OOAK Table Tennis Forum

I've always adhered to the view that temper / anger have no place in sport. However, in my third match tonight, I confess I seriously lost it, I won the first 11-9, and lost the second 11-9. Against a player against whom I have a 67% record, In the third I lost 11-1 - f$ck knows how. In the fourth I really really lost it after a couple of lucky net calls and a really dreadful service return, and I flung my bat into one of the dividing things in anger. In the end I lost 3-1, 11-9 in the final.


So: in general I am amazingly calm and patient and unruffled. However, it seems against people I *know* I can beat, I get stressy and angry. I'm ashamed of my behaviour... but all the same I'm curious to know the forum's experience and view on this.....

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Yasaka Sweden Classic | 802 OX | C8 OX
Check out my blog - LordCope's Latest Learning Log - 10+ years of accumulate mistakes!

Hmm tough one to call.

I think its okay to get angry at times even though it will hurt your game.

The key is how you handle it. One, throwing your blade kinda makes you look ridiculous in my opinion. Two, you give your opponents information about you as a weakness. Now all they, or at least this person, just has to think "just stray in the game. This guy gets frustrated and can lose it." Don't give them any edge.

If you get ticked off, fine. But blow off your steem in private and try not to break stuff.

Lastly, I think you should expect players you typically beat to close the gap in time. After all they're playing someone much better than them, while you are not. I think the law of diminishing return can kick in here. It's easier for them to improve being a lower rated player than for you to improve at the same rate being higher rated player. What's the final point? The point is try not to go into matches thinking I should win or I should lose. Just think "If I go into every match, and I play hard, and play my game, I'll have a good chance to win.

That last little bit there in mindset I got from a good book I recently read called "Winning Ugly" by Brad Gilbert.

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suds gave a very insightful answer.

Of course, one must always forgive oneself for moments of bad behavior.

And LEARN from everything. Learn from our mistakes. (both "playing" mistakes and attitude mistakes.)

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Following interesting article gives full insight in behaviour: "Why players misbehave":

http://www.tabletennismaster.com/profiles/blogs/why-players-misbehave

Have fun

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Our clubs main team (myself included) have a reputation of being very loud and angry/passionate. All of us talk and scream a lot inbetween the points, mostly bashing on ourselves. For most of us this is a way to get more focused and invest more concentration in the game, sometimes it backfires though. Personally I get a yellow card every tournament I play and the times the umpire needs to "speak" to me needs more than one hand to count, this is the same for the rest of my team as well. It can't go too far though, I've thrown a lot of rackets during my years playing table tennis but that is something I really try to avoid since it's a bit over the edge IMO.

I guess it's just a matter of personal preference, if it's an important match I always get more focused if I get a little bit angry since I've learned to control that anger/frustration to my own advantage.

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In the past I lost it a couple of times, just because I put too much pressure on my shoulders. Nowadays I'm calm and I don't give anything (facial wise) to my opponent. In contrary, I cho at the right times. I think strategically and I make the best of it. If I execute my gameplan and technique correctly, then I know I'll win the game most of the time. If the other wins, he's either lucky or better. Lucky when having a lot of nets/edges on crucial points or if the game is 3-2. Better when you feel you can't execute your gameplan or his pace is too fast.

I had a game yesterday in which the opponent had +-8 nets in the first set. I lost it: 11-7. Everytime he hit a net, I smiled. That's what I do when I encounter bad luck nowadays. I knew I'd win the match if I didn't encounter bad luck anymore. I won the game 3-1.

IMO the advice of sud and reading the game makes you more calm and relaxed in the game.

My temperament is the one thing I'm really proud of in table tennis.

In real life I can be quite an angry guy. People irritate me and I lose my temper (though rarely in a big way) fairly often.

In table tennis though (coaching sessions excluded as I'm really trying to push myself and compete against myself), my opponent will never see me angry. I'm calm and I'm positive towards myself. Tonight I was negative once or twice ("dunc where's your forehand gone?") but it was my first match in nearly a month now and I kinda forgot about the psychological approach I should be taking.

Even so, when I had a near 20 shot rally tonight in which my opponent clipped the net THREE times (I managed to return the first two!), I just giggled and got on with the game. You know what? I won the next point. Probably because I didn't get myself in a strop about it.

It's incredibly frustrating when your opponent gets lucky but that's just your pride/ego talking. Take a breath, walk away from the table and don't show your opponent that they're getting to you. Think of it this way - if you were winning comfortably, if you were genuinely better than your opponent, nets and edges wouldn't bother you. It's just ego. Don't let yourself use it as an excuse.

Oh and if anyone throws their s*** around in my presence I immediately think they're ridiculous. Sorry, but it's just the way I feel - everyone gets angry, Christ knows I do, but the ONLY thing that matters is how you deal with it, as someone else said earlier in this thread.

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Thanks a lot all - some really interesting perspectives here.

I sought my opponent out after the match and apologies for my behaviour, and congratulated him on outplaying me. He's a young kid, heavily coached, improving all the time. I didn't set him a great example, but I think we probably both learned something from it.

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Yasaka Sweden Classic | 802 OX | C8 OX
Check out my blog - LordCope's Latest Learning Log - 10+ years of accumulate mistakes!

Ah, that explains a bit more. There was a heavily coached kid at our club who I would always beat, and when we finally met for the one and only time in a tournament, he beat me 3-2, with all of the games going to deuce.

I didn't show any anger, but I was registered for another event and just went home before it even started; I was demoralized if anything. I don't mind losing, but I do get a bit depressed when I'm beaten by someone still in school.

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We get like that if we want to win really really bad and it isn't going right. You'll get over it, you already have and you have broken fewer bats than me.

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I've never lost it during a game of table tennis and only once in life, that was when a bully at school decided it was my turn to get some of his harassment. I took it for a full day but totally lost it in the end and beat the s*** out of him, then I cried because I was so upset with myself for hurting someone.... Bit yeah generally I'm staying crazy only on the inside .

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I think there's no place for bad behaviour in any sport. If you get angry, control it and turn it into determination to change things around. Never throw any back at your opponent.

Showing anger will do one of two things. First it could intimidate your opponent helping you win unfairly. More likely it will encourage your opponent and work to your detriment. There are some players who I know if I can get them angry then I will win. And the fact that I try to be the nice guy at the other end just winds these guys up more.

Lastly remind yourself it's just TT and not any Olympic medal or world peace you're playing for. Men having tantrums in TT look embarrassing!

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Well done bat!

I have not experienced losing my temper and being depressed. My mindset is to always enjoy the game no matter what.

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Enjoy the game. It is a never ending learning experience once you play and keep the ball on that 45 sq ft of space or should I say half of that space.