Portuguese players in the guise of Tiago Li and Gonçalo Gomes attended being members of a group that witnessed 30 coaches in attendance.

The Association 
Formed on Thursday 10th March 1988, currently the Madeira Table Tennis Association has 28 affiliated clubs, more than 400 players and 30 licensed coaches.