how to deal with players you play for the first time?

Christian Adrian Aniceta · Jun 12, 2017

I just went to a table tennis club for the first time...
There were a lot of players with different styles.
I got destroyed and had lots of fun...
My Question is how do you deal with players when you play them for the first time or when you don't know much about them yet?
I find my self struggling with returning serves (specially from left handers)
I am a c-pen player with less than 2 years of experience playing...
Also what do you do if you have a lot of consecutive lost... I feel bad about myself when I can't seem to win..
Thanks.

mr. tom · Jun 12, 2017

Think about it; if they are new to you, you are also new to them!

Christian Adrian Aniceta · Jun 12, 2017

mr. tom said:
Think about it; if they are new to you, you are also new to them!

yeah... maybe I just lack experience and need more practice

mr. tom · Jun 12, 2017

I think it's best to initially try and play your own game, so they maybe have to play out of their comfortzone and not you. If that doesn't go well, you can still try something else.

Christian Adrian Aniceta · Jun 12, 2017

mr. tom said:
I think it's best to initially try and play your own game, so they maybe have to play out of their comfortzone and not you. If that doesn't go well, you can still try something else.

hmmm.. there are times that I were just very nervous and also can't play my own game...
thank you for your time and tips

pgpg · Jun 12, 2017

If you never played penholders, lefties, choppers, LP blockers etc., then it's not a surprise you are struggling at first. You'll get better with experience - and that's one of the reasons I always tell people to go find a local TT club if they want to be serious about the game.

You get better by experimenting, seeing what works and what does not, trying to understand how you win and lose points.

As far as losing a lot - these are meaningless matches, I suspect, and probably reflect your current level. As you get a better feel for players in your club, I'd suggest you try figuring out who's close to you in level and try to play them as much as possible. There is a difference between 0:3 loss where you never had a chance and close 2:3 one.

PolishTT17 · Jun 12, 2017

Christian Adrian Aniceta said:
I just went to a table tennis club for the first time...
There were a lot of players with different styles.
I got destroyed and had lots of fun...
My Question is how do you deal with players when you play them for the first time or when you don't know much about them yet?
I find my self struggling with returning serves (specially from left handers)
I am a c-pen player with less than 2 years of experience playing...
Also what do you do if you have a lot of consecutive lost... I feel bad about myself when I can't seem to win..
Thanks.

The struggle is real!

I think that mr. tom pointed it out. Just play your game and take your experiences out of players that are better than you. You can't get better when you always play the same opponents. That's something great about our sport. There is no right or wrong in playing table tennis. There is just a guide line you can try to follow. There are so many types of players and from each you can learn something new. Doesn't matter if he plays professional level or just for fun. I always enjoy to go to a training session in different clubs!

Christian Adrian Aniceta · Jun 12, 2017

pgpg said:
If you never played penholders, lefties, choppers, LP blockers etc., then it's not a surprise you are struggling at first. You'll get better with experience - and that's one of the reasons I always tell people to go find a local TT club if they want to be serious about the game.

You get better by experimenting, seeing what works and what does not, trying to understand how you win and lose points.

As far as losing a lot - these are meaningless matches, I suspect, and probably reflect your current level. As you get a better feel for players in your club, I'd suggest you try figuring out who's close to you in level and try to play them as much as possible. There is a difference between 0:3 loss where you never had a chance and close 2:3 one.

Thank you very much , I will do my best

Christian Adrian Aniceta · Jun 12, 2017

PolishTT17 said:
The struggle is real! I think that mr. tom pointed it out. Just play your game and take your experiences out of players that are better than you. You can't get better when you always play the same opponents. That's something great about our sport. There is no right or wrong in playing table tennis. There is just a guide line you can try to follow. There are so many types of players and from each you can learn something new. Doesn't matter if he plays professional level or just for fun. I always enjoy to go to a training session in different clubs!

Thank you very much , I will do my best

sanavasaraja · Jun 12, 2017

I try to monitor my opponents already while warming up - what shots are they comfortable with? Especially at lower levels, people tend to have more or less obvious weaknesses. Does he struggle to produce a precise backhand shot, is he more passive with his backhand? How does he swing with his forehand - driver, looper? I then make mental notes on what area I want to balance my game.
Some people that I know actually intentionally don't show for example their forehand too much when warming up. Next level mind games lol, that goes a bit far and is a bit silly if you ask me

The first set I try to take it slow and let my opponents play a little to see what works and what doesn't. I vary my serve a lot: topspin, backspin, long and short. Trying to keep the ball in the game without trying to go for killshots instantly - unless you just obviously have to - is key. If you just finish the point (or fail at it) right away, you learn little about your opponent.

If you watch your opponent closely and keep a cool head, the game will get better and better as it progresses. Try to pick up on the little things in between. Before every serve you do, think about what your gameplan is.

Christian Adrian Aniceta · Jun 12, 2017

sanavasaraja said:
I try to monitor my opponents already while warming up - what shots are they comfortable with? Especially at lower levels, people tend to have more or less obvious weaknesses. Does he struggle to produce a precise backhand shot, is he more passive with his backhand? How does he swing with his forehand - driver, looper? I then make mental notes on what area I want to balance my game.
Some people that I know actually intentionally don't show for example their forehand too much when warming up. Next level mind games lol, that goes a bit far and is a bit silly if you ask me

The first set I try to take it slow and let my opponents play a little to see what works and what doesn't. I vary my serve a lot: topspin, backspin, long and short. Trying to keep the ball in the game without trying to go for killshots instantly - unless you just obviously have to - is key. If you just finish the point (or fail at it) right away, you learn little about your opponent.

If you watch your opponent closely and keep a cool head, the game will get better and better as it progresses. Try to pick up on the little things in between. Before every serve you do, think about what your gameplan is.

Thank you... I think I lost a lot of points trying to attack instantly too.. I like your advice about keeping the ball in the game without going for killshots.

Christian Adrian Aniceta · Jun 12, 2017

Thank you to all those who answered... It gave me hope and new way to look at playing table tennis.

amber.kulkarni89 · Jun 13, 2017

This will often happen I tournaments. In my opinion the first game is crucial. Pay close attention to opponents game. Try to spot a weak spot early. Most important play your game.

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Gjayesh · Jun 13, 2017

Hi ,playing a game with new unknown player is like visiting the dark side you cant reach the light if u dont come out from dark.
Every player has unique skills u too, try to use ur skills at best and dont worry about win or loss focus ur play n objective to learn what u can during each match those moments n shots will never come back so make the most of it and try to capture video of every game match u play it will help u find ur mistakes n opponents weakness [emoji1317]

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how to deal with players you play for the first time?

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