For me, table tennis is more than just a sport—it’s six years of companionship and healing. And the starting point of this warmth is Coach Wang’s unwavering persistence day after day.
From primary school to middle school, every weekend over six years became our appointed table tennis time. Back then, I was struggling with dyslexia. My therapist said that only by persistently exercising the coordination of eyes, hands, and brain could I gradually improve. Coach Wang then became my most reliable “training partner,” teaching me how to hold the racket and hit the ball from scratch, patiently correcting every movement. At first, I couldn’t even catch a single ball. When I felt frustrated time and again, he would pick up the balls from the ground with a smile, demonstrate and encourage me repeatedly, never showing the slightest impatience. Before I knew it, I went from swinging the racket clumsily to being able to hit the ball continuously over a hundred times with both forehand and backhand. Table tennis not only steadily improved my coordination skills but also gave me the courage to overcome difficulties.
When I heard the news that Coach Wang was getting married, I wanted to give him a unique gift to commemorate this profound teacher-student bond. I remembered that when he usually trained new players, he always hoped the equipment would have a larger margin for error. Suddenly, I thought of the hexagonal table tennis racket—it has a 5% larger hitting area than traditional round rackets, and the sweet spot is increased by a full 11%, making it perfect for daily practice.
I decided to make two rackets by hand, one for him and one for his wife. From selecting wood pieces and trying different glues for bonding, to carefully cutting the rectangular wood blank into a neat hexagon with a jigsaw, then installing the handle and pasting the rubber step by step, every step was filled with my sincerity. The process was far more difficult than I imagined—wood cracking, glue peeling off, incorrect cutting angles… I ruined more than a dozen semi-finished products and spent three months before finally polishing two satisfactory rackets.
When I handed the rackets to Coach Wang, I saw surprise and approval in his eyes as he picked one up to try. At that moment, all the hard work vanished into thin air.
This hand-made hexagonal racket carries six years of companionship and gratitude. It is more than just a piece of equipment; it is the warmest link between Coach Wang and me—witnessing my growth and blessing his happiness. And that period of time spent with table tennis has long become the most precious memory in my life, illuminating every step of my future.
