How do you Relax?

[Matt Hetherington]

I always used to get tight shoulders and muscles from playing table tennis all week every week. I decided to take up Salsa dancing classes over summer and found it was an awesome way to loosen up. My friend also loves to dance to loosen up! I remember we played doubles once and every time we won a great point he would start shuffling, a little like Adam Bobrow? Here is one of his videos below, he dances like this in the table tennis stadium between matches, all the time and he is SO RELAXED out on the table. Also see Adam's ridiculous dance below as well. Then let us know how you keep relaxed and avoid tight muscles!

I would love to have a video of my salsa classes but even if I had one I wouldn't share haha

 

[WiWa]

If you just enjoy playing and don't think about the fact that you 'have to win this point' or something similar, you will automatically be more relaxed overall during a match.

 

[Matt Hetherington]

How about in more competitive situations? got any more thoughts?

 

[WiWa]

How about in more competitive situations? got any more thoughts?

Hmm, long ago haha. But I think what is important in tight situations is to remember yourself you gotta go with one option, and not doubt during the rally. About relaxing, the most I do is taking a deep breath or trying to release some tension from my playing arm/hand by swinging it around a bit Most of the time relaxing your muscles comes with relaxing your mind though

 

[Matt Hetherington]

Hmm, long ago haha. But I think what is important in tight situations is to remember yourself you gotta go with one option, and not doubt during the rally. About relaxing, the most I do is taking a deep breath or trying to release some tension from my playing arm/hand by swinging it around a bit Most of the time relaxing your muscles comes with relaxing your mind though

Relaxing the mind eh, nice one

 

[ttmonster]

Absolutely agree with you Wiwa, I have noticed when I can get my mind to relax the soreness is markedly less. I get most soreness in the right back and the legs , the only stuff that helps is hot baths and massages , but the second one is pretty expensive so I guess I will settle for your suggestion. Infact I have seen that I play better when I am relaxed , but there is a fine line between being relaxed and losing focus . So its definitely easy to achieve.

 

[tomtat92]

I try to get in the "flow", when im there im totaly relaxed. How? When the ball is coming against me i quickly make a decision where I want to place the ball. Then im just letting my body do the stroke, without any thoughts like how to do the stroke, which angle, how hard, is it a too risky shot and so on. Im just aiming for one point or a small area where i want place the ball. My body does everything it can (adjusting automaticay) to fulfill what I want - to shoot the ball where I'm aiming. Maybe this is hard to understand, i find it hard to expressing me in english.

 

[tomtat92]

I agree with wiwa, relaxed mind=relaxed body

 

[phillypong]

Also important tip (i got this from a person who works with the young top athletes in Belgium) : eat a good meal (high in carbs, like pasta) about 3 hours before the match, this will give you the energy you need on the right moment.
Add fruit like bananas and apples during the matches/tournament to keep energy levels in your muscles up.

Maybe you have had that feeling of your legs feeling weak when you have not eaten enough , and this combined with the stress of a thight game has made me nervous sometimes.
Also the tip of shaking loose your playing arm between points helps to loosen up .

 

[Matt Hetherington]

Don't you guys still get sore muscles from a hard week of training though? haha

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

I am a yoga teacher. I have been practicing yoga since 1991. I don't have to think about this issue that much. But the statements about keeping your mind relaxed and not worrying about the points are accurate. If you are not worried about the points you are more likely to go for the shots you should instead of trying to take the shots you think will win the point, you end up keeping your form and technique better, because you don't end up doing funny things to try and get the ball on the table or where you want it, and often you just play better because your mind gets out of your way and your body does what it already knows how to do. Serve and receive drills are useful for this as well. Where you are not counting points so you just go for your shots without worrying if you make the point and over time you start making all those harder shots.

But for me, the physical practice of yoga which opens up your body certainly helps and the mental focus, where in yoga you are focused but relaxed, really helps. Anything you can do, like Matt's salsa dancing, that gets your body and your mind relaxed but ready, will be good.

For those of you who have read my posts before, now you get to hear my voice too. Relaxed helps the physical performance. See.

 

[Matt Hetherington]

Woo go Carl! Nice vid, looks like a real flexibility tester

 

[azlan]

Hi Dancing Queen - just kidding mate. hehehe very seldom I get tight during a match. But if I do, I would just take a bit of time and breath deep. In big tourney, I noticed that if I didn't get enough/good sleep the night before the game, I may get a bit tense before the game, kind of apprehensive. And as for soreness, I get massages. There are plenty Thai massage parlour (the real thing!!) in KL. If there are some soreness that is persistent, I would go to a physio-therapist and the rates are very competitive.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Woo go Carl! Nice vid, looks like a real flexibility tester

LOL.

I figured, since you said a while ago that you did not realize I taught yoga, I would throw another something on. That process of keeping the mind relaxed and, at the same time, focused is really the key. And it can be practiced. You can even see in that video that, that is really a large part of what I am doing. The movement's would not happen if I was not focused but they also would not happen if I was not relaxed.

 

[pingpongemil]

Matt is our dancing queen!!! Share a video, come on, entertain us !!!!!
A good way to relax during a tournament is to listen to calm music.. Not this music that gets you pumped up and argggghhh and so on. More relaxing..
Btw, tomtat, where are u from?

 

[tomtat92]

Matt is our dancing queen!!! Share a video, come on, entertain us !!!!!
A good way to relax during a tournament is to listen to calm music.. Not this music that gets you pumped up and argggghhh and so on. More relaxing..
Btw, tomtat, where are u from?

Near Stockholm, and you?

 

[WiWa]

Matt is our dancing queen!!! Share a video, come on, entertain us !!!!!
A good way to relax during a tournament is to listen to calm music.. Not this music that gets you pumped up and argggghhh and so on. More relaxing..
Btw, tomtat, where are u from?

A hint: go to grooveshark.com and load the reggae playlist

 

[pingpongemil]

Near Stockholm, and you?

Just nu bor jag i London men annars spelar jag för Söderhamn uif =)

 

[cmetsbeltran15]

listening to calming music and snack/drink something small

 

[YosuaYosan]

Hearing Enya soundtracks?

It is great to hear when you are sleeping

Don't forget to turn off the lamp when you are sleeping. Thats very important

Eat one or two fruit before sleeping so your body could go through the night with enough sugar in your body. This way you will wake up more refreshed..

And don't forget to take some... Okay I guess thats enough..

I pray to make myself more relaxed. Ha!