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THE EXPERT TABLE TENNIS PODCAST - EPISODE #29
I first met Billy Shilton about this time last year when he convincingly beat Sam Priestley in Band 6 at the Nottingham Grand Prix during The Expert in a Year Challenge. He was a very solid young player even back then (and seriously under-ranked) but over the last 12 months he has come on leaps and bounds, winning a number of international Para medals.
Billy is now 17 years old and living and training in Sheffield at the national centre. He is still hoping to qualify for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games in his new class (and is flying to Costa Rica next week to see if he can pick up enough ranking points to make it there), but obviously the big one for him will be Tokyo 2020, in five years time.
Billy is a great example of a young player who has made a conscious decision to focus his efforts 100% on table tennis - and he’s getting the results to show for it. He is also thinking long-term and is prepared to dedicate the next five years of his life to full-time training in order to give himself the best possible chance of medaling in Tokyo. Despite his age, I think there is a lot we can all learn from Billy’s single-minded dedication and commitment to his goals.
In this episode you’ll learn:
- How Billy got started playing table tennis just four years ago.
- About Billy’s disability and how it impacts his table tennis.
- Tips for improving your dynamic balance.
- What a typical day is like for Billy at the national training centre.
-How he manages to juggle both table tennis and college work.
- The effect that a confidence boost has had on Billy’s performances.
- Why Billy is now a class 8 athlete (he was in class 7 until a couple of months ago).
- What Billy learnt from his time in China.
- TOP TIP: Why quality is so important in your training.
- About Billy’s younger brother Stan who is crushing it in the England U13s.
- What’s next for Billy Shilton.
Thanks for listening!
I hope you enjoyed listening to my interview with Billy Shilton. It’s brilliant to see a young player so committed to their table tennis and prepared to think long-term and plan for the next five years. I have no doubt that Billy will be a force to be reckoned with by Tokyo 2020.
It’s also amazing to see the Team GB Paralympic players being so well supported. Long may this continue!
What was your favourite part of the interview? Leave a comment below and let us know.
A bit thank you goes out to Billy for taking the time to chat to please. Please like/follow him on Facebook and Twitter to stay up-to-date with his progress and results.
And also, a big thank you to our sponsor - ttEDGE
All that I need to say is that downloads are at an all-time high so far this month. It’s a great feeling to see so many people listening to the show and I know that loads of you are helping me to spread the podcast by sharing it with your table tennis friends.
Thanks for all the help you’ve given me already! Please continue to support the show and subscribe on iTunes, leave us an honest iTunes Podcast review, share this episode on Facebook or Twitter, or simply just mention it to a friend. I appreciate your help so much!
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