The serve is half the point
Why I spend a third of every junior session on serve and receive — and how it wins matches three shots early.
Read note →
01 · The player
— Ishaan Rao · still first to the hall
Win the point before it starts
I played to national level as a junior, topped out where a lot of Indian players do — good enough to travel, not quite good enough to stay. What I lacked in raw talent I made up for in reading the game, and that turned out to be the more coachable gift.
Twelve years later I run a junior programme that has put seven players into national camps and thirty-one onto state podiums — but the number I'm proudest of is the beginners who stay. Kids don't quit table tennis because it's hard; they quit because nobody taught them the 'why'. I teach the why from day one.
If your club or academy wants a coach who develops players, not just winners for this season — who can run a beginner group and a high-performance squad in the same afternoon — I'm at the table by 6 AM. Bring your talent and your problem cases both.
RATED
Coach card
Particulars · one glanceBasePune, Maharashtra
Ages6 – 19 · adults on request
LevelBeginner → State ranked
StyleOffensive · footwork-first
LanguagesEnglish · Hindi · Marathi
StatusOpen to club & academy roles
02 · The kit bag
SignatureFootwork-firstWeaponBench boss400+ startedCertified
What's in the bag
Strokes, systems and a plan for every scoreline. Here's the range I coach.
Stroke technique
forehand/backhand loop, block, flick, chopFootwork & movement
two-step, cross-over, recovery patternsServe & spin
pendulum, tomahawk, receive readingMatch tactics
pattern play, scouting, in-game adjustmentBeginner development
multi-ball, retention, ages 6+, fun-firstPhysical & mental prep
agility, S&C for juniors, pressure training
03 · The rally
Every point is a decision
Anyone can feed a hundred forehands. Coaching is teaching a nine-year-old why the ball went into the net — and giving them the read, the footwork and the calm to fix it under pressure at 9–9. I coach decisions, not just strokes. The medals are a by-product of players who finally understand the game.
- ReadBefore the paddle moves, the player learns to read spin, placement and the opponent's habits.
- MoveFootwork first, always. You can't hit what you can't reach — we drill the feet before the swing.
- BuildServe, receive, third-ball. We rehearse patterns until the point is won three shots early.
- CompeteMatch play with a scoreboard and a plan. Nerves are a skill — we train them like any other.
04 · Match record
Twelve years, table-side
2019 — PRESENT
Head Coach & Academy Director
Spin City TT Academy, Pune
Built a 120-player academy from two tables and a rented hall. Run beginner, development and high-performance squads. Seven national-camp selections and a state team title in 2024 — while keeping the beginner drop-out rate under 10%.
2015 — 2019
Junior Development Coach
Maharashtra State TT Association
Coached the U-13 and U-15 district squads; designed the multi-ball beginner curriculum still used across three district centres.
2012 — 2015
Assistant Coach & Sparring Partner
Deccan Gymkhana, Pune
Cut my coaching teeth as sparring for ranked seniors while learning to teach the youngest groups — the hardest and best training a coach can get.
05 · Schooling
Education
2008 — 2011
National-level TT · college champion
B.A. Physical Education
Fergusson College, PuneNational-level TT · college champion
2013
Distinction
ITTF Level 1 Coaching Certificate
International Table Tennis FederationDistinction
2017
Top of cohort
ITTF Level 2 Coaching Certificate
International Table Tennis FederationTop of cohort
06 · Credentials
Certifications
ITTF Level 2 Certified CoachInternational Table Tennis Federation · 2017
NIS Diploma — Table TennisSports Authority of India · 2016
Strength & conditioning for youthIUSCA foundation course · 2021
Sports first aid & concussion protocolRed Cross certified · renewed 2025
07 · Trophy cabinet
Podiums reached
Coach of the Year — Maharashtra TTState association awards
2024State team title, U-15 boysCoached squad, Spin City Academy
20247 national-camp selectionsJunior players, 2019 onward
2019–Published — 'The Serve Is Half the Point'Table Tennis India, on serve strategy
2023
08 · Coaching notes
MAY 2026 JAN 2026 SEP 2025
Notes from the bench
Feet before hands
The single most common reason young players plateau, and the footwork ladder I use to fix it in six weeks.
Read note →Coaching the 9–9
Nerves are trainable. How we rehearse the pressure point so it feels familiar when it finally arrives.
Read note →
09 · From the bench
What they say
From the bench · 01
My son went from 'the boy who cried after losing' to a district medallist in eighteen months. Ishaan coached the temperament as much as the topspin.
Aditya's fatherParent · U-13From the bench · 01
He can run a room of eight-year-olds and a state-ranked squad in the same hour without either group feeling shortchanged. Rare.
Academy ownerSpin City, PuneFrom the bench · 01
I made the national camp on the back of a serve he rebuilt from scratch. He saw the point I was missing before I did.
NehaNational camp 2023
10 · For clubs & academies
The match sheet
● New season 2027 · one free trial session: bring your toughest beginner group
Current roleHead Coach & Academy Director
Open toAcademy head coach · high-performance lead · school TT programme
SessionsGroup · 1-on-1 · squad camps
Expected salary₹8–12 LPA / negotiable
Notice period45 days
Willing to relocateYes — Pune, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad · academies & schools
President, Maharashtra State TT Assoc.2015–19 · shared on request
Owner, Spin City TT AcademyCurrent · shared on request
11 · Get in the rally
Book a session
Based in22, Law College Road, Pune 411004, Maharashtra
Phone / WhatsApp+91 99999 99992