Problems in games

I find playing lots of practice matches will help this. Also try to forget everything and enjoy the game, this should help. Also take your time.

I am on a phone. Can can someone post a link to one of the other threads with this same subject. There are a few already with many really good posts. It would be worth reading.

manosb, do you do any game simulation training like serve and receive drills?


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First thing to do is watch this video:


That may explain some of what is going on.

manosb said:

Often when i am plying sets i get stressed and anxious and i make many mistakes.Also my techniques are then often wrong although in the training they are almost always correct.Can anyone give me tips how to overcome this problem?

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Hello manosb

What you should do is to be more concentrated and less stress...how to do that.

make as if your opponent is a very bad player. If that doesn't work, then breath in big breath and out 10 times. You should be alright after this...
If not when in match play try counting how much ball you're hitting and this will make you forget all about your opponent and make you very concentrated on the ball.

And keep in mind always watch the ball even if you're hitting it, don't watch where it's going to go but watch how you're hitting it.

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UpSideDownCarl said:

I am on a phone. Can can someone post a link to one of the other threads with this same subject. There are a few already with many really good posts. It would be worth reading.

manosb, do you do any game simulation training like serve and receive drills?


Sent from Godric'sHollow using the ResurrectionStone

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Carl, did you mean this one?

http://www.tabletennisdaily.co.uk/f...-Totally-frustrated-and-fed-up!!!!!!&p=122694

This one here was also quite good.

http://www.tabletennisdaily.co.uk/f...reverting-to-pre-lesson-standard-Why&p=112743

manosb said:

Often when i am plying sets i get stressed and anxious and i make many mistakes.Also my techniques are then often wrong although in the training they are almost always correct.Can anyone give me tips how to overcome this problem?

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stress is natural. accept it as a natural feelings then you feel better.

you are too worried about the result of the game.

it woud be better to enjoy the game and do your best in game.

i think every one is better in training than in competition except few professionals.

you may need to play more sets rather than training

manosb said:

manosb, do you do any game simulation training like serve and receive drills?

No.The only thing we do is a fixed type of serve then i cut and thenthe other one attacks.But the problem for me isn't receiving serves or making serves but using spin and cuts and backhand drive in game correctly(correct technique) as i do in training

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Then you definitely should watch the video I posted. And you definitely should learn how to do game simulation drills. Ones that specifically address the things that you are having trouble with are a good idea. It is a waste of time to practice things you are already good at and that you don't face in game situations as much.

Also, it is very common for a player to look good in practice and not play well in games. That video is actually about explaining that phenomenon. If you are practicing stuff that does not require you to adjust to and adapt to each ball differently, your training is not helping you learn certain aspects of the game that happen when your opponent is trying to win the point.

Even if you think it is nerves, nerves don't have much to do with not being able to respond to certain kinds of balls because you have never practiced them. If you have never practiced something and then it happens in a game, it is not likely you will be good at what you never practiced. If you only practice what you are already good at, that is not helping you get better. Practice the specific things you are having trouble with.

Also, read the threads in the links that Suga D posted. Both threads actually have a lot of information that are on this subject and that would help you.

Here is a drill that may help:

1) You serve backspin.
2) Opponent pushes heavy and long, anywhere on the table (where he pushes should change randomly so you don't know where the ball is going until he hits it).
3) You have to attack it. You loop. If you are forced to push, think of it as a loss.
4) After you open topspin against the long push, open play and both players try to win the point.

Another drill would be to serve 2 serves each, as in an actual match, and play exactly as if it was an actual match, but don't count points. In this drill, one thing that should be different than an actual match is that, if you or the other person miss a serve, you should play that as a let. That is so that each person gets to receive 2 serves and play out the point before the serve switches. If the opponent serves twice and misses twice and you switch serves, it won't help either player.

Suga D said:

Carl, did you mean this one?

http://www.tabletennisdaily.co.uk/f...-Totally-frustrated-and-fed-up!!!!!!&p=122694

This one here was also quite good.

http://www.tabletennisdaily.co.uk/f...reverting-to-pre-lesson-standard-Why&p=112743

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Thanks Suga D. Those are them. manosd, read both of these threads. There is a lot of good information on these two threads about things that are giving you problems in game situations.

Try do more sort of "free placement drills".. If you don't know where to expect the ball you have to think more instead of just moving in the patterns you are already used to. Many people ain't aware of that, and that is why many players are often like machines and perfect training partners, but when they play tournaments they appear to suck.

It also sounds like you may be having trouble looping heavy backspin to your backhand. Did I interpret that correctly? If that is the case, then practicing that is worth it.

You can also, if you have a smartphone, download the Butterfly TT app.. It has many good drills, both regular drills and irregular drills

Anders said:

You can also, if you have a smartphone, download the Butterfly TT app.. It has many good drills, both regular drills and irregular drills

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Can't find this app in the Google play store?
Any other sources for it appear to be loaded with malware.

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johnbhoy72 said:

Can't find this app in the Google play store?
Any other sources for it appear to be loaded with malware.

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They took it off playstore, and just made it for Bty customers (at least over here). I just could download it from the butterfly website directly. But you can crawl the web for the apk-file and install that. But you have to allow your phone to install from different places than from google's playstore.

I like that app really a lot, especially when no coach is around and i'm running out of ideas what to practice.
Hope you'll find it.

Don't care so much about loosing and winning. Try to give your best and if you loose you can say you gave your best and the opponent was simply better. After some time winning will come from itselve but just if you ceep on fighting for winning and if you are a good looser( so that you can accept that the opponent was better and learn of your mistakes)

Don't care so much about loosing and winning. Try to give your best and if you loose you can say you gave your best and the opponent was simply better. After some time winning will come from itselve but just if you ceep on fighting for winning. Another important fact is to learn of a situation in which you lost and to accept that the opponent was better

Hi Manosb,
I've only played in 4 tournaments, and won 2 I lost in the knockout stages in my first due to only nerves, the pressure is intense especially in the latter stages, but if you can my advice would be to ignore everything around you. Ignore the stage you are in and think of your opponent as your practice partner. I find nerves are at their highest at the end of a match so you have to ignore the end result and just enjoy the game.

The more tournaments you play, the more you will learn what your best state is. I'm trying to find my zone now, and I'm playing a lot of tournaments. I have a friend that always gets angry during the match. It might help some people, but not him. If you play better angry, try to get angry. If you play better calm, figure out how to get calm.

When you are playing your best, think about the feeling you're getting. There's always a special feeling. Try to remember the feeling so you can replicate it when you're not playing well.

Know your strokes well enough that you can translate them seamlessly into games. So, if you're new backhand loop is really good against a push to the same spot, does it work in different spots? Is it completely in your brain?