It’s very tempting to make use of an excuse once you lose a desk tennis match.
“The desk was too sluggish.”
“I wasn’t warmed up correctly”
“My opponent used humorous rubbers”
Gamers make excuses to guard their ego. It’s extra comforting guilty one thing or another person. This fashion you’ll be able to preserve a perception that you’re higher than the participant you simply misplaced to. “If it wasn’t for X, Y and Z, I might have received.”
However finally making excuses will solely hinder your enchancment. Let’s have a look at some frequent excuses gamers use…
Excuse # 1 – Not warmed up
“I solely misplaced as a result of I wasn’t correctly warmed up. There’s no method this participant would usually beat me. If I had a 30 minute warm-up, I positively would have received.”
In a super world you’d have time for a very good warm-up earlier than each league and event match you play. In actuality this hardly ever occurs. Should you play in a league match, particularly an away match, you might solely get 5 minutes to heat up. Should you play tournaments, there’s usually fierce competitors for desk time earlier than the event begins. Once more, you might solely get a couple of minutes to heat up.
However you know your warm-up time could also be restricted, so that you shouldn’t use this as an excuse. You would attempt attending to a venue earlier to permit extra time to heat up. If there isn’t a desk out there to heat up, you might do some workout routines off the desk.
Or you might develop your means to begin a match and hit an honest stage with solely a minimal warm-up. How do you do that? Throughout your coaching classes, play some matches at first of the session, then do no matter coaching workout routines you want after. This fashion you get used to taking part in matches with solely a minimal warm-up.
Excuse # 2 – Poor taking part in circumstances
“The desk was too sluggish. The lighting was too shiny. The court docket was too small. The desk was the improper color. It was too chilly. It was too sizzling. There was an excessive amount of noise.”
In novice desk tennis, taking part in circumstances are normally removed from superb. That’s life! Take care of it. I don’t assume I’ve ever performed in a league or event match the place circumstances have been utterly good. There’s at all times some potential distraction.
However you realize what? It’s the identical for each gamers. It is advisable to concentrate on what you’ll be able to management – your pictures, your serves, your ways, your game-plan. If the desk is sluggish, regulate the timing of your strokes. If the ground is slippery, put a little bit of damp tissue paper by the facet of the desk and maintain dabbing your footwear to get extra grip. If the lighting is simply too shiny or low, make additional effort to concentrate on the ball.
Some gamers are actually bothered by noise. One of the best ways to cope with that is to practise in busy venues, with a number of tables, the place there’s loads of noise. You quickly get used to it after which for those who play a loud league or event match, the noise received’t hassle you a lot.
Excuse # 3 – It was the bat’s fault
“My rubbers are garbage. I couldn’t get any grip. They’re too outdated / sluggish / quick. If I performed with completely different rubbers I might have positively received that match.”
You misplaced? Blame your bat and ensure everybody is aware of. It’s very straightforward to do. And the nice factor is you’ll be able to go house, order some completely different rubbers and hey presto, downside solved! However have you learnt what everybody else is considering? You’re making excuses. And they’re proper.
You presumably began the match completely happy together with your bat and solely after defeat did your bat change into the issue. By convincing your self that the bat was the issue you’re avoiding the actual reality. You misplaced the match as a result of your opponent performed higher than you. What ways did he use? How did he serve? The place did he hit the ball? How did he cease you successful factors?
By blaming the bat, you don’t study why you misplaced and how one can win subsequent time. Your bat wasn’t the issue. Your sport play was. Repair that and also you’ll win extra factors subsequent time.
Excuse # 4 – Nets and edges
“He bought so many nets and edges. It was ridiculous. How can I win if each level he clips the online? I ought to by no means have misplaced that. He was so fortunate.”
Some gamers have an incredible means to solely keep in mind the nets and edges of their opponent and by no means keep in mind their very own success. It’s like each web and edge their opponent will get is an outrageous injustice. However their very own nets and edges are totally deserved – the universe is righting a improper.
Nets and edges occur. It’s a part of the sport. It normally evens out over the course of a match or league season or event. However for those who get overly aggravated by each web and edge, you usually tend to lose subsequent factors. You lose your strategic considering, since you are raging inside about your opponent’s success. It’s utterly self-destructive.
In case your opponent will get a fortunate web and edge, as an alternative of raging, simply say “good shot”. As rapidly as attainable, attempt to regain focus for the subsequent level. What’s your technique? The place do you need to hit the ball? How are you going to exploit your opponent’s weak spot?
When coaching, by no means quit on a ball which clips the online or edge. Generally it’s merely unimaginable to return the ball, however many nets and edges are attainable to return. Should you develop this ability, then you’ll be able to nonetheless win factors even when your opponent hits these lucky pictures.
Excuse # 5 – My opponent is junk
“He’s not even a correct participant. His pictures are bizarre. He makes use of pimples. He doesn’t play correct desk tennis. I solely like taking part in in opposition to topspin gamers.”
That is essentially the most infuriating excuse! “I might have received if my opponent performed the way in which I like.” Some gamers imagine any kind of unorthodox participant (fashion or gear) is illegitimate. For these gamers, solely conventional topspin gamers rely as actual desk tennis gamers.
That is clearly full and utter nonsense. There aren’t any guidelines in desk tennis about your taking part in fashion and the way it is best to execute pictures. In case your opponent can hit a shot which you’ll be able to’t return, good for him! It doesn’t matter how bizarre the shot seems to be. If the ball is on the desk, your opponent has performed one thing which you have to reply to. Your problem is to work out the way to get the ball again.
In novice desk tennis there are such a lot of extraordinary types. That is what makes the sport so difficult and enjoyable to play. At decrease ranges, conventional topspin gamers are a minority. You might be more likely to face an unorthodox opponent. Embrace this. Make it a purpose to get good in opposition to many various taking part in types. Develop methods to make use of in opposition to completely different opponents. In coaching, hunt down unorthodox gamers to practise in opposition to.
Should you do all of this, then you’ll discover it a lot simpler to deal with unorthodox gamers in league and event matches. You’ll nonetheless lose a few of these matches. It’s tremendous. Attempt to analyse why you misplaced and what you’d do in a different way subsequent time.
Study out of your defeats
Making excuses for a defeat is a simple possibility. It protects your ego. But it surely’s pointless. It prevents you from confronting why you actually misplaced a match. How did you win or lose factors? How did your opponent win or lose factors? What areas of your sport do you have to develop to win extra factors?
Should you ask these questions after each match you lose (or win), you’ll enhance a lot faster and attain a a lot increased stage of play.