The Art of Yelling Cho!

If you've been to a tournament or been around other players that frequently attend tournaments, chances are you've heard someone fire off a "Cho!" to themselves and you may have wondered what the heck they were saying. Some time ago I learned that cho is an abbreviated version of "hao cho" which in Mandarin means good shot. You'll hear all types of players shouting it out, and you don't need to know the language in order to borrow the expression.

Ever since I learned its meaning, I automatically translate it when I hear it. You hear it so much, that sometimes you have to wonder if the players that use it actually know what it means. I've actually had this scenario happen before...my opponent blocked a ball high to my forehand and allowed me a beautiful attacking shot. So, I rapped the ball hard and, as it often does, it landed squarely in the middle of the net then dribbled off my side of the table. "Cho!" I heard from the other side. Good shot? Ok, one or more of the following was happening… a) my opponent believed that high, slow balls to my forehand were the way to beat me, b) he was being sarcastic and at the same time celebrating my unforced error, or c) the guy had no idea what cho means. He was clearly misusing his cho’s.

The first time I used cho was in a match against a younger player. He and his cho’s were starting to wear me down. Cho this, cho that, here a cho there a cho everywhere a cho. I finally broke down and busted out with my own cho on the next big whack. It was clearly a great shot, but right at my O in cho, the ball came whizzing back passed me, and the kid won the point.  That was the last time I ever used cho.

A couple months ago, a Chinese lady came to our club, and we had an opportunity to play some games. During the game I hit a huge, winning shot, and from the other side of the table I heard, “cho!” Huh? We kept playing and it happened again. I landed another winning shot and she said “Cho.”  That’s all it took for me to figure out that this lady was being an excellent sport and was congratulating me on my shots. I immediately began to thank her for that, and we had a fun, competitive match. I stuck to “very nice” and she kept with “cho” (interestingly, she never used cho on her own shots).

Maybe over the course of time and usage, “cho” has morphed from its true meaning into just another utterance of approval. Some players simply shout “Yes!” when they make a great shot. Hmmm, is it good sportsmanship to yell “Yes!” when your opponent makes an unforced error?

See you at the club!

--Joe B.

Austin Table Tennis
www.AustinTableTennis.com