Mental training for Table Tennis

[Rajah*]

Once you noticed that your opponent hit the net and went in.. it somehow means that you are giving him almost the same ball over and over again..
You have to change the direction, distance, and ball rotation/spin to somehow prevent him from doing it.. yòu need to burn his legs..each and every ball you throw to your opponent should be diffrent

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[Michal_Z]

Once you noticed that your opponent hit the net and went in.. it somehow means that you are giving him almost the same ball over and over again..
You have to change the direction, distance, and ball rotation/ spin to somehow prevent him from doing it..

Well, trust me, I tryed this..
I changed my fh spin from top spin to more side spin, I changed my BH spin for slower and mor spinny.. (right after that he scored with edge ball) ..
I tryed to change things, but luck was with him all the time..

 

[Rajah*]

In that case my friend your opponents nervous hands gave him some luck catching those net and edges. I recall 1 time way back in college i encountered the same case.. so what i did - changed the playing style after serving almost no spin i played blocker most of the time and allowed my opponent to make attacks and from time to time countered the ball.. by the time he was confident already i started attacking 2nd 3rd ball non stop.. whenever he wants to play mid distance countertopspin i try to get near the table and put some dropshots.. i hope this helps

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[Kevinkorb]

Well, trust me, I tryed this..
I changed my fh spin from top spin to more side spin, I changed my BH spin for slower and mor spinny.. (right after that he scored with edge ball) ..
I tryed to change things, but luck was with him all the time..

This is one of the most frustrating aspects to the game. Sometimes there is just nothing you can do when luck is going your opponents way. What you need to remember is that there are certain things you can control, and not get stressed out by the things outside of your control. But after that game, those points are over, and you cannot let them distract you from focusing on the next match. In the long run, the lucky points will even out. You'll have matches where you get lucky ones, and you'll have others (like your recent one) where your opponent gets them. But at the end of the day, skill and focus is what will win you matches.

Here's something I wrote about the focused mindset --> http://kevinstabletennis.com/?p=290

Part of this was posted in the thread, but it's got a little more detail on the link above. This reflection time can be applied to calming yourself and reminding yourself that lucky points happen, but don't have to define the game. Take the time to focus, and play the next point even better!!

 

[Kevinkorb]

Let us know how your teammates liked it

Teammates loved the drill. Definitely something we'll be using more often! Thanks for the suggestion!!!

 

[Michal_Z]

I am going to try to introduse this to my team tomorrow.. I hope they will like it too

 

[Schlaftablette]

Winning ugly - from Brad Gilberts. Good read on mental warfare. Though it is for tennis, it is still a good read for table tennis players. I haven't read the other book mentioned before in one of the first posts but will do it soon.

 

[Michal_Z]

Winning ugly sounds .. bad.. Really
Btw this week also happened that my opponents had so much luck with the net.. again I tryed to change things and again didnt work.
I am starting to think I am doing something wrong .. dam!
Seems like I am having some kind of crisis in table tennis.. I am losing so many matches to people I should beat (and I had always beat) ..
I need somehow reset this and start winning again..

 

[warrencowan89]

think of what sports are dominated by Western players. Soccer, tennis, basketball.... See how the coach train their players mentally and I think you should get some idea on how to do the same thing in table tennis as well.

 

[Michal_Z]

I just realised, if someone is used not to think about matches and doesnt really try to win points, maybe this helps:
try to play for money..
And play handicap matches.. Then you will be forced to play really hard, because you simply have to win..

 

[Brain-Spec]

Hi Guys, since you are interested in mental training, my website is doing an Ask Me Anything. So if you have questions about mental training, what it is like to work with sport psychologist, or anything else then email your question to [email protected] or tweet it to @BrainSPECsports and i will post a link to the video when the questions are answered

 

[RIPPER]

Hi @Michal_Z you've brought up a great subject and something that needs to beintegrated into every player’s game but is sadly often left outand only some coaches have an adequate understanding of. To tryand answer one of your questions briefly about tt being so fast and only having0.2 secs; a lot of the thinking happens in between points and when you delaytime before you serve. Obviously during a rally it is hard to make a commitmentto playing the ball to a particular weak spot of your opponent but like allthings it takes practice.
Obviously the more time you have and when you are in the correct positionthe easier it is to make a conscious effort to place the ball where and how youwant, and a key element in giving yourself more time, when serving, is yourrecovery time after you serve. I see a lot of players who will take a long timeto get back into position after serving and will miss also make a mistake onthe next shot as a result. If you recover quickly you get more time to thinkand hence can plan to place the ball where you want.
Another element to give yourself more time to help you play the ball to theopponent’s weakness is how fast your footwork is, if your footwork is good youcan move quicker, giving yourself more space to play a forehand loop andexecute your tactics.
For me, thinking where my opponent’s weakness is before I serve and in betweenpoints i.e. when having a towel break and getting the ball is what I findeffective. As I will make a conscious decision to play to an opponent’sweakness which means I have already planned what I want to achieve and I willbe able to do this in the rally more easily than if I have not planned.

 

[xVill]

In my academy sessions we divide the players into two groups and simulate a game at a national level where each player from each team plays a point. The losing player then switches with a player from his/her team and joins in on cheering their fellow player on. This usually goes for 48 points. The first team to 48 points wins. Usually about 12 players each team, it gets you into the mindset that every point matters and that you have your comrades there rooting for you.

 

[Michal_Z]

In my academy sessions we divide the players into two groups and simulate a game at a national level where each player from each team plays a point. The losing player then switches with a player from his/her team and joins in on cheering their fellow player on. This usually goes for 48 points. The first team to 48 points wins. Usually about 12 players each team, it gets you into the mindset that every point matters and that you have your comrades there rooting for you.

This sounds great and I will definitelly try this with my team, thanks!

 

[Michal_Z]

Hi @Michal_Z you've brought up a great subject and something that needs to beintegrated into every player’s game but is sadly often left outand only some coaches have an adequate understanding of. To tryand answer one of your questions briefly about tt being so fast and only having0.2 secs; a lot of the thinking happens in between points and when you delaytime before you serve. Obviously during a rally it is hard to make a commitmentto playing the ball to a particular weak spot of your opponent but like allthings it takes practice.
Obviously the more time you have and when you are in the correct positionthe easier it is to make a conscious effort to place the ball where and how youwant, and a key element in giving yourself more time, when serving, is yourrecovery time after you serve. I see a lot of players who will take a long timeto get back into position after serving and will miss also make a mistake onthe next shot as a result. If you recover quickly you get more time to thinkand hence can plan to place the ball where you want.
Another element to give yourself more time to help you play the ball to theopponent’s weakness is how fast your footwork is, if your footwork is good youcan move quicker, giving yourself more space to play a forehand loop andexecute your tactics.
For me, thinking where my opponent’s weakness is before I serve and in betweenpoints i.e. when having a towel break and getting the ball is what I findeffective. As I will make a conscious decision to play to an opponent’sweakness which means I have already planned what I want to achieve and I willbe able to do this in the rally more easily than if I have not planned.

Yep, I use this too, I am the slowest player in our league, because I think most
My skills are not so good though .. crap, I have to work more about my consistency, too bad I got a job, 2 kids.. and too many other stuff to do..

 

[powow]

Funny, but what works best for me is to try not to think at all. I just get more nervous if I start thinking about tactics and mind games too much.

 

[RIPPER]

In my academy sessions we divide the players into two groups and simulate a game at a national level where each player from each team plays a point. The losing player then switches with a player from his/her team and joins in on cheering their fellow player on. This usually goes for 48 points. The first team to 48 points wins. Usually about 12 players each team, it gets you into the mindset that every point matters and that you have your comrades there rooting for you.

Hi xVill that sounds like its very effective and a lot of fun at the same time too. I see your in aussie, what is you local club? Have you ever played in mornington or dandenong clubs?

 

[RIPPER]

Funny, but what works best for me is to try not to think at all. I just get more nervous if I start thinking about tactics and mind games too much.

hi powwow, yea good point, I have found sometimes in training that you can over analyse and my coach at the time referred to the term paralysis by analysis, so you sometimes need to make sure this does not happen because if you start breaking everything down bit by bit your shots can fall apart, and play awful.

 

[xVill]

Hi xVill that sounds like its very effective and a lot of fun at the same time too. I see your in aussie, what is you local club? Have you ever played in mornington or dandenong clubs?

I have played Junior nationals in Croydon, Victoria. I actually am from a little state in Australia called Tasmania haha, I'm sure you've heard of it

 

[RIPPER]

I have played Junior nationals in Croydon, Victoria. I actually am from a little state in Australia called Tasmania haha, I'm sure you've heard of it

Nice one! That was 2014 junior nats wasn't it. Haha yea I played the aussie championships when it was in tasmnia a few years ago in 2011, were you playing at this time?