Greg's Table Tennis Rituals
- I always check that the net is correctly placed over the join between the tables, and not to the left or right of the join, so that it is exactly in the middle. Just a little ritual I have before starting the match. I wouldn't be too worried if I forgot to do it though.
-
I also don't like playing on tables that are at an angle to the court barriers - if the table looks skewed at first glance, I just have to fix it. I don't measure it with a set square or anything though - just so long as it feels right to my naked eye. Goodness knows what would happen if my opponent was the same but didn't like the way I adjusted the table - we could be moving the table back and forth all day!
- I don't actually have any superstitions when it comes to table tennis, except for maybe that I don't like to discuss how well or badly I'm playing until after the event. This aversion probably stems from the time when I wasn't training regularly, and could come out playing great or rubbish on any given day. Nothing more embarrassing then saying you are playing great and then having a terrible match!
MarcoHere wrote:
Superstitions- don't believe in them.
Rituals: like to make sure I am prepared mentally & physically (which is rare), like my equipment to be immaculate, like to spend at least 1 hour on the table before I have to play a real match.
volcanojp wrote:
Superstition/Ritual? I don't know which one to categorize, but whenever I play well the night before tournament, I play sucky the next day. My play always come in waves. Maybe it's just I end up playing too much when I'm playing well. In that case, it wouldn't be a superstition and should be my ritual not to play the day before. :)
Oh, and I've seen this one guy always either cross fingers or draw circle with his feet when serving. Now that could be something superstition-related.
heavyspin wrote:
I absolutely must play with my red side forehand and black side backhand. I don't think I'm alone on this one, but I don't understand why it bothers me so much to hit a forehand with black rubber.
If I win the toss, I choose to receive first. I used to think of it as a strategy, but now I believe I do it as a ritual.
jdzhao wrote:
My ritual is to give up the serve if I win the toss. I am penhold and use one side but I can never use a black rubber.
heavyspin wrote:
I like to remain calm during intense match situations and get all upset and out of control when I don't catch a ball that goes long with my free hand. I may say something out loud like "Catch the ball, it was right there!" It's a quirky thing which helps me relax when it really counts.
Do you have any table tennis superstitions or rituals of your own that you'd like to share? Send them to me via email and I'll add them to this article!
