One sport at the forefront of technological development is table tennis. Jon Pett has been Coach Education Manager at the English Table Tennis Association (ETTA) for about 19 months and has introduced a series of groundbreaking changes. Many ETTA coaches now use Dartfish, a video-based performance analysis tool.
‘Even in the first 14 months of having this in place, it is already having an impact on player development,’ Jon says. ‘There’s a long way to go, in that it’s being used in some areas of the country more than others, but it has massive potential.’
Another innovation being used to great success in table tennis is the online player logbook. This can record everything from players’ training information, goal setting, competitions they have played in, and injury/illness, to the equipment they use. Alongside this, a new free iPhone app will allow players to continue to log their progress wherever they are in the world, even when they do not have Internet or wireless access. When they get back home, they can simply sync the app to the online logbook and upload all the statistics they entered while they were away.
‘We realise that we now need to produce short, snappy information that’s high quality and still accessible for everyone.’ There are yet more plans to use technology to aid recruitment and communication in the sport of table tennis. The Resource Finder – a portal that will allow people to find their nearest club, tournaments and coaches – is set to go live. The system even allows players to search for coaches with particular qualifications or experience, how much they charge, where they work etc.
‘Rather than us doing all the admin to go and find coaches for players, they can use this resource and find them directly for themselves, and build up a personal relationship much more quickly. As a result, from the recruitment and deployment side of things, it gives coaches much more incentive to work.’ ETTA has also been working with Cambridge media and technology firm Into Sport to develop a learning management system for coaches, whereby they can log in to a secure online area and create their own profile, keep track of their qualifications and experience, book courses, and ensure their licensing documentation is up to date without having to bother with paperwork or postage. The resource will also include videos detailing the latest news, information and events.
‘It’s effectively a one-stop shop for coach management. We’re trying to give coaches more ownership, pride and a will to develop – and reducing admin in our offices helps us to help them with what they need.’
This will link in with an interactive resource CD featuring a number of short ‘how to’ screencasts to help people understand the technology and how it will help them achieve essential new qualifications. There are hopes that, in the not too distant future, this sort of technology will be available on the iPad and other tablet platforms so coaches can literally take their knowledge to the table.
But while this is undoubtedly going to drive all sport forward in the 21st century, is it technology for technology’s sake? Jon said he had met with some resistance from table tennis coaches, many of whom are over 55 and not necessarily au fait with all things digital. And while it might sound harsh, the recruitment work being done in universities by sports coach UK, SkillsActive and the Higher Education Advisory Board points towards a drive to get younger coaches out into communities as they may be more on board with the technology and appeal more to younger players.
‘It’s about trying to tailor what we’re doing to the newer audience while also making sure that we’re providing – through things such as the screencasts – for the older audience and ensuring that they can keep up. There is a danger that we’re moving too fast for them.’
Jon hopes, though, that coaches will see the benefits of having so many resources available to them (for a nominal annual fee) far outweigh any negatives. ‘The biggest challenge for me is changing the culture. Table tennis has always been a sport where no one has spent money on anything. It’s a challenge, and one that I’m hoping technology will win.’
And there does, of course, need to be a good balance between using such technology and actually getting out on to the field. Sitting for hours on end at a computer screen is obviously the antithesis of sporting activity so the key is to make the technology work for you. It’s there to speed you up – not slow you down.
> Find out more about all the developments at the England Table Tennis Assocation.
This article has been taken from issue 24 of Coaching Edge – the UK’s leading coaching magazine dedicated to sports coaching. Find out more about Coaching Edge.
