Ping-Pong or Up and Down?!

It all started one evening with "Enough! I want to learn some sport!" and what followed was a trip to the Paradise Sachdev sports shop. One friend who learns lawn tennis also wanted to buy tennis shoes so he accompanied me. I purchased two table tennis bats and ping pong balls with the help of his expert advice. I knew he knew TT very well and I managed to convince him that he was to be my coach :D! I had well imagined his plight, but I was all set for learning table tennis, so I did not care.

My first lesson - Tracks on - Head band on :P (this was just to prevent hair falling on forehead and nothing more). Any passers by would have probably thought I was a professional till he saw me in the table tennis room at my apartment basement. Sam was really impressed to see me hold the bat so well for the first time. He did not know I already knew how to hold a bat - some friends in school had shown it to me once. "Why should I tell him that?".

After a few minutes spent in explaining how the bat should be positioned and how my strokes should be we started the game. I learned how to serve pretty well. I missed almost all the shots I was supposed to hit back and even if I hit them God knows where they were going. The pathetic look on Sam's face was like "Please dont do this to me!". I could not help it. I was spent in going up and down to fetch the ping pong ball for all the shots I was missing. He would have killed me if I told him then that I was happy I was atleast working out in the process and thereby not wasting my time!. Poor Sam!His only mistake was he came with me till the sports shop!
His bad luck, not my fault! :D

As if I wanted to make him feel a little less bad, I decided on concentrating more into the game. And I did play reasonably well. Better that what I was five minutes back. He got back his interest in teaching me. He kept on correcting me where I was going wrong especially in the way I was hitting back. But I was learning and we both were enjoying it I could feel.

There is a long long way to go and I want to learn this game well. I dont dream of being a state level champ but yes, I want to learn it seriously. Especially when I have everything at my disposal - the TT table right there in my apartment and more importantly a brilliant coach and friend like Sam. Thanks so much.

The table tennis board is no longer just another object in the basement I look by. I long to come back to in the the evening everday.
P.S - This is what my "Coach" emailed to me ::

"First day was great, good job! Hang in there and you'd be moving very fast, very soon."