So, I will explain a little of why, what Richard is saying is actually pretty good advice. In match play, we do improve. We get better at handling things we get thrown. But, we get better within the framework of the habits and patterns we already have. And chances are, there are are a bunch of things that you do that work to some extent that are a bit inefficient. Unless you somehow have really good form on your strokes, and your footwork patterns are always how they should be, there are probably a lot of things you do and get away with when you play with people who are at about the same level as you. When you play someone better than you, those same things will handicap you because they will not work. In match play you get better at what you are already doing. And you can only get better to a certain extent.
In training, where you are not trying to win the points, but you are trying to do things the RIGHT WAY, you improve your strokes, your footwork, your technique. There are times when I have heard coaches tell someone, "if you really do want to improve, then you should not play any matches for the next 6 months, and just keep working on technique, because you need to change your strokes."
It is very rare for a beginner, to start with good strokes and footwork, unless they start with coaching at an early age rather than starting by playing games and matches with friends. Most people who played casually without coaching and then start getting more interested in table tennis as a sport have many many many bad habits in their stroke production that would need to be changed for them to make real, and marked improvements.
What should you do, VinceG? I don't know. There is something to be said for just playing matches, playing with friends, and letting yourself have fun within the framework of what you are already able to do and how you already play. If that is enough for you, then, just keep playing and have fun. If you just keep playing you will get better to a certain degree and at a certain point, the technique you have will cause you to plateau and it will be hard to make any more improvements after that. But that may be okay.
If you want to really improve, start filming yourself. Look at how you hit when you are playing matches, look at how you hit when your coach is blocking for you and you are looping and all the other drills you do. Look at your form when you are on the robot. And really start seeing how you can improve the mechanics of your strokes. To do that, you may really need the help of your coach. But, at 50 you still can do it. You just have to keep looking at film and seeing how hard it is to change some of those habits. They do change over time. But if you don't get a chance to look at film of yourself, chances are, there are a bunch of things you are doing that you are not aware of that are holding you back from higher level play.
Part of why match play can get in the way of that improvement is, in training you begin the work of changing the bad habits and improving your technique. And then you go and play a match and you undo all that work by using all your old, bad habits because they are easier to do and they will win you a point or two. Then you go back to working on technique and you are back to square one and have to undo the habits again and again. If you stop playing matches for a few months as you train good technique, you can groove those good strokes with good form and the right footwork patterns for long enough to get them into your muscle memory so that--once they are really in your muscle memory--in a match the good technique just comes naturally and the old techniques that were holding you back no longer pop up.
By the way, I will be 49 in one month.
