Tune Up Your Arsenal - Tips on preparing for the Big Day

Are you preparing for a competition? Here are some of basic tips when preparing for a competition:  1. Maximize you Training. You will have to plan each session divided into goals on which skill or technique you want to improve on. This includes planning your drill sequence too. 2. Improve your training efficiency by utilizing resources. It means a lot to have a coach guide you all the way but you can also check instructional videos, videos of Elite players or you can “youtube” your way to your opponents’ previous matches. 3. Vary your training in to several Phases. This is also known as the Cycle Training. If you are a varsity player your coach has already taken care of this but, if you are not, it would be very important to schedule aerobic exercise, footwork, stroking drills and strengthening workouts. This will prepare you both physically and mentally as you go from 80% physical training to a more less physical/technical to highly strategic/tactical game plays where you can concentrate more of your point winning set ups.

STRATEGY

Devising and using a tactic against an opponent is often key to winning, especially against an evenly matched opponent. Working an opponent's weaknesses and utilizing your own strengths can help you to defeat opponents who otherwise posses better strokes and footwork than you. Knowing your opponent is very crucial. If you have the chance to study your toughest competitor and plan out for his weaknesses then the battle is almost have won. Ask yourself, “how will I return each of those serves? How we will likely return mine? What will be my winning shots? What is his/her weaknesses and Strengths? Most Common Playing Styles: Control Control players generally don't like taking chances. They try to get the ball on the table more often than they take a chance of smashing for a winner. Defensive Defensive players try to outlast their opponents, either by avoiding their own mistakes or by provoking opponents into making mistakes. Offensive Aggressive players emphasize topspin and consistency, but the actual style can vary greatly between players. Some concentrate on provoking errors by attacking and blocking, while others simply like to outlast their opponents while playing aggressively. Aggressive players generally have very good ball control and placement as well as a clear understanding of spin. This style of player will generally deliver heavy spin on both the serve and service return. Power As the name implies, Power players try to win points almost entirely through the speed of the shots they generate. HOW TO PLAY EACH STYLE: Of course, players may also be best described by the type of stroke they favor and are most comfortable with. Generally, play one of these types in the following way: Counterdrivers - When playing a skillful counterdriver, avoid topspin rallies since this is their strength. Use heavy spin on both under- and topspin shots. Counterdrivers are most comfortable with light spin. If the opponent lacks good footwork, work the middle of the table. By forcing them to quickly decide between a forehand or backhand return, you can succeed in jamming them. Try using chops and pushes to slow down the game and rally for position. Choppers - When playing a chopper, be patient. Defensive choppers succeed when you become impatient and make mistakes. Alternate your use of shots, favoring deep loops, and short pushes. This will often throw the chopper off enough to return a high ball which you can put away with a smash. The chopper is likely to try to force you to make errors by using a variety of amounts of underspin. Expect the chops to vary from no spin to light spin to very heavy underspin. Finally, work the chopper down the middle more than side to side. The sides are often a chopper's strength while many have problems with shots hit down the middle. Move the ball in and out and use the drop shot, especially to their forehand side. Blockers - Blockers, just like choppers, are often defensive players. They try to get into a rhythm and move you out of position. As with the chopper, break their rhythm by varying the shots. Hit one deep and hard and then alternate with a short shot. Favor a high, spinny loop because blockers often like to use the power of their opponents to win points. Again, be patient, use just one power shot at a time, and sometimes trick the blocker into initiating an attack, in which they are usually weak. Loopers - When playing a looper, especially a consistent one, patience is out the door. Beat an aggressive looper with aggressiveness. Do all you can to initiate the attack. Your goal is to put the looper on the defense, where they usually are weak. As with choppers, work the middle to keep the ball away from their strength- the sides. Penholders - Penholders tend to heavily favor their forehand since the grip itself gives their forehand stroke a big advantage. The obvious strategy would seem to be to exploit their weaker backhand, but since many penholders display superb footwork, this is not as easy as it might seem. To work their backhand, you need to move the ball around, especially out wide. Do this in random fashion so they can't predict where you will direct the ball next. GENERAL TACTICS AGAINST ALL OPPONENTS If you are struggling to pinpoint what style your opponent is using especially when you happen to match with an all-around player just remember the following guidelines: . Varying Spin and Strokes Most of the beginner and intermediate players would thrive off on just returning the shots that to them. Some forwarded movement maybe exerted to pressure the ball but a few tries to vary the spin. If you are giving your opponent the same amount of spin, speed and even placing the ball on the same location on the table then your opponent will be able to read you and plan out to finish you off early. You need to take advantage of the game by varying your shots and if you do they will be forced to go back to a neutral position after each return and you can now easily set up a more aggressive kill shot. By varying the types of strokes, you force your opponent to deal with and adjust to various spins, speeds, and heights of the ball. This way, they must continuously read the spin and often react to your shots (and not initiate attacks). The other variation you should be using is ball placement, which we cover below. Ball Placement In addition to thriving off consistent returns, players also like returns that are hit into one of their "Power Zones". These are regions on the table in which a player is most comfortable hitting a shot without having to move to the ball. For most players with a "western" ("shakehands") grip, these zones include a zone on the forehand side within arms reach, and another zone located closer to the body on the backhand side. This leaves three zones outside the power zones: one in the middle favoring the forehand, and two others wide on each side of the table. By playing down the middle, you force your opponent to quickly decide between a backhand and forehand return- a tactic sometimes successful in itself to force a weak return. It also cuts down the angle they can play on their return. Shots out wide, on the other hand, test your opponent's footwork while moving them to either side of the table and possibly out of reach for a follow-up shot. As a general rule, try to find a weak zone and play it most often while randomly hitting to the two other zones for unpredictability.

Eating and Drinking

Eating and drinking properly, even several days before the start of a competition, could mean the difference between playing up to your ability versus feeling tired and moving slowly. Since table tennis is a very fast-paced sport, being alert is key to good footwork and properly executing your strokes.