Playing against the pros
Strategy
Jasper Low Asked 2 years ago
Hi Alois. I have a team tournament next week and I heard that a lot of our National youth team is participating too. Against the pros, should I try something new or jerky or should I just try to play my usual standard? Because there's no point in trying to win against these players.
Alois Rosario Answered 2 years ago
Hi Jasper,
I think in these situations it is usually a matter of trying to play up to your level and then see what they really have.
Often we go out and try to do too much. This just leads to unforced errors so the other player doesn't even have to reach close to their level to win the match. First think about getting a few basic balls on the table and see what they really have. IF during the match you then see that their level is different that can be the time to start to think about experimenting with some different ideas of serves or returns.
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What should you do when the score is 9–9 or deuce? One point can be the difference between victory and frustration. In this video, we break down how to win close table tennis matches with a smart, pressure-tested strategy.
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