Tournament problem

KY Unknown Asked 15 years ago

I cant seem to perform as well in tournaments compared to training and because of this often lose to others below my standard. Is there a way to remain calm and bring out my true capabilities on the tournament stage as I never feel comfortable during tournaments.

Alois Rosario Answered 15 years ago

Hi Sho,

This is a common problem.

Thye most important thing as you said is to be able to play your best.  See  next time if you can go into it with the attitude of just playing your best table tennis.

You have to realise that everyone gets the same feelins you are getting to some extent.  Just some people learn to cope with them better.

During practice you also need to try to simulate the game situation more.  Put yourself into situations where it means something.  Play some games, even have a small bet on it.  You could try having the loser to crawl under the table or the loser buys the winner a drink or something simple like that.  It gets you a little closer to a real match feeling.

If there is an optimum level of anxiety where you play your best, most of the time we practice below that level and play matches above that level.