Any attempt to play in an competitive environment ruins this sport for me (rant)

says Spin and more spin.
says Spin and more spin.
Well-Known Member
Moderator
Dec 2010
16,515
18,210
56,268
Read 11 reviews
I am not refusing to and your post to explain what he allegedly wanted to say has so many assumptions in it that it's a bit ridiculous.

I'm not gonna read it again cos it's long but I remember for example you say on his behalf that him playing in a lower team would be a waste of everyones time.
That's a pretty ridiculous assumption to make and I challenge it outright because obviously there are people running the club that disagree, it's wouldn't be a waste of time to the teams he is helping and it very likely would not be a waste of his own time either cos instead of being the guy who will only play in team X he would then be the guy who's killing it for team 3 over there, and he might even enjoy it.
If it takes the OP 8 posts to finally express himself with several mixed messages then I can only imagine the situation at the club. No I won't play, OK I'll play with this team, no I won't play at all, please don't put me in the higher team, no, only if it's exactly what I want, actually NO, I don't want to play league at all.... bla bla bla and on and on.
And the loose interpretation from you is highly ambiguous because the OP agreeing with everything you write is also the OP contradicting what he himself wrote more than once.
It's a club, with teams dude.
You can see whatever you want but you're both ignoring an entire side of the story, that of what's best for the club.
By all means, go and do whatevers is best for yourself.
But at a club you better do what's best for you AND the club (TEAMS) or you quickly get identified as a problem.
Hence this neverending thread.
If he had been offered the team he wanted this thread wouldn't even exist.
If he had helped out the weak team this thread wouldn't exist.

I think, what you are ignoring is the idea that the scenario doppelmoral is describing is going to cause him to quit TT because of the drama. Then, who wins? Nobody. Not the club. Not him. Not the league. In the end, the biggest loser is the sport as a result of people not accepting when someone is being pushed out of the enjoyment of the sport because of petty politics.

So the question in my book is, should the club let him be and let him just train, or, if they really want him to join the league, why not put him on a team that kind of fits his level. If it was a team where he would win most of his matches, but be challenged, it might still be fine. But if it is what he is describing, then, why should he actually bother instead of losing interest in TT and finding something else?

doppelmoral: you know what your choices are. Even if some on the forum are not willing to see things from your perspective, I think you have the tools to resolve the situation in any number of ways that would be fine. The important thing to know is that you are the one who gets to decide. Someone on this forum does not get to decide that you should spend your money and your valuable time to please them or someone else.

- If it is worth it to you to join the league, you can start at the bottom. It will only be tedious for a few years. :)

- If you would rather just train, put your foot down and say, either I just train, or I find someplace else.

- Or, start now and find a new club and start at that club with the firm agreement that you are not going to join their league.

I am sure there are other choices as well. But if you are spending your money because you want value for your time and what to do something constructive for yourself, decide how you would most like to handle the scenario.
 
Last edited:
says Pimples Schmimples
says Pimples Schmimples
Well-Known Member
Sep 2022
1,065
1,113
4,192
I think, what you are ignoring is the idea that the scenario doppelmoral is describing is going to cause him to quit TT because of the drama. Then, who wins? Nobody. Not the club. Not him. Not the league. In the end, the biggest loser is the sport as a result of people not accepting when someone is being pushed out of the enjoyment of the sport because of petty politics.

So the question in my book is, should the club let him be and let him just train, or, if they really want him to join the league, why not put him on a team that kind of fits his level. If it was a team where he would win most of his matches, but be challenged, it might still be fine. But if it is what he is describing, then, why should he actually bother instead of losing interest in TT and finding something else?

doppelmoral: you know what your choices are. Even if some on the forum are not willing to see things from your perspective, I think you have the tools to resolve the situation in any number of ways that would be fine. The important thing to know is that you are the one who gets to decide. Someone on this forum does not get to decide that you should spend your money and your valuable time to please them or someone else.

- If it is worth it to you to join the league, you can start at the bottom. It will only be tedious for a few years. :)

- If you would rather just train, put your foot down and say, either I just train, or I find someplace else.

- Or, start now and find a new club and start at that club with the firm agreement that you are not going to join their league.

I am sure there are other choices as well. But if you are spending your money because you want value for your time and what to do something constructive for yourself, decide how you would most like to handle the scenario.
He's going to quit, right..... 🙄
We are not dealing with any level of maturity here thenand he is the orchestrator of his own problems.
How would you handle the situation of being asked to to help a weaker team?
Somehow I don't see that you would get yourself into this situation.
No is No. Its not 'Only if its this or that or whatever suits me bla bla.
So the club are seeing this, not as a drect No, but as a fussy No. Hence the issues...
Either way I am out from here, if the club view ain't important, or advising someone to consider that side more ain't important then fair enough 👍
When people ain't listening, it's best to stop talking eh 😉
 
Last edited:
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Member
May 2023
285
277
666
I think, what you are ignoring is the idea that the scenario doppelmoral is describing is going to cause him to quit TT because of the drama. Then, who wins? Nobody. Not the club. Not him. Not the league. In the end, the biggest loser is the sport as a result of people not accepting when someone is being pushed out of the enjoyment of the sport because of petty politics.

So the question in my book is, should the club let him be and let him just train, or, if they really want him to join the league, why not put him on a team that kind of fits his level. If it was a team where he would win most of his matches, but be challenged, it might still be fine. But if it is what he is describing, then, why should he actually bother instead of losing interest in TT and finding something else?

doppelmoral: you know what your choices are. Even if some on the forum are not willing to see things from your perspective, I think you have the tools to resolve the situation in any number of ways that would be fine. The important thing to know is that you are the one who gets to decide. Someone on this forum does not get to decide that you should spend your money and your valuable time to please them or someone else.

- If it is worth it to you to join the league, you can start at the bottom. It will only be tedious for a few years. :)

- If you would rather just train, put your foot down and say, either I just train, or I find someplace else.

- Or, start now and find a new club and start at that club with the firm agreement that you are not going to join their league.

I am sure there are other choices as well. But if you are spending your money because you want value for your time and what to do

something constructive for yourself, decide how you would most like to handle the scenario.
Thanks for the kind words Carl.

Communication is key and I am sure there will be a solution everyone is fine with.

To be honest, I love my club and most ppl there. The league thing is just always a sensitive topic, for me and everyone else involved.
 
says Pimples Schmimples
says Pimples Schmimples
Well-Known Member
Sep 2022
1,065
1,113
4,192
Well your argument is I owe it to them

Following your logic, I HAVE to quit table tennis, there is no club in my entire country who will not pressure me into playing competition, and If I practise there once I am indebted, yeah I dont think so

Of course I am the only one benefitting, because me being friendly, playing with almost everyone, teaching them and giving tips, feeding multiball, paying my monthly fee, it means nothing
My argument is you didn't give an outright NO.
You gave an answer of I'll play for this team but not that team. Can you not see this?
You don't owe it to them but it also wouldn't kill you to do what's best for the club rather than argue for your own League desires.
Again, you didn't say NO LEAGUE. You said not that team
 
  • Like
Reactions: pingpongpaddy
says Spin and more spin.
says Spin and more spin.
Well-Known Member
Moderator
Dec 2010
16,515
18,210
56,268
Read 11 reviews
My argument is you didn't give an outright NO.
You gave an answer of I'll play for this team but not that team. Can you not see this?
You don't owe it to them but it also wouldn't kill you to do what's best for the club rather than argue for your own League desires.
Again, you didn't say NO LEAGUE. You said not that team

I could be wrong. And if I am and your interpretation is correct, then you have a point. But as I hear what doppelmoral is saying, it is very different: it is that for months he said no over and over, and they kept asking him and were kind of aggressive in asking him, until finally, after months, he caved in and said, "alright, I will try," but his heart still really was not in it.

And if he said no repeatedly and said no over and over and over and over and finally said okay because he saw that they were not going to drop it, then, it is a coerced "yes" rather than an actual "yes". And the "no" was the original and wished upon answer and he only got to the coerced "yes" because of months of cajoling.

One thing I think is interesting though is, when I asked if I was reading what doppelmoral meant to say after reading what he said and trying to read between the lines, he said, that I had described the scenario how he felt it was happening. When other people tried to say it was the version Sims seems to be insisting on, doppelmoral tried to explain more and said it was not like that. So....I am not so sure he never said no. As I read what he wrote and how he responded to others, I feel like I saw a dynamic underneath that most people seemed to be misinterpreting. Sometimes, when people dislike confrontation, they don't don't explain themselves well in confrontational scenarios. So the people missing what was going on and forcefully telling him he was the one causing the problems, caused him to try and diffuse the situation rather than fully explaining the situation.

But, in the end, what matters is for doppelmoral to have the tools to work things out. And, to me, it seems, he now does know several choices that could help him resolve the situation in a way that works for all involved.

And I am fairly confident that there are plenty of ways that doppelmoral can be a valuable member of the club that have nothing to do with him being in the league, and that could cause him to enjoy the ways he IS helping the club out.

And in the end, if he joined the league and started from the bottom, and found a way to make it fun by helping the guys in that lowest league improve faster, it still would also be fine.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JJ Ng and NextLevel
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Member
May 2023
12
23
37
I'm in charge of a small table tennis club in Austria (only 4 teams in lower leagues), but if a new player joins there's absolutely no discussion - we put him into a team according to his approximate strength, even if it's the first team right away. Everybody's happy to have a new player to join and play. On the other hand I also know clubs in which the team constitution is quite an affair with animosities. Everything depends on the involved people...
 
  • Like
Reactions: UpSideDownCarl
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Member
Dec 2021
68
51
178
As the title suggests, this is more of a rant than asking for advice kind of post.

I have been playing table tennis religiously for about two years now. The training and progress, slowly learning techniques and improving is the motivation that drives me, and I usually play at least 4 times a week nowadays.

However, I haven't played competitions, and for good reasons. Because I have no rating whatsoever (0TTR), my club is in constant debate in which league they should put me. Some argue that it must be the lowest team because thats where I can carry the most, despite being way too low league for me. Others want to put me in a league which is way above my level, just because of internal politics, it has nothing to do with team chemistry or my actual playing ability. Whenever I suggest to just put me in a reasonable league that corresponds to my playing ability, I get ignored.

I am tired of this aspect in table tennis, because we are all amateur and frankly noobs, but ppl always manage to ruin a hobby somehow. Did you make similar experiences?

I am back to the grind just continuuing my practise sessions, because thats the most fun for me with the best vibes. I might try some tournaments though, which are one time events I am more comfortable with.

Cheers
Yes, I saw this similar thing in my old Club. The Club leadership allowed teams to decide themselves who plays in the teams. Then the leadership decided the coach only can decide who plays in which team = instant end of problems.
 
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Member
Jan 2023
195
129
488
Yep, I have recently started playing in the park this summer to try and remind myself what is fun about table tennis. People seem to forget that they wont get any better unless they are playful with the game.

Problem is, when the crew that hangs out in the park have started to notice that I play well, the internal politics (who gets to play with who) starts to happen there as well ... and if you dont perform well against certain players, you will not be allowed to play vs. these players again, which makes it no fun because it adds unnecessary pressure which is unpleasant and makes you not be able to try out shots to learn them -- people just get stuck in negative energy.
 
says Still drinking wine
says Still drinking wine
Member
Dec 2016
269
204
517
I think people are different, and that we should actively realise that. At 73, league play suits me, because I play a match, have a period of rest, play another match then more rest etc. Even a few years ago, I could train for 5 hours straight, but now I cannot. Someone would have to carry me home. I do still go to practice nights, but often sit around and offer advice, whether it's wanted or not ;). I bike both ways, and the cycling is the loosener for me. Never have beer between games!

I will say that playing competition is way different to practice. Many people actually find it much harder, even at low levels. The guy you are playing doesn't put the ball where you want it, which seems mean.
 
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Member
Dec 2023
46
43
109
If you start in the bottom team, so what? you'll be playing against everyone better than you so a good opportunity to learn. If that was me, I'd not worry about where my team place and just focus on competing to get my individual win % as high as possible across the season. Have that as your focus and next season you will move into a more suited team.
 
Top