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ORIGINAL ARTICLE：本校公共事務中心 (2022.10.12)

The “Dino Ping Pong Academy” is an industry-academia collaboration project jointly launched by Professor Hung Tsung-Min’s research team at the Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University, and SEEDZ MALLS PROPERTIES, INC., pioneering the use of table tennis as a vehicle to design a comprehensive and systematic brain-training exercise program.

Professor Hung Tsung-Min has recently focused on translating his research of many years in the field of cognitive neuroscience into practical results that can benefit the general public, starting with the publication of his book Train Your Brain Differently 「原來大腦可以這樣練」in November last year, which opened the door to practical application.

This year, he once again collaborated with a leading company—SEEDZ MALLS PROPERTIES, INC.’s Taoyuan branch (South Garden Hotels and Resorts)—to establish, with a joint effort, the “Dino Ping-Pong Academy.”

Ms. Chuang Ying-Yi, Vice Chairperson of South Garden Hotels and Resorts, is an outstanding alumna of the first cohort of the NTNU College of Sports and Leisure EMBA program.

During her studies, she got to know Professor Hung through the “Physical Fitness and Health Management” course, which started her journey into fitness. In her opening remarks, Vice Chairperson Chuang stated that she used to despise exercising, but after starting table tennis at age 65, she quickly fell in love with this dynamic sport that strengthens both body and mind. Moreover, her experience seeking venues for her grandson to learn table tennis made her realize that most table tennis facilities vary in quality, which inspired her to establish one herself.

Drawing on her many years of hotel management experience, she integrated five-star service elements to create the customer-oriented Dino Ping-Pong Academy, and expressed great excitement and anticipation about this industry-academia-research partnership.

In addition to having what is considered the top table tennis facilities in Taiwan, all the academy’s coaches hold national-level certifications and are certified brain-training sports coaches by the Taiwan International Association for Sport and Mind Potential Development. Beyond their table tennis expertise, they possess another specialty—applying cognitive neuroscience knowledge to incorporate brain training into coaching practices.

The Dino Ping-Pong Academy centers its mission on cognitive enhancement, offering exclusive “train your brain with sports” programs tailored to different groups. For children and adolescents in developmental stages, it emphasizes enhancement and training, aiming to maximize potential during critical brain development periods, to fully develop their cognitive capabilities. For adults, the goal is to use table tennis training to prolong the duration of peak cognitive function. As for middle-aged and elderly individuals, the objective is to slow down cognitive decline, so that dementia or other mental and physical issues related to declining brain function could be prevented.

The brain-boosting exercise programs carefully developed by Professor Hung and his research team have opened new opportunities in the fitness market, both grounded in science and aligned with public demand for cognitive enhancement, which introduces an innovative concept that merges the sports industry with brain development. The initiative has recently received support from the NSTC’s sports technology industry-academia collaboration project.

The Dino Ping-Pong Academy’s flagship center officially opened on October 7, 2022. Guests included NTNU President Wu Cheng-Chi, Dean of Student Affairs Lin Mei-Chun, project lead Professor Hung Tsung-Min, LOHAS EMBA Director Hsiang Tzu-Yuan, Vice Chairperson Chuang Ying-Yi and her spouse from South Garden Hotels and Resorts, along with distinguished professionals from various industries.

President Wu stated in his speech:

 “As NTNU celebrates its centennial, it is encouraging to see Professor Hung and Vice Chairperson Chuang collaborating to start a new chapter in faculty–alumni partnership. Professor Hung is well respected in both academic and athletic fields. Now he is combining research on paddle sports for brain development and aging delay with industry, helping to pioneer a new direction for the sports industry—truly a shining light for NTNU!”

During the opening event, many guests took part in activities thoughtfully designed by the coaches, experiencing firsthand how professional table tennis training not only improves skills, but also enhances and strengthens brain function!

No matter which stage of life you are in, the age-appropriate brain development programs at the Dino Ping-Pong Academy will give you a BRAIN-NEW experience of table tennis.

Source: Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences / Editor: Hu Shih-Tse / Proofreader: Hu Shih-Tse (English Version Powered by ChatGPT, Edited by Serena H.)