One of the best matches at this year’s World Championships Of Ping Pong was the last 16 battle between Denmark’s Benjamin Sorensen and Scotland’s Gavin Rumgay. The first two sets were shared and it was no surprise that the last set and ultimately the match was decided by a one point shoot out!!
It was like a scene from the OK Corral, two gunslingers searching for any weakness in their opponent, knowing that one false move would mean the end of this Table Tennis journey. Sorensen was serving and took his time, he knows that Rumgay is fast but maybe hopes that on this occasion he will falter due to the pressure of the occasion. Big mistake, he serves long to the Scot’s B/H, and like a flash, ‘Rumdog’ runs round and hits a perfect F/H winner before Sorensen had time to finish his service motion. Cue the Scot’s celebration, shirt off, shorts pulled up, he was proud of his courage and nerve, this is sport at it’s best!
TTFit has interviewed several top Table Tennis players and coaches so all our members can learn more about how they behave and react in certain situations. Why have they become successful? Why have they achieved so much in their profession? What does it really take to be the best you can be? How can they be so calm in pressure situations? Etc, etc.
Here are some of our favourite tips from the 10 TTFit interviews that you might like and learn from:
Gavin Rumgay was brought up in a sporting environment as his parents were professional Badminton players. He learnt to compete at a very young age and says he is very pro active on the big points. He plays these points on his terms and shows very positive body language to his opponent.
We asked Ryan Jenkins what he looks for in a player….Commitment, passion of the sport, ability to listen, no excuses, think for themselves, find their best game as often as possible, thrive on the battle, deal with tough situations!! Is this you??
John Murphy said that the attitude a player brings on a daily basis is very important, especially if you want to win consistently. Attitude is built over many years by sticking to good habits and having high standards.
Paul McCreery talks about how he practiced the things that we was good at before matches as this helped him feel mentally strong, confident and prepared.
Chris Doran touched on how he reduced his aggression10-20% at key points which has always served him well when a match is close.
Charlotte Carey surprised us with one of her inspirations being the MMA fighter Conor Magregor. She loves his passion for his sport, his self confidence and how proud he is of his country. She talks about her pre point routines and how during matches she does a lot of things in threes.
Tomislav Pucar talks a lot about talent and genetics and how he based his game on his body type. He also mentioned how he changed his serve in order to become one of the best players in the world. His favourite sports quote: ‘The harder the battle, the sweeter the victory’.
Tetyana Bilenko gave us 3 great skills that so many top Asian defenders have..1. Good defence. 2. Super attack. 3. Incredible patience.
Julian Girard told us that in order to win regularly players must keep negative thoughts and feelings out of their game and always have an ‘Open’ mindset. Such great advice!
Finally, Tom Lodziak always encourages his players to focus on the process of playing, rather than the outcome. He, like Julian Girard also mentions the importance of a ‘growth’ mindset!
TTFit want to thank all the above who have taken the time out from their busy schedules to do these interviews.
We recommend that you revisit these interviews from time to time and also read our articles as who knows, you might learn something new that could make a difference to your game.
We’ll leave you with a TTFit favourite quote
‘Negative emotions are like unwelcome guests, just because they turn up at your doorstep doesn’t mean they have a right to stay’.
