Your Form; wins and learning experiences.

[J-fed]

- sleep and eat well the day before (including meat) and good breakfast
- if possible, sauna and massage the day before, and S.X the week before (not the day before)
- try to have a run or swimming pool session in the week before , and one or two 1-1 coaching sessions.
- warmup before the match. Don’t even talk to my teammates or watch their match (even in a team event) if it’s my turn to play next. Warmup routine includes a bit of shadow play, serve feeling using my ball-fixed-on-a-stick
- energy drink. Boosts my focus and agressivity. One can usually lasts one or two matches
- I have got a notebook with memos, advice from coaches and notes from previous matches. So if I’ve played a guy in the past I can remember what worked and what didn’t last time
- watch your opponents play other people and look for their weaknesses and try to read their serves and understand their patterns

Similar. Just no energy drink or memos.
I used to be a chef and I never check recipes!
I believe in this approach to art and sport!

 

[J-fed]

Over here weeknight league matches are the primary method of competitive play. Saturdays is for youth and national leagues, and tournaments are honestly too scarce.

Yeah. I remember. I love it that people are still dedicated.
Wonderful.

 

[Lula]

Not really answering the question but i believe in not judge so much, if i play good or in a good form. If you practiced more before and was higher level before you will always be discouraged after a practice. Same if you just have high standards.
Think it is important to let yourself just play and do your best.

Regarding to practice exercises and feeling good, then i think the exercises many times are too easy.
Regarding matchplay and form i believe having a playing style and practice how to serve and return to get to a cerain ball will make you play better almost all the table, feeling that you have better form.
Also what others have said, need to feel good and work as a human. So the basics, sleep, eat, rest, snack during practice and try to find a practice time where it is less friction with your life.
Also think there are pretty much studies about "flow" which you can look up. Having a performance mindset instead of results mindset i believe is important during a game.

 

[Matt Hetherington]

Lifting weights. I did crossfit 3 times a week when I was in my early 20s and my training stamina and capacity, including to be able to do much longer footwork movements, greatly improved. This gives you the ability to hugely increase your skills as a training partner, and opens up more doors to get more intense practice with better players, as well as being able to log more hours, recovery fast after hard sessions etc.

 

[piligrim]

Intrersting stuff.

Can you elaborate? what is your level and why was the advice given so unhelpful?

Since I have no real coach I am my own coach - meaning I try to work on things I think I need to improve. So far I'm still improving in a good rate, playing for 2 years now. But I do wonder If I need to listen to someone with more experience and at a higher level then me. Currently I estimate I'm around 2100 TTR (europe).

In 2 more years you will beat Aruna and will be Africa champion

 

[golden_son]

In fact in Japan it’s not that costly to do this in general. In my case it would cost me $5-10 because I can go to a hot spring/cold plunge for $3 near my house or for free if I’m in the mountains for a MTB ride.
Massage is $5 on National health or my wife charges me about $30 (lol).
Swim in the sea or $3 at a pool.
Private coaching? I would ask the main coach at the club to do a multi ball and match play session and pay him back by being the tech coach for the junior team on a Saturday night.
Totally realistic approach.

God, I miss Japan ❤️

 

[J-fed]

God, I miss Japan ❤️

We do too!
Give us back our economy!

 

[Lula]

Lifting weights. I did crossfit 3 times a week when I was in my early 20s and my training stamina and capacity, including to be able to do much longer footwork movements, greatly improved. This gives you the ability to hugely increase your skills as a training partner, and opens up more doors to get more intense practice with better players, as well as being able to log more hours, recovery fast after hard sessions etc.

How was your training shedule? I believe in physical exercise. With better cardio you will be able to keep the technique and with better strength actually move fast enough aswell get power from the legs.
But I do find it hard how to balance all different types of training.

 

[Matt Hetherington]

How was your training shedule? I believe in physical exercise. With better cardio you will be able to keep the technique and with better strength actually move fast enough aswell get power from the legs.
But I do find it hard how to balance all different types of training.

I was working in a table tennis stadium at the time so I was spending more time on the table. I did a couple of sessions one on one per week with a korean coach, as well as a couple of group practices, one league night per week and 1-2 other practices with training partners. Basically the kind of stuff I wish I could still be doing now haha

Also the crossfit sessions we usually at 5:30 or 6 in the morning

 

[Lando]

Looking at my friends video of our match showed me my horrible fh technique. It almost looked Liu Guoliang-ish with the wrist all bent.


Reel and feel are two different things

 

[NetProphet]

Intrersting stuff.

Can you elaborate? what is your level and why was the advice given so unhelpful?

Since I have no real coach I am my own coach - meaning I try to work on things I think I need to improve. So far I'm still improving in a good rate, playing for 2 years now. But I do wonder If I need to listen to someone with more experience and at a higher level then me. Currently I estimate I'm around 2100 TTR (europe).

2100 after 2 years with no coach
Get a coach and go pro immediately! 😉

 

[J-fed]

I put my back out 2 weeks ago. Has been quite painful down my right side. On Wednesday I felt I could do a light swim in the ocean. I stayed there overnight and swam again in the morning. The therapeutic effect was exponential in comparison to the regular stretching and pulse therapy. I practiced TT last night. I was pretty bad but that was expected.
Sea swimming FTW. I specify sea swimming because I believe the salt water and fish watching has legitimate physiological and psychological benefits respectively.
Today some pain returned due to the TT last night so I went to a waterfall and cold plunged and swam a bit. It was also extremely beneficial. The sea is hot so it is good for loosening up but the waterfall is very cold so good for reducing the swelling post exercise.

 

[Nash77]

2100 after 2 years with no coach
Get a coach and go pro immediately! 😉

From everyone's reactions I figure I overestimated my level

With that said, Is it really that unreasonable to get to around 2000 level after 2 years?

Just a random example :

these guys are very good players, realistically they're better then me. But I swear I think I'd be very competitive with their level, even if I'd lose, it won't be totally one sided.

Anyway my original point wasn't about ratings but about how do you know who's advice to trust (some great players are bad "coaches")

 

[Matteones]

From everyone's reactions I figure I overestimated my level

With that said, Is it really that unreasonable to get to around 2000 level after 2 years?

Just a random example :

these guys are very good players, realistically they're better then me. But I swear I think I'd be very competitive with their level, even if I'd lose, it won't be totally one sided.

Anyway my original point wasn't about ratings but about how do you know who's advice to trust (some great players are bad "coaches")

Yes you are most probably overestimating your level quite ludicrously.

It helps to think of it in this way: think of your typical kid, not too talented and not too shabby either, with a coach, who started at 6 years old. Your level is the same as this kid when they turn 8 years old.
As for advice, take everyone's advice with a grain of salt and apply what seems the best to you.
Whilst in general it is true that some great players are "bad coaches", they anyway have an understanding of the game that can offer good insights and this is objectively shown in their playing level.

Dunning–Kruger effect - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[jk1980]

Since I have no real coach I am my own coach - meaning I try to work on things I think I need to improve. So far I'm still improving in a good rate, playing for 2 years now. But I do wonder If I need to listen to someone with more experience and at a higher level then me. Currently I estimate I'm around 2100 TTR (europe).

Pictutres (Video) or it didnt happen

Sometimes people have so few clue that they can not realize how clueless they are, but that is just human

 

[jonol]

From everyone's reactions I figure I overestimated my level

With that said, Is it really that unreasonable to get to around 2000 level after 2 years?

Just a random example :

these guys are very good players, realistically they're better then me. But I swear I think I'd be very competitive with their level, even if I'd lose, it won't be totally one sided.

It's great that you're confident at least. They'd smoke you and it wouldn't be close though, I have no doubt.

In terms of how you know if you can trust advice.
I tend to look for 3 things:
- makes logical sense
- consistent with other sources
- relevant to what is currently costing you matches

Sometimes you might get good advice that doesn't fit neatly into these 3 boxes, and a good coach should be happy to answer questions in those cases as well.

 

[lightspin]

Getting to 2500 in 2 years is insane. Very insane. Kanak didn't do it. Jimmy Butler didn't do it. Eric Boggan didn't do it. Even the GOAT, Ma Long didn't do it. I would bet no one in the history of table tennis has done it. And I can see some clown saying "well I did it" and when pressed they will admit some nonsense like "well I played for 13 years before that for 3 hours a day but table tennis wasn't my primary sport blah blah blah."

Watching videos and thinking "I can beat those guys" is also not realistic. You can't feel the spin or see the deception they put on the ball when they serve. You can't tell if you could get their first attack back either. You have to be put in that situation first hand and feel what is going on to judge.