TeamUSA Prepare for WTTC in Papendal, Netherlands
(BY ANGELA GUAN)

After an eleven-hour flight from SFO to Paris (for most of us), we waited about five hours in Paris before flying to Dusseldorf, Germany. From there, we took a two-hour car-ride to Papendel, the Netherlands Olympic training center in Arnhem, Netherlands. For the past three days, our team trained here with the Dutch national team as well as other players. Each morning, we would eat breakfast as a team in their cafeteria, practice thirty minutes of serves, warm up, and train about three hours. After lunch and break, we would practice another two to three hours. Our two coaches designed drills for us and offered detailed, technical coaching during the training. Not only did we do drills but also we played matches, doubles, and teams.

It was a great experience watching how world-class players like Feng Tianwei and Li Jie train and getting to a short glimpse of the “professional table tennis athlete life.” Although we practiced both morning and afternoon, there was time for team meetings, video analysis, and team bonding. Thank you to our sponsors, USATT, Team Netherlands, and our coaches for this training camp at Papendel. We will try out best in the World Championships at Dusseldorf. Follow us on ITTF. Go Team USA!

~Team USA

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