Is it unfair to say “yes”/“cho” when the opponent makes an error?

[TTWiz]

Hi everyone,

I had a situation in my latest regional match that left me a bit puzzled, and I’d like to hear what others think.

I won the match 3–1, and right after we shook hands, my opponent came over and told me he didn’t think it was fair that I said “yes” or “cho” on points where he made a mistake. I was honestly surprised. I told him that I never celebrate lucky points, but that I do think it’s completely fine to express myself when I win a rally – even if the final shot is his error.

He replied that he had never experienced that before. I said that, from my perspective, forcing an error is also part of earning the point. He just smiled, shook his head, and didn’t say anything more.

What’s your take on this?

Is it considered bad etiquette to vocalize after points that end in the opponent’s mistake? Or is it just part of normal match intensity?

 

[tzifos]

That depends on the quality of your shot and his type of response. For example I always cheer for a nice chop that the opponent throws his top-spin to the net or on his side of the table. I will never cheer if after that (same) nasty chop the opponent hits the ball with his hand instead of his racket, In a another situation like if the ball wasn't so nasty and was an easy ball to respond and opponent touched it with his hand or the edge of his racket, I will say "sorry". There is no "rule" for this and everyone has his own standards.

 

[greenbeanmachine]

My teammate had an opponent who said chole when my teammate served the ball into the net at 12-13. Probably the most obnoxious thing I have ever seen in table tennis. He got booed by the crowd.

 

[thisisit]

tt is a zero sum game. every won point comes at the expense of a lost point for the other side. so whenever things go good for you(win a point), you are understandably happy. that exact situation is for the opponent a bad thing(he lost a point) and he is understandably unhappy.

expressing yourself very overtly for a thing that makes you happy and at the same time makes your opponent unhappy can, also understandably, lead to more unhappiness for the later.

people who are more empathic are more susceptible to being hurt by a cho-ing opponent, because they never or almost never do it to their opponents because they don't want to cause more, of what they believe to be unfair, unhappiness for them.

imo, cho-ing and the like should be punished by tt rules. some people don't care about it, but for some, it really messes with their game.

also, sometimes you hear defenders of cho-ing say something like "but this is just how i express myself". an argument which is obviously flawed. for example, if one would send dickpics to the cho-ing person's daughter after they would win a point against them and say "but this is just how i express myself", the cho-ing person wouldn't take it very well probably.

 

[Lazer]

I think its absolutely OK, unless its a very obvious mistake and even then at the end of the set i think its OK.
One have to remember that part of the game is to keep the energy level high...

Cheers
L-zr

 

[merlin el mago]

I never celebrate unforced errors from my opponent, also no celebration of nets or corners.

 

[Ninja26Go]

Only after a long, intense rally for me, its well deserved and no risk

 

[Gozo Zyreruna]

Fair or not does not apply.

If your cho / yes or whatever:
1. Makes opponent uncomfortable
2. Lose focus
3. lose composure.

Then it is job well done.

 

[Ninja26Go]

True, can be a part of getting inside someone's head

 

[Ninja26Go]

If the umpire doesn't call you out, it's mostly ok

 

[tzifos]

also, sometimes you hear defenders of cho-ing say something like "but this is just how i express myself". an argument which is obviously flawed. for example, if one would send dickpics to the cho-ing person's daughter after they would win a point against them and say "but this is just how i express myself", the cho-ing person wouldn't take it very well probably.

I don't get it, about defenders. Why shouldn't I cheer a nice chop 3 meters from the table when this make the opponent net the ball as he is unable to lift the heavy underspin ball???

 

[PhoenixTT]

You can even mispronounce it and go "chao leee!" to better get into their heads

 

[TTWiz]

Thanks a lot for all your input — I can really tell this is a topic that brings out strong feelings on both sides.

Just to clarify: I mainly said “yes/cho” after intense rallies, a well-executed serve, or similar situations where my contribution to the point was clear, even if the final mistake came from my opponent (a forced error).

It wasn’t tactical or an attempt to get inside my opponent’s head — even though that might have been what ended up happening.

Appreciate all the perspectives shared here!

 

[TTWiz]

I don't get it, about defenders. Why shouldn't I cheer a nice chop 3 meters from the table when this make the opponent net the ball as he is unable to lift the heavy underspin ball???

I completely agree. I’m not a defender myself, but I’ll gladly admit that it’s often their skill that makes me miss — so of course they should be allowed to say “cho” or whatever when they win points they haven’t finished with a direct winner. Otherwise it would mean that the more offensive you play, the more you’re allowed to celebrate, and the more defensive you play, the quieter you’re expected to be. That makes no sense

 

[thisisit]

I don't get it, about defenders. Why shouldn't I cheer a nice chop 3 meters from the table when this make the opponent net the ball as he is unable to lift the heavy underspin ball???

i didn't say anything about table tennis players that have a defensive style of play.

 

[TTWiz]

i didn't say anything about table tennis players that have a defensive style of play.

Ah my bad. Misunderstood your reply.

 

[boretennis]

Just to clarify: I mainly said “yes/cho” after intense rallies, a well-executed serve, or similar situations where my contribution to the point was clear, even if the final mistake came from my opponent (a forced error).

this is obviously totally fine if you keep it at a reasonable level (not too loud or overly dramatic).

and if this gets under your opponents skin then he should take it as a chance to work on his mental game

 

[Larshos]

If the umpire doesn't call you out, it's mostly ok

Bad advice. In most lower level leagues the umpire is just another player who have to sit there as most of the matches don't have dedicated umpires. You will get away with a lot more disrespectful behavior than you should.

 

[Matteones]

My 2 cents, it is an advice that I give first and foremost to myself, as it needs repeating and there will be relapses:

Losing sucks and focusing on what the winning opponent does after winning the point is just a natural defense to externalise the problem.
If it helps you play better (I.E. Michael Jordan who always found reasons to "be challenged" by an opponent to fire himself up), no problem. If it makes you play worse, you are acting dumb, as the only thing you can control, in this world, is your reaction to other people's actions.
If you think you can control other people's actions, good luck to you, I think you are in for a very difficult ride in this life.
At the end of the match, if you lose, always acknowledge your adversary and shake their hand, especially if you lose and they made life difficult for you: these matches are the ones that give the bigger opportunities to grow.

 

[PhoenixTT]

What’s your take on this?

Is it considered bad etiquette to vocalize after points that end in the opponent’s mistake? Or is it just part of normal match intensity?

Harimoto has perfected ethical screaming of cho lei!

My personal view though is that "cho lei!" should be left for Chinese only. All others should come up with their own local motivational cries that reflects their national personality. (Gauzy's Allez! allez! for example). Just once, I'd like to hear Alvaro cry out "Bravo! Viva!" or Hina Hayata go "Gojira! Mothra!"