Hardest Skill In Table Tennis

Kon Unknown Asked 15 years ago

Hi guys,

I'm pretty good at playing table tennis generally, but when it comes to games and when the game is REALLY CLOSE, I start to lose confidence and I don't play aggressively. I lose points and my strokes are completely different to the correct strokes. I believe being mentally focused is the hardest thing to do in a game. Any tips to help improve my game?

Alois Rosario Answered 15 years ago

Hi Kon,

You are probably right thsat this is the hardest skill of all.  This is a big topic and one that we will have to tackle properly soon.

As a basic idea, think about how you were feeling when you played a really good game.  Were you relaxed, how did your stomach feel, how did your legs feel?  Now compare this to how you felt the last time you got into a tight situation and stopped playing with confidence. 

Often we get too 'high' or nervous and sometimes we may get too low or disinterested.  Finding the right balance is the first key.

Keep monitoring yourself to see how close to those good state you are.

The second thing is that you need to focus on playing well all the time, rather than focusing on the result.  This of course is a very difficult thing.

As I said this is a big topic and one we will provide more information on.