THE ATENEO men’s and women’s table tennis teams have struggled in the past few years, most recently finishing at the bottom of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) standings in Season 78.

With a new UAAP season on the horizon, however, the blue and lady paddlers have nothing to lose as they gear up for the start of UAAP Table Tennis tournament, as they look to redeem themselves and improve from their past results.

Training on the table  

Men’s Team Captain David Dayao notes that some of their training patterns have been based on that of the national team. From mainly focusing on using forehand as their offensive weapon, they are now practicing on backhand attacks as well. “I’ve seen some of the patterns we do here [in training] that they do also in the national team,” the fourth year veteran said, referring to the training patterns in the teams’ “many-balls” training.

“Many-balls” is a type of training where players are fed several balls in quick succession to hone one’s reflexes, instinct and muscle memory—skills that are crucial in a high-paced sport that requires split-second reaction times such as table tennis.  Coach Mario Breiva adds that this type of training is being used not only in the Philippine national team but also by world champions. “Malaking improvement daw pag ‘many-balls’ [The ‘many-balls’ type of training makes a big improvement],” said Breiva.

Prepping for the UAAP tournament

In order to develop their mental strength and apply the skills they learn in training, the team tries to invite other schools for a set of tune-up games at least twice a month. “[The] tune-up game is like a tournament simulation against a different team,” Dayao said. In these games, the players are exposed to pressure in a more competitive setting.

Moreover, the team joined competitions such as the Eastern Cup National Table Tennis Tournament and the P&G Philippine National Games to prepare them for the high-intensity level of play and pressure in the UAAP while giving them a chance to gauge their performance against other UAAP rivals as well.

From these competitions and tune-up games, Dayao observed that the team’s competitiveness has improved. On occasion the team has been able to beat other UAAP teams while in other instances they fall short. However, this is still a sign of improvement. “Compared to the past years, the players have been able to compete on the same level as the other UAAP teams,” he said.

Forging a culture of solidarity in the team

Aside from adjustments in training that were meant to polish the skill set of the players, the blue and lady paddlers also had their own team building to build values of teamwork and unity, that will enable them to develop and improve team dynamics.

“Usually what we try to achieve before the season starts is to be able to form good connections with each player para maging complementary kami pagdating ng UAAP (so we’ll be complementary when the UAAP tournament starts),” Dayao said. Team chemistry is vital in every team-based sport but the alternating nature of the doubles competition in the UAAP especially requires a solid foundation of chemistry among the players, which is what the team building looks to develop.

Aside from welcoming the rookies of the team, the team building also cultivates values within existing members of the team. One of the programs in the team was an open forum where issues within the team come up and the players get a chance to express their thoughts and acknowledge their faults. “In that sense nakikilala mo sila not only in terms of sino sila sa table but who they really are (In that sense you get to know them beyond who they are on the table),” said women’s Team Captain Nikki Reyes.

Moreover, the team building is also a chance for the players to bond with the coaching staff. In Coach Mario Breiva’s first year as the coach of the Ateneo Table Tennis teams, Dayao admitted that the players had to adjust to a new coaching style. “[Last year] we had to adjust to [the new coaching staff],” Dayao said. “But we recently had our team building and I saw naman the team dynamics changed for the better.”

After the conclusion of Season 78, the Ateneo table tennis teams needed to make a lot of adjustments. With several changes made both on and off the table since then, the Blue and Lady Eagles look set to an improved performance in the UAAP Season 79 Table Tennis tournament.