The most important skill in table tennis (for beginner-intermediate level)
Hello again and a happy new year !
Table tennis is a very complex sport , i have always tried to simplify it so i can deal effectively with every possible situation during a tournament match .
As i gained more and more experience by playing matches , discussing with coaches and watching other players i realized that more knowledge comes with more questions and this situation leads to an endless circle that frustrated me . I believe most of the players out there feel the way i do , especially those who practice hard and try to find effective methods to improve themselves . I remember some quotes from my coaches when i was a kid
"footwork is very important , without it u will never have the correct position for the next ball"
"strategy is the most important thing , excellent technique is useless without it , no matter how hard you train , u will lose if you cant outsmart your opponent"
"psychology is the most important factor , he who believes will win "
"developing feeling of the ball will make you a winner"
"keeping the ball on the table , is the essence of the sport"
Well all of these quotes were very helpful but not in every situation and they raised more and more questions . I needed something more solid , something valid that would help me deal with every ball no matter what . Two years ago i was reading an article with tips for table tennis when my brain suddenly focused on a particular quote : "a good player performs the right stroke at the right time" .
It seemed perfect for me to focus on but still , table tennis is a sport with fast reactions and the more you think , the less you play . It's impossible to think about performing the right stroke at the right time , a player needs something more simple in order to focus and execute correctly .
I was frustrated to a point that i wasnt enjoying the game any more and decided to stop searching & thinking so much because it effected negatively my mindset , thus my performance . I was thinking "well i'll just practice & try to improve without worrying so much" .
One week ago , i was watching some tributes about Jan Ove Waldner and read some articles about his career.
What was the attribute that made him so great ? He didnt have the fast footwork of Ryu Seung Min nor the technique of Ma Long . Hell he didnt even have the fighting spirit of Wang Liqin or the consistency of Jean Michel Saive . Waldner has lost many matches in his career because of unforced errors
Well , the answer is simple : correct anticipation . He knew where the ball was going .
So , here it is : Know where the ball is going . Simple , effective and solid . A rule of thumb for every different ball in the game . Unfortunately it is something i cant thoroughly explain here so i will post some videos and analyze the guidelines in my next article .
Till then , next time you go to practice , keep your eyes on the ball and try to find where it will land . This is the first crucial step , all the rest are somehow "worthless" if you dont develop your ability to guess or even better "force through tactic" the ball to land where you want it .
Goodbye & enjoy !
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Comment by Matt Hetherington on January 13, 2013 at 3:24pm -
Eyes on the ball to know where it will go is not so efficient. The way to be one step ahead of your opponent is to watch them 100% of the time, watching their actions will allow you to judge where the ball is going at the precise moment that they hit the ball. You will find by simply watching your opponent's bat constantly that your subconscious reflexes allow you to move into position a lot faster than you normally might :)
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Comment by George Dounas on January 14, 2013 at 5:25am -
Well , after our discussion on Facebook i read a few more articles about it and watched some videos of the pro's . They track their ball with their eyes till the moment of contact , then exactly after contact they turn their eyes to opponent's paddle . Then again to the ball and it goes on and on and on ! Its a skill that every good player needs to master , in order to develop
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Comment by George Dounas on January 15, 2013 at 5:23am
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLs1YUkA2ls
here is a good example , schlager lost the match but in certain points he outplayed ma long because of his great anticipation . Schlager had terrible footwork yet he managed to become world champion in the modern table tennis era !
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Comment by guy chiron on January 22, 2013 at 12:57am -
This article is very pleasant to read. Oviously its author has a good command of English and must be an English-speaking native. All that is said is useful and can help any player. I have to confess that as a French native I am attracted to the quality of the language as much as to its contents ! This is because I am a former English teacher that keeps playing table-tennis with great joy as long as my health permits !!
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Comment by George Dounas on January 22, 2013 at 5:20am
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Hello guy thanx for your kind words . You can also check my other two articles here :
http://www.tabletennismaster.com/profiles/blogs/stress-management-i...
http://www.tabletennismaster.com/profiles/blogs/ma-long-vs-zhang-ji...
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Comment by Ferdinand Castillo on January 22, 2013 at 9:06am -
i like how you put it," know where the ball is going", I can relate to that because despite the fact that i am short sighted once i am fit and my anticipation is there my game level increases tremendously.
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Comment by George Dounas on January 23, 2013 at 1:40pm
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Well you need to focus on simple quotes when you are playing . Too much details causes the brain to be inefficient . You need to be focused on simple guidelines so that you can react fast with your reflexes and not thinking "i got to do this , i must play like that" . Too much thinking means less actions . So focus ons something specific and start practice !
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Comment by Utsav Patni on January 27, 2013 at 5:33am -
if a player does not sees the ball and plays, still wins...is it good or he has to practice and try to see the ball
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Comment by George Dounas on January 27, 2013 at 6:47am
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Well for beginner level it's crucial that you track the ball all the time . You cant be really good player by not watching the ball . When you start to develop a solid technique with good reaction time after you made your shot it is a good time to start practicing watching the opponent's paddle/body but AFTER the ball has left your paddle .
So it goes something like this
1)Track the ball untill you hit it
2)The moment the ball leaves the paddle you start watching your opponent's paddle & body movement. At the same time you get back into your "ready position" depending on the next ball
3)After that you track the ball again like step one to prepare your shot and it goes on and on like a circle :)
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Comment by Utsav Patni on January 28, 2013 at 7:57am
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thank you...i will definately try it
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