Getting The Most Out of Practice
A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine asked me a great question! He was having trouble seeing the results from his countless hours of practicing.
“How do you get the most out of practice sessions?” he asked.
I remember a time when I was attending college and was playing table tennis with some of the players from the school’s team.
One player in particular was simply playing against opponents with only a backhand stroke. Even though it was a little harder for him to maneuver around the table, he faithfully stuck with the same stroke. Even when he was serving!
I had to ask, “Why not smash the ball with your forehand? That’s your best stroke.” As he continued to play against his opponent, he kept his concentration until the match was over.
He won of course.
Then he walked over to where I was standing and replied, “Why overpower someone with lesser talents when you can practice the weaknesses in your personal game.
The comment struck me like a lightning bolt.
In my case, it was a weak backhand. My forehand was superior at the time but many players began to notice this weak spot and began exploiting it. So I had to continue practicing it until it got better.
While it’s important to further develop your strengths, what you want to do is also focus on strengthening your weaknesses.
Every player has strengths and weaknesses so you may need several partners to hammer down the weaknesses in your game.
Another way to get the most out of your practice sessions is to read Table Tennis books and order DVD’s and instructional guides. Chances are, you will not only learn how to accentuate your shots more, but you can also learn new tactics and strategies. The information you learn from this can really boost your game to the next level!
Please leave your comments or suggestions below on how you get the most out your practice sessions!
