Last Saturday, 3rd of June Montcada’s CTT La Unio organized a table tennis tournament. I recorded some of my own matches, one of the semi-finals and the final of the individual tournament disputed from 9 o’clock until 15:30. I’m sharing those videos here for everybody who wanted to be there but couldn’t or anybody who just happens to want to see us shuffle behind a table whacking small plastic balls around like they’re refugees and we are European countries… Without the detached cruelty involved with the latter of course (some issues belong everywhere so there you go).
I won't do a detailed analysis of these games but let me share some of the lessons I learned on the road to the quarter finals.
Marti Folch gave me a lot to think about as he once again destroyed whatever I was trying to do with his consistent and powerful attacking strokes. I’ve seen him miss those occasionally, but it has been a while since I have been able to force him to miss and anticipate his placement. Even though I hope Marti will keep developing faster than I will, I’m confident he’ll soon have to fight a bit harder to keep me on the defensive.
Lesson 1: be less defensive!
Best. Coach. Ever. Glad I have a mirror.
Edu Solsona was kind enough to provide me with a much needed reflection of my old game. His trying to play nice but less effective points and failing, made me feel really good about my own unexpected efficiency. I love open games that give me time to prepare my strokes, so thanks for that Edu! I’m sure you’ll soon break the beautiful-rally-spell.
Lesson 2:The most beautiful rallies are the result of players ignoring all the rules of gravity, human flexibility and speed. Thinking about what looks good just slows us down.
I know I’m one to talk with all my lobbing and silly plays, but let’s just ascribe that to me being a better coach than a player. I am clearly my own worst student.
Talking about lobbing brings us to Pep Guasch in the round of 16. He’s so sneaky. When you play him it feels like you’re playing amazingly but for some reason he keeps summing up points when you’re not looking.
Lesson 3: don’t look away!
It’s so obvious it’s brilliant.
Pep also allowed me to take my time, but he had a plan. He returns a lot of balls and tries to let you take all the risks. But don’t hang back too much, like I did, because he’ll make your point difference disappear and come back from being 5-10 behind.
Lesson 4: just make that last point already!
I know it’s fun to play an open game when you’re ahead, but if you want to win, finish up as fast as you can. Most players will fight to the end and can come back even without you messing around. There’s no shame in wanting to have a bit of fun, but be prepared to taste dust when you stop taking your opponent seriously. You’ll need a glass of water.
Lesson 5: drink water!
If you bite the dust regularly like me and most other players, drink water to hydrate and to not lose your shit because you were outsmarted or outplayed. Outsmarting or outplaying you is not easy even on your worst day, so respect whoever managed to break your rhythm. And drinking water always calms me down. It’s so nice and refreshing… Unless the water’s warm... Then it’s just nice.
Thanks Pep! Sometimes it felt like playing against an (even) less aggressive mirror-image. Since we were both rocking beards it was even easier to forget which side of the table I was on. Well played, sir!
Xavi, just like Marti, has a really destructive forehand attack. I was so nice as to deliver him perfectly floating almost spin-less returns into his forehand: my signature return. And he performed admirably in finishing those off for me. Good teamwork, I would say.
Lesson 6: If it’s not working: do something else!
So the second set I did more of the same, but with a bit more intensity. A bit more effect in my serves and returns, more aggressive attacking shots, … Actually I just took more risks and it paid off… For one set... Then Xavi picked up on whatever I was doing and the laws of probability caught up with me and the risks stopped paying off.
Lesson 7: Don’t forget to make easy points.
Hitting the ball really hard gives you a good feeling when you win a point, but a controlled good quality push can put the pressure on your opponent’s side of the table and the variation can make it harder for him to kill your weaker shots. Try to keep a level head and if you feel like you’re just trying to overpower your opponent’s power, look for a way to use your power or touch against his weaknesses. Adding more variation to your strokes and placement is probably a good idea at that point. If you are dominating without variation though: just keep going. But be prepared to change tactics when your opponent catches up.
Lesson 8: Be creative under pressure!
Better to try something unexpected and miss than do the expected and give your opponent more confidence.
Thanks Xavi, for closing down the game so much that I felt like I had to overpower you. I was really happy it worked for one set. Next time, hopefully, I’ll give you more to worry about though.
In the semi-finals and the finals I coached my teammate Dani Castro. I managed to help him beat Xavi who had just beaten me, which made some of Xavi’s weaknesses clearer to me.
Lesson 9: Watch your buddies play!
Watching matches of people with similar levels to yours or maybe a bit higher, might give you some insight into why and how players win at certain levels and why those same players might lose at a different level or against a different style of play. You will start to get an idea of what is required mentally and tactically to win in always changing circumstances. Knowing what to do and doing it are two different things though, which is why I might still have a hard time winning against Xavi next time… Maybe.
In the finals I co-coached Dani. It just happened naturally because Dani’s doubles-partner and previous teammate started giving him advice too. We have totally different styles though and I have a feeling that’s why it took Dani so long to find his groove in the match.
Because it all happened during the game there was little time to ask Dani what style he was most comfortable with. And since Dani is such a nice guy I’m sure he didn’t want to turn down help from either one of us. If you ever have the choice as a player: choose the coach that gives you the most confidence. Since the way to confidence is a mysterious road, you are the only one that knows what works best for you. When you realize what works and what doesn’t, just talk about it. Your coach will listen to you and adapt as much as he/she can. I remember under-performing for quite some time myself because I got coached mostly about what I was doing wrong when what I was really lacking was confidence. Once I expressed my feelings about the coaching method we all worked together to create a coaching environment that helped me perform better. As I said, what works for me might not work for everybody else, so
Lesson 10: talk to your coach about how her/his style affects your performance (good and bad).
You’ll both feel better about it. In the end you are the one standing at the table so don’t accept what does not work for you. But don’t forget that your coach has the same goal as you which is making sure you play at your highest level.
So, sorry Dani for the unbalanced coaching. You performed really well considering and Gerard would have been in trouble if he had lost that last set, because you had really just started to find your rhythm.
Well that’s all folks!
This sunday me and some of the players you just read about will be playing a tournament in Gracia, Barcelona. Feel free to come by and see us play live.