After watching the Nigerian team at the ongoing ITTF World Junior Championships, seven-time Olympian, Segun Toriola has concluded what differentiates the players from their foreign counterparts is the basic knowledge of the game.
Toriola, who led the two-man coaching crew to the tournament, told NationSport that it has become obvious that Nigerian players have the potential to compete at top level but the basic skills are lacking.
“I have watched our players several times even when I trained them in Lagos, I just noticed that the basics are lacking. They are talented and strong on the table but to know what to do at a particular time when playing is what is missing. And like I have always said, this is due to coaching because if the coaches have impacted this on them, they will not be lacking. It is very unfortunate but we can still see what to do to help them,”Toriola said.
He added: “I think the match against Egypt was the
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