Table Tennis England Coach Developer Aad Kwakkelstein tapped into his vast coaching network to bring some Dutch flavour to September’s coaching tip, from professional coach and Dutch Eredivisie player Jochem de Hoop.

Jochem De Hoop is a Dutch professional coach and the founder of TT4YOU, the coaching organisation he launched in October 2014. Based in the Netherlands, Jochem shares his knowledge as both a player and trainer with athletes of all ages and abilities. He has looked after the Dutch Junior Boys at the European Youth Championships in recent years, supporting some of the country’s most promising young athletes on the international stage.

He played a key role in the early development of Gabrielius Camara, Dutch Senior National Champion, currently ranked among Europe’s top 10 U21 players and continues to support him on the international pathway.

Over the past decade, Jochem has become widely recognised for his expertise in organising high quality training camps. TT4YOU now delivers multiple national and international camps annually, including collaborations with centres in Denmark and beyond Europe including trips to Thailand and Japan, giving players unique international development opportunities.

The flagship event of his programme is the International Summer Training Camp at TTV Scyedam in Schiedam, now one of the largest table tennis camps in Europe. This year the camp welcomed around 180 players across three intensive weeks, combining structured training, physical preparation, matchplay.

Jochem’s tip(s) of the month –

Tip 1 – Create an environment that supports long term development

A key part of successful player development is helping athletes understand that improvement is a long-term process. Every training session, every match, every setback and every success is part of that journey.

In table tennis, we have all seen players with great potential — strong physical qualities, high training volumes, and impressive early progress — who eventually dropped out because the balance was not right. Training hard is important, but training with purpose and keeping enjoyment alive are essential for progress.

The tip is to encourage players to focus on the process rather than immediate outcomes. Help them see each session as a small step forward and create an environment that supports both ambition and fun. At TT4YOU camps, bringing together enthusiastic and motivated players — supported by a strong team of coaches who genuinely enjoy working with them — helps build a positive atmosphere around a shared passion for table tennis. That motivation rubs off both ways: the coaches’ energy lifts the players and the players’ enthusiasm gives energy back to the coaches. Sustainable development comes from consistency, motivation and a love for the sport.

Tip 2 – Under pressure movement Stops: train footwork in all directions

When players feel tension, they often tighten up and stop moving. Their footwork disappears, they become rigid and they struggle to get into the right position for the next ball. Footwork is the foundation of every stroke — without good movement, technique and timing fall apart.

The tip is simple, focus on the legs in drills and in practice matches. That means more than just moving sideways. Players must learn to move forwards, backwards, to step in, to step out and to stay active in all directions. If they build the habit of “legs first”, they will maintain good positioning, even under pressure, leading to more consistent and confident play.

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