Our school gives us the opportunity to select our preferable sport to play for the entire academic year. A had been playing volleyball for the past 5 years and was wanting to try something new. My friends were opting for Table Tennis and hence I got the urge to try it too. I was fairly new to the sport and hence I wasn’t well versed with the techniques that are used, however, for practicing, we had a good amount of equipment including ball machines, good racquets, and good quality balls and multiple tournament size tables. I continued the sport for the next academic year and with time I learned many new techniques like playing styles and different serves and spins.

Learning outcomes achieved:

LO1: Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth

While learning to play the sport I realized that I was better at playing a backhand stroke than a forehand stroke so I took to primarily play the backhand stroke more till I could improve my forehand play. I played of the machine to improve my forehand stroke as I could vary the speed and direction of the balls so that I could adjust to each scenario and improve my playing style to suit a more around play. Amidst learning how to play, I also noticed that playing a spin style was my strength than playing an aggressive style, hence I constant tried to implement it in my matches.

LO2: Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process

I faced many challenges throughout the journey of playing Table Tennis. One of the major challenges was to cope up to the level at which my friends were playing. They were more experienced than me at the sport and it was a piece of cake for them to beat me at friendly matches. However, as I continued playing with them, I understood their playing style and understood some of the weak points which I could use to crack their defense. Through this, I developed upon my observation skills and utilized them to adjust my playing style according to my opponent which was beneficial for playing matches.

LO3: Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience

Planning is an essential part of life. It helps us organize our progress in life and helps us set goals for the future. Planning was also an essential part of this activity. Since this was a long-term activity, I was able to plan what I wanted to accomplish ahead and set my goals to improve on the areas of the sport in which I was weak and then I was able to reflect upon them to see where I went wrong and how could I improve in the next classes. As I progressed further in the sport, I was able to accomplish many goals and make newer ones so that my progress was constant and wasn’t hindered in any way.

LO4: Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences

As Malcolm Gladwell once said, “10,000 hours of deliberate practice are needed to become world-class in any field”, it is apparent that those 10000 hour need our commitment and only then can we acquire any the skills to master any field. Such is also the case in sports. I had to remain committed towards learning and improving in the sport to make my progress be visible to others and being consistent in improving at the sport.

LO5: Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively

Working collaboratively is a skill we all develop in our lives and it is an important skill which helps us succeed in our future life as there are many situations where we have to work as a team to accomplish tasks. Working collaboratively is also a skill required in Table Tennis while playing doubles. It is essential that we trust our partner and work cohesively to play and win.

By playing with several partners, I understood their playing styles and tried to adjust mine so that I could complement their style and we could play smoothly and without and conflicts.

Overall, while playing this sport, I got to learn a lot of new things and also got the opportunity to improve on the skills that I had already acquired. This activity also helped me bond with my friends more as we spent more time together playing and knowing each other and hence it beneficial for not only my physical fitness, but also my mental fitness. I really enjoyed playing the sport and intend to continue playing it in the near future.