Tapping fingers...
OK - welcome back. Interesting experiment, isn't it? Now I'm going to muse a little on how the results of this experiment could be applied to our table tennis play.
Too Much Zoom
The first and most obvious implication is that if you are too focused on any one aspect of your table tennis match, you are probably not noticing a lot of other important information. For example, if you are heavily focused on your footwork, you are probably not as aware of where your opponent is moving, his body language, and the flight of the ball. Not good!Pulling Back
The second time you view the video, you are told to watch it again without counting the number of passes. This is when most people notice the interesting occurrence that they missed the first time around. But at the same time, while you notice more of the general picture, you no longer have any clue of the number of passes made by the white shirted or black shirted people, you just have the impression that a lot of passing and movement is going on. So you gain more of the big picture but lose some of the fine details.This can be important if you are searching for a solution to a specific problem during your table tennis match. For example, if your opponent has a well-disguised serve that has different spins with a similar motion, you had better be focusing in tight on his service action and contact with the ball. If you only have a general focus in his direction, you are probably going to miss what spin he has put on the ball!
Getting Manipulated
If you are anything like me, you probably got manipulated by the writing on the website, being told to focus on the passing of the white shirted people, causing you to miss certain other interesting events. The same could happen in a table tennis match, such as when an opponent mentions that your forehand technique looks a little funny, or that he doesn't like the conditions on the court. Hey presto! You are now more likely to focus on these issues instead of the match.A really sneaky opponent might mention that he knows he sometimes leaves his free arm in the way when serving, and say that you should call a fault when he does so. Where are you going to be looking when he serves - at his contact with the ball or at his free arm to see if he has moved it away? Nasty!
In a more sportsmanlike example, what about the opponent who says "Good Shot" when you hit a winner? Doesn't that make you want to look for similar return to hit another big winner? And while you are hunting for another ball to tee off on, are you neglecting your short game or what your opponent is doing?
Coaching Implications
When coaching during a match, the coach only has a minute between games to impart his words of wisdom to the student. It's generally accepted that the coach shouldn't focus on more than a few issues. But this experiment suggests that perhaps the type of issues is also important.As a coach, the advice you give should not narrow the focus of your player to the detriment of the rest of his game - so perhaps we should stay away from technical advice on footwork, technique or specific set plays that requires a player's attention and focus more on general tactics and motivation? Also, if the coach believes that a player has narrowed his focus too much - perhaps due to a technique problem or maybe a bad call from the umpire - then the coach needs to help the player to widen his perception again to avoid being at a disadvantage.
