fastmover wrote:
The thing is that everybody gets caught out of position or off guard in the matchplay, especially against higher level players. Being able to stay in the point is a very important skill. I think that missing this skill is an important factor why my performance in competition lags way, way behind the practice volume I've done.
I was in Russia for three weeks and table tennis wise, it was a very eyeopening experience. I think my service return improved a bit due to exposure to different serves. I even won a weekly tournament there, and better serve return played an important there. I also realized that there are many subtle skills beyond just playing against standard balls, like a block or a straight push, that matter a lot in matchplay. The issue I brought above is just one of them.
I also realized (with a help of a coach) that my third ball against "non-standard" returns often sucks because I rush too much and try to "get rid off the ball too early". For example, suppose that I serve some backspin and expect a long push that I am preparing to loop. If my opponent suddenly flips, I often enter the panic mode and try to attack that ball too early off the bounce and miss. Instead, it is better to wait a split of a second, look at the spin, let the ball rise and play a reasonable shot, at least keep it on the table. A similar thing applies to serve return. This small mental adjustment helped me a lot, and it has nothing to with my technique. I still "panic" sometimes when things go off the rails, but at least I am aware of the solution.
I wonder how many such things are holding me back that I am totally unaware of.
I was in Russia for three weeks and table tennis wise, it was a very eyeopening experience. I think my service return improved a bit due to exposure to different serves. I even won a weekly tournament there, and better serve return played an important there. I also realized that there are many subtle skills beyond just playing against standard balls, like a block or a straight push, that matter a lot in matchplay. The issue I brought above is just one of them.
I also realized (with a help of a coach) that my third ball against "non-standard" returns often sucks because I rush too much and try to "get rid off the ball too early". For example, suppose that I serve some backspin and expect a long push that I am preparing to loop. If my opponent suddenly flips, I often enter the panic mode and try to attack that ball too early off the bounce and miss. Instead, it is better to wait a split of a second, look at the spin, let the ball rise and play a reasonable shot, at least keep it on the table. A similar thing applies to serve return. This small mental adjustment helped me a lot, and it has nothing to with my technique. I still "panic" sometimes when things go off the rails, but at least I am aware of the solution.
I wonder how many such things are holding me back that I am totally unaware of.
