Play better against 1700 opponent than 1400. Need mental advice

You handle the fast topspin ball quite well, but when the ball comes slow short and no spin, your return is not so good.

I have talked about this in your previous posts, but I am not good at language that my words can't get your attention.

To address this, you will need to practice your FH & BH drive more. If you don't have enough time to practice fundamental techniques, then try to spin the ball more. The techniques with less spin like punch is not ideal for you at the moment, try other techniques that can general strong spin.

Michael Zhuang said:

I find that when I play higher level players with nice strokes, I play better myself. It's easier for me to find a rhythm, and I play more positive and active.

When I play a lower level player, I find myself far more tentative. I feel afraid to hit my best shots and just try to stay in the rally. I often pull my shots back at the last moment, and all my shots are just off. I make more errors, and it just feels like I'm stuttering. Why is this? It seems more of a mental issue.

How can I fix this?

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The mental issue might well be the part where you really would hate to make a fool out of yourself by loosing against a lesser player. This would inhibit you to play good shots.

However (don't let me tease you😁 ) what you call lesser player can be very very awkward to play against exactly because they might have an awkward style, give back awkward shots etc.

Best is to not "grade" any player and play them as equals. Once you are 2 games up you can always "ease up" on them.

I have the same problem with you. But mentally I am trying to concentrate on my play even if I make mistake. I am trying to adjust the game rythm to my play rythm to solve that issue.F.e if the opponent plays slow I try to add more spin to ball to take the point earlier. Maybe it helps to you also.

lodro said:

Best is to not "grade" any player and play them as equals. Once you are 2 games up you can always "ease up" on them.

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This "easing up" doesn't work for me, or at least sometimes. Often when I say to myself I can play this shot slower (typically on shots where I have advantage and should get the point, or have more adv.), I miss more often than when I play with full commitment. So I am trying not to do that. Also this "easing up", in match, I lead 7:1 in 1st set in training match, I say to myself, OK I'll slow down a bit, and managed to lose the set. Of course sometimes it does work, when you lead 2:0 as you say, and relax even more, it just continues (not that it would matter that much, but it does). So these seems to be 2 different "easing ups" and I don't know what is the difference

Related is the observation, that when a clear defined thought enters my head, like "now I want to place it left", or like "good now I have a lot of time for the ball", I almost always miss. Or it feels so. So I am trying to not think, or somehow think 1 thing .

Michael Zhuang said:

When I play a lower level player, I find myself far more tentative. I feel afraid to hit my best shots and just try to stay in the rally. I often pull my shots back at the last moment, and all my shots are just off. I make more errors, and it just feels like I'm stuttering. Why is this? It seems more of a mental issue.

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Good news is, that when you are capable of identifying it, and describing it - like you just did - you already have the key for solving it. Of course it also applies to me. I have also described something, above, and I still don't know the "mechanism" behind it. WHY that "easing up" doesn't work? WHY not thinking works better? Someone else knows. And what is clear to me is not clear to you and vice versa. So in your particular case. It's a matter of priorities. First you need to realize all this, really all of it, doesn't matter much. Second is that you want to feel good. The next day, what do you remember from the training? That you lost the match, or that you played ugly out of position not low enough shots? Which of those makes you feel worse? Once you set that, the question disappears.

How can I fix this?

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I have no easy answer here, but I know the problem..
My friend (first league Germany women) explains it like this: From the better players, you get clean balls - especially in practice - and you adjust. From the lesser players, you get dirty balls, more unpredictable. Often with young, well-trained players, you see this also soon as something funky comes their way.

For me, relying on counterspin and block more than own initiative, I say they don´t give me something to work with. I try my best shots, but as the best shots rely on incoming quality, I might just fail on topspins against half-empty balls.

Basically, what you are doing - holding back a little - would be a good way for me to adress the problem, however you might just be finding yourself playing their game.

The argument about clean and dirty balls has merit. What is also happening is the ball in not gunna come to you so much to make it easy to wait and set your strike zone to make the shot. You still need to see the ball after contact, figure out what is on it, know where it is going and when, then get there to set the strike zone and make the shot. You can see how initiating your offense vs such a player if you are not yet good at reading the ball can be more difficult and lower percentage than vs a player giving you more penetrating balls where you only have to read the horizontal.

You simply have to get better at discerning impact, figuring out where, when, how the ball will go, choose your impact point, get there, set the strike zone and make the play.

One way that is easy to train is have a container of balls with partner... partner randomly hits balls hard, soft medium sprays them everywhere. You do not have a bat. You have to move to a position and simulate a BH or FH and get to the spot first and catch the ball with the BH or FH doing a small stroke. This gets you to practice that and get position set to have leverage and control, this drill has many positive habit forming components.

Also consider that the 1700 player is not trying hard enough to beat you but maybe practices the counter top spin game I have some players probably around 1200 in my club who have a nice powerful drive into a opening topspin that is a bit high. I use this specifically to practise keeping my opening shots lower while trying to improve the speed and spin. So I am in effect allowing them to only play their best shots for my own practice. But the same people who think they have a good chance loose 21-3 21-7 in handicap matches where I use actual strategy

clean/dirty balls is true.

a lot of the "dirty" balls is not just inconsistency, but it could lack spin or pace - which means there is a no incoming power/force for you to send back.

weaker players also have a problem facing certain styles or adapting in the game.
This just shows the shortcomings in fundamental skills/technique.

I find it a lot of time, beginners think they are doing very well and improving, it is because they are doing the same thing and getting more confident in it.
However, the moment there is 1 change, then it becomes ugly.
Sadly, table tennis is so technical to master, the theory is vast and with my 10 years of coaching experience so far, the coaching manuals are not even 1% of what is actually happening out there on the table.

Best is to find a coach, fix your fundamental problems
practice with all kids of styles, so you can learn to adapt
record your game play, so you can learn from your mistakes
remind yourself of what to do and what not to do.

There are no short cuts, no tricks.