Category: Table Tennis Match Play

Table Tennis Culture in Belgium

  • February 1, 2019
Wow, the table tennis culture in Belgium is so different.
Playing table tennis in the Belgium League
Nearly 20 years ago I played in Belgium at a club called Soka. The club had plenty of teams ranging from lower divisions through to the top division ‘Super Liga’. The Belgique super league has been famous for many years attracting lots of superstar table tennis players. Players include Samsanov, Primorac, JM Saive and many others. Moving forward in time I was back playing in Belgium, for a different club and here are some lessons and experiences which may interest you.
My experience
I have competed seldom over the past 7 years and most of the time it has been local competition. The play included once or twice a year to help friends and students at SBL but most know my focus is on coaching these days. Yet this felt like a mini-renaissance, I was asked to compete on behalf of another club as a player. This was no favour nor was it to help my teams out, it was me providing my skills as a player to a club.
Mindset
It was a weird and honourable feeling to for me. My head was giving excuses as to why I may lose and why I should not compete! I entered the hall and began watching my opposition knock up, again I questioned my ability to be there and could I beat these guys?
Our brains implode with information through a new experience and this was exactly how I felt especially when I was told before the match “this is an important match”. Luckily for me, my first match was against a defensive player. This gave me immediate confidence, I’ve always believed to be good against defensive players and I used the confidence to win that match 3-1. Two matches are played simultaneously and I glimpsed across on occasion eyeing up my next opponent blasting balls. Again my mind started began procrastinating saying all sorts of things like it’s OK you’ve won be happy.
As you can see our minds like to make us feel secure by giving excuses or looking for ways to protect us. I managed to win all 4 of my matches. My confidence by the 3rd and 4th match was at a massive high and I was able to execute my match play as if I was in the practice hall.
How and why was I able to turn my initial doubts into confidence and winning convincingly?
I purposely put pressure on myself, by posting on social media that I’m competing. I knew this would provide me a sense of external pressure and build my internal pressure. I wanted to put myself in a position where I felt uncomfortable and see if I could find a way to overcome it.
Admittedly I was very nervous the first match. All eyes on me from 90% of the club members and players, the club has paid for me to come and perform and I was told by the president that this match is important prior to the event.
So… how did I manage to control the pressure, something many fail (including myself) to handle or control?
The first game
My opponent struggled with my serve and I ran away winning 11-3, this is one of the reasons I always bang on about the importance of having good serves. Second game it all changed he was able to return my serves and began to put all the balls back on the table, furthermore I lost focus looking at my next opponent and I lost 11-9.
My mind began to get scrambled again “what if you lose this game? You’ll be 2-1 down and it will be hard to come back, then you may lose the other games!”. And you said, “you’re good against chop!!!” It was time to put my teachings into practice and often a good start can lead to a good ending.
Finding a way
My mantra is finding a way, I quickly changed those thoughts to
1. Focus on the moment
2. How can you win tactically
3. Lowering my pulse rate by focusing on my breath.
This allowed me to ignore all the variables and hone in on my skill and what I can do to win. I found some new tactics and slowly drew away point by point. The possible outcomes and negative thoughts disappeared and I was in the zone. I believe I won the next two games under 5.
Table Tennis Characters
I wrote a blog 2 weeks ago about how a character is required in our sport. Well, character in Belgium is in huge abundance which explains why they get people to come and watch plus support the sport. My second match was against the player I was viewing while I played my first match. You had to be there to believe it!
FIRST POINT – I won, (via my serve) this young man was effing and blinding for about 30 seconds.
SECOND POINT – I won, (third ball attack) my opponent goes mental at himself with verbal abuse and physically he goes to kick the table skimming it (luckily for him). Lots of verbal diarrhoea both out loud and under his breath, nothing aimed at me in fact as he prepares to play the next point, he says well played (LOL). The other amazing thing I noticed was how the umpire says nothing at all of this physical and metal outcry.
The THIRD POINT – he misses a shot and that was it he literally gave up. I tried to stay focused because sometimes this kind of giving up attitude allows a player to play freely and occasionally even better than their normal play. Furthermore by staying focused it employs that you are not taking them lightly regardless of their state and reinforces their (giving up attitude) making it virtually impossible for them to win. Even though I tried to maintain focus in game 2 he regrouped swinging left right and centre taking that game off me 11-7. My corner told me to go to his forehand when attacking. I knew it was important to get a good start and hopefully get him to lose his cool again. I did just that and he began playing as if he had lost the match and I just focused on winning one point at a time. Tactically I decided to go to his cross over which seemed to work better than going to his forehand side. (Lesson for youngsters) listen to advice but if it doesn’t seem to work or you’re uncomfortable, change tactics accordingly.

EBS Hayon Table Tennis Club Belgium

The madness continues:
Players often swore between points, lots of outspoken verbal diarrhoea some players drunk beer in between points and I saw one guy snap his bat in half after losing. Yet, with all this drama every player is courteous and polite in so many respects regardless of their outcry. For example, players wished you “Bonne Match” (have a good match) before play commenced, an immediate apology was given if a net or edge occurred. Gestures of well played, sorry and honesty was truly amazing to see. The respect for the player, game and club was beautiful to see such as; If a ball interrupted play players would always ask did the ball disturb you? And if the umpire thought it did not the opponent would correct them and say no by flipping the scoreboard and giving you back the point. Even though there was lots of verbal and physical outcry it was clear to see that was the personal character being expressed and they never I portrayed any animosity towards the other player.
Table tennis culture in Belgium
This was fascinating to me, they have 30 thousand registered players in a very small country. Yet they have produced a world no.1 and many world-class players over the past 30 years. They have a top division professional league where some top players get up to €50k per season.
A very large proportion of the clubs are based in a full-time table tennis hall which has a bar, lounge seating area and its open 7 days a week. They provide for the local community and the community supports them by offering sponsorship. This particular club I was playing for had over 50 different sponsors scattered all around the hall.
Pub – Drink – Play
Effectively the system works like this, there’s a bar open to the public. Players enjoy a drink and socialise with their friends and compete for both, on a social, local, national and even professional level. The local community support the club via multiple local businesses. Often the sponsors are players inside the club and they get multiple benefits via sponsoring the club. Tax benefits, supporting the local community, their company is viewed by internal and external people and they get to have a beer on the house. The beautiful thing was seeing families attend the club to watch dad, mother, brother or sister compete. After the match, both teams sit down for a drink and a meal were discussions about table tennis flows.
Table tennis pub clubs:
Maybe it’s time for us to incorporate a similar structure in England? Lots of pubs are closing down, this gives scope and possibly reviving pubs across England. All that’s needed is pubs that have some land where a hall can be built to accommodate a playing area/facility.
The benefits:
  • People attend the pub to play
  • Join their friends who play
  • Watch TT (entertainment while they have a drink)
  • Burn off the beer calories
  • Social evening
  • Compete
  • Provide for the community and unite the community via a social gathering

For more info about Hayon EBS click here

To see little clips and pictures of the club in action please visit my social media networks (Insta or FB)
Table tennis never ceases to amaze me, the sport can give so much to a person’s livelihood. All we have to do is invest in building a culture that understands and wants to take part.

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Written by Eli Baraty
eBaTT (Eli Baraty Academy of Table Tennis)                          
Coach Me Table Tennis 
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Table Tennis Tactics

  • December 28, 2018

A table tennis tactic which is thought of is actually irrelevant if you’re unable to execute it.


Having a tool is useless if you don’t know how to use it:

When developing players I always do my best to explain my methods. This gives them the ability to execute their leanings at particular game scenario’s. A tactic is easily spoken about but the player often won’t have the tools or know how to implement such instructions.

It’s important if you’re coaching someone in the corner for the first time. That you be honest with one another and discuss what the player is able and capable of. If you know the player well then stick to tactics that you both know.

W. Schlager Table Tennis World Champion
W. Schlager Table Tennis World Champion 2003

Finding a way:

Sometimes the tools and tactics may not work, that’s when you must step outside of your comfort zone and look for solutions. I live by many motto’s and philosophies and one I like “ if there’s a problem, then there’s a solution”. You may not have the best backhand in the world but you can still win a world or Olympic title. Both JP Gatien (World 1993) and Ryu Seung Min (Olympics 2004) did it, they found other ways to compromise their personal deficiency’s.


The game is evolving:

It’s getting harder and harder to win major titles or become a world class player if you have technical deficiencies. Today most top players have near complete games, what set’s them apart is the mindset and tactics used to find small gaps and wholes.


Developing tactics:

Tactics are where you can observe your opponents weakness and use it against them. For example, if you play a someone that struggles to flick with their forehand, would you serve short to the backhand? I once played a player who had an amazing backhand and forehand flick. We are all taught to serve short which is what I did and I was 2-0 down. My teammate came over and said, “Eli, serve long and occasionally short”. It was an easy game for me from then on winning 3-2. Tactics are often simple if understood and seen, the key is finding them. Tactics, as mentioned, can be easy but you won’t be able to execute them if your game is limited.

When you play games and train, try to reflect post-match. Analyse what worked and what didn’t and this will slowly open up your thought process of how to win matches using various tactics.


We can’t all be a genius but we can be smart with practice and time.

Written by Eli Baraty
eBaTT (Eli Baraty Academy of Table Tennis)                          
Coach Me Table Tennis 
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How Important is a Table Tennis Rally?

  • September 26, 2018

Have you ever asked yourself, how important is a table tennis rally?
We all love having a long table tennis rally and of course, winning the big rallies is like an injection of adrenaline.

Table Tennis Rallies

An average table tennis rally is between 4-5 strokes and each stroke is played from 0.2 to 0.5 of a second, in simple terms approximately 2 strokes per second.
If you take these stats into account you must ask yourself, how important is it train long rallies in the practice hall? 1 in ten points you will have a long-lasting rally (between 8-15 strokes). 

Ping Pong Championships at Ally Pally
Ping Pong Championships at Ally Pally
How should we train?

I think when building fundamentals the focus should be on building solid foundations which evolve around regular and consistent exercises. Once your stroke play has solid foundations then the key focus should be on the first 4-6 balls. Naturally, you should be giving extra attention to the serve and return then third fourth and fifth ball. Developing these key shots will enable you to deliver high-quality shots from the offset and sway most games in your favour.

Interesting table tennis stats

If you take an average Professional Table Tennis Match (best of seven) you will notice that the match lasts around 50min. In that time the actual rally play is on average 4min and 10sec. This means less than 10% of the match is actual gameplay. Every rally starts slow and speeds up (should we implement off the table training with slow to fast training sessions?) 

The first ball:

People say the most important shot in table tennis is your serve, I say I agree but I also disagree. The first shot is the most important whether it be your server or return. These two shots start a rally and one without the other won’t complete a winning game. Therefore I would practice both with similar importance, the only difference is the service can be developed solely and you are in full control of the spin, speed and placement. 

Can I be a world class player without big rally play?

If you want to be a world class player, I believe it can be achieved without having wonderful rally skills but there will be times when you’re required to rally beyond 6 balls. If you fail to develop a good rally base you will be exposed eventually. If you watch Ma Lin, he was a great example of serve and return, he was capable of playing long and good rallies but would much rather avoid long rallies due to a weaker backhand wing.

Key learning:

Develop the fundamentals to enable long rallies but ultimately develop your serve and return then 3rd and 5th. After that, you can focus on developing your rally play. if you don’t have those fundamentals you won’t reach the rally plays even though you may be good at them.

Written by Eli Baraty 

eBaTT (Eli Baraty Academy of Table Tennis)                          
Coach Me Table Tennis 
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World Table Tennis Team Championships 2018

  • May 1, 2018

Table Tennis History

Less than 20 years ago, the World Table Tennis  Championships would include, Singles, Doubles, Mixed Doubles and a Team event, all on the same occasion! Today the team event is a separate entity and I wholeheartedly agree. I remember going to Manchester 1997 to watch the event where I witnessed Waldner get destroyed by Samsanov in the team category but then go on to humiliate Vladimir in the final of the single event.

                          

Twenty-First century Table Tennis

Today having a separate event allows all players to give their 100%, due to a singular focus rather than multiple categories which takes precedence for certain players.

Some interesting results have occurred already and notably, England has caused the biggest shock of the event beating Japan. At the Beginning of this month, England suffered a shock defeat to a weakened Nigerian team at the Commonwealth games, so…

What has changed in less than a month?

1.    At the Commonwealth Games, England were favourites to beat Nigeria and the whole event (an unfamiliar situation for the players). At previous events England was unseeded and the pressure was on the opposing teams to beat England but on this occasion, the tables had turned. It seemed the pressure of being favourites had taken its toll on the players and on that occasion, they were unable to control nor handle the pressure and bowed out to Nigeria in the semi-final stage.

2.    Often when we suffer a tough loss or go through a negative period, we learn from it and use it to grow and develop ourselves. England TT men’s squad did just that! and clearly picked themselves up brushed off the loss and used it to produce their best result to date.

3.    Liam Pitchford, has become a top 5 in the world team player outside of China. Liam has found a system that enables him to compete with any player in the world outside of China in a team competition. He uses the power of his teammates and coach to push himself beyond his normal capabilities and produces huge results for the team which uplifts the overall team’s belief.

China’s Table Tennis

Unfortunately, China is still seemingly unbeatable with Ma Long and Fan Zhendong currently untouchable… But Ma Long has a newborn baby now and he is around 30 years old now. He surely will be looking to slow down in the near future which effectively leaves Fan Zhendong as a lone ranger. And I believe from what I’m seeing there is not much coming through from behind to back Fan. So, could we see China broken in the next 5 years? It’s a tall ask and one few can truly answer but a small crack in the wall can turn into a major structural issue. Keeps a close eye on table tennis over the next few years and let’s see what unfolds.

Belief

Only time will tell if China will be beaten once again! but the key for everyone as England has shown, you don’t need all the skills in the world to beat the best in the world. Belief plays a huge part and if you have that inner belief you are capable of achieving what is seemingly impossible.

Well done to England Table Tennis Men’s Team for their wonderful achievements over the past 3 years.

Written by Eli Baraty
eBaTT (Eli Baraty Academy of Table Tennis)                          
Coach Me Table Tennis Instagram: _elibaraty 
Twitter: @elibaraty
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Table Tennis Match Play

  • April 19, 2018

How important is table tennis match play?
It’s a hard question to answer, some can perform naturally under pressure and other need to experience pressured situations consistently.

Personal Experience:

I played Senior British League once again this weekend and it was my second occasion this season. Unfortunately, my coaching schedule has moved up a level in terms of commitment and I have limited time to focus on my personal game. Furthermore, I struggle to keep my past fitness routines and this has ham-poured my fitness level and my speed has slightly diminished. In the past, I was able to coach alongside some match play with my former Harefield Students. But it’s been 9 months’ since I left and my game has deteriorated a lot more than I had expected.

Issues included: 

Receive of serve, my serve is weaker and I struggled to control it in terms of placement, height, length, and speed. My recovery was poor and my ability to reach wide balls was at an all-time low. My level of play was poor and at times I felt embarrassed especially when losing all 4 of my matches, 3-0 and 3-1. I was unable to execute my shots and struggled with anyone who was quick (speed) or had the ability to keep the ball on the table (consistency).

While I was disappointed in my performance I had come to terms with reality, I have not trained properly for nearly 7 years and played less than a handful of national events over the past 6 years. It became clear to me; repetition, consistency and regular involvement in anything allows one to perform at a higher success rate.

Being a part of a system but not competing!

If you train every week, three times a week but only play one major event a year, you have many things that work against you.

1.    Unfamiliar territory:

You enter a domain which your body knows the drills and what to do but your mind goes into overdrive and it does not allow you to produce what you practice. The only way to enable your mind and body to work together is by putting yourself in that unfamiliar place constantly until it becomes familiar, allowing you to perform your skills at will.

2.    Tension: 

In the practice hall your ability to express yourself without fear of; being judged or knowing if you don’t perform there are certain negative outcomes such as: out of the event, others saying you played bad, you put yourself under pressure to beat someone you feel you’re better than or possibly beat in practice.

3.    Value:

 When you train you’re inside your comfort zone which enables you to express yourself at will. There is the value of self-fulfilment and personal development but nothing more. At National or International events, there are many added values; beating players higher ranked, reaching far in the event or winning it. Potential sponsorship deals, prize money, news articles with your name in it and video publications etc. Subconsciously all these factors play a role in your mind which subsequently influence your overall performance.

No Hiding?

It became very clear to me if I wanted to play top flight table tennis once again, there is no other way around it but to play competitively on a regular basis.

Timo Boll:

I recently saw an interview with Timo Boll, he was asked how come you are playing so well? Timo replied, I trained for many years and at around age 30 I began to reduce my training schedule. This allows me to spend a little more time with my family and give my body a chance to recover. I had a decline in performance but that’s also due to injuries and once they healed I was able to compete again. I feel my performance escalated because I was mainly competing rather than training. and tournaments became my training.

Should you play only tournaments and not train or practice?

The Answer is a categorical NO! Timo hardly trains now and mainly plays tournaments that’s true. But at the tournaments, he does have a training session in preparation for the event. He has also can tap into his huge memory bank of past training (around 25 years). Timo can play tournaments and is able to sustain his high level of play because of these factors. As for us “normal people” we still need to train to keep our game brains sharp and enable us to compete successfully when we compete.

Tournament Environment:

When I take my players to their first national event which is often small. They can develop a sense of what’s required alongside a more relaxed environment. As soon as they are taken to a larger scale event, everything changes; their view of the game (the realisation that the game is played on a much higher scale than they originally perceived. It takes between 1 or 2 seasons to become accustomed to the new environment and then they start to flourish.

Most good table tennis players have the capability to produce wonderfully executed shots but when it’s in an environment unfamiliar to them are they able to cope?
I believe not! unless they have experience and experience comes with time and exposure.

To enable yourself you must commit to the cause and positive results will eventually come.

Written by Eli Baraty
eBaTT (Eli Baraty Academy of Table Tennis)
Coach Me Table Tennis
Instagram: _elibaraty
Twitter: @elibaraty
FB: Eli Baraty
W:  www.coachmetabletennis.com
E:   elibaraty@hotmail.com
M:  07900401144

Table Tennis Match Play

  • April 19, 2018

How important is table tennis match play? from personal experience, I played Senior British League once again this weekend. Unfortunately, my coaching schedule has gone up a level in terms of commitment and I have limited time to focus on my personal game. Furthermore, I struggle to keep my past fitness routines and this has ham-poured my fitness level and my speed has slightly diminished. In the past, I was able to coach alongside some match play with my former Harefield Students. But it’s been 9 months’ since I left and my game has deteriorated a lot more than I had expected.

World School Games 2012 - Table Tennis Match Play
World School Games 2012

 

Table Tennis Matches Play, Personal Issues:

Receive of serve, my serve is weaker and I struggled to control it in terms of placement, height, length, and speed. My recovery was poor and my ability to reach wide balls was at an all-time low. My level of play was poor and at times I felt embarrassed especially when losing all 4 of my matches, 3-0 and 3-1. I was unable to execute my shots and struggled with anyone who was quick (speed) or had the ability to keep the ball on the table (consistency).

Personal disappointment

While I was disappointed in my performance I had come to terms with reality, I have not trained properly for nearly 7 years and played less than a handful of national events over the past 6 years. It became clear to me; repetition, consistency and regular involvement in anything allows one to perform at a higher success rate.

Being a part of a system but not competing!

If you train every week or three times per week but only play one major event a year, you have many things that will work against you.

1.    Unfamiliar territory:

Your body knows the drills and what to do but your mind goes into overdrive and it does not allow you to produce what you’ve practised. The way to synchronise your body and mind is by putting yourself in that unfamiliar place constantly. This enables your mind to become familiar with the surroundings, allowing you to perform your skills at will.

2.    Tension:

In the practice hall your able to express yourself without fear of; being judged or knowing if you don’t perform there are certain negative outcomes such as: out of the event, others saying you played bad, you put yourself under pressure to beat someone you feel you are better than or possibly beat in practice.

3.    Value:

When you train you’re inside your comfort zone which enables you to express yourself at will. There is the value of self-fulfilment and personal development but nothing more. At National or International events, there are many added values; beating players higher ranked, reaching far in the event or winning it. Potential sponsorship deals, prize money, news articles with your name in it and video publications etc. Subconsciously all these factors play a role in your mind which subsequently influence your overall performance.

No Hiding?
It became very clear to me if I wanted to play top flight table tennis once again, there is no other way around it but to play competitively on a regular basis.

Timo Boll:
I recently saw an interview with Timo Boll, he was asked how come you are playing so well? Timo replied, I trained for many years and when I was around 30 years old, I began to reduce my training. My daily schedule was adapted to suit my new life oriented around my career and family. This gave my body time to recover and my personal anxiety (wanting to succeed so much) had reduced. Initially, I had a decline in performance but that was also due back injuries, as I recovered I was able to compete again. I feel my performance escalated because I was mainly competing rather than training. and tournaments became my training.

Should you play only tournaments and avoid practice or training?

The Answer is a categorical NO! Timo, hardly trains now and mainly plays tournaments that’s true. But at the tournaments, he does have a training session in preparation for the event. He has also can tap into his huge memory bank of past training (around 25 years). Timo, can play tournaments and is able to sustain his high level of play because of these factors. As for us “normal people” we still need to train to keep our game brains sharp and enable us to compete successfully when we compete.

Tournament Environment:

The first national event is often small and the players develop a sense of what’s required alongside a relaxed environment. once players are taken into larger scale events, everything changes! The game instantly becomes serious when seen on a much higher scale compared to the original game perception. It takes between 1 or 2 seasons to become accustomed to the new environment and then they start to flourish.

Most good table tennis players have the capability to execute and produce wonderful shots but when it’s in an environment which is unfamiliar to them can they cope? I believe often the answer is no, unless they possess experience and experience comes with time and exposure.

To enable yourself, you must commit to the cause and positive results will eventually come.

Written by Eli Baraty

eBaTT (Eli Baraty Academy of Table Tennis)
Coach Me Table Tennis
Instagram: _elibaraty
Twitter: @elibaraty
FB: Eli Baraty
W:  www.coachmetabletennis.com
E:   elibaraty@hotmail.com
M:  0790401144

The Best Table Tennis 13-Year-Old Ever Seen,

  • April 6, 2017

We have surely never seen a better table tennis 13-year-old in the history of the game! 2 years ago an 11-year-old called Tomokazu Harmioto burst onto the table tennis world scene. Harimoto reached the Men’s final at Safir’s (Sweden). He stamped his arrival by beating two players ranked inside the top 100 men’s world ranking list. Remember his name

Since then Harimoto has continued to progress and improve at an astonishing rate. He was recently crowned world Junior Champion aged 13, the youngest junior world champion in history. 
Still 13, he has shocked the world once again by defeating fellow teammate Jun Mitzutani current world no.6 at the Men’s Singles World Championships. 

13 years old Table Tennis prodigy
Harimoto Expressing his Passion

 

I think it’s safe to say Harimoto, is the best 13-year-old the world has ever seen. I also believe we are looking at a future world no.1 and possible a new level of play of table tennis.
Harimoto went on to reach the quarter-final stage of the Men’s World Championships and shows no sign of slowing down. The crazy thought is, at 13 he reaches the world quarterfinals and in 10 years time, he’ll still be considered a young sportsman!

How?

how has such a young teenager achieved what no other has done before?
I’m sure there are millions of factors but I want to point out 3 key things.

 

  1. Time: 

He began playing aged 2 and when he was 3 years and four months he took part in a tournament at prefecture level for the first time and finished fourth in the Under 8 competition. 
Harimoto, has been playing for 11 years which explains (partially his high level). Other factors include both his mum and dad where international level players. He has been training relentlessly for over a decade. Few players train over two years at a given sport and fewer train 5-6 times per week.

     2. Sacrifice: 

It’s clear Harimoto spends 15-20 maybe more hours per week training. He has given up his childhood to become a phenomenon inside the world of table tennis. The question many would ask or say… does he have a life? 
This is a debate which can only be answered by Harimoto. If he loves what he is doing, then he is living life to the best of his ability. If he is forced to live this kind of lifestyle then yes he has no life. From my point of view, he loves every minute, his passion is clear to see. It’s rare to see someone who clearly plays more than most and still maintains such a high level of joy and passion every time they play.

     3. Fear:

At such a young age, few feel a genuine fear of losing. The world has not inflicted its life pressures yet! and consequences are limited to none (currently). This enables the mind to relax and all skills are allowed to flow freely.
Only the very best in the world know how to access this freedom of play and fear is blocked under enormous pressurised situations.

The question is will this change for Harimoto as he ages? And will his views on life change? Only time will tell…

Age is but a number, in order to become great, sacrifice is required.

Written Eli Baraty Table Tennis Coach 
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How to Handle Your Table Tennis Nerves

  • March 1, 2017
No matter who you are, you will or have experienced the ‘butterfly effect’ in your stomach. How you handle table tennis your nerves will differ from person to person but we all experience nerves either before or during an event.

Picture

Pre-Tournament Nerves:

As a junior, I rarely felt nervous during a match but I did get pre-competition adrenalin. I struggled to sleep the night before due to excitement and anxiety.

 

Match Nerves

Entering the senior circuit, I naturally developed a ‘thought process’ using tactical know how to win matches as opposed to playing on autopilot as a junior. This changed my whole nervous system, I could sleep the night before but during the match… I found myself extremely nervous. This included; sweaty hands, my heart beating furiously and my hand shaking prior to my no.1 weapon, my serve.

I was affected so badly that I ended up quitting competitions and resorted to a club or local league play only. Every couple of years I would attempt a competition ‘come back’ but the nerves remained strong.

One person or one thing can change everything

At 27 years of age, a world-class coaches/players crossed my path and began working with me at my table tennis club/academy. We trained one or two hours per week and after 3 months my level went up. I started to compete with him. FYI, his standard at the time was top 5 England men and he said, “Eli it’s time to make a real comeback”. 

The comeback

I did just that… Beating top 10 England players and jumping up the rankings to around 20 England Men. So what did I do differently on this occasion?

How to handle your pre-competition nerves

1. Work on your strengths, preferably a day or two before any competition and this will naturally increase your inner confidence. 

2. Avoid match play meaning, you can play but don’t keep an official score. I suggest either one or two days prior to any competition. Why? Because in a match there is a winner and a loser and if you’re the loser… Well, we all know how we feel after losing. So instead, play as if it is a real match with 2 serves each but do not play games. If you love keeping score, then you can do a 10-10 or 5-9 down challenge but not a full game.

3.Routine: Do your best not to change your routine, often people change a routine when they prepare for a tournament. In effect, competition is just another game but one that has been given a ‘Name and Value’ e.g. Local league finals, London open, National Championships, Olympics etc. all have a name and value. 

Local level –  In general, you’re competing for the sheer enjoyment and social factor. You may be playing to keeping fit and get out of the house?! therefore routine is not necessary.

National level: You are committed to the sport so you need to find what preparation works best for you and stick to it. A mistake many national level players make, is changing their routines for different events e.g. National championships they will put in more hours in the training hall (when in fact they should prepare physically more rather than table time), hence the lack of consistency in performance.

International: Depending on your level you will train for personal and specific targets. The higher ranked you are the more focused you are on specific competition targets e.g. World championships, Europeans, Olympics etc. Again the same principle applies, find a specific preparation that suits you. Remember we are all individuals, so don’t copy another top players preparation methods. Once you have a suitable preparation, stick to it religiously even at times of poor confidence.

How to avoid match nerves:

1. Play under pressurised situations: I use betting (‘personal method’ and not recommended), I also ask my friends or students to watch me play. I may add a video recording and this automatically puts me into a state of ‘competition mode and the match has “value”. I would add pressure by either telling myself or the crowd how important this match is. The importance of the match is irrelevant, its an exercise towards facing pressure by increasing regular tension.

When playing under these circumstances I would consciously analyse and be aware of my state of mind. At certain stages/situations, I would focus on the (scary nervous, pressurised moments) and then I would use various methods to calm myself. For example, I would tell myself “relax and enjoy”, or I would wiggle my body to loosen the tension. There is an infinite amount of things you can do to reduce your personal anxiety but you must find what helps you. The key is finding out the cause, often the cause is external and not internal which causes matchplay anxiety.

2. Positive body language: hold your body upright, use only positive feedback such as “come on” “yes” good serve” “play positive” again use what suits you but it must always be positive! Some players like to release negativity by showing poor body language and expressing their disappointment after losing a point (e.g. Liam Pitchford) that’s fine as long as you can switch into a positive mindset, straight away.

3. Lastly, I would move and self-talk by bouncing up and down, releasing negative tension and keeping my body in a positive state. The self-talk would be an override of any negative talk which creeps in at crucial moments.

What has changed?

I remember training with a friend most Friday nights for many years. He would beat me 9 out of 10 times in practice at the club. We had our annual club championship and I faced my sparring partner at the same venue. The hall was the same, the tables were the same and obviously, I was the same person! The only difference was the just the layout and the title ‘Competition and Value’ “ The club closed championship”.

I won 3-1 even though I was expected to lose and the same happened with many other players in the club. 

Nothing really changed!! except for the mindset of each play


In reality, nothing has ever changed (from club to competition) but everything in your mind has changed. Once a title and value have been added you placed personal pressure. So change your mindset – Its just another table tennis match/game.

Remember no matter where you play or who you play, in reality we are all playing the same game and your opponent “is just another person with a bat in their hand” regardless of their TT achievements.

Written by Eli Baraty