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Alvaros Story Becoming a Level 1 Coach

From Player to Coach: How the ITTF Level 1 Coaching Course Changed My Perspective

At the end of November 2024, I attended and passed the ITTF level 1 coaching course. It was an amazing 5-day experience for me, easily the best 5 days of my year.

This experience completely changed how I see table tennis and life altogether. I learned not only the core elements of how to coach table tennis, but also some key life lessons I want to share with you.

In this article, I want to share with you these two sides of the story: what I was taught, and what I took from these teachings. Let’s begin!

The ITTF Level 1 Course – My Experience

Before starting this course, I was told that I wouldn’t learn anything useful and that I already knew all of the contents of the course. As a player for nearly 10 years, and having received thousands of hours of coaching, I thought the same. Looking back, I don’t think this was the case at all.

For context, I did the course in my native Buenos Aires. The cost was 60 USD and it consisted of classes from 9am to 4pm every day from Wednesday until Sunday. I actually had exams at university on Thursday and the following Monday, the day after the course would end.

So, I woke up on Wednesday at 7 AM. I’d been waking up at around 11 AM the days before, so I only had 4 hours of sleep that night. 

I was extremely, extremely excited for this course. We got to the training hall where the classes would be given, and I got to know all of my coursemates. I already knew around half of them, but I had never talked for more than 5 minutes with most.

ITTF Course – Day 1

On the first day, we learned how to teach people who don’t know how to hit the ball onto the other side of the table. This consisted primarily of the two basic strokes: the forehand drive and backhand drive.

The first lesson wasn’t actually how to perform the strokes, they’re very simple. Instead, I was being taught how to teach. I knew how to perform these strokes with my eyes closed, but did I know how to teach them in the simplest and most effective way possible?

Even if you know how to counterloop, chop-block, or other advanced shots, it’s no use as a coach if you can’t teach table tennis to a student who can’t get the ball onto the other side of the table.

Many new players can hit the ball onto the other side, but others, especially kids, can’t maintain a rally.

I learned lots of exercises that I can teach these players to gain control over the ball and  progressively start improving their coordination until they can play table tennis at the table.

These exercises include rebounding the ball on the racket, throwing the ball without the racket, passing the ball on the floor, etc.

We also learned the 5 steps of teaching: 

  1. Explaining the exercise
  2. Showing how it’s done
  3. Getting the players to do it 
  4. Observing them
  5. Giving them feedback, and asking for their feedback

I realized that most coaches don’t do all of these steps effectively. What’s more, many will just explain the exercise (step 1) and leave it there. 

What I thought was useful was the last step: asking the players what they thought. Did they have any difficulties? Did they like the exercise? Did they think it was useful? By asking these questions we can get to know what the player is thinking and address their doubts accordingly.

When observing someone’s technique, we can understand what’s happening mechanically but we can’t understand how their brain is processing the mechanics without giving them space to talk about it.

I’ve experienced this a few times as a player, and it’s something I’ll incorporate as a coach, for sure.

After a day full of table tennis, what did I do? I went to my local club for training, of course! Now it was my turn to play. 

I came back home at around 10 PM. I had dinner, had a shower, and I started studying. After all, I had an important exam at university the following day (Thursday). 

I finished my studies at around 3 AM that night, and I woke up again at 7 AM for the course. This was the second day I’d slept for just 4 hours. I don’t recommend it.

ITTF Course – Day 2

On the morning of the second day came the second realization: I was tired, but I didn’t care at all. I felt more energized than ever before!

In that moment, I learned that if you’re very excited to live the day, you won’t be tired. 

Many times it’s happened to me that I’d sleep for 8, 9, or even 10 hours and wake up tired, and, even if I don’t need more sleep, I’ll find an excuse to go back to bed. Why’s that? Because I have to go to university or fulfill other obligations, which I don’t want to do.

But the course wasn’t an obligation, the course was a place of joy for me. I was eager to wake up and get to the hall, so I didn’t feel tired.

On the second day, we learned how to teach the forehand and backhand topspin, and the forehand and backhand open up against backspin.

You’d think, we all know how to perform these shots. Well, yes, but do you know how to teach a social beginner with terrible technique how to open up against backspin? If your answer is no, neither did I!

On this second day I started engaging more with the other aspiring coaches, which was a magical and enlightening experience for me.

We were a group of more than 30 people with a burning passion for table tennis, each with their incredible projects: teaching kids, teaching people with disabilities, expanding their clubs, teaching in high schools, teaching the elderly. 

I get emotional even when writing about the impact these dedicated people have on the lives of others.

So, I started making friends. Almost everyone was extremely friendly, willing to strike up a conversation or play a match or two. After all, we were all there because we love table tennis.

To close out the second day, we were told to complete a small test about ourselves. We’d have to talk about what we wrote in front of everyone. 

The task was to write 3 words that best describe yourself or that you feel identified with, and your personal motto.

I think this was a great idea as it allowed the group to get to know each other better, how we felt, and what we wanted to achieve.

I had my motto and 2/3 words ready, I just couldn’t choose the 3rd word. I took the full 10 minutes I had but I still couldn’t figure out the third word. After learning about all of the other coaches, it was now my turn to speak. I went last, which made me feel even more nervous.

So, I went in front of everyone and I said what I’d written.

The first word: temperance. I explained I’m a very calm person and that I like to do things at my own pace. So far, so good.

The second word: dedication. I said that by having goals in mind and working towards them, you can accomplish your dreams.

Now, I had to say the third word, the problem was, I didn’t have it! So, I said what I felt at the moment. 

My third word was happiness. I said I chose this word because table tennis makes me feel extremely happy. At that moment, I had a lump in my throat. I think I was able to disguise it relatively well, and I don’t think anyone noticed but myself.

I tried to continue, and I explained my personal motto: “You can get extremely far if you go step by step”.

Sometimes I feel like I’m making little to no progress, but, only when I look over my shoulder do I realize how far I’ve come in my table tennis journey. Everything I’ve accomplished was because I took it one step at a time, enjoying every moment. 

At this moment, I learned something new about myself: how much I love table tennis and the magnitude of its effect on my whole life.

So, everyone clapped, as we all did for our classmates, and the day was over. You would think I headed straight for university as I had an extremely important exam, but no, we stayed there playing basketball with the other guys for 20 minutes.

Even if the exam was very important, it wasn’t as important as the moment I had right in front of my eyes. Looking back, I’m glad I stayed playing basketball, as it’s a memory I treasure very fondly.

So, I headed to uni and did the exam (note from future Álvaro: I passed it!).

I came back home at night, slept for a few hours, and up I rose the following day, powered by an excited energy.

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ITTF Course – Day 3

This day, we learned how to move better, how to warm up, how to do physical training, and how to glue a racket. 

We learned that warm-ups are extremely important when it comes to injury prevention and that they shouldn’t be missed.

Also, we learned many physical exercises that can improve table tennis performance, such as squats, box jumps, lateral movement drills and reaction exercises.

Again, the most important thing for me was how much I enjoyed talking to my classmates and just hanging out around the tables.

ITTF Course – Day 4

On the fourth day, we had a test. We studied everything related to PTT (Para Table Tennis) and ways in which we can organize tournaments and competitions.

This day created the space for me to learn another extremely valuable lesson: everyone deserves to have fun and improve. If we have a disabled student, coaches have the duty to ensure that they can complete every single exercise by adapting our training routines to their needs and abilities.

PTT Player
Class 6 athlete Ibrahim Hamadtou

We were accompanied by three disabled players, and we learned their incredibly valuable insights throughout the course. 

We were told stories about how they and their friends were often treated differently, not only in sports but also in life itself.

One of these players had a disability in one of his arms so he couldn’t use it, and he told us how many times, when practicing a given sport (not only table tennis) the coaches would give the class exercises and turn a blind eye when he couldn’t do them.

They’d do this until it was evident that he couldn’t perform the exercises time and time again. Instead of adapting the exercises for him, which would’ve taken 20 seconds of thinking, the coaches would keep on doing this until he stopped practicing the sport altogether.

Here came the lesson: If table tennis makes me so happy, I want to share this happiness with everyone, especially with those who need extra attention.

People with disabilities are often excluded in many aspects of their lives. For example, they can’t access certain places, they can’t do certain things, etc. 

As coaches and table tennis lovers, we have to include these players and make the training hall a place of happiness and improvement for them.

Through the fourth day, I learned that disabled athletes are grouped into 11 classes. 1-5 are sitting athletes, 6-11 are standing classes.

I learned that athletes in classes 1 and 2 are those players who play sitting down and have the least mobility.

These players often fall over the table as they don’t have enough equilibrium to stay seated, but they’d rather fall over the table and risk bruising and hurting themselves than losing the point.

In fact, many of these players fall over the table many times per match, but they keep on playing. These are the true warriors of the sport if you ask me.

I learned all of the different rules these athletes have, and how they compete. I can now watch a Para Table Tennis match and understand why everything happens like it does, and I feel a bit more capable of teaching a disabled player. 

You can’t learn everything in half a day, of course. It’s a skill I aim to continue developing through practice and future study.

ITTF Course – Final day

On the final day, we had to take part in a practical test, which would decide whether we’d pass the course or not. 

We were distributed into random pairs and given one topic we’d studied in the course. We’d then have to explain that topic plus one related exercise to the whole class, who would act as our students. 

My partner and I had the “grip, basic stance, and lateral movement” topic, which was probably the hardest, as we had just 9 minutes to think about how to explain the 3 topics and create an exercise that involved all of them.

My partner and I didn’t have enough time to agree upon everything we’d say, so we had to improvise at the end. 

Fortunately, we did very well and were told we passed the course. We were the second group to do the final examination, so we spent the rest of the afternoon acting as students for our classmates, doing the exercises they gave us. 

We were very happy that we’d passed the course and we’d now have a few hours of doing table tennis exercises and socializing with our coursemates.

After everything was done, I came back home, and, as I opened the door, I realized I was feeling a bit gloomy. 

I had an exam at university the following day, and the coaching course was done. 

There would be no more days full of table tennis, no more socializing, no more basketball, no more learning to be had, no more fun. I was now back to the routine.

Here, I learned the final lesson: I wanted to make what I felt in the course my routine. What if I was able to open a table tennis club, or live off of my passion in other ways? After all, I’m an ITTF coach now!

I realized that table tennis is my passion and that I want to dedicate my life to the sport, regardless of whether it’s as a player, as a coach, or whatever. It’d be a dream come true for me if I could help the sport grow in any way I can.

My Personal Learnings

I believe that what’s taught in the ITTF coaching course is great, but what’s even better is what you can take from the whole experience. 

In the course, there were a few guys who just showed up, did the bare minimum, passed the course, and went home. 

In my opinion, if you’re going to do the ITTF coaching course, you have to take full advantage of the most important thing: Having 5 full days to share talks and moments with 30 other people who are passionate about table tennis. 

Alvaro's ITTF Course

In the end, as a table tennis coach, you’ll be socializing all the time. Learning from other people, making friends, and sharing a common passion are among the most fulfilling things in life.

So, here are the most important things I learned, other than the contents of the course:

  • Everyone deserves to learn, improve, and have fun. As coaches, we have the privilege of being able to help this happen.
  • We have to ask our players how they feel to understand them better and cater to their specific wants and needs.
  • I won’t ever be tired if I’m eager to live the day. Table tennis helps me want to live my days.
  • I should share my passion for table tennis, as it’s one of the best things in my life.
  • I would love to make table tennis a central part of my routine.

To finalize this article, I want to invite all of you to do the same task I did in the course, write 3 words that best describe yourself, your personal motto, and, if you want, share why you play table tennis with all of us 🙂

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The Controller
Alvaro Munno - Table Tennis Player & Author

Alvaro’s a qualified ITTF Level 1 Coach who's been playing Table Tennis since he was 15 and is now ranked within the top 50 in his native Argentina. He loves to compete in provincial tournaments and is always looking for ways to improve. Alvaro made his favorite memories with a racket in hand, and he joined the RacketInsight team to share his passion with other players!

Blade: Butterfly Fan Zhendong ALC | Forehand: Butterfly Dignics 09c | Backhand: Butterfly Tenergy 19
Playstyle: The Controller

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