Ok with friends but bad in tounaments
Mental Preparation
Carl Greywacz Asked 8 years ago
Hi my name is Carl, I've been playing table tennis fairly consistently for about a year and I'm in love with the sport. I seem to play fairly well against friends however when I get in a tournament setting I seem to fall to pieces. Is there something I can do to conquer this problem?
Alois Rosario Answered 8 years ago
Hi Carl,
It is great that you are enjoying the sport so much. It is a fantastic sport.
The main thing that will be happening is that you are becoming a little more anxious when you are playing in a tournament.
Take a look at our section on Sports Psychology to start with, in particular the lesson on how to Recognise Your Feelings. I think this will give you a good start.
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Jean Balthazar Posted 8 years ago
If I may, there's also the fact that playing people you know very well and playing total strangers is quite different. Against people you know well, you can almost play on "autopilot", you know their serves, you know how they will react most of the times in given situations... Against new players, especially in today's short matches of 3 sets to 11 points, being able to analyse your opponent and adjust quickly is critical. Some have better abilities in this area than others, but for everyone it requires experience. So don't get discouraged and play against as many different people as often as possible.
Good thoughts Jean.