Step 4 - Evaluate the Success of Your Solutions
Evaluating whether your solutions are successful or not should be done on an ongoing basis - don't wait until some predetermined time to say whether they worked or not. If things are going well, you may not need to change very much at all - maybe just a minor tweak or two. But if things are not happening the way you would like, the earlier you can recognize this, then the earlier you can overhaul your plans and hopefully move in the right direction. Think of it as a continuous feedback loop, with constant checking and corrections as long as the problem exists.Evaluation of my solutions' success:
Most of my solutions worked reasonably well. One flaw I found was during the Nationals themselves, when I realized I had drastically underestimated the physical toll it would take on me. After the first two teams matches on the first day it was obvious I would not be able to continue to compete with my usual long-range defensive style.
In order to keep going, I adapted my style to use my medium pimples to hit more often, and use more strategies from my time as an attacker - such as 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th ball attacks. This meant I played a higher percentage of shorter points, which were less taxing on my body. I also attempted to stay closer to the table when chopping, and I used the medium pimples more often due to the better control when chopping nearer than usual to the table. This change in tactics allowed me to get through the next 2 days of competition and remain competitive (well, relatively!).
Conclusion
So that's it in a nutshell. There should hopefully be few problems that won't yield to this approach, when applied properly. If and when you've got a table tennis problem (I'm not qualified to solve your other ones!), just follow the four steps of Identifying, Understanding, Dealing, and Evaluating and you will soon be on the road to making progress with your game again.Return to Beginner's Guide to Training - Overview
