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Amy Wang Talks Stepping Up from Developing to Professional Level

Amy Wang Talks Stepping Up from Developing to Professional Level

Amy Wang is a household name in US table tennis. A 2-time US National Champion and 2-time US Open Champion in Women’s Singles. She is also the current Pan American Champion, and is ranked 37 in the world.

We caught up with Amy and talked more about her experience lifting her game to the professional level.

“Transitioning from a developing player to a professional athlete in table tennis has presented significant challenges. The most pivotal among them is the arduous demands on time management,” says Wang. Balancing education and training has been a task which Amy has juggled over many years. Wang has experienced this through High School - when representing the USA as a junior, and now in her senior years and studying at UCLA.

With scarce time for training, it becomes crucial that you spent that time focusing on the most vital areas.

One of the main focus shifts in her playing career from her time as an aspiring player to being at a more advanced level, was going from establishing a consistent training schedule to hone technical skills, to focusing more on gaining tournament experiencing and strategic analysis of her own game, and her opponents.

Wang attributes this focus on tournament experience as the biggest catalyst for improvement in her game. Learning from setbacks and defeats encountered along the way and her own strengths and weaknesses in matches allowed her to understand herself better as a player and make improvements to her game.

“The intense competitive environment forced me to confront the areas which needed work in a very direct and tangible way. Losing difficult matches is painful in the moment. It does provide invaluable lessons which are very motivating when it comes to fortifying weaknesses,” she reflects.

“The wins on the other hand validate my strengths and strategies I should replicate in future.”

Amy Wang’s playing style has certainly become a curiosity among table tennis enthusiasts. She brings an incredibly relaxed game style which centers on exceptionally smooth topspin countering and pinpoint placement and angles. Amy’s game could be likened to former Korean great Oh Sang Eun. This playing style certainly sets her aside in the women’s game. She also brings incredible speed and early timing with it, and excellent serve receive.

Wang believes new players should take the time to have a strong focus on technical fundamentals. These lay the groundwork for future progress therefore it’s important to finetune good habits and master the mechanics.

As players develop further she says ball control, footwork and body positioning become important parts of those technical developments.

It is clear over recent years that Amy’s understanding of the game is at a very high level. Each shot carefully calculated and each tactic executed with intention. Amy Wang is known for showing very little reaction or emotion on the table. Inside her head it is very evident that there is a lot going on strategically.

Reaching high levels in table tennis is a lot of hard work. Amy says it’s important to stay present. She cites enjoying the ride as much as the destination. The moments of laughter with teammates. The excitement of big tournaments. The pride of representing your country. Above all these are all things you should cherish in the moment.



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