A slow starter

Filippo Rotunno Asked 14 years ago

Dear Jeff and Alois

I am such a slow starter. I always do badly in the first game or even games. I only wake up if I lose a couple of games (and sometimes it is too late). I would so much go to the table full of confidence and willingness to win and conquer but I feel lethargic and passive.

Although I am 64 I do not sweat much and so I take time to warm up. I have tried everything but I cannot find a winning formula. In this respect the old 21 points system definitely helped me as it gave me more time to wake up and get going.

Any tips?

Kind regards

Filippo

Alois Rosario Answered 14 years ago

Hi Filippo,

I would try really doing a full warm up before the match. This would include a physical warm of 5 to 10 minutes.  Include some jogging and stretching in this.  Then I would do some basic hitting followed by more advanced drills like service and third ball drills.  Then finally I would play some practice games.  This will really prepare you for the match.

The next thing to think about is your mindset. Make sure you treat each point, right from the first point as important.  We often think about the last few points when we review where we went wrong in a match.  But don't forget those first few points are worth the same value as the last ones.  Getting off to a 5 - 1 start rather than a 1 - 5 start in the game is obviously a huge difference.

SO prepare well for the first point and treat each point with the same respect.