School clubs in Japanese middle schools are brutal. First you are more or less coerced into joining. My school has art, math, brass band, baseball, volleyball, kendo and table tennis clubs. Those are your only choices for how you want to spend every last drop of what would have been your free time for three years. I have been more or less roped into the table tennis club over the summer break and I see know possible way anyone could actually enjoy this. I don’t mind table tennis, in fact I think it’s a fun little game, but to choose to submit yourself to two hours of table tennis practice five days a week after school plus even longer practice on Saturdays and over school “vacations”, ping pong would have to be your undying passion; your sole purpose of being. I cannot see any possible benefit of playing this much ping pong, or this much anything for that matter. Sure, if you want to get good at something you have to practice and practice and practice but are these kids planning on becoming world class ping pong elites? Most adults I’ve met have not continued doing what ever their bukatsu was. I’ve met people that say they were in the soccer club but haven’t touched a ball since they were 16 and people who played the harmonium for hours a day everyday for three years and then never picked it up once since. And why would they?! If I were forced to do the same thing that much, the moment I was set free, I’d get as far from that thing as possible as fast as possible.
Seriously guys…it’s F’n ping pong. Give it a rest.