OOAK Table Tennis Forum

I had a nightmare of a match yesterday (div 1 local league), we played in a small venue big enough for just one table and a relatively low ceiling. The club I play for has a large space with 10+ tables and a very high ceiling, and this is the environment I'm most used to.

I was wondering how much of a difference can indoor environment make for a match? At this venue my serves were running away, I must have had 10 foul serves throughout the match. I felt as if the ball travelled through the air differently, and didn't spin as much.

What are your thoughts? Have you guys ever played in strange/dodgy venues?

It makes a HUGE difference! Lighting, flooring, wall color, air flow, humidity level...these are some of the things that can affect both your equipment and your playing ability.

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Massive difference - one of the biggest variables. Different speeds, temperature, lighting, how the floor behaves. Some venues play fast, some play slow. Some venues have lack of width, some have lack of depth. It's a big consideration. I switched clubs after one season in the top flight because as a modern defender, our court setup for home matches was not a good fit for how I play. Changed to a venue with much bigger courts, and played much better for the next few seasons. I think it helps if you are not surprised - some of my friends are playing at a venue tonight which is known to be terrible - cramped, low ceilings, cold. But it's the same for everyone, and you just need to learn to take it on your stride.

I remember the first home match I played for one club in the Central London league. I was used to match nights being well-organised, but this club was a shambles - balls and people everywhere, bags in the way, people trying to cross the court - I couldn't concentrate at all and lost 3/3 to much weaker players. I subsequently got used to it - it's all part of the game!

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It makes a difference yes, but if you have time to train and adjust, and you are a spin player, you can compensate for it reasonably even if imperfectly - it can take a lot of time to compensate though if you are not used to adjusting to other conditions or you have trained hard and long (weeks) in another environment before coming to the unfamiliar one. Also tables and balls have different bounces and speeds, not to include the weather or the properties of the floor and how they influenced the bounce of the table. Humidity and altitude also affect the way the ball moves and how sweat affects you. It is always worth playing a practice game in any new environment you find yourself in if you intend to compete there that day.

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"We don't rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training" - Archilochus

That's the problem. It's virtually impossible to play there unless for a match. Some of the venues we play at are make-shift spaces that aren't regular clubs. Others seem to adjust... Maybe it's a mental thing as well.

DIMNESS OF ELECTRICAL ILLUMINATION Will CAUSE PLAYER'S VEXITY A LOT.

Yea, a poor lightings wanting 300 lluxes shall ruin your game badly, and a dusty playcourt will cause your racket to mishit oftentimes.
Again, any sunlight from outside should be strongly avoided during a playing session.

Be happy.

The ability to adapt to novel circumstances is the hallmark of experience and skill. Some people adapt easily, others not so much. Might be a style factor, too - choppers may have a harder time than hitters. Probably playing in multiple clubs under different circumstances would help with adaptation.

That's why there's such a thing as "home court advantage"

As a simple rule, usually smaller venues (low ceiling, narrower, etc) compared to large gyms, the ball travels much faster in the small venue. And if you have a high toss serve, or you or your opponent like to lob high balls, you need to feel if there are winds blowing in strange directions.