How do you manage your headspace while playing?

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Trying to take speed off to just get it on the table can sometimes be counter productive. I found a lot of the time going for shots gave me more safety not less as my attempt at just putting it on the table resulted in tense, stilted technique. It's not so easy to just take pace off. If you watch pros you see even in slow spinny loops they are actually committing to the shot, they just brush it thinly.
 
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This has always been my problem. I find i loose many games just because of my attitude rather than my technical ability. In fact, i'm one of those guys that is very consistent in training, but makes stupid mistakes in actual matches. If i'm in a good day i can stay motivated and and actually play to my full potential, but most of the time i either lack motivation/attitude or just have a rollercoaster performance by winning one set very easily then loosing the next badly.

So what are your suggestions to improve mental consistency in games?

I think this is an excellent question and just the fact that you are aware of this leads me to believe you're well on your way to figuring it out. Being self aware is half the battle.

I'm with you. I've often played and have posted my matches here before (a good tip for examining your games if you don't already) and one feedback comment an experienced player here was to point out times I did something out of the ordinary. I saw what he meant. It was just immaturity. I don't remember the specifics but I'd liken it to say your beating someone good with your serve all match long and in one of the final points, you switch it up trying a serve you hadn't all game long and fault. That would be a stupid play and I had something like that.

Anyways, I was happy as last year in a tournament I won my 1st ever division singles tournament and I can directly attribute that win to two things. Neither of which have much to do with technique at all.

1 - If you have a club mate with you at a tournament and he's not currently in a match, ask him to coach you in yours. Sometimes taking an outside look at a match is easier to make adjustments than when you're in the thick of battle. He can keep you on track with your plan and most likely help you form your tactics if they're going well or not so well. In short, I think it would help you form silly, immature mistakes in a game.

2 - For one reason or another, I had a really good mental approach of this never say die attitude. Say you're down 10-5 in a match. The rational part in your head, at least for me it does, will say "this game is most likely over." But as a competitor, you almost have to have this irrational, unbelievable faith in yourself that you can over come all odds. I did this and told myself "just keep fighting" and one of those matches I won I was down 5-10 and came back to take that game.

I'm sure there are other points but I hope these help you. Best of luck.
 
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Same problem from here! In the start of the season I always have confidence problems, and it's dificult to play offensively for me. So I go behind the table to lob in a great part of the points, even on games. I only start to play more offensively when I make good results on a tournament or on a match. I need that click to open my "season start", where I gain confidence to play more offensively.

I've lost sets that I was winning by 9-3,8-1, etc... and that is psychologically unfavorable on the game. That normally happens when I'm winning to players that are on higher level than me and I start to think things like "omg I don't believe this is happening, 8-1 to this guy? Never managed that could be possible", it's also lack of confidence by me in games, but it's like that :p So my advice to you it's to play as the game is lost. Play loose, don't focus on result and don't need to overpower the player, setup your point then finish it safely!! And less emotional, you can supperate yourself, but also can be bad when you have lack of confidence! Here's my opinion! :)

In the last two years I had a chinese trainer(the one who also made me a brain wash to play with chinese rubbers, he always said "who gonna spend 40$-50$ on a crappy tensor? :p") and he always made us series of random multiball series with random spins. He said that it was good to we play more loosely, because helped us to don't follow patterns.

psychologically unfavorable
 
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With what you describe i just feel that you get unfocus and too much thinking / feeling. I also have the same thing

A few additional suggestions when it happens
- Choose consciously a very simple tactics : For me it helps to focus back on the match and to be clear on what to do (as I choose a simple tactics). Very often i just do short BS serve and open up. It's simple and it clears my head
- Focus your eyes on the ball : A bit like if you do meditation, it helps to focus on only one point and get out your head
- A short technical mantra : Repeat an easy reminder about what you should do to play well. It helps to focus on only one clear things and one again get out your head. Personally i like to use 'In Pai', that for me means to take my time to get into position and to reset after my shot
- Deep breath : I find that to do 5 seconds inhale, 2 seconds hold and 7 seconds exhale is very efficient and calm me

Personally i often forget to do it when i should do it, it's not easy to recognize you're not focused and that you should take the time and do something about it. But when i do it, it helps me :)
 
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Thank you all for your input. There is great advice here, now let's see if i can put it to practice. I will make a small summary of your tips an put it in paper to serve as a reminder before the games.
 
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OP, this is an awesome thread and really has some great advice in it. I think it's a problem everyone struggles with and everyone has to solve it according to their own mentality. I've dealt with it in every sport I've ever played and it's caused me to fall short of my potential.

I have made some great progress lately by focusing on only 2 things. First and foremost, you HAVE to have fun while you're playing - win or lose. It keeps you relaxed and keeps you motivated even when losing. Secondly, in drills and practice games, focus on playing your best stroke on each ball as if there's no consequence for missing the shot. Check out the TTD podcast episode with Kristian Karlsson, he talks about how he deals with his nervousness before matches and what he says can really help all of us with our mental game.
 
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Your problem is during in a match. So why not during non tournament matches just keep on trying to attack until it is imprinted in you that you will not hesitate to attack. Also, if you cannot loop the ball at peak bounce or on the rise, try taking it at late bounce to add more consistency and accuracy. Your problem will be resolved by doing it over and over again.
 
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OP, this is an awesome thread and really has some great advice in it. I think it's a problem everyone struggles with and everyone has to solve it according to their own mentality. I've dealt with it in every sport I've ever played and it's caused me to fall short of my potential.

I have made some great progress lately by focusing on only 2 things. First and foremost, you HAVE to have fun while you're playing - win or lose. It keeps you relaxed and keeps you motivated even when losing. Secondly, in drills and practice games, focus on playing your best stroke on each ball as if there's no consequence for missing the shot. Check out the TTD podcast episode with Kristian Karlsson, he talks about how he deals with his nervousness before matches and what he says can really help all of us with our mental game.

That has been my mantra lately, i even wrote it on my wrist to remind me between games: "Have Fun". That is why i play, nobody is pressuring me to play, i do it because i love the game. So why can't i just have fun and play? Sometimes is easier said than done, and i struggle to find that mindset.
 
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That has been my mantra lately, i even wrote it on my wrist to remind me between games: "Have Fun". That is why i play, nobody is pressuring me to play, i do it because i love the game. So why can't i just have fun and play? Sometimes is easier said than done, and i struggle to find that mindset.

I completely agree and still struggle with it despite making progress. It's just a process we all have to work on, starting in practice. Finding other ways to build confidence outside of TT helps too, otherwise you end up feeling like you have something to prove by winning.
 
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Thank you all for your input. There is great advice here, now let's see if i can put it to practice. I will make a small summary of your tips an put it in paper to serve as a reminder before the games.
You can post your summary here too in order to help others about the same issue, just as suggestion. :)

Enviado desde mi Moto G (4) mediante Tapatalk
 
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Ok, my summary of the thread, some are similar:


  • Take time between points
  • Analyse what happened, take a deep breath a remember the game plan
  • Don't be afraid to loose
  • Don't count points, enjoy the game, flirt and seduce the ball (love this one, is makes so much sense in my head)
  • Don't get frustrated by mistakes, embrace them and they will speak to me
  • Never quit
  • Focus on simple tactics instead of the big picture
  • Have fun!

Some information collected from other sources:


  • Play to create big points, not big shots
  • Play within yourself (don't give 110%, instead play at 80-90%)
  • Don't underestimate or overestimate your opponent, just play your game
  • Leave the training mindset behind (thinking about technique too much will hinder your game, trust your instincts)
 
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Some good notes there.

One thing I'll mention (this falls under point 2 of remember the game plan).

In practice I'm willing to work on the stuff I'm not all that great for. That's what practice or club night, shoot sometimes even in a club match, I'll try some things. All about getting better.

But in a tournament, that's when it's time to leave the experimental stuff at home and bring what you know you're good at.
 
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The challenge is that a lot of the fun we attribute is to winning the whole game ... that causes the whole experience painful if you lose ... but if you can focus on the process and enjoy the small things, how you made a great loop , how you were able to return more consistently and with quality, how you were adapting and understanding your opponent's strategies ... it will go a long way into enjoying the process .. the challenge in table tennis is that far too often we judge our progress by win/loss percentage, but the reality is that its not even whether you are able to get more and more points in individual games, its actually about how many more balls you were able to put on the table. As one great sage once told me, and I consider him a sage because well he won and medal-led in quite a few world championships , whoever puts one more ball on the table wins .... we lose sight of this simple fact far too often and try to play something that "Der_echte" calls "Macho Man Table tennis " which is an unfortunate side effect of watching too many pro games in youtube :) ... so always remember to tell yourself to play with heavy spin irrespective of how much speed you are getting on the ball ... unless you use it as a variation, power / speed without spin is always the easiest thing to adapt to .. holding it loose to return a speedy shot is much easier than trying to find the right timing and impact to block a spinny loop. Even comparatively newbies with sub-optimal technique can return ball hit with more power than block back a heavy spin loop ... remember that a block off a heavy spin loop always sets you up for the next ball, but a block from less spinny but more speedy loop frequently finds you out of position ...

Anyways, here are some of the tips I have received over the years to manage the mental aspect of the game, I bet some of them have already been mentioned :

1. Take one point at a time and if you can convince yourself, treat every point as 0-0 .
2. Have mental routines on the table . For example, when you are going to serve take a few seconds to remember what kind of point you want to construct, there is always some predictability if you are serving short you expect a drop shot or a long push , play it out in your head quickly . But make sure you focus on the blade of the player who is returning so there are no surprises.
3. When you are returning the serve remember that its the opponents initiative so remember to hold the paddle loose and if you need to shake your hand loose do so before every point. Remember the first thing that you need to do is to put the ball back in play. Its totally fine if the server can attack your return but make sure you make him play at first. You can slowly figure out the placement and the spin and stop him from doing a quality attack.
4. Recognize your strengths during match play . We are not pros and we are not playing 9 hours a day everyday. So when we turn up for a match , certain things work on certain days and certain things don't even though you have been working on it in practice. Recognizing and accepting whats working and how to manage and get your strengths into play in the match helps a lot.
5. Remember to breathe , it helps you relax ..take your 6 point breaks ... to slow down the play to your speed .
6. Focus on one thing at a time and if you are able to get that one thing done call it a win in your head, don't worry about the score.
7. Play the game because you love the game and not because you love to win ... tell yourself that as long as you are making progress in practice , it will ultimately start showing in match... thats how it works .. where else will all the practice go ... but you have to let it come into your match play and and not cause a mental barrier by focusing on the win but not on the entire process ...

and lastly , be thankful that you are able to make so many friends because of table tennis .. ;)





That has been my mantra lately, i even wrote it on my wrist to remind me between games: "Have Fun". That is why i play, nobody is pressuring me to play, i do it because i love the game. So why can't i just have fun and play? Sometimes is easier said than done, and i struggle to find that mindset.
 
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Well, my team had another match last friday. I was in a good mood and tried to apply many of the suggestions made here, and saw some improvements, but i was just too anxious and lost the singles 3-1. The first set just flew by me, it felt like i wasn't even there... We went to the 4th match loosing 3-0, by that time i was fully relaxed and played the doubles very well. We ended up loosing 4-1 but i saw were my mind needs to be in order to play well, now i just need to get her there :p
 
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The first thing you do is ready yourself to attack the serve (or serve return).

After that just put the bat in front of the ball until u win.



Also take time to visualize the serve before every serve. Where u want to hit the ball, at what height, what motion etc. Itll raise the quality of ur serves in matches
 
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