Behind the scenes at the World Team Championships in London
- emmattcoach
- May 10
- 3 min read
Spending a week behind the scenes with the England team during the World Table Tennis Championships was a privilege that offered a fascinating insight into what truly separates the very best players and nations in the world from everyone else.
As a coach and player myself, it is easy to watch elite table tennis from the stands or on television and appreciate the incredible skill on show. But being given full access to the training hall and preparation areas alongside the England squad allowed me to see something far more revealing — the habits, intensity and professionalism that underpin world-class performance.
One of the first things that immediately stood out was the sheer scale of support surrounding the Chinese team. Their operation was unlike anything else in the hall. At times it felt as though every player had their own personal coach as well as a dedicated knocking partner. During drills, there would often be a player positioned in each corner of the table simply collecting balls to keep the intensity of the exercise flowing without interruption.
All of this took place under the watchful eyes of two of the greatest players the sport has ever seen — Wang Hao overseeing the men and Ma Lin leading the women. Even as an observer, it was impossible not to feel slightly intimidated watching two multiple Olympic and World champions calmly overseeing sessions with such authority and attention to detail.
There was also a moment that perfectly captured the scale of the environment I was in. While doing some multiball with one of the England players, I glanced across to the next table where Wang Chuqin was effortlessly ripping forehand and backhand loops with unbelievable pace and consistency. Watching one of the best players in the world operate from only a few metres away was genuinely awe-inspiring and, if I am honest, brought a slight sense of imposter syndrome. It was a real reminder of the level these athletes consistently perform at.
What struck me most, however, was that many of the drills themselves were not especially complicated. In fact, much of what I watched would look familiar to club and league players across the country. The difference was not necessarily the drill — it was the quality and intensity with which it was executed.
I watched Sun Yingsha spend close to 30 minutes repeatedly practising backhand loops against backspin before moving into topspin multiball work at a relentless pace. The precision barely dropped despite the intensity. Every ball had purpose. Every movement was explosive.
The same could be said across the training hall. Sabine Winter was repeatedly working on her timing and control around anti-spin blocking. Félix Lebrun and Alexis Lebrun were producing ferocious loop-to-loop rallies at full intensity, seemingly refusing to ease off for even a moment.
And then there was Tomokazu Harimoto. Long before you saw him, you could hear him. His trademark energy and volume made him impossible to miss in the training hall, bringing an unmistakable intensity to every session he took part in.
Watching all of this up close reinforced something that is often said about elite sport — the margins are incredibly small, but the standards are unbelievably high. The consistency, focus and discipline required to operate at that level every single day is extraordinary.
Of course, the Chinese dominance in table tennis is no secret. Their record of Olympic and World titles speaks for itself. But what I perhaps had not fully appreciated until this event was just how famous and admired these players are within Chinese culture.
Outside the team hotel, spectators would gather for hours simply hoping to catch a glimpse of their heroes or take a photograph. The players were treated more like rockstars than athletes. That same adulation carried into the arena, where huge sections of the crowd passionately supported the Chinese team throughout the competition. In many matches, the atmosphere was driven almost entirely by Chinese supporters chanting and cheering every point.
It created an incredible spectacle and highlighted just how deeply embedded table tennis is within Chinese sporting culture.
For me personally, the week was hugely inspiring. To observe the very best players in the world preparing, training and competing at such close quarters was an invaluable experience. It reinforced many of the core principles that coaches talk about all the time — quality repetition, discipline, intensity and attention to detail — but seeing them applied at the absolute highest level gave those ideas a whole new meaning.
It was also a reminder that while talent is essential, world-class performance is built upon relentless habits and an uncompromising work ethic. Behind every spectacular rally seen in the arena are thousands upon thousands of balls practised in training halls long before the lights come on.
And after spending a week immersed in that environment, it became very clear why the world’s best are exactly that.
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