30 min before comp

Ji-Soo Woo Asked 16 years ago

Hi Alois

It is competition night...you are already at the venue but there is still 30 min before start time. 

How would you spend the time?  In the past I would try to find an opponent and have a hit for 30 min.  This was mainly because I hadn't played table tennis in ages and always took every opportunity for a hit.  Now I think maybe for superior competition results it is best to find somewhere quiet and just concentrate on what you have to do and visualise your game.  Then, just have a quick warmup hit before your match.

Curious for your thoughts.

Cheers

Ji-Soo

Alois Rosario Answered 16 years ago

Ji-Soo,

This is a good one.  The first thing I will say is that everyone has their own preparation that feels right for them.

If I had 30 minutes, what I found works best for me is to hit as soon as I get to the hall for 15 to 20 minutes.  Make sure your warm up includes some good quality hitting including hitting some balls at game speed.  But build up to this.  Lastly on the table I would play some points as well so that you are serving and hitting your shots at closer to a game situation.

Then I would use the last few minutes to prepare mentally for the match.  This could include just going over the basic tactics that I think are going to work for that match and also to calm myself.  Very rarely do you need to rev yourself up for an important match.

You do need to experiment with this for yourself and find something that feels right.