Week 10We did have a scheduled match this week, but due to town team commitments for our opponents the match has been rearranged for next week which means we'll have two matches then, one league and the other a cup match.
For those that don't know, at least in the North West of England, a few towns have their own leagues which are open to players who typically play within that towns post code (ZIP code). For us, players who live or work in the Preston post code area - covers a fair area/towns in UK terms and not just Preston - are allowed to play in the Preston League. "Out of town players" ie people who don't live or work in the Preston post code area are allowed to play in our league but they must play at least 50% of their teams fixtures over the season. If they make that commitment to our league over a 3 year period that 50% requirment is lifted and they are treated as if they live or work in Preston.
The rule was brought in for two reasons.
1. To protect the rights of "local" players to play in their own town league. We only have space numerically for a certain number of teams in our divisions so the emphasis has to be on giving those who live locally the rights to play first in the Preston league.
2. To prevent teams from bringing in "ringers" or "top players" for one off important games. I believe, one team in the 70's needed to win an important match against their main rivals so dropped some of the "local players" and brought in top out of town players to ensure the win who then didn't play again that season.
This regionalisation of leagues into towns or areas - at least in the North West of England means there is also a different level of competition open to what are called town teams. That's when players from a certain league represent that league against others leagues in the North West - for us that's the Lancashire and Cheshire Town Team League. There are teams from Manchester, Trafford, Liverpool, Southport, Kendal, East Lancs, Blackpool, Warrington, Bury, Bolton, Wigan and other leagues. Within this level of competion their are Senior and Veteran team competions.
Senior matches happen on a just a handful of Sundays each year consisting of teams of 3, where each player plays two games of singles -mathes are best of 6 so draws are possible. This format means you don't get to play all the players from your opponents team and their is no doubles but it does give each team time to play 3 matches in the day. These Sunday's will usually start at 9:00 and finish around 17:00. There are typically 12 tables in continuous play as each league can enter 2 or 3 teams so their are I think 3 maybe four divisions. Because they are all day events quite a few of the top players in our league can't commit to play in them because of family commitments or because they already play in two or three other leagues and are either committed to either play for those leagues or have had enough of table tennis when the weekend comes around!
Veterans matches are a different kettle of fish. You must be over 40 to play in them and matches are played in the same format as our Preston league - 10 games per match, everyone plays everyone and there is a doubles. Matches are also played mid week so you only have time to play one other Town team at a time. This week was a Vets match week - and that's why our league fixture was cancelled - at least two of our opponents players were on Town Team Duty. Representing your Town Team in a Lancashire and Cheshire Town Team Match is one of the very few reasons a team can cancel a local league match.
This season I've been signed up to our Veterans 3rd team - as a fill in incase they are short of players and for this weeks round of matches they were a player short so asked me so I got my first taste of playing veterans. It was an away game in Blackpool - about 25 miles away from where I live.
I've played once before at the venue and also been their on a couple of occasions helping with our Junior Teams when they've played in the North West Junior League for Preston so I knew the way - which is half the battle. As it turned out I also recognised some of the players - there were 3 Veternas matches on at the Venue. All of Blackpools Veteran's teams were at home (it helps with court hire and arrangments) but each of their teams were playing different town teams - I think one of them was East Lancs, Preston (us were another) and I've no idea who their third opponents were. I also recognised 2 out of 3 of our opponents. Refreshments are laid on by the home team and whereas the Sunday town team matches are serious affairs - or at least I've found them to be serious where the onus seems to be all about winning and little socialising - the Vets night was still very competitive but more relaxed and for want of a better word, "friendly".
We were also playing over two tables which meant 4 playes were in constant play whilst the other two players scored so everything was continuous. Good in terms of an early finish which when you're travelling is always helpful. Bad in terms of moral and tactical support from your own team mates - unless the umpire was from your side.
First match on I played someone I rarely see, but had played once before a few years ago in our "summer league" He'd beaten me in five I think. Well, normal story for me. When I'm comfortable with my surroundings and situation I play more relaxed and better. Rarely playing here, first time representing the Vets and lacking confidence I almost felt like an imposter. He was a counter hitter, played mainly from the middle of the table and favoured his backhand. Somehow, I managed to take the game to a decider. I think I did better when I did nothing if that makes sense. As a counter hitter he liked pace and top spin to work with. As a counter hitter myself, so do I although I will attack - often wrecklessly off my forehand rather than get in to a negative type of match. He would attack off his backhand where he had much more success. I ground out a 9:5 lead in the decider by doing as little as possible and letting him over hit the ball. And then. Well, I'm not sure really. Mental block, I opened up the game to try and get it over with. He played better than me in an open game, hit some winners. Troubled me with fast deep side wide side spin serves and next minute I was shaking hands having lost 11:9.
I guess when you're lacking confidence I rush things. Try and get them over too quickly. People talk of third ball kill tactics, but there's third ball kill tactics and theirs third or even 5th ball suicide game plans. Guess which I'm more skilled in.
My other team mate also lost in 5. I went straight on then against someone who plays this season in our division 1 as well as Blackpool. I've known him for a few years now and his team are a yo yo type of team, much like my own. Win promotion, next season relegate, compete for or win promotion the next, then relegated. He tends to chop away from table or dig close in and hit with his backhand anything I roll to that side. He also has an annoying habbit of easily returning my short serves with a very tightly angled return which falls of the side of the table not the end. Short serves to the forehand / pocket of a player are what I usually rely on .
Well, I lost this game 3:1 and even in the game I won I was never really in control. I picked the wrong ball to hit, when I rolled the ball back he stepped in and hit or he played a fast skiddy type of push to my forehand and I netted the return. I tried to slow the play down and throw the ball up with more spin and my returns just seemed to lob up gently long or fell in to the net. Hopeless. I looked bad. I played bad. I had no idea what I was doing but i was very good at it
Well that's one way of looking at it. The other is my opponent played much better, had a game plan, controlled the points and knew how to exploit my weaknesses. Fair credit to him.
Third player up was a player who used anti spin on his backhand and inverted on his forehand. He played up to the table and would hit and block with the anti spin and top spin with the inverted on his forehand. I decided to go after him. Play my game if only I could remember what my game actually is. In some ways I can play most shots and a variety of styles. In other ways, I'm jack of all trades master of none, have too much choice, get easily confused on which to try and which not and end up over complicating things and falling apart. I did go after him but he blocked my shots back from my forehand and I invariably hadn't recovered properly, played the next shot off balance or cramped and dumped the ball in the net. Off the backhand - which had looked good in a brief practice with a team mate I had more success. But as usual, when my forehand falls apart the fear of playing aggressively on my forehand side transfers also to my backhand side and I stop "playing shots" and start poking around or lifting the ball back in an effort to keep the ball on the table. My opponent bossed the games. Ironically I had more success when I again did nothing. Put nothing on the ball, no pace, no spin and made him generate his own pace and spin. But everytime I do that I end up thinking, "if the ball's second bounce is off the table it's long enough to top spin attack, so attack it, that's the way to play" and then I do try that but I'm in push mode, feet wrong, bat angle wrong, posture wrong - ATTACK. Nope disaster. Netted ball or ball hit long. You hear playes shouting "cho" - maybe I should shout "Banzai". The annoying thing was apart from the second game which I lost 11:9 I never really gave him the opportunity to get nervous. I always seem to make it about me and what I'm not doing well instead of thinking what's troubling him, what's his weakness. I can do it watching others play, but I struggle with it. I get too wrapped up in my own failings during match play. Anyway, I lost and I felt bad, really bad because played 3 lost 3 was no way to help my team mates.
The final match of the night was the doubles and I was surprised when our team captain came over and asked if I wanted to play. Rather than bottle out I said yes - doubles has been my strongest contribtion in my own teams league play. In the warm up he said something very very important to me. "Relax" he said. "play like you normally do", I'd played him early in our season. "Don't be frightened to go for your shots". "It doesn't matter if we don't win, it's not the end of the world". We won the first game, lost the second. Won the third and then at 8:8 in the fourth our oppents returned a lose ball reasonably high mid table and I stepped in an wacked it - long. Annoyed with myself I did the reverse on the next point and pushed a serve back in to the net. We lost the game courtesy of 3 mistakes in a row from me. Although I could "feel" my partners frustration behind me, he didn't have a go at me except at one point I heard him say "just get it back on the table" which seemed to go against the term "go for your shots". I guess "go for your shots" should have the tag line, "but don't forget to hit the ... table".
A quick pep talk at the change of ends and we started to run away with the decider. Now it was our opponents who seemed to be getting tight - strange how some players are better front runners. It was a hard fought doubles match but we won the decider comfortably. Final result, we lost 6:4 but I actually felt better for that doubles. Much better - not happy, but better. I had a good chat with a couple of the other teams players after the match before we all left and I was asked if I'd play the next Vets game in December. I know our captain likes to rotate the players - if you sign up, he's keen everyone gets the chance to at least play one game, but it was a nice vote of confidence. So come December, I'll be back again playing Vets against a team from the Wigan league. Question is, will I be as nervous and lacking in confidence as I was this time. Not if I've got anything about me I won't.
Lessons learned:
1. Doubles gives you time to think and prepare for your shots. It also gives your team mates a chance to help you. If your team mate is struggling, playing doubles can help their confidence and give you a chance to help them where it matters, actually on the table. Lot's of times I've heard people decline the opportunity to play doubles when they're not playing well, or teams mates won't ask them. It can be a double edged sword but at least for me, doubles is a very good way of gaining some confidence in actually match play.
2. Playing doubles I realised something about my movement. I've practised a lot off season my footwork but there has been one very serious flaw to that. It's been purely side to side movement. All the drills etc have results in the ball being returned to me at a constant depth. That means I've got used to standing a certain distance away from the table and playing the ball at the top of the bounce - which in training drills is what invariably happens, the ball is consistently the same length from the feeder although the direction can change - back hand , forehand middle, forehand wide, forehand middle, backhand. In matches, the ball doesn't come thought at a constant depth, some are shorter, some are longer. I think I'm still moving sideways ok but I'll try and top spin drive a ball based on my position relative to the table and not pay attention to the bounce of the ball and that means my bat angle is wrong which results in last second wrist adjustments or no adjustment at all and I play the wrong shot relative to the bounce height of the ball.
When moving I must remember I'm allowed to move across and in for a shorter ball and across and back for a deeper ball. Instead of thinking "look at the ball", "look at the ball" followed by "focus you idiot" I'm going to try thinking "move to take the ball at the top of the bounce" and "if you can't take the ball at the top of the bounce, play another shot eg block if the ball the ball is rising, loop more if the ball has started to drop or even roll it back". Stop just trying to hit or top spin drive everything off my forehand.
In short, improve my lateral in and out footwork to allow me to take the ball at the top of the bounce. Just getting to the ball isn't enough.
At least I feel something positive has come out of this, even if I woke up at 4am this morning thinking about last nights game which required me to log it in my blog before I forgot it. Now it's zzzzzzzzzz time again, I hope
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