The Fastest Men Alive?

Matthew Bishop sets a new unofficial world record BATAK Pro
score of 172! (60 second program).

Menkes van den Briel achieves another excellent score
on the BATAK Pro machine!

                An interview with Menkes van den Briel...

How do you train normally and what sports do you prefer?

I used to run with a group, play pickup soccer, and play softball and volleyball in a city league every week (all at a recreational level). Before that, I used to do a lot of track-and-field and tennis. Now, however, I don't play as much sports as I would like to, but I plan on picking up a game or two to play on a regular basis.

In your opinion, what type of diet is best for sports athletes?

I don't consider myself a sports athlete and I am certainly not a dietician, but I used to eat, and still do, a lot of high carbohydrate foods (whole wheat bread, pasta and rice). Is this the best diet for sports athletes, I don't know. A balanced diet (getting enough of everything) is always a good thing, and beyond that it will depend somewhat on the type of sport you do (endurance versus strength).

Have you got any tips or techniques in the way that you play BATAK to achieve such a high score?

(1) Minimise your movements (2) Let your arms do most of the work, and (3) Be fast! There are two things about getting faster. First, is just to go faster. Obviously, this is easier said than done, when I try to go faster I sometimes hurt my finger tips by hitting the frame instead of the target. Second, try not to slow down. Corner targets, especially the ones below, easily get me out of my momentum. You can't avoid them so just keep on going and try and pick up a fast streak until you hear "Time Out".

How do you perform on the other BATAK programs?

So far, I have only played the accumulator (both 30 seconds and 60 seconds) and the Batakathon (5 minutes).
I have not yet tried my best on the Batakathon, but
my current record on the accumulator is 79 points in
30 seconds.

What BATAK score would you say is the most a person could ever physically achieve in 60 seconds?

I am guessing that a score in the low 160s may be achievable. I don't think I will ever reach that score, but there are always people who are able to do the seemingly impossible.