This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Well-Known Member
I know its a lame excuse, but in tournaments, i often feel i'm far from my best, and one of the main reasons, is that i don't have a proper warm-up knock. I always try to run, move my body, but in the tournament i get into, usually, there's only 30 minutes for everybody to knock. more often than not my knocking partner at this time doesn't suit me (makes a lot of mistakes or plays irregularly)... worse, we may be 12 per table (3 pairs playing in each diagonal, playing one ball each turn).
When i arrive at the table for the first game, I lack confidence, its absolutely not the same than playing a match after 1 hour or even 30mns of proper drills. Worse, it already happened to me, i had to wait a few hours after those short 30minutes to play my match because singles start after doubles. I don't like doubles and don't play them... so after waiting 2-3 hours, i play a guy whos play 1 2 or more doubles match, is more ready than me, and he trashes me... good grief.
Of course, its the same situation for everybody, but I feel i'm a slow starter, and I'm getting old as well, where if i don't move properly because of a lack of form/warmup, my game becomes a disaster. when the game progresses, i usually get better, but its often too late. even if its a mini league format before the knockout tournament, because the league is only 3 or 4 players, losing one match, you're almost out.
Yesterday at training, i was playing with my very young kid (=not seriously at all), but at the end of the session, someone asked me to play, we just hit 3mns and we started to play sets. I was trashed 0-6 (including 0-11 the first set). I'm pretty sure i would have given a better fight to this guy, and at least taken a few sets. I think he was around the same level, perhaps just one rank better, but he had been drilling for more than 1 hour... still, in tournaments, it can be a similar situation, so its quite representative.
when i used to play in france in our local league, usually i could warm up 30mns with good partners with the whole table for us, and i think i was much more ready for the 1st match. I was much younger as well...
When i arrive at the table for the first game, I lack confidence, its absolutely not the same than playing a match after 1 hour or even 30mns of proper drills. Worse, it already happened to me, i had to wait a few hours after those short 30minutes to play my match because singles start after doubles. I don't like doubles and don't play them... so after waiting 2-3 hours, i play a guy whos play 1 2 or more doubles match, is more ready than me, and he trashes me... good grief.
Of course, its the same situation for everybody, but I feel i'm a slow starter, and I'm getting old as well, where if i don't move properly because of a lack of form/warmup, my game becomes a disaster. when the game progresses, i usually get better, but its often too late. even if its a mini league format before the knockout tournament, because the league is only 3 or 4 players, losing one match, you're almost out.
Yesterday at training, i was playing with my very young kid (=not seriously at all), but at the end of the session, someone asked me to play, we just hit 3mns and we started to play sets. I was trashed 0-6 (including 0-11 the first set). I'm pretty sure i would have given a better fight to this guy, and at least taken a few sets. I think he was around the same level, perhaps just one rank better, but he had been drilling for more than 1 hour... still, in tournaments, it can be a similar situation, so its quite representative.
when i used to play in france in our local league, usually i could warm up 30mns with good partners with the whole table for us, and i think i was much more ready for the 1st match. I was much younger as well...
Last edited: