TABLE TENNIS COACH HAS WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31107, 9 July 1966, Page 11

TABLE TENNIS COACH HAS WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE

(CANTERBURY was the first table tennis association in New Zealand to appoint its own director of coaching and in Mr T. R. D. Flint it has a man with probably more qualifications to

coach than anyone else in New Zealand.

Mr Flint, aged 41, has been actively engaged in playing and coaching since 1940.

Although never New Zealand singles champion, he was runner-up in 1953 and held a New Zealand ranking for six years. In 1951 he went with the unofficial New Zealand team to the world table tennis championships at Vienna and, during his career, played against no less than 10 world champions. In 1964 his active career ended when he suffered a muscle injury in his back, and he promptly turned to coaching. As well as being official coach to the Canterbury Table Tennis Association, he is also a senior selector and an ex-officio member of the executive.

He played inter-club table tennis for Selwyn and Linwood, and was a member of a championship winning team 13 times. He now coaches official squads of about 70 young players between the ages of 10 and 18. He is a recommended coach by the New Zealand Table Tennis Association, having coached all over New Zealand, and coached the

New Zealand junior boys’ squad in Christchurch earlier in the winter. Mr Flint described the fundamentals of the game as: “A good grip is important above all else. If a player has the correct grip you can build from there but if he has not there will be weaknesses in his game. “Body-work and foot-work are vital. “I place the greatest emphasis on attack. “The Asian type of play is the best. This involves a short backswing with the body balanced on a swinging knee movement.” Mr Flint said he hoped to raise the general level of play in Canterbury by working with numbers rather than a few individuals. Canterbury had a greater number of juniors of a good stan-

dard than any other association. “Last year we lost 11 players from the junior ranks but we are still strong,” he said. “K. Ward has still another year in junior ranks and most of the others have even longer. “R. Mitchell and K. Ward are the most promising juniors Canterbury has had in the last two years. Mitchell, who won three New Zealand junior titles last year, had the greatest potential but he is now in Scotland. Ward has made a fantastic improvement to rise from C grade to the Canterbury team in one year.” Mr Flint said Canterbury’s juniors had very good prospects of being nationally ranked players because their strokes were being properly moulded. He will control a coaching

clinic at 10 a.m. today. Circulars have been sent to secondary schools and the clinic will be open to all secondary school pupils, with demonstrations by some of Christchurch's leading players. It is the first clinic of its type to be held in Christchurch and will last for two hours. Club coaches will receive instruction at the same time.