Why do I suck at Table Tennis?

[Jslick89]

Since you already have a coach, I am not going to give you any personal tips, only to echo what others have already said that it will take at least several months with your coach before you realize any noticeable gains to your game. When I was being coached, it always took about 3 months before the things i learned with my coach translated into results during the match. might take you longer, or maybe faster if you are a quick learner.

 

[Takkyu_wa_inochi]

because you are too handsome and have too many gfs...

 

[ThePongCommenter]

It goes over quite well, I make that statement all the time to put things in perspective.

Then I guess there is no reason why any beginner should get emotionally attached to any goal that they set for themselves.

I should've prefaced my comment that maybe it goes over well in casual clubs or with the retired/casual subset of players. Won't be the case for higher level players who are still in the competitive phase of their career.

 

[NextLevel]

Then I guess there is no reason why any beginner should get emotionally attached to any goal that they set for themselves.

I should've prefaced my comment that maybe it goes over well in casual clubs or with the retired/casual subset of players. Won't be the case for higher level players who are still in the competitive phase of their career.

Ever heard the statement attributed to Keynes that in the long run, we are all dead? Taking shifts in mental perspective too literally is a weakness IMHO.

The main thing we do is use the phrase to keep what we are doing in context. Something like it is true in individual sports at all levels that are not world class. And even at the world class levels, sometimes it frees you up to play better when you accept that everyone loses to someone at some point and in some moods and under some circumstances. It's just the reality of the sport. The amount of investment it takes to not lose requires control of so many factors that it becomes prohibitively expensive for most countries even after accounting for having players with the requisite talent level.

In fact, one of the reasons a player with my relatively low level can coach is because i appreciate that many people are happy getting better while relatively sucking, something that a much better player might not appreciate since everyone sucks relative to them. So no, admitting that you suck relative to a world class player is not a nihilistic rejection of the attempt to get better. It is a reminder that you are largely competing with yourself for any meaning you derive from improving when you are not a paid professional.

The point is not that what you are saying is wrong so much as that being flexible enough to frame what seems like a big deal to you in perspectives that may help others play better is an important part of coaching and player development. This is especially important when training players who are not going to be pros, but it is also important when training players who are going to pros but whose perspectives have limited their ability to create conditions under which gratitude for limited success and growth are possible as those are often required for more growth when someone is only focused on the glass half empty.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Good day, everyone. I'm a Jpen player, and I suck at Table Tennis. I may know a lot about theory and stuff, but I have 0 skill in putting it into practice. Whenever I hit the ball, it goes up, and gives my opponent a chance to smash. I can't whip the ball like I want to. Do any of you have tips for me?

This is a funny post. I am entertained.

One thing I would say is: if you think you know a lot about table tennis in theory "and stuff", but your skills don't match your level of theoretical understanding and "stuff" understanding, then maybe the things you know a lot about are not exactly right. There is some stuff in a sport like TT that you only really, actually understand when you can do it. And stuff you think you understand at one level....when you get to a higher level, you look back and think: "oh, I really didn't understand what I was supposed to be trying to do." That kind of thing, especially when someone does think they know, can tend to hold you back from learning what you actually need to sort out in order to improve.

So, an open mind can help.

TT is a very technical sport/game. It takes years for people to be able to accurately read incoming spin and adjust their racket angle, contact point, ability to move, and take a stroke that intercepts the flight of the ball.....etc. The brain processing part of all that which enables people to see what is on the ball and the arc and flight of the ball, so they move to the ball, get there early or in time, take the stroke with the racket adjusted to a useful angle for contact, touch the ball in a way that will work etc, etc..... can take years and years of practice.

If you are on the younger side of things, you will likely learn faster than us older folks. So, I think you may have that advantage on some of us.

One more question: any chance you can post video footage so some of the more experienced players can see what is going on in case there are a few easy fixes that will help get the ball rolling?

 

[PenHoldSandro]

This is a funny post. I am entertained.

One thing I would say is: if you think you know a lot about table tennis in theory "and stuff", but your skills don't match your level of theoretical understanding and "stuff" understanding, then maybe the things you know a lot about are not exactly right. There is some stuff in a sport like TT that you only really, actually understand when you can do it. And stuff you think you understand at one level....when you get to a higher level, you look back and think: "oh, I really didn't understand what I was supposed to be trying to do." That kind of thing, especially when someone does think they know, can tend to hold you back from learning what you actually need to sort out in order to improve.

So, an open mind can help.

TT is a very technical sport/game. It takes years for people to be able to accurately read incoming spin and adjust their racket angle, contact point, ability to move, and take a stroke that intercepts the flight of the ball.....etc. The brain processing part of all that which enables people to see what is on the ball and the arc and flight of the ball, so they move to the ball, get there early or in time, take the stroke with the racket adjusted to a useful angle for contact, touch the ball in a way that will work etc, etc..... can take years and years of practice.

If you are on the younger side of things, you will likely learn faster than us older folks. So, I think you may have that advantage on some of us.

Thx man for the tips!

One more question: any chance you can post video footage so some of the more experienced players can see what is going on in case there are a few easy fixes that will help get the ball rolling?

I will try.

 

[androlover]

I started out with Shakehand, but I switched to Jpen because of how nice it felt on my hand. For shakehand, my backhand is good but my forehand sucks.

How can your forehand suck if Jpen is full forehand? Its the same technique. Try shakehands again.

 

[PenHoldSandro]

How can your forehand suck if Jpen is full forehand? Its the same technique. Try shakehands again.

I don't know. Maybe they feel different

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

How can your forehand suck if Jpen is full forehand? Its the same technique. Try shakehands again.

I don't know. Maybe they feel different

The angle of the racket to the hand is different. It would be a big adjustment to change from JPen to Shakehand.

Androlover, have you ever played JPen? Can you just switch from Shakehand to JPen on FH without any adjustments or problems?

Can you go from shakehand BH to CPen RPB without a glitch? The shift from JPen FH to Shakehand FH is not that different than trying to reverse the process or trying to just start doing RPB with a CPen grip coming from Shakehand.

Someone who can play both, can play both. But at first, it is an awkward shift because they are different.

 

[androlover]

The angle of the racket to the hand is different. It would be a big adjustment to change from JPen to Shakehand.

Androlover, have you ever played JPen? Can you just switch from Shakehand to JPen on FH without any adjustments or problems?

Can you go from shakehand BH to CPen RPB without a glitch? The shift from JPen FH to Shakehand FH is not that different than trying to reverse the process or trying to just start doing RPB with a CPen grip coming from Shakehand.

Someone who can play both, can play both. But at first, it is an awkward shift because they are different.

Ive played Jpen and Cpen the only problem I had was TPB

 

[PenHoldSandro]

Ive played Jpen and Cpen the only problem I had was TPB

It's my first sport, and then a quick switch? That's gonna cause problems for me, but maybe for you it won't

 

[androlover]

It's my first sport, and then a quick switch? That's gonna cause problems for me, but maybe for you it won't

If you have played shakehands before you can pick it up again.

 

[PenHoldSandro]

If you have played shakehands before you can pick it up again.

I can use shakehands, I just prefer Jpen

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Ive played Jpen and Cpen the only problem I had was TPB

You went from Shakehand to JPen and CPen and did not need any adjustments at all? Or had you already played some version of penhold when you tried JPen and CPen?

And you can use RPB without any adjustment from Shakehand BH?

Again, I am not asking if you have learned to play with Penhold already and also can play shakehand and can switch back and forth. I am asking if you have never played Penhold, have only played shakehand and tried to play penhold with no prior experience. If you are used to both, you are used to both. If you only play one and then try the other, it will likely take some adjusting.

Ever tried Seamiller Grip?