So imagine this situation: You switch on the television, you are
swapping through the channels and to your surprise, they are showing
table tennis. Excited, you immediately take your seat on your most
comfortable couch and watch passionately. So what are the first few
things you notice? Who’s playing, what tournament it is, what’s the
score, and of course how the players look! Deny that, but yes, everyone
does notice that. And if that spectator is not from the table tennis
family, he/she would rather change the channel than watch paddlers
lazily struggling to reach the other end of the table carrying huge
weight on the tummy in ill-fitted attire.
Table Tennis is not
widely shown on television, but when it is, isn’t it our responsibility
to portray a good image of our sport to the world? Sadly, we are not
working on this. We do take the liberty to blame the media that it
ignores our sport, but what are we doing as players to increase the
popularity of our sport which is so beautiful?
Interestingly,
during the Commonwealth Games in July 2014, all the important matches
were telecasted on Ten Sports. DD Sport covers most of our National
Ranking tournaments. The National Championship is shown live all 7 days!
Now, ask yourself, the same question.
As players, I feel it’s our duty to sell our sport in a positive way.
Here’s what we can work on:
1. ON THE TABLE BEHAVIOUR
This
one is quiet self explanatory. Nobody would like to watch two people
playing, but not fighting hard enough to win a point. It does not matter
if you are playing in seniors or juniors or sub juniors, its fun to
watch the game when both the players are fighting their nerves out to
win each and every point. The killer eyes, the pumping fists, the body
language of a warrior and the ‘fighting till the end attitude’ is what
is expected out of a sportsperson. Sad and dull behaviour is not at all
interesting to watch. Well, I don’t mean drama here, but don’t we love
the way Sharath Kamal fights with a killer attitude for each and every
point? Amalraj’s epic jump after winning the semis finals of men's doubles
in the CWG 2014 has made him famous all over. It was an involuntary
act, not planned at all, but his picture was posted all over social
media and in all the major newspapers the next two days. Well, this
topic is quiet sensitive as how one behaves on the table is one's
personal choice. Some like to show, some don’t. But majorly, a positive
and aggressive body language brings in some interest and excitement for
the audience too. You must be able to engage the audience. It’s no fun
to play if there is nobody to watch. Nobody likes empty galleries. Isn’t
it? For the just concluded National Ranking Championship held in
Indore, DD Sports telecasted the finals live. It was so interesting to
watch both Mouma Das and S.Pooja fight hard for each and every point.
Mouma is a silent one, but Pooja is expressive. Yet, I couldn’t take my
eyes off the screen. That’s the beauty of on the table behaviour. And
that’s how we can engage the audience and do our bit to promote the
sport we love so dearly.
 |
| THE FAMOUS JUMP! |
 |
| AGGRESSIVE KAMAL!! |
2. ON THE TABLE LOOK
We
as Indians have improved on our technique, tactically we are good, and
we are hard workers, then why are we still not able to compete with the
best in the world? It’s because of the Physical Fitness level. Yes, we
have ignored this aspect of the game since a long time now. It is
hampering our personal development as a player on one hand, and the
image of the game on the other. Why do I say the image of the game? Well
its sport what we are doing, and the basic requirement to play any
sport is to be physically fit. Nobody would appreciate tyres coming out
from the sides; everyone goes mad over six packs. All racquet sports
demand high fitness levels. When tennis, badminton and squash can do it,
then why not table tennis? I felt the difference when I was at the
Asian Games, and frankly, we are nowhere near them. Sportspersons are
all beautiful looking people. No I don’t mean the colour of the skin or a
pretty face, but it’s the glow on their faces and the beautiful bodies
they posses, which I personally feel is an asset. Being physically fit
increases your confidence. And of course, when you are not struggling to
move from one end to the other, you naturally rise above all. And then
it’s fun for the spectator too. I don’t mean work for somebody else, but
all I want to convey is that work for yourself and your sport and you
will feel the difference. I did, I am 6 kgs lighter than last year, I
feel confident, I m moving well on the table and of course, the
compliments! Who dosent like them?
Another important aspect of on
the table look is the choice of clothing. Ill fitted clothes don’t give a
positive image to the world. Invest in it if you can. Experiment with
colours, and a little bit of fashion here and there dosent hurt.
Especially for girls, try skirts. They are comfortable and they look
great! (It’s my personal experience, I feel much more confident after
losing weight and switching to skirts). Again this is a personal choice
and depends on what one is comfortable in, but I am just sharing my own
views. But look good and bring in some glamour. I’d like to tell you
all, that all the major clubs in Europe demand the girls to wear skirts
for the league matches. This is just one of the marketing strategies
they have adopted which is working well.
We can debate on this for
hours together. But then, Saina Nehwal is often spotted in shorts and
Sania Mirza always in skirts, yet both look equally amazing while
playing. It’s the on the court look. Saina is super fit and Sania is
super hot!
3. INTERACTION WITH THE MEDIA
Well,
it’s sad and true that our events are not as widely covered in the
print and electronic media as we expect them to be. But when the
National tournaments are conducted in smaller cities, I have often
experienced that the print media surely covers table tennis. Also, in a
few major cities like Pune, Kolkata, Chennai, Indore, etc even the
district and state tournaments are widely covered by the media. We must
appreciate the State Associations for making a good effort. The TTFI has
also been working on this lately and there is surely a positive change
now. But again, as players, are we doing our bit? When the media comes
to talk to us, regardless of what newspaper or news channel it is, we
must be able to talk to them properly. We must entertain them and should
be able to convey our thoughts and views clearly. There is no room for
any hesitation. I don’t mean use superficial English. I love the way the
wrestlers from Haryana talk so well in Hindi. It’s not about the
language; it’s about your ability to express. It’s sad but true that
even our top players who have frequent interaction with the media are
unable to do it properly. We must, therefore, as players make a conscious effort to elevate the level of the game during our personal and social interactions. As times are changing so must our tools of promotion. It’s our duty to sell our sport whenever and
wherever we get an opportunity to do so.
Table Tennis is a
beautiful game and is widely played in India. It has given so much to
each one of us. It’s our duty to promote our game. We must feel that
responsibility. And it’s not the top 20-30 players I am talking to, it’s
an appeal to the entire table tennis fraternity of India.
Understand. Relate. Introspect. Act. If not now, then when?
