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PROMINENT PLAYER IN THE EUROPEAN VETERAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

Famous names from abroad include Dragutin Surbek, the ‘Zagreb tiger’, former USSR international Anatoly Amelin, now representing Russia, the Dane Nils Ramberg and, last but not least, Erich Arndt of Germany. Here is a profile of this former German national champion.

Personal details

Erich Arndt, resident in Mörfelden-Walldorf; born in Frankfurt am Main in May 1938.

Important table tennis achievements

1962: European Championships in Berlin: mens’singles runner-up

1963: World Championships in Prague: 3^rd in team championship representing West Germany

Multiple West German champion

1988: World Veteran Championships, Zagreb: Over-50 mens’singles runner-up

What do you expect from the EuropeanVeteran Championships in Rotterdam?

“I do not enter World and European Veteran Championships to win titles. The most important thing for me is that I make friends at these events. And meet old friends again. The fact that I have enjoyable meetings with my former opponents in ‘normal’ World and European Championships is something special. I think the European and World Veteran Championships are great. Some 2500 men and women players from all over Europe or the world congregate. No matter that they’re not all top players. Every table-tennis player can play at his or her own level.

Ï’ve been playing table-tennis for over 55 years. The enormous amount of training and match play have taken their toll: I now have serious problems with the ligaments in my playing (left) arm. So you will understand that it’s now purely a question of taking part. A further point is that, in my age-group (65-69 years), every other player plays with a ‘Neubauer’ bat or something similar. These are bats that reverse spins. This means that, if you play a topspin shot, or serve with backspin, you get your own topspin or backspin back. If, as a topspin player, you don’t practise enough against these bats, you have no chance of getting anywhere. That’s my position now. But, as I said, simply being there is what it’s all about as far as I’m concerned.”

You were one of the first famous ‘looping drivers’(now known as topspin players). What bat and rubber do you use these days?

“For many years I have been playing with an attacking Joola bat with 2.5 mm Butterfly Sriver FX on both sides.”

We now play games to 11 points. You have played games to 21 points all your life. With all your experience, which do you prefer?

“I would rather go back to games to 21. In games to 11, players with a good service are at a disadvantage. In games to 21 points you have five consecutive services with which to catch up on your opponent; now the service changes every two points, a 60% disadvantage.”

Do you have any ideas on how to make table-tennis more popular?

“I regret to say that table tennis is treated as a B sport (‘fringe sport type’). I don’t know why, exactly. One thing is clear: table-tennis is not attractive enough for the media. I think this is because it is too fast. I have the following suggestions to slow the sport down:

1. The rubbers are too fast these days. That’s why there are no longer any defenders. I should like the sponge thickness to be restricted to 2 mm total: 1 mm on each side of the bat. Defenders would then be in with a chance again. I believe that about one in three players is a defender by nature.

2. When serving, the ball may not be thrown up higher than head height; this would reduce the maximum falling speed of the ball. The ball should fall in front of the body and so be well visible. Serving from the side of  the body should be banned.

3. Glueing-up immediately before a match should be banned – also because of air pollution. Glueing speeds up the ball considerably; the speed should be reduced.”

Thank-you for the interview; see you in Rotterdam!

“I’m looking forward to it!

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