OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Mate, I don't think it's the shoes... I think it's the non-stop hours of tourney-quality play. It's tough playing in a tourney -- a bit more than everyday matches, I'd say.



Your movement probably involves your toes quite a bit, and more likely than not, your opponents do make you move around. Plus you only drank 3 out of 8! Drink just enough before you feel bloated. Then drink sips in-between games...I think the replenishment works better if you constantly imbibe, much similar to eating frequent smaller meals.



You'll soon be top of yours, haha! Now that'll be a good experience!

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Viscaria. H2 Neo 2.15. Tenergy 05 1.9.

Tournament toughness is a skill that needs to be developed like any other part of the game. I know many players (including some at your club) who, when it's simply about hitting the ball, outclass me and make me look foolish, but when tournament time comes they're the ones who look awful. I think it's a skill that can be learned consciously if you put forth the effort in it.

As for rest, prior to a tournament i like to get a good five days of rest. I might pick up the racket just to remember what it feels like in my hand, but i won't hit a ball or do any fast shadow strokes. The night before a tournament i'll try to practice a little at the tournament venue.

Players who are in better physical shape than me (which is probably most players) don't need that much rest, but in advance of something really strenuous i think there's a huge difference between one day off and two days off. If i stretch it to five, i can be lazy while pretending i'm better prepared than my opponents.

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Equipment: Matsushita PowerDefence, Spin Art 1.9 black, Xiying 979 ox red
Style: American | US Rating: barely 2000

Getting enough rest is so underratd and underappreciated. The tournies where I had decent rest the night or two prior, I did alright. The ones where I was up driving, those I was embarressed.

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Goof-off chopping bat
Gambler All Rosewood
Aurus Soft / Gambler GXL .6 sponge

Status - Out of Business Janitor/Babysitter

Oh yes, I have enough tournament skills alright but for the wrong sport. Having attended and scheduling my son's tennis tournaments all his junior years, I know exactly what to do (and what not to do) before and after the tournaments. But that was tennis, the maximum matches they allowed in the juniors are 2 a day plus 1 doubles and there is a minimum of 12 hours of rest before they can scheduled another match.

Now, if these table tennis tournaments I am trying to play are single elimination with a back draw, then I think I can deal with more entries. If it is a round robin type and you have no idea how many players are going to be there, entering more than 2 events are way too risky for us senior players.

So far, my main objective to start playing tournaments and matches is to have fun, to test out my newly learned skills, and were a result of suggestions from several forum members, to play with and against lots of different styles.