tvN’s ongoing entertaining sports show All That Ping Pong! brings together table tennis-loving celebrities and has them learn, practice or play the game against highly skilled amateur players. So when YOON from WINNER appeared on the show, many of his fans must’ve been caught off guard, since he didn’t seem that interested in the sport even as recently as a few years ago. And yet, on March 7—less than a year after first picking up the paddle—his table tennis skills carried him all the way up to number one among the 10 players featured on All That Ping Pong! We asked YOON what it was about the sport that attracted him to it, his experiences on the show and the ways in which he’s grown from it.

YOON’s introduction to table tennis

YOON: I started playing with the producers in the table tennis room at the label. And you know what I was like two or three years ago. (laughs) Everyone was asking if I wanted to try it, and once they taught me the basic moves and rules it was really fun. And then I started learning properly from nine months ago. I would play with other people or practice the basics alone and sometimes watch videos and copy them. I watched every video I could find from searching “table tennis” on YouTube. So, in my case, I’m not good at it yet, but I have a lot of information in my head. (laughs) And since I learned the principles behind putting spin on the ball from playing billiards before, there were already some techniques I could make use of without anyone having to be taught. But anyway, I think my understanding of the basics, different skills and gameplay helped me improve.

The secret essentials of table tennis: mind games and a dose of concentration

YOON: It’s something that is probably not obvious to those who aren’t in the know, but table tennis is really a battle of wits. It starts with the spin you put on the ball when you serve: You can pretend to spin it one way and then actually spin it another. You can return the ball differently from what it looks like you’re going to do and there are infinite ways to fake them out. So table tennis isn’t just about the physical side but also about quick reflexes and brainwork which is the reason why it is so appealing. And I feel like table tennis is similar to driving in that you have to look out far ahead of you but have your eye on everything else, too. You’re focused on the ball, but you have to watch how your opponent’s hitting the ball, the trajectory of their swing and everything all together to anticipate their moves and prepare for your next one. It’s really hard if your concentration gets broken for that reason. But anyway, when I pull off my tricks one by one and my strategies pan out, or when I counter the other person’s moves, I feel over the moon.

Personal strengths and goals

YOON: Knowing how to put a spin on the ball lets you have a more detailed plan of attack, and I think studying through videos every day has made mind games one of my strong points. I can also step and move around a little more freely than others since I’ve been dancing for so long, so I have the advantage of absorbing things right away when I learn them. So I can change my stance quickly when I need to—so in the time it takes my opponent to change once, for example, I can change twice. You can only be good at table tennis when you can get into the right beat of hitting the ball, like when it comes to you—when the other person sends it to you. In that sense, I think my body and swing move faster than the typical rhythm. It’s a blessing and a curse—I might rush things and make a mistake, but on the other hand, I can trip up the opponent by hitting the ball offbeat when they aren’t expecting it. I typically practice playing more slowly than my natural rhythm and then I can jump into my beat when I want to. Someday I want to be good enough that other table tennis players notice how good I am. I don’t know how things are going to go yet, but if it was just someone seeing me and saying, You’re good enough to win a competition, I think that’d be great.

Always reviewing for good stances and basics

YOON: I think it’s important to review videos of yourself when you’re learning. It was several months after I started learning that I took my first video and found out I was hitting the ball totally wrong. I felt completely naked the instant I had to see that so I got flustered and it put me in a big slump, because even though I wanted to fix my positioning and play style, they were already deeply ingrained, and if I had worked on them while competing, I would’ve lost. I finally started to fix the problem and it’s going along well, but I think I could be playing better right now if I’d known sooner. I compare my performance to videos of players I’ve watched before and to other good players and realize, Oh, I shouldn’t be doing that right there. Anyway, I’m on TV, so I want my stances and gameplay to look better and make people think I’m playing perfectly, so I’m also trying to work on parts that don’t really need much improvement. To be honest, when I watched the show, I thought, Did I seriously play that badly? (laughs) But it seems like all the visualizing I did—focusing on the parts that were hard to watch—actually had an effect. I didn’t change anything about the way I practice, but people were telling me I really changed and asked me what I’d been practicing on my own time.

The reason to keep playing table tennis

YOON: Well, first, my love of table tennis itself drives me to keep going. I practice with some other people and they’re a motivation, too. I’ve always been a hard worker and I didn’t really have that many hobbies that I could absolutely enjoy with all my heart. But I feel like I’m expecting a lot out of table tennis for being my new hobby. I feel a little irritated when I lose a match, of course (laughs) but after sweating it out, I feel refreshed and my stress goes away. I have appointments, work to do, scripts to practice when I’m acting—all kinds of things to do, actually. But after I started playing table tennis, I stopped wasting time so I had more for playing the game. So I think that’s the reason why, even when I’m really busy, I don’t feel very tired. I feel this hobby helps me de-stress and gives me the energy to get back to work.

Playing with the mixed All That Ping Pong! cast

YOON: All the players are really passionate. They practice every day when they don’t have anything important to do. They improve so fast that they play differently in every episode. We’re all on the same side but there’s still competition between us. Hearing another team’s mastered a new skill pushes the rest of us, too. (laughs) Some of them just got through the beginner phase and some of them have been playing so-called “military” table tennis a long time, so they’re using all different styles, so I learn them all. Jinbong seemed to take things in amazingly quick, and his solid, muscular physique made him capable of playing in a variety of different styles, I think. Yechan’s in our group and he’s been playing a long time so he plays consistently. You can’t ignore the impact of how long someone’s been playing. And Hodong has some special kind of energy. (laughs) I wouldn’t say either of us are extremely technical players yet, but I was impressed the way he carried himself as a winner and could put the pressure on his opponents.

Only on All That Ping Pong!

YOON: I played a match against Cho Dal-hwan, who is really famous for his table tennis. It was an honor playing him. It was amazing—like meeting a celebrity. (laughs) It would’ve been nice to play more sets, since it was just a single-set match, but it was still cool being able to mix it up with him. I learned that I have to stay loose during single-set matches since they’re tense all the way through. With Ogi Hitoshi, we were supposed to play with a handicap, not from zero–zero, because we have different playing histories. In table tennis, good players are assigned a level, and Ogi said he was probably around a level two at his peak. If you’ve played as a pro, even as a kid, you’re level one. When you’re around level two or one, people say you could open a table tennis club or work as a coach, and players from levels five to three teach new players sometimes as well. The lowest level is six, which is where competitions start from. I don’t even qualify for that, so the comparison between me and Ogi is night and day. (laughs) I thought it was better to just try and get a single point rather than going in thinking I had to win the game, so I don’t regret the experience. It was the first time I played against a top player without a handicap, but when I saw I got that kind of score, it served to boost my confidence.

The fun of spectating an unpredictable game

YOON: In table tennis, the pressure is never [one-sided]. Each situation comes with its variables. No matter how good you are, you can still lose if you come up against someone whose technique trumps yours, and the excitement of not know how things will turn out is hugely entertaining. When I used to watch the Olympics, I was just looking at the ball move, but now I find myself in awe of the gameplay. I think the most memorable part of the last Olympics was when Jeoung Youngsik, who’s also our coach on All That Ping Pong!, made a comeback in his match. It stands out in my memory because that comeback was so epic. I’ve also been watching the Korean table tennis pro leagues lately. Kim Kyungmin, with the Incheon Facilities Corporation team, played an amazing match. He slipped and I thought the mistake would cause him to choke, but he won in the end. It was so cool. I like An Jaehyun from the Samsung Life Insurance table tennis team, too. He does this pose when he serves, with his arms wide open, that looks really cool, so I’m going to try copying it. (laughs)

For those hesitant to try table tennis

YOON: If I had to recommend someone who doesn’t know the first thing about table tennis to play it, I’d tell them it’s great for diets. (laughs) I guarantee you’ll be drenched in sweat after two hours of serious play. My body took care of itself once I started, too. Considering how well I’m managing my packed schedule these days, it definitely helps keep me in check physically. It’s not a very accessible sport, though, since you can’t play by yourself, but the culture of table tennis means it’s common for people by a table to ask others to start a game. As long as you’re not too shy (laughs) you can go there alone and still end up having fun. Plus it’s an indoor sport, so you can enjoy it year round.

The more you learn it, the more you love it

YOON: The more you play table tennis, the better you understand what makes it so alluring. I recommend people learn more if they want to have more fun playing. You can have really fun matches once you pick up the basics enough that you can hit the ball hard and put spin on it. I recommend people to visit a table tennis club near them and learn there since there’s always teachers and coaches around. It’s way more fun if you know what you’re doing. (laughs)