Why am I losing
Mental Preparation
Rohan Cholkar Asked 9 years ago
Hi Alois,
I recently resumed my playing TT at a club. I have an opponent I constantly lose my game with him.
I viewed some of the recent posts before putting my question here as well.
It’s not that I lose the game with huge difference. Just couple of points every time…
Our skill sets are almost at the same level. My issue is I am not able to analyze now where I am going wrong and how can I pull the game to my advantage. It’s really frustrating!!!
Would be happy If you could guide me through this..
Many Thanks,
Rohan
Alois Rosario Answered 9 years ago
Hi Rohan,
It sounds like it will be more about the mental side of the game than the strokes.
When the game gets close do you feel tension developing in your body.
Take a look at the section on Sports Psychology. There will be a few gems in there that will help.
A simple idea is to take a deep breath when you start to get those feelings. Then focus on the tactic that you are going to use in the next point. Take one point at a time.
Recommended Video
How to Beat Pushers in Table Tennis (Without Losing Your Cool)
In this video, we break down why pushers can be so frustrating to play against—and more importantly, how to beat them without losing your rhythm or your mind. Learn smart tactics, avoid the most common mistakes, and develop your third and fourth ball attack to take control of the game.
What you’ll learn:
- What makes pushers so effective (and annoying)
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- How to train smarter to overcome push-based players
📌 Mini takeaway: You don’t need to hit harder—you need to play smarter.
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Rohan Cholkar Posted 9 years ago
Thanks Alois..I think you are rite...just observed one more thing ..whenever I get a lead I tend to get excited..a bit tense not to lose the lead..there it goes down the drain.. thanks for the input. I will focus on it.
Also I have one more question on the type of serve my opponent plays which I don't know how to return. Whenever I get a lead he uses that serve as a weapon to wipe of the lead and get equal. I googled a lot for the answer but dont know what this serve called..I will explain it as below..
Bot me and my opponent are rite handed..He gets to his left hand side table corner..or uses the left half of the table..his bat moves vertical (like a palm of hand with a vertical motion) on the ball creating a back spin for sure....but whenever i push the ball it bounces up too much giving him a finish opportunity..if i try to play a power stroke it goes off the table...in my mind i call it as funny serve..
Also the serve lands mostly in the mid section of the table on my side
Can you please help me with this please.
Hi Rohan,
I am glad you are starting to feel the emotional level.
For that serve, you day it is definitely backspin but the return is going too high. Adjust by aiming lower. It may not have as much backspin as you think or it may indeed have some topspin which is difficult to read.