Player Analysis

Hello Alois,

I was wondering how often professional players watch video tapes of their potential opponents for analysis to see weaknesses, strong points etc. How effective can this method of beating an opponent be?

Hi Kon,

At the recent Commonwealth Championships the English team had a person in charge of videoing matches of prospective opponents.  They would then analyse these matches and get the players to watch them to see specific areas that they could target in a game.

It can be a very effective method for improving performance.

The Chinese team do this best. They have a team of people that veideo matches during major championships.  They are then immediately analysed and tactics worked out for future opponents.

So what are the main things you should look for when analysing an opponent?

• Which side is stronger in a rally, forehand or backhand
• Do they prefer to attack with the forehand or backhand
• Which side are they more comfortable to block / defend with
• Which serves do they like or dislike receiving including what type of spin and to which place on the table
• What serves do they like to do on critical points

All these things will help a player to understand an opponent.  It may win a match for you or it may just mean that you have some information on them for the early part of the match that you can use and get yourself an early lead.

Often just watching a player even without analysing them will give you some ideas. Your subconscious works really well in this situation.

Of course even if you don't have a video of them you can just watch them play a match and try to glean some of these answers.