says
I am just looking for someplace to play during a week...
says
I am just looking for someplace to play during a week...
Member
Some of you know I got back into Table Tennis after a 24 year lay off a little over a month ago and had not been in a tournament since 1982. I played in a under 2000 round robin tourney. The tournament was fun as all the people there were super friendly and many took time to point out things I could work on and had me practice with them on these areas between matches. However my play was terrible in that I was super nervous and during play if I missed my attacking shots I would fall back into a conservative style that kept me in the points longer but ultimately cost me the matches. At first I was squeezing the handle of my racquet so tightly I am surprised I did not break it so I had no touch during the first games. All of my opponents came up to me after the bracket was done and told me that if I had just continued to attack with my forehand I could have done much better as they felt pressured by its pace and spin. I would swing around my backhand and go down both lines but if I missed it would be several points before I tried it again. So in essence my attempt to save points by not attacking when I felt like it was a low percentage shot cost me points and games and my perception of my play was completely different than my opponents. I was apparently in the pen holder bracket as I was the only shake-hands player there and my return of their service was abysmal. I had no rating going into the tournament and ended up with somewhere around 1350 so that is a minor victory as I can now have a base to work from which to improve. My bracket had the eventual winner a 1975 player who I got to 6 points several games but I felt was not really giving me his "A" game by the time we got to game 3. I beat a 1475 player and a 1530 player in informal matches at the practice tables being aggressive but in regular tournament games I kept falling back into the tentative mode and would lose ground mid game and the match usually with 6 or 8 points. I completely realize ratings are not the end all be all of the game but it does give me a mark to shoot for and some definitive way to mark my progress other than my own opinion. I wish I had read the Forum post on aggressive play BEFORE I went to the tournament.
I feel I would have stayed with the more aggressive style. To play aggressive I will be working on my conditioning and timing with some of the drills from the videos found here in the forums and online.
I feel I would have stayed with the more aggressive style. To play aggressive I will be working on my conditioning and timing with some of the drills from the videos found here in the forums and online.
