The Bhutan Table Tennis Federation has started its preparations for next year’s South Asian Youth championships. The federation is currently conducting a weeklong training camp for young table tennis players with potential. Twelve participants aged between 12 and 22 are taking part in the training camp which started last Friday.
This group of youths are spending their school summer break with the chance to fully immerse themselves in their passion, table tennis. But come next year, this could lead to something even bigger.
The weeklong training camp aims to prepare young table tennis players for the 2025 South Asian Youth Table Tennis Championships.
The training camp is led by former national player turned coach, Namgay Dorji, who is eager to pass on his experience to the younger generation.
“Our main aim in conducting these trainings is to prepare this age group to possibly represent us next year at the IF or South Asia regional tournaments.”
Coach Namgay says he is working on enhancing the players’ reaction speed, footwork, and reflex and hand-eye coordination.
According to the national coach, the participants include one from Haa while the rest are from Thimphu.
“Training camps help us both physically and mentally. Table tennis is not just about physical play, it requires strategic thinking in serving and receiving the ball. Regarding table tennis tournaments, other than in-country, we are also aiming for international tournaments,” said Tandin Wangmo, a table tennis player.
“To be honest, I believe the duration of this training camp is short. In just one week, we can’t become perfect. However, with our interest and dedication, we can still learn quickly and improve our skills,” said Utam Kafley, another table tennis player.
The participants shared that summer and winter breaks are ideal for practice as they get more training time. During the current training camp, players train for around seven hours, compared to about three hours during school days.
While it is challenging to fully dedicate oneself to any craft or sport, these table tennis players exemplify the passion and discipline required to excel.
Tenzin Loday Gyeltshen
Edited by Yeshi Gyaltshen
