Playing Fatigued

Ji-Soo Woo Asked 15 years ago

Hi Alois

I notice when I play for an extended period of time that I go through a number of phases.

1) not warmed up - lots of inaccurate and wild shots

2) warmed up - playing at peak

3) tired - suddenly missing loops and drives and late on smashes

Usually, if I am playing an important match and I reach the third stage, I will give up on all offensive strokes and just start pushing and chopping.  I was wondering, however, if there were any rules-of-thumb I could employ to adjust my game for fatigue and still be able to play offensive strokes successfully.

Thanks!

Ji-Soo

Alois Rosario Answered 15 years ago

Hi ji-Soo,

I think take a step back.  Why are you getting fatigued.  If it a long tournament  I can understand it.  If it is a pennant night though, there are probably other factors to consider.

Often when we tighten up or stress during matches we use way more energy than we need to.  If this may be the cause, you need to find ways to combat this.

Durng your practice focus on the amount of tension in your body.  We call this 'Tension Testing'.  Try to have as little tension as possible.  This will decrease the amount of energy your body is using.

Are you sressing too much during the match?  If you are, you may need to do some breathing exercises or routines to keep the stress levels down.

Often we feel fatigued, but if you were asked to go and run around and play a fun game you would be able to do it.

Perhaps look at th eamount of energy you are using with your strokes as well by being unstable.  This may be a factor.  Throwing yourself around will use more energy.

When you are truly fatigued,  breath between points.  Take your time to recover between points.  Play at a slower pace, if you rush between points.

Once you switch on for the point though you need to try to play your natural game.

I feel this will be the first part of an answer.  Letme know if there are other issues that I haven't really covered or if I am missing the mark.