Final Days of 2016 USATT Super Camp at LYTTC

Courtesy of USA Table Tennis / by Sean O’Neill

USATT Super Camp – Day Thirteen and Fourteen

The final day of the camp concluded with a banquet and awards ceremony to help push the kids forward to start their future journey with increased motivation and knowledge.

No physical training was on the schedule, but a couple determined players went to the track on their own to run 3 miles!  The on-the-table morning session had Sean working with the younger kids and focusing on footwork and consistency, while Danny dealt with in-and-out movement and tactics for the older group of players.

Prior to starting the 2nd training session we watched the final two games of the 2016 US National Men’s Singles Finals between Kanak Jha and Yijun Feng. The coaches pointed out smart tactics, good timing, and solid ball placement during the finals and answered questions from the players.  The players were encouraged to watch the matches of the best players in the world, video tape their own tournament matches in order to create game plans for future international opponents and to work on elements of their game.  USATT will be providing extra video analysis help to all campers and members of the national team.

In the evening the groups changed with Sean focusing on point-oriented drills with a heavy dose of placement and Danny giving the kids a chance to play some doubles and to work on serve and atttack.

Danny took off after the banquet to a series of much appreciated “thank you’s” from the kids and their parents that were on hand. Danny stated that this was one of the best camps he has ever been part of and he loved the competitiveness, enthusiasm and coach-ability of everyone.

After the awards, Cory let everyone know he was able to secure a bonus session on Sunday for those that didn’t have enough play over the past 2 weeks.  On Sunday, Sean worked one-on-one with Gal, Faith, Jessica, Amy, Lisa and Adar with multi-ball. Cory joined in on match play with the kids and challenged Sharon Alguetti in another one of their battle royals.

At the beginning of the camp they were outfitted with Polar Heart Monitors and great Butterfly shirts to get them started on a great camp. All of the kids will receive full evaluations from the coaches with areas to work on, skills to add and tips to improve upon returning home.

A final special thanks to all the staff, coaches, LYTTC and USATT for putting this camp together.  There are plans to recreate this magic on the west coast in December.