I'm being bullied at my club.

[pedro.dantas]

I never had any contact with table tennis before I was 24 because I lived in small towns that didn't have any clubs , I moved to a slightly larger city after starting medical school. After recovering from major surgery on my left knee, I learned that there were some people in that city who took table tennis seriously. I've always loved the sport, so I talked to these people so I could start training, which happened last year. Just to give some context, the club is terrible, the floor is extremely slippery, I need to use a product on the soles of my shoes that acts like glue to make them playable. The biggest problem with the floor isn't even that it's unsuitable for the sport, but they simply don't CLEAN the club, so a layer of dust forms which makes the already slippery floor even more slippery. Besides the floor, the tables are of questionable quality. I believe the contact with the ball is a little different, I'm not sure why, I've visited some larger clubs in other cities and the ball's timing... It's very different.
But the biggest problem is some members (only two), they have an absurd ego. The first one was someone I even liked. He has a very strange style; he holds the racket in a very odd way (he puts his thumb on the side of the rubber he plays with and the other four fingers on the rubber on the other side, practically covering the entire surface of the rubber). In the beginning, he played with a long OX pimple racket that he modified (I'm not sure if it's legal), and with an anti-spin racket where he removed the sponge to make an anti-OX racket (I don't know if that exists). Basically, he played pushing dead and strange balls (he doesn't know how to chop). For a beginner like me, it was very frustrating to play against him. However, he switched to a cured pimple racket. I told him it was illegal and that they could ban his racket, and since then he's been saying things to belittle me. It's not just me who says his equipment is illegal, but since I'm a beginner, he only says these things to me.

The other one has He has an absurdly high ego; he genuinely believes that if it weren't for his bad knee, he would be one of the best players in Brazil (he's far from being the best in this small club and has been playing for many years). The problem is, he has a very poor understanding of equipment, yet he insists on giving advice about gear (I was very lucky not to listen at first). He believes that all blades are the same and that what matters most is the rubber. And for some reason, he has something against Xiom. In the last match between Hugo and Gauzy, he literally said that Hugo lost because his equipment was worse and that "Xiom" (the brand, not the specific rubber) didn't forgive wrong movements, and that Gauzy's rubber was much better. I was incredulous at how he thinks he understands more about equipment than Hugo Calderano himself or his coach, and I said something along those lines. Since then, he's been saying things like how he's the best table tennis player in the region and that I don't know anything (I really don't).
So these two They're bullying me, one of them (the guy from Cured Pimple) literally said: "I'm a high-achieving athlete. And you'll never get where I am, you can be sure of that." The other said: "Let's do this, eat some more beans, after about 20 years of TM, after taking a coaching course and everything, then we'll talk, okay? Until then, learn how to play."

Anyway, I think I can get better than these two in one more year, so I'll use this as motivation to destroy them in the future

 

[d3nium]

It sounds like a toxic environment. Find a new club.

 

[Tyce]

There's a couple of ways to go about this, depending on what end result you're looking for I guess.

One, you can just ignore them and treat the comments as jokes. Laugh it off. Most boring and neutral option.

Two, you ridicule them because without their illegal equipment he'd be nothing. Pity them for having to resort to this kind of stuff to keep themselves afloat, like really rub it in. How pathetic must someone be to talk smack to a beginner player?
Also, just refer to the TTD video of Hugo completing destroying the spinsight records... Guess what he uses in that video, it isn't Rasanter. Pro equipment isn't about being forgiving, it's about performance. But if he can't handle Vega series rubbers that's just him being a crap player.

Three, you silently improve until you can destroy them, and then you do.

 

[pedro.dantas]

It sounds like a toxic environment. Find a new club.

It's the only club here

There's a couple of ways to go about this, depending on what end result you're looking for I guess.

One, you can just ignore them and treat the comments as jokes. Laugh it off. Most boring and neutral option.

Two, you ridicule them because without their illegal equipment he'd be nothing. Pity them for having to resort to this kind of stuff to keep themselves afloat, like really rub it in. How pathetic must someone be to talk smack to a beginner player?
Also, just refer to the TTD video of Hugo completing destroying the spinsight records... Guess what he uses in that video, it isn't Rasanter. Pro equipment isn't about being forgiving, it's about performance. But if he can't handle Vega series rubbers that's just him being a crap player.

Three, you silently improve until you can destroy them, and then you do.

I'll just try to get better, than beat them and make them tilted.

 

[mamedium]

just put your headphones on while being in the club and blast some music whenever they are near

wireless headphones are recommended

 

[PhoenixTT]

They actually sound scared of you, and concerned you'll achieve more than them.

The silver lining for you is after going through 'bullying' you become stronger and more prepared for whatever the real world throws at you. You can thank them later.

 

[NextLevel]

It sounds like a toxic environment. Find a new club.

That's a typical TT club in many places - he only described two members, not the other 10 or 50 or so that he gets along with and plays with.

 

[NextLevel]

I never had any contact with table tennis before I was 24 because I lived in small towns that didn't have any clubs , I moved to a slightly larger city after starting medical school. After recovering from major surgery on my left knee, I learned that there were some people in that city who took table tennis seriously. I've always loved the sport, so I talked to these people so I could start training, which happened last year. Just to give some context, the club is terrible, the floor is extremely slippery, I need to use a product on the soles of my shoes that acts like glue to make them playable. The biggest problem with the floor isn't even that it's unsuitable for the sport, but they simply don't CLEAN the club, so a layer of dust forms which makes the already slippery floor even more slippery. Besides the floor, the tables are of questionable quality. I believe the contact with the ball is a little different, I'm not sure why, I've visited some larger clubs in other cities and the ball's timing... It's very different.
But the biggest problem is some members (only two), they have an absurd ego. The first one was someone I even liked. He has a very strange style; he holds the racket in a very odd way (he puts his thumb on the side of the rubber he plays with and the other four fingers on the rubber on the other side, practically covering the entire surface of the rubber). In the beginning, he played with a long OX pimple racket that he modified (I'm not sure if it's legal), and with an anti-spin racket where he removed the sponge to make an anti-OX racket (I don't know if that exists). Basically, he played pushing dead and strange balls (he doesn't know how to chop). For a beginner like me, it was very frustrating to play against him. However, he switched to a cured pimple racket. I told him it was illegal and that they could ban his racket, and since then he's been saying things to belittle me. It's not just me who says his equipment is illegal, but since I'm a beginner, he only says these things to me.

The other one has He has an absurdly high ego; he genuinely believes that if it weren't for his bad knee, he would be one of the best players in Brazil (he's far from being the best in this small club and has been playing for many years). The problem is, he has a very poor understanding of equipment, yet he insists on giving advice about gear (I was very lucky not to listen at first). He believes that all blades are the same and that what matters most is the rubber. And for some reason, he has something against Xiom. In the last match between Hugo and Gauzy, he literally said that Hugo lost because his equipment was worse and that "Xiom" (the brand, not the specific rubber) didn't forgive wrong movements, and that Gauzy's rubber was much better. I was incredulous at how he thinks he understands more about equipment than Hugo Calderano himself or his coach, and I said something along those lines. Since then, he's been saying things like how he's the best table tennis player in the region and that I don't know anything (I really don't).
So these two They're bullying me, one of them (the guy from Cured Pimple) literally said: "I'm a high-achieving athlete. And you'll never get where I am, you can be sure of that." The other said: "Let's do this, eat some more beans, after about 20 years of TM, after taking a coaching course and everything, then we'll talk, okay? Until then, learn how to play."

Anyway, I think I can get better than these two in one more year, so I'll use this as motivation to destroy them in the future

If you already have a mentor or coach, all you do is try to use those guys for practice. People who are better players often talk crap to players who are beginners because they don't see how or when the beginner will get better than they are. But there is always a path if you are getting coached or trained by someone. If not, then it is a harder personal choice based on whether they are giving you any value or not. Getting better in TT requires you to have the right mentorship/coach and you need to find that and use it, even if it costs some money, if you want to improve.

 

[Nakira]

There are toxic people everywhere. Just ignore them. It's not your problem if their rubbers are illegal. They won't be able to compete in official tournament. Not a big deal.

Take it as an opportunity to train in high pressure environnement (mental training), and with harder opponents. It's like hidden services : once they don't bother you anymore, most services reception should be fine.
Same thing with a**holes.

 

[blahness]

Tbh this just typical in TT. I have encountered so many of them over the years. I believe other TT players have similar experiences. There is something unique about TT which attracts toxic personalities, which I did not find in other sports. And usually those are the players with illegal serves and equipment too and basically try to cheat their way through, and they are damn proud of it too like it's a life achievement or something.

This is why I main badminton these days lollll.

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

In amateur settings, you will always have egos that make them think they are the next elite pro. Its the same on internet forums too. I still remember a European player, world top 10 or 20 came on the forums and had to face some self proclaimed experts (armchair hobby player at best) "suggestions/corrections". The pro didn't want to waste another minute of his precious time and left very quickly.

its a sport, everyone in your club is not making money from playing, everyone is an amateur/hobby player.
don't take things too serious and speak less to them. you there to play sport, then just focus on that.

on the floor part, just wet the sole of your shoes, so it add more grip

good luck

 

[pedro.dantas]

In amateur settings, you will always have egos that make them think they are the next elite pro. Its the same on internet forums too. I still remember a European player, world top 10 or 20 came on the forums and had to face some self proclaimed experts (armchair hobby player at best) "suggestions/corrections". The pro didn't want to waste another minute of his precious time and left very quickly.

its a sport, everyone in your club is not making money from playing, everyone is an amateur/hobby player.
don't take things too serious and speak less to them. you there to play sport, then just focus on that.

on the floor part, just wet the sole of your shoes, so it add more grip

good luck

The floor is so bad that even with this tip it still awfull, what really helped me was a product that works like a spray of glue, using at the sole of shoes.

 

[Matt Hetherington]

Nobody who knows anything about equipment (especially on a manufacturing level) would say Andro is better than Xiom or vice versa, he clearly doesn’t know anything about anything 😂😂😂 there are 0 degrees of difference in quality and performance at that top pro level between both the blades and the rubbers.

 

[PenHoldSandro]

I never had any contact with table tennis before I was 24 because I lived in small towns that didn't have any clubs , I moved to a slightly larger city after starting medical school. After recovering from major surgery on my left knee, I learned that there were some people in that city who took table tennis seriously. I've always loved the sport, so I talked to these people so I could start training, which happened last year

Oh good for you to have your surgery be a success! You're very lucky. It's also very nice for you to be motivated to keep improving, not all can do this.

Just to give some context, the club is terrible, the floor is extremely slippery, I need to use a product on the soles of my shoes that acts like glue to make them playable. The biggest problem with the floor isn't even that it's unsuitable for the sport, but they simply don't CLEAN the club, so a layer of dust forms which makes the already slippery floor even more slippery. Besides the floor, the tables are of questionable quality. I believe the contact with the ball is a little different, I'm not sure why, I've visited some larger clubs in other cities and the ball's timing... It's very different.

This is very stupid. At this point just move to another club, be the bigger person and clean, or make your own (just advertise and make sure it's better than the other one, and people will flock to your club). You can also talk to the owner of the club to discuss about the numerous problems about the quality of the floor and table.

But the biggest problem is some members (only two), they have an absurd ego.

How many members are there in the club? If there's only a few, you should move. They will not motivate you to be better. If there are more, like what @NextLevel said, you can just ignore them.

The first one was someone I even liked. He has a very strange style; he holds the racket in a very odd way (he puts his thumb on the side of the rubber he plays with and the other four fingers on the rubber on the other side, practically covering the entire surface of the rubber). In the beginning, he played with a long OX pimple racket that he modified (I'm not sure if it's legal), and with an anti-spin racket where he removed the sponge to make an anti-OX racket (I don't know if that exists). Basically, he played pushing dead and strange balls (he doesn't know how to chop). For a beginner like me, it was very frustrating to play against him. However, he switched to a cured pimple racket. I told him it was illegal and that they could ban his racket, and since then he's been saying things to belittle me. It's not just me who says his equipment is illegal, but since I'm a beginner, he only says these things to me.

Alright, I have to say this: you don't have the right to say things like that (talking about illegal equipment) to a fellow player, as it can definitely come off as rude. However, the way this guy responded is even ruder. Otherwise, just ignore him. There is no point in talking or communicating with him until you get good enough to destroy this kid.

The other one has He has an absurdly high ego; he genuinely believes that if it weren't for his bad knee, he would be one of the best players in Brazil (he's far from being the best in this small club and has been playing for many years). The problem is, he has a very poor understanding of equipment, yet he insists on giving advice about gear (I was very lucky not to listen at first). He believes that all blades are the same and that what matters most is the rubber. And for some reason, he has something against Xiom. In the last match between Hugo and Gauzy, he literally said that Hugo lost because his equipment was worse and that "Xiom" (the brand, not the specific rubber) didn't forgive wrong movements, and that Gauzy's rubber was much better. I was incredulous at how he thinks he understands more about equipment than Hugo Calderano himself or his coach, and I said something along those lines. Since then, he's been saying things like how he's the best table tennis player in the region and that I don't know anything (I really don't).

This is very funny. Blaming a bad knee for your own shortcomings isn't a good thing, this guy just sucks. His skill level is probably extremely low, since it's always the ones with ego who are bad. And his equipment knowledge is very subpar. This bolded part is also very funny. Saying that all blades are the same is very stupid, since in my opinion blades are more complex and more sensitive than rubbers. Having something against a brand is normal though to be honest, I have something against Joola since I don't like their rubbers. However, the way he's projecting is makes it like Xiom being bad is objective lmao. Saying that pros win because of equipment is also hilarious.

You do know something, though. You know that he's a really bad sport lol

I bet after a month you'll obliterate him completely.

So these two They're bullying me, one of them (the guy from Cured Pimple) literally said: "I'm a high-achieving athlete. And you'll never get where I am, you can be sure of that." The other said: "Let's do this, eat some more beans, after about 20 years of TM, after taking a coaching course and everything, then we'll talk, okay? Until then, learn how to play."

I doubt that. If they bully like this they have a really static mindset lol, they'll never get better. This bolded part too is a very rude comment, and really shows that they will not improve.

btw what does TM mean

Anyway, I think I can get better than these two in one more year, so I'll use this as motivation to destroy them in the future

Make that one month. You are better.

 

[lightspin]

Welcome to the world of table tennis! I have played a lot of sports and table tennis has by far the most negative people as a percentage. They are a lot of great people in the sport but for some weird reason table tennis attracts unpleasant and somewhat insane people.

Before I went to China to train, I had done really well/won at a number of events at the college and open level. So would you think players would wish me good luck in my training? NOPE. I heard the following:

You suck.
Your mom must suck because you suck so bad probably because of bad genetics.
Why are you even playing? You will always suck.

Then when I went to train in China, which I was paying money to do, I was forced to practice with people I literally could and did give 15 in a game to 21 (and win.) What did I hear?

You suck.
Your mom must suck because you suck so bad probably because of bad genetics.
Why are you even playing? You will always suck.
As an added bonus, "do you know why you are playing against people who have never held a racket? You guessed it, you suck!"

So the only solution to this is to find friends to play with and avoid the idiots. Usually if you are paying a coach to help you, most of the good coaches will be positive and try to help you because they care. A smaller subset will try to help you because they want to retain you as a student as they need the money. Good luck! If you find the right people you will make lifetime friendships. If you find the wrong people, avoid them like the plague.

 

[Gozo Zyreruna]

Fun fact No.1: Vet players who rely on unconventional material usually has reached a plateau. They can never be any better.

Fun fact No.2: You can because you are a developing player, that is to say, you still have not reach your peak potential yet.

Fun fact No.3: One day you will surpass them. It is not if, but rather when.

 

[Lazer]

One, you can just ignore them and treat the comments as jokes. Laugh it off. Most boring and neutral option.

This ^^^

I have some people in my club I think are really annoying, I just avoid them...

Cheers
L-zr

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

Nobody who knows anything about equipment (especially on a manufacturing level) would say Andro is better than Xiom or vice versa, he clearly doesn’t know anything about anything 😂😂😂 there are 0 degrees of difference in quality and performance at that top pro level between both the blades and the rubbers.

What I am going to say is not applicable to TTD users, but in the statement of 0 degrees difference...., I disagree
Some brands just makes better blades and rubbers (ESN) than others.
My data is players sampling different brands blade/rubbers pre-sponsorship testing.

some of it is even to the level that even doubling the money, the player still refuses to continue pre-talks, despite offers of "we will make changes for you".

 

[XpingpingpongpongX]

The floor condition worries me more than these 2 guys lol. Just play with other people and have fun. Also, watch and learn how other people play against them. I would assume they are also just at beginner-intermediate level. Otherwise who would have pride over a brand new player to the sport.

And when you beat them, look at your paddle and say, this rubber really helps!

 

[Matt Hetherington]

What I am going to say is not applicable to TTD users, but in the statement of 0 degrees difference...., I disagree
Some brands just makes better blades and rubbers (ESN) than others.
My data is players sampling different brands blade/rubbers pre-sponsorship testing.

some of it is even to the level that even doubling the money, the player still refuses to continue pre-talks, despite offers of "we will make changes for you".

Sorry you can disagree but my statement is correct with regards to players of that level 😂