A robot called Chanson

M. APARNA, a bright prospect in the National junior category (India No. 5), and one who trains at the Medimix-Chandra Table Tennis Academy in Chennai, never gets tired of talking about the Robot - Chanson machine - which was installed at the Academy in March this year.

``This Machine has been of immense use to me. I practise everyday for about 25 minutes. Earlier my wrists were not releasing much, now after practising rallies with Chanson, I am able to move my wrists freely. My footwork is better now. I am happy to have the machine at my Academy. It is very effective,'' raves Aparna.

Sangeetha, National sub-junior No. 2, remarked that the robot has helped improve her speed. ``I have improved my backhand jabs, top spin. Overall it has made my game better.''

The Medimix-Chandra Table tennis Academy - run by Mr. V. Chandrasekar, a former national champion and India player - is one of the premier coaching centres in the State which has been instrumental in producing players like N. R. Indu, M. S. Mythili, both of whom are representing India in the Commonwealth Games.

The Academy is also regularly churning out players who are doing the country proud in the sub-junior and junior levels.

Chandrasekar was only too glad to accept the Robot donated by one of his ward's parents. ``I am sure this is the only one of its kind operational in India,'' asserted Chandrasekar.

The Taiwan made machine which is stationary at one side of the table, helps the player to practise and perfect strokes from the other side. It is four and half feet in height, has a container like structure at the top, where 200 balls of 30mm can be stored. With the help of electricity, the ball travels through the hole, and spouts out from the cylinder at various speed levels and frequencies with various spin - left- up spin, right-up spin, down lift spin, right spin, down hand spin, etc. The speed and frequency are adjusted by a remote. While the minimum is 10 miles per hour, the maximum speed is 60-75.

Ashok Kumar, co-ordinator and coach of Chandra Academy who assembled the machine with help from G. Purushothaman another coach, feels that the machine can be put to use best by top players.

``It is very useful for up-coming and advanced players. The normal speed at which the ball travels even the top players might sometimes find it difficult to adjust. Nevertheless it helps build strength and also analyse the opponent's game better. It also helps in eye-co-ordination and return of serve.'' According to Ashok Kumar, the price of the machine is around Rs. one lakh.

Ashok Kumar added that the machine would improve the speed and consistency of the player, and aid in stroke correction.``It will definitely help in improving the overall consistency and reflex of the players, said V.Chandrasekar. Admitting that the machine will act as a glamour item, he said it would help improve the standard of the game.

Chandra was candid enough to say that players' intrinsic ball sense, and match play would help in knowing how much the machine has helped them. ``Yes, at the end of the day, it will boil down to how well the player plays in match situations,'' he said. Emphasising that it would be of greater use in future, Chandrasekar said that those players who practised with the machine would definitely have an edge over the others. There are many aspects of the machine which are yet to be figured out. ``The brochure is in a language we don't know. So, we have sent it (brochure) to the Chinese Embassy for translation and are expecting a reply soon,'' said V. Chandrasekar. ``We are now working on a trial and error method.''

It's built-in capacity gives no choice to the players in picking the pattern of play. ``One cannot play a backhand, forehand, and then a top spin with it. You have to play to a specific pattern,'' says Aparna, reflecting on the drawbacks of the machine.

A similar kind of machine called Robo-Pong was used at the Santhome Higher Secondary School in Chennai for close to two years. ``It was very effective and useful for beginners and seniors,'' said R. Hari, a former India player, who was one of the coaches of the Santhome Tristar Table Tennis Training Centre, with Pallavi, and N. Ravichandran.

But it is a pity that the Robo-Pong machine is no longer in use. That brings us to the point of imported machines not being put to maximum use due to lack of expertise.

Mr. D. V. Sundar, Secretary, Tamil Nadu Table Tennis Association, (TNTTA), feels that the danger of having such a machine is that whenever there occurs a problem, it is put in cold storage and never used again. ``How they put this (Chanson machine) to use and how they sustain it remains to be seen,'' said Mr. D. V. Sundar.

But one thing everybody accepts is that machines like these will play a major role in table tennis in future, if judiciously used.

K. KEERTHIVASAN

Chennai

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