Dealing with pressure.

First of all try to get rid of it by getting away from the table for a short time after each point. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't.
Try to get a routine for your play, like before you tossing the ball to serve you let it bump for several times on the table. When you do it, you get rid of the all the haste and you can maintain not always a stable and focused mind.

It's not always a guarantee but it's worth a shot, it was really helpful for me during close matches and 5th sets so give it a shot

Have a look at Dora Kurimay's "Get your game face on!" - it has a number of very useful and practical tips on how to deal with pressure in TT.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Your-Game-Face-Table-Tennis-ebook/dp/B0073V98C0

Some players take pressure as a form of motivation by pushing themselves to the limits of their abilities by enduring pressure.

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Rajah's comment is very valuable.

It really depends on the player. Some people thrive under pressure and the pressure helps them get their level of play up. Some are the opposite. Most of us are somewhere in between. To increase your level of play there needs to be some level stress to allow you to achieve a higher state of focus and awareness and to get the adrenalin flowing so that you can reach beyond your normal abilities. For every player they have to learn what their optimal level is. Generally, too much stress, and pressure causes people to try too hard and make mistakes. But not enough causes a person to play without energy.

I do know a player who is a pro who will do all sorts of antics to get himself angry and fired up because he plays his best when the pressure is through the roof for him. He is rare. What he does would not work for most people. But when he is really truly angry, he plays much better. Most people, if they put that much pressure on themselves, got that amped up, and tried to play, they would miss a lot of shots by overhitting. I personally play better when I am way on the calm and relaxed side.

So the real art is to find the right level of stress that helps you stay focused, and when the pressure gets higher, take a little extra time between points to get relaxed and focused.

I think that the ideal is to approach every point with the same relaxed but competent intensity. IF your goal is always to approach the point and win it, then pressure becomes largely moot as your goal and mental state should be relatively similar from point to point. At the beginning of a point, try to determine your general approach to winning it and your serve/return philosophy. IF you consistently do that, no matter the score, then the score starts to affect your play less.

When I lose matches, I might be disappointed with the result, but I am rarely disappointed with how I played for this reason, even when I lose a few match points. I always ask myself whether I approached the point as I intended to and usually, the difference is execution, which is mostly about how practiced and consistent I am.

I think pressure can be a good thing if you are a player who can handle it well and use it as extra motivation! Thats the different between a winner and a loser. I had big problems with pressure when I was younger but things that have helped me is to try to thing about making every point as good as possible and not thing about the final results and the consequences of loosing.

Table tennis is just a sport and I think it's important to remember that sometimes. I play at my best when I only play because it's fun, so my advice is to try to not take it to serious and always play because it's fun and for the love of the sport no matter what level you play at.

Very easy to say I know but I think thats the truth!

Having a coach that you can rely on and that is good on making you feel relaxed is one of the most important things when it comes to handling pressure, at least in my case.

You will laugh, but seriously this works for me. About a half shot of scotch if it is a really important match. About 30 min before hand. Generally you can only do this once in a tournament or you will not be good in the later rounds!

I think that pressure is great for some people, because they play better than.
But pressure can also work negative if you can't.
Some people need pressure to perform better than when they wouldn't got pressure on them.
But I also think that if there's to much pressure in your play, you can't focus anymore on the fun of the game etc.
If you can't control your pressure in the game it's going to working bad in your play, all of you're power is to get the point.
My experience with to much pressure is that I play worse than I can actually do.
Think always about where's the pressure from? Can I perform better or worse with pressure? If that answer is worse, just try to let it go.
Most of the time I think that the pressure only comes from yourself and not from anyone else, it can happen that you feel you have to make a result, but most of the people want you to play correctly and with fun and if you win it will be so great, but that's not the most important thing in the game.
Pressure is also very mental, if you can turn that off you will play better sometimes.
My experience is that I play better without pressure so I can just play, if I lose than, yeah, it's a shame, but the next game I play again like my own play and that's important for me. If I play with more pressure I make easily more mistakes than I would without that pressure.
It can be very hard to handle the pressure, but just try it can make the difference between winning or losing a game.

Just smile and have fun. It seriously works.

Try this. Forget the score. Concentrate on technique, your stance, your grip , and watch the opponents serve like a hawk. Follow everything you learned. And go the entire game without changing a thing no matter how many points you lose. You might lose the first match but your consistency will prevail.

My rating was 1200 I beat a 1600 rated guy that way.


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I've had days where I've tightened up and played nervously under pressure and I've also had days where I've played amazingly while facing set-point or match point.

The difference for me is that if I go in thinking that I want to play and have fun, then I'll play great. If I go in with my head thinking about tactics and how important the match is, then I'll play badly.

I've also figured that it's better to follow very simple tactics and just remind yourself where you should place the ball between points. If I think and plan too much then my reaction gets delayed and I will get nervous.

I had a match against a higher rated player and I just went in with a smile and played the best TT of my life to win the first set 11-8. I then started to think too much about tactics and didn't concentrate while receiving and lost the next three sets. I wasn't the favourite to win but I played worse than my general level.

At one time, I was facing a 9-2 deficit against a similarly rated player in the last set and then just thought "What the heck, let's just try this" and won the set 13-11.

So for me personally, it depends on my attitude.

aznalanx32 said:

Just smile and have fun. It seriously works.

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Agree! It's important to try not to take it to serious all the time!