July 29, 2011

Sometimes play into an opponent's strength

Something that needs re-emphasis - if something your opponent does give you trouble (other than serves), play into it until you are comfortable with it. Then, just when the opponent has gotten comfortable doing this thing, avoid it like the plague. He'll still probably get to use it, but now you'll be comfortable against it, and he'll have to adjust his whole game in mid-match to find ways to use it. How many times have you come off a table with a loss still feeling uncomfortable against whatever it was your opponent was doing and feeling like you have no answer for it? That should never happen in any match that is remotely competitive.

A classic example is playing someone with short pips on the backhand. If you have trouble with the short pips, play into it until you are comfortable.

Why you choke

Here's an interesting and informative video by former English Table Tennis Champion Matthew Syed on Why Players Choke (5:03). If you are interested in sports psychology, I recommend Dora Kurimay's Table Tennis Sports Psychology page, as well as other articles on sports psychology and my own article on Confidence - then Consistency. I also recommend three books: With Winning in Mind by Lanny Bassham, The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey, and Winning Ugly by Brad Gilbert. (They use other sports as examples, but all apply to table tennis as well.)

Sponge hardness

Here's an informative article - or rather, series of short tidbits - on sponge hardness, by top coaches and players Stellan Bengtsson, Samson Dubina, Massimo Constantini, Tahl Leibovitz, Sara Fu, and Scott Lurty.

Paul Drinkhall versus the World (or rather China)

Here's an interesting article on England's #1 Paul Drinkhall hoping to break the Chinese domination of table tennis. My first thought is, "Good luck with that!" My second thought is, "Good luck with that," but without the italics on "that." After all, I'm sure people thought the same thing of the Swedes, Hungarians, and Koreans when they attempted to overtake the Chinese, and at various times they all did so.

Back rehab update

As I've blogged previously, I've been having upper back problems which have affected my coaching and playing. I saw an orthopedist sports medicine doctor last Wednesday, nine days ago. He referred me to the Center for Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation (which he was affiliated with) for rehab. I called them over and over last Thursday, but no answer, the phone just rang and rang. I tried again on Friday, still no answer, and again on Saturday. I tried again on Monday morning, still no answer. So I called the doctor's office that morning, and they apologized, and said they'd set things up for me and get back to me that day. Nobody called back. On Tuesday I called one more time, no answer. So yesterday I did a web search for "upper back rehabilitation exercises" and found some excellent websites - in particular this and this. I'm now doing my own routine, about 10-15 minutes a day.

Pings and Pongs

What - you mean you haven't yet bought a copy of Pings and Pongs, an anthology of my thirty best published short science fiction & fantasy stories??? Well, what are you waiting for!!! It's only $14.95! It even includes a fantasy table tennis story ("Ping-Pong Ambition")! (Outside table tennis, I'm a science fiction and fantasy writer.) And while you're at it, get a copy of my books Table Tennis Tales & Techniques and Table Tennis: Steps to Success!

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