Singapore's new men's head coach Alain Chen watching the national paddlers in training yesterday. He is a former vice-captain of the Chinese national team. -- ST PHOTO: LIM WUI LIANG
THE aim: For Singapore's top male table tennis players to join the ranks of the world's elite.
The man tasked to do it: Alain Chen Pingxi, the new head coach of the men's national team.
'Every coach wants a bigger stage on which to prove himself. So, when Singapore came along, I said yes because I was eager to lead a national side.'
The 47-year-old former vice-captain of the Chinese national team oversaw his first training session yesterday morning, putting the likes of Gao Ning and Yang Zi through their paces at the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA) headquarters in Toa Payoh.
The Szechuan native, who is now a French citizen, recently inked a two-year deal with the association.
His appointment follows the departure of former head coach Liu Guodong, who was in charge of both the men and women's squads.
The STTA is still in the process of finalising who to pick to lead the women's team, who won a silver medal at the Beijing Olympics last August.
The men's team, in contrast, were eliminated in the group stage. In the singles, neither Gao nor Yang progressed beyond the fourth round.
Chen is aiming to improve on that.
He said: 'It's too early to talk about fixed targets, but all I can say is that I want good performances from my players. I want them to improve on their previous results.'
But the long-term objective, said STTA president Lee Bee Wah, is to help the players advance in their individual world rankings.
It is hoped that Gao, now ranked 21st in the world, will eventually break into the top 10, while Yang (39th) achieves a top-20 position.
This will, in turn, help the Singapore men improve on their team ranking of 12th.
Chen's resume fits the job's description. He has played at the highest level of the sport, alongside Chinese legends like two-time singles world champion Jiang Jialiang.
While he may not have had Liu's Olympic experience, he was a coach in France's Super League for 14 years.
His recent years were spent in China, where he coached the Chengdu and Szechuan provincial women's teams.
Chen's intimate knowledge of both the Chinese and European styles of play will give his charges an edge, said STTA chief executive Chew Soo Sheng.
'His experience in France, in particular, will help our players when they meet European opponents,' he added.
Generally, European paddlers tend to use more raw power in their playing style compared to Chinese players, who are renowned for their all-round game.
At the Olympics, for instance, both Gao and Yang were knocked out by European rivals.
Said Lee: 'After the Olympics, we turned on our radar to find a good coach who can take good care of the men's team.
'Coach Chen meets our requirements, in terms of his technical expertise and experience.'
The STTA did not want to divulge his salary terms, but Chen said he jumped at the offer to coach a national team.
'Every coach wants a bigger stage on which to prove himself,' he said. 'So, when Singapore came along, I said yes because I was eager to lead a national side.'
For a start, he plans to conduct customised training for individual paddlers.
He will spend the next few weeks getting to know their strengths and weaknesses before making adjustments to their training regimen, he said.
His first test will come as early as April, when the Singapore men do battle at the World Championships in Yokohama.
Said Gao: 'Coach Chen has spent a lot of time overseas.
'I hope he can transfer his experience to us, and help us improve our technique and strategy.'
