8 Myths That Are STOPPING Your Success
 
 
You have been lied to
 
You have been told that your improvement depends on your age, your training partners, how long you have been playing for, your talent level, your hours on the table, the types of drills you are doing, your fitness routine, your forehand timing, your footwork speed, and many other physical factors!
 
I used to believe these lies as well.  Until something happened...
 
Yes, something happened about 21 years ago that really changed my PERSPECTIVE!  I'm going to tell you the story while we dive deep into the mental game of table tennis.
 
Now, going back to the liars.  Many of these people are well-meaning, they are just misinformed and passing along info that others told them.  So instead of calling this article "Eight Lies" we are going to call it "Eight Myths".  Once you have a clear vision of what it actually takes to improve, you will enjoy table tennis more, have structure to your training sessions, and be able to have measurable results for years to come!
 
The principles in this article will also help you in other sports, in school, in the workplace, and many other areas of your life.  Put aside distractions and take in these eight lessons.
 
 
 
Myth #1:  "Winning is the Ultimate Goal!"
 
Winning is the ultimate goal?
 
Actually, your performance should be your ultimate goal, not winning.  
 

In a match, there are four possible outcomes...
A. You perform well and win
B. You perform well and lose
C. You perform poorly and win
D. You perform poorly and lose
 
So which ones should you be striving for?  The good performances are what you are looking for.  Ultimately, you are not in control of the outcome of the match.  You are in control of your own thoughts, your pre-point and post-point routines, and your shot selections during the point.  Having this approach is one of the first steps in being able to perform as you have practiced.
 
Regardless if you win or lose the point, you need to be in control of your emotions.  The scoreboard doesn't control your emotions, you do.  You only have 6-8 seconds between points.  The feedback that you give yourself is vitally important.  It is not about giving yourself an egoistic head-in-the-clouds pep-talk.  It is about having a clear mind to assess the situation and make good decisions.
 
Back in the day, one of the National Team Coaches from Canada was taking notes.  He had three faces - a smiley face, a neutral face, and a frown.  After each point, he would put a tick mark beside the expression of his player.  Why was he doing this?  Because at the end of each game, he knew that the player would need to evaluate how he was doing.
 
So, is mental performance just about being positive?  No, it is about being emotionally neutral.  When you played really well in practice, you were generally happy, relaxed, clear-minded and playing up to your potential.  Keep in mind that winning is not the ultimate goal, your performance is the ultimate goal.

 
So why is this myth so bad?
Winning is the ultimate goal!
Because it puts too much pressure on your to win (which is ultimately not in your control)
 
 
 
 
 
Myth #2:  "Tournament Time is Where it Actually Counts!"
 
There once was a 12-year-old kid that began playing tournaments as a beginner.  He wanted to win so badly that he rested for 3-4 days before the tournament, went to bed at 8pm the night before the tournament, wore special clothes, had weird tournament day routines with different food and different rackets and ultimately he didn't play well because he "wanted to win" so badly.  
 
Yep, you probably guessed it.  It was me.  Over the years, I have learned and been blessed with the opportunity to pass along to my students the vital lesson of performance.  If you want to play better and raise your level with different shots, different locations, different timings, and more variations, these things need to be developed in training, continued on in match situations, continued on in practice matches, and then continued on in tournaments.  If you need to "turn it up" and play stronger shots and wider angles, it should be similar to what you have done in practice.  Most people play only within their playing system during practice sessions.  Then when they start losing in a tournament, they continue playing the same (will likely lose) or turn it up sooooooo much that they give away the match.
 

With the mental game, your ultimate goal should be to have a consistent performance under pressure.  You want to be able to perform in tournaments similar to what you have trained in practice matches.  Most world-class players claim that they play on average at 60% of their full potential.  On days that they are at 80% or 90% of their full potential, then they are winning major championships.  Here in the US, players have the funny idea that they will perform much much better in tournaments than in training and it hinders their performance by trying to play at 120%.  You will reach your ultimate goal when you learn to have the same mindset in practice as you do in tournaments and make similar decisions in tournaments as you have in training!  When you reach this level, training and tournaments become more ENJOYABLE because you understand that the way you practice has direct carryover to tournament play and results!  
 
Now I must admit that there will be many obstacles along the way - sickness, injury, negative people, tricky opponents, and even your own mind.  BUT, I want you to learn to think differently.  Instead of looking at an obstacle that will block your performance, think of the obstacle as an occasion to rise above it!  In the book With Winning in Mind by Lanny Basham, he describes one competition that he attended as a professional shooter.  His rifle didn't arrive at the competition, and so he asked himself the question, "Wouldn't that be amazing if I could win the tournament with a borrowed rifle?"  He did!  He went on to win the international competition with a borrowed rifle!  
When an umpire continues to fault your serve...
When an opponent is cheating on the score...
When your match begins 3 hours late...
When you break your main racket and need to use your backup racket...
Are you mentally strong enough to be like Lanny Basham and say, "Wouldn't that be amazing if I could win this match under these conditions?!!!"
 
Let's keep going!
Let me ask you a question.
I want you to think deeply about it.
When an opponent gets a net dribbler on you, what is your reaction?  Are you excited for the net ball realizing that it is the ultimate test of your mind and body?  Do you have an eager mind and adjustable technique ready to move forward?  Once you achieve this mindset, you are on track to reaching your full potential.  If your opponent gets seven net balls in a single game, this provides you with seven opportunities to rise to the occasion and test your skill.   You need to be mentally strong during good times and bad times.  These benefits will carry over to all aspects of life and make you better in school, better in work, and better in many other areas of life.

 
So, if you want to raise your level, it happens in practice.  You can do this with a training partner or Power Pong Robot.  Write out exactly what you want to work on for the session.  Be as specific as possible.  Instead of just saying, "I want to work on my backhand,"  try to give more detail like, "I wasn't to work on looping half-long sidespin serves that have various timings coming to my backhand and middle by implementing my pre-point routine, getting lower in my ready position, making the initial movement into position, engaging the core, adjusting to the spin and depth and timing of the serve, looping to their wide backhand, watching their timing, and moving in anticipation of the next hit."  Once you have a specific goal, then write out your list of drills and benchmark goals within those drills.
 
The ideal thing with the Power Pong Robot is that you can specifically program it for an exact type of ball and get repetition or widen the location or variety to make it more interesting and challenging.  With a training partner, you can do similar drills.  Feel free to let your training partner know your exact plan and your benchmark goals within your drill.  If you are in a training group or playing practice matches at the club, be willing to hunt down lower-rated players to practice with and play matches with.  Many things are easier to implement with lower players.  When playing higher opponents, sometimes you are just "hanging on for the ride".  One of the ultimate goals is to dominate the competition with strong shots.
 
In summary, just remember that your tournament performance should be reflected in your practice.  If you want to get better, then increase your training quality, focus, shot variety, and consistency.  In practice and match play, realize that every session is important no matter who you are training with.  There is always something that you can improve.
 
So why is this myth so bad?
Because it de-prioritizes practice.  Your game develops and you make improvements in practice!  Prioritize practice! 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Myth #3:   "Nervousness is Bad!"
 
When playing tournaments, do you have an elevated heart-rate, slightly sweaty palms, and some excitement???  This is good!  This is your body getting ready to perform.  We love the thrills of roller coasters and scary movies because they are exciting.  The same principle with major competitions.  Your body's response is completely normal.
 
In tournaments some people perform well with high energy and loud disposition while others perform better with deep breathing and quiet attitude.  Which one are you?  Once you have determined it, try to reflect the same in practice as you would in tournaments and maintain in tournaments what you have done in training.
 
The best way to do this is to turn everything into a competition.  Previously, when I would coach a group of US National Team Members, the week of the tournament I would sometimes turn everything into a game.  Forehand warmup, we kept score.  Footwork, we kept score.  Third-ball-attack training, we kept score.  Everything tournament related was encouraged - loud choooing, towel-off breaks, timeouts, changing sides of the table.  At first, the players were a bit confused like...  wow this feels different.  Then it clicked, they were learning to carry-over what they learned in training to using it in a competitive environment.  The more sessions that you have like this, the more carry over you will have.
 
Are you an underachiever or overachiever?
 
An underachiever is defined as a person who fails to achieve their potential or does not do as well as expected by their peers.
An overachiever is someone who performs to a higher standard or achieves greater success than is expected of them.
 
If you want to get the most out of your training and achieve more this year, then be excited about feeling excited.  Play more tournaments!  But ALSO, play more tournaments during training by how you approach the session, how you keep score on every drill, how you take time between points, how you celebrate when you win points.
 
At the end of the game, do you feel more excited?  That's ok!  Just keep in mind that you will raise or lower your odds of winning the game (not by what you feel BUT) by what you do.  It all comes down to making good decisions.  Are you tactically choosing the right serve with the right location and height and depth?  Are you measuring the short and half-long returns and catching the right timing?  Are you making good decisions when to play another wide shot to the backhand before changing to the wide forehand.  Ultimately, your mental success is not how you feel, it is how you perform with the decisions you make.
 
Why is this myth so bad?
Because the excited feeling is natural.  Accepting it will put you in a mood to perform well.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Myth #4:  "I have a Terrible Memory!"
 
When I was 3 years old, I was almost kidnapped.  I remember the event clearly like it happened recently- location, exact situation, my baby sister in the back seat, I remember the kidnapper, his car, him offering me pizza to unlock the door, him fleeing from my dad...  racing off into the night with his sports car and loud muffler.
 
Why is this so vivid?
 
Because I repeated this story so many times in my mind during the last 39 years.
 
Having a good memory involves vividly repeating the information!
 
When I hear someone say, "I have a terrible memory," then I think to myself, "You just don't have the right process of visualizing it and repeating it and prioritizing it in your mind."  Just like any other skill, your memory can be trained with discipline.  I want to give you an illustration on how easy it is for something to slip-your-memory then give you several tips on how you can remember 300% more!  This will help in all sports, in school, in work, and other areas of life.
 
Let me illustrate...
You meet someone in church on Sunday.  He tells you his name, then you chat for 30 seconds about the sermon or his job or whatever and within 30 seconds you have forgotten his name.  Now take the same scenario and quickly add something to his name to help you remember it.
He says his name is Samson so you ask yourself if the Samson in the Bible had bigger muscles.  If you visualize him as a guy with muscles, you have immediately increased your olds by 3x more to remember it.  To further increase your odds, use his name out-loud twice during your short conversation.
 
Ok, I gotta admit, Samson was a fairly easy one.  Let's do a few more...
 
Another way is to slightly change his name.  His name is William but you think of him as Will and you picture the guy on his deathbed writing up his will.  His name is Levi and so you lengthen his name is Leviathan and picture the dinosaur described in the book of Job.  
 
Another way is to associate with an animate object that rhymes with his name.  His name is Kevin and you picture him worshipping in heaven.  He says his name is Mr Goffin and you picture him beside a coffin.  
 
The crazier you make it, the more likely you are to remember it.
 
Let's get back to our topic...
 
In table tennis, your mind is your most powerful weapon.  There are many times that it is needed, but one of the most needed is memory.  
 
This is a true story.  I was coaching a student at a tournament in Columbus, I called "timeout" near the end of the match and told him specifically what to serve.  Directly, he went out and served a disastrous serve and got destroyed with a strong forehand return from the deep center of the table.  After the match, I inquired about the decision and he replied by saying he forgot what I had told him to do.
 
The same memory skills are needed during training as well.  After a lesson, I would sometimes ask a student to repeat the key highlights of the lesson.  At first, many were unable to do it and we needed to repeat the same lesson again the next time.  Over time, the players learned to repeat and remember and associate it and visualize themselves doing it and repeat it to others and take notes on it.  
 
The ones that talked with other about their lesson, typically remembered the content of the lesson.  The ones that took notes throughout the lesson and directly after the lesson, typically remembered it.  The ones who immediately went on their phone scrolling through social media or texting their friends about random stuff immediately forgot and lost much of the benefit of the lesson.
 
Memory also applies to match tactics.  When the score is 10-10 in the first game, how many things did you do well and want to continue...  probably 10.  How many things did you do poorly and want to focus on a solution for...  probably 10.  Exactly which serves against that opponent and sets up your game well?  Which patterns and locations worked against him?  Out of an entire game, most people can only remember 2 or 3 points.  If you are like that, then how in the world will you know what to do at that moment.
 
So what is the next step?
 
Learn to take your time more in training, take your time more in practice matches, learn to take your time more in tournament matches.  Discipline yourself to go through 4 simple steps by asking the following questions...
What just happened?
Overall tactics?
Relax with a couple of deep breaths
What is next?
Just like repeating someone's name, this repetition and visual reminder of what just happened will greatly increase your chance of remembering it.  When you give yourself the reminder of the overall plan it helps you to not dwell too deeply on just the last serve or last hit but bring you back to the moment.  The deep breathing will help give clarity of thought.
 
The main complaint that I hear regarding "taking your time" is that the opponent serves too fast.  
 
In baseball, what does the batter do when he isn't ready or wants to re-group?  He steps out of the batter's box.  The same thing for you.  If you aren't ready, step away from the table and go through the steps.  The rule says that play needs to be continuous but it doesn't mean that you need to run for the ball.
 
The final thing that your memory is important for is staying motivated!  After a bad tournament, I often hear players and parents and coaches say, "Well, it was a learning experience."  Yes, for sure to ask the follow-up question, "What did you learn?"  Rarely do I get an answer.  You see, I agree that it should be a learning experience, but it means that you need to be able to specify WHAT you learned and more importantly how you are going to train and compete differently.  
 
Final Reminders:
1. You remember what you visualize and repeat.  The crazier it is, the easier it is to remember.
2. Remembering names is a great start to training your mind
3. Finished with a lesson?  Directly take notes
4. Four step process for remembering info
 
Why is this myth so bad?
Because it is an absolute statement with no hope for improvement in the future.
Having the right approach and diligence to apply the approach will help you learn to remember more and play better and better!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Myth #5:  "I Should Only Practice with Better Players!"
 
Yep, I get it.  The table tennis community told you that you can only get better when you play with better players.  That isn't true.  
 
Hemming Hu (Australia Olympian) said that he improved much more in Australia playing with lower players than he did training in China with elite players.  The reason for this was because he developed strong shots and learned to dominate with these shots.  When training with only higher-level opponents, he was reacting to their shots instead of dominating with his own.
 
I want to give another quick example of this

Two players from the same city were 2500 level.  In 2022, one decided to get a coach, go to school, and practice about 2-3 hours each day with 2400-2500 level players.  The other one decided to move to Europe and play 5-6 hours each day with 2700-level players.  After 8 months, who was better?  Obviously, you are going to guess the player who practiced 5-6 hours each day with elite players.  Nope.  You are wrong.  After 8 months of this training, the one playing in Europe was rated 2600 and was #3 on the US National Men's Team.  The one playing 2-3 hours per day with lower players was nearly 2700 level and #1 on the US National Men's Team and defeated the pro playing in Europe 4x in tournament matches.  After 8 months, the one practicing with lower players was better because he learned more weapons, how to use these weapons, and how to dominate the competition.
 
Key Moral of the Story:
The weapons you develop (together with your coach) and your ability to mentally and physically implement these weapons are actually more important than how much you practice or who your training partners are.

 
Also, Your perception of yourself is so important both on and off the court.  What you think about, talk about, and write about are so important.  For this reason, I recommend that all TT athletes start a performance journal.  Daily take 5 min to write about what you did well in training and your strongest points in match play.  The more specific the better.  It isn't just about being a positive guy; it is about giving yourself a concrete path to travel on.
 
You have heard the expression, "If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there."  What path are you on?  You are the path of your strongest points and best performances.  I'm not talking about the backhand roller around the net that you hit at 9-9 in the fifth.  I'm talking about the ways you actively looked to loop the half-long sidespin serves, the way you visualized the bounce and hit correct timing with downward pressure on your block against the spinny loop to your backhand, the way you had confidence to play more balls to the wide backhand before changing to your opponent's middle or wide forehand.
 
Video record yourself playing at least once a week.  Take notes of what you did well in those matches and the dominant themes that you want to focus on.  When you watch Lin Shidong or Tomokazu Harimoto it is ok...  BUT that doesn't help your confidence.  Because he is Harimoto and you are just Bill.  How does Bill develop a stronger mental game?  When Bill has a good performance, understands exactly what went well, and understands that it is a repeatable process.
 
Yes, yes I know!  My critics are saying that it isn't the same opponent so it can't be the same performance!
 
Yes, I agree.  It won't be the exact performance.  BUT many of the principles should be the same.  Same approach to your warmup routine, same approach to thoughts between points, same approach to adjusting, moving, shot quality, level or risk, reflection, and energy level.
 
Not in a prideful way, but in a confident way, the more you think about, write about, and talk about something happening, the more you increase the likelihood of it happening.  And not just saying it for an hour or a day, but continuing to have it vividly in your mind.
 
Why is this myth so bad?
Because a decent percentage of the time, you will play with lower players.  There is much value to this.  With the right approach you will maximize the opportunity to play against them.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
Myth #6:  "My Environment Determines My Success!"
 

Growing up in Ohio, I had limited training opportunities.  I started going to the local club when I was 12-years-old, didn't get much coaching, played twice weekly at the club and played with my robot at home.  With limited opportunities, I was still able to reach 2350 level.  I truly believed with the right environment, I would skyrocket in level.  I had no idea WHAT would get better.  I just thought everything would improve.  The Canadian National Team invited me to Ottawa to be a training partner for the National Team.  For 3.5 years, I was blessed with the opportunity to train with an excellent group of 2500-2700 level players.  The environment was ideal.  Everything was perfect.  Except.  I didn't really get much better.  My expectations were high and that added additional pressure from myself and those around me.  I was practicing so much and so hard and not winning.  Why?  Well, I didn't find out the answer until much later.
 
I was a bit discouraged.  Went back to Ohio, attended college, and coached some beginner and intermediate-level players.  In my mind, I was pretty much done with competitive table tennis.  But something unusual happened.  I started thinking about all of the things that I had missed.  Why didn't I work on _____ with my serve?  Why didn't I measure _____?  Why couldn't I see the direction_____ on that?  Why didn't I make that secondary movement_____ to hit the best timing?
 
Mentally, all the pieces started coming into shape.  I entered some tournaments (with almost no practice) and was playing better.  By the end of the year, I was on the US National Men's Team and the next year represented Team USA at the World Championships in Yokohama, Japan.
 
You see, I believed all of these myths.  These myths stopped me from reaching my potential.  If I had a clear understanding of what it takes to improve, I would have really really benefited from my 3.5 years of training with the Canadian National Team.  That is the reason that I'm passionate about sharing this article with YOU!  Time management is important and I want you to benefit from your training sessions and have the best results possible this year.

 
What about a coach?
Should you do these things alone or with a coach?  Both!  Knowledge that is self-learned sticks longer.  So if you learn it by yourself, you are likely to remember it.  However, coaches have a wealth of knowledge and can pass along things that would take you decades to learn on your own.  So most ideal is to do both.  Have a knowledgeable coach that you guide you and you also think on your own and give him feedback.
 
A few years ago, Lily Zhang went to train with the Chinese National Team for a couple of months!  Yes, the Chinese National Team!  Universally, world-wide, this is seen as being the most ideal training environment.  It is very very very very very very rare that they would invite a foreigner to train with them.  A few weeks after coming back to the US, I asked Lily two simple questions
 
"How was your experience there?"
"Would you go back if you had a chance?"
 
I had anticipated a particular answer but she really surprised me.  She said the experience was okay, just okay.  She said that she wouldn't go back unless she had a personal coach to go with her. 
 
See Lily knows that even though she is smart, works hard, understands the game herself, that she cannot improve as much alone as if she has a personal coach working with her daily - helping her make specific goals for each exercise, evaluating the progress point by point, watching her training videos, and making sure that she says on track making progress each and every day.
 
Myth:  Your environment determines your success.
Truth:  Your success is determined by your skill set and your ability to use these skills in match-scenarios.  Yes, a coach also helps as well.
 
Why is this myth bad?
Because 95% of players in the world don't have an ideal training environment.  So...   They never begin the climb.  In Spite of your environment, you really can rise to the occasion and improve!
 
 
 
 
 
 
Myth #7 "I Don't Have Enough Talent!"
 
To the best of my knowledge, there has been only one player in table tennis history that went from zero to 2000 level in one year.  What did he do?  He showed up to practice.  I got one lesson per week (one hour).  He listened to his coach.  He played 15-20 matches per week.  He had fun.  He focused more on using his skills in matches than he focused on winning.  Most people would say that this guy playing 3x per week and going from beginner to 2000 in 1 year had tons and tons of talent.  
 
Maybe.
 
But instead of crying the blues that you have less talent than him, spend your time following the principles that he followed.
A. He showed up to practice.  
B. He got lessons
C. He listened to his coach.  
D. He played 15-20 matches per week.  
E. He had fun.  
F. He focused more on using his skills in matches than he focused on winning.  
 
There are many so-called talented players that quit the sport who never went over 1000 level.  Then there are many less-talented players who have reached the top 10 in the world.  Instead of focusing on your God-given physical abilities and coordination, you should focus on what you can do right now?  So will you reach your long-term goals in table tennis?  If you are persistent and patient.  Persistent in developing the skills and patient realizing that you will see results once these things are a permanent part of your game.  Life happens, there are many things that will come along and try to distract you.
 
Why is this myth so bad?
Because you need to have a winning mentality that success is within your reach.  Applying yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally will allow you to accomplish so much more than the guy sitting on his talent eating potato chips and watching netflix.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
Myth #8:  "I Don't Need Mental Training!"
 
We are now nearly at the end of this article...
And you might be saying, "I don't need mental training!  I just want to win!"
 
Well, you aren't alone.  The majority of people say the same thing.  But these same people are missing this big fact...  THE DESIRE TO WIN STOPS THEM FROM REACHING THEIR FULL POTENTIAL!
 
I want to share a true story with you of an average American player beating a high-level Chinese player.  The American player going into the match was just planning on having fun, performing well, making good decisions, and not caring so much about winning.  It was a 3/5 match.  The American player was leading 2-1 and 8-4.  When the American player won the next point, his whole demeanor changed and he pumped himself up.  He could feel the win so close and wanted to win.  Up 9-4 he began crumbling 9-5, 9-6, 9-7, 9-8.  At 9-8, he walked back to the barrier to pick up the ball and muttered, "just play, you don't need to win."  When he said that, his countenance changed.  There was no longer fire in his eyes, he relaxed and went on to win the next two points and have the greatest victory of his career.
 
The mental game of table tennis is not some mystical formula.  It is the ability to bring yourself to a tournament mentality in practice with the same level of energy and focus while being able to hold this same focus and same theme in tournaments.
 
Myth:  I just need to practice more.
Truth:  You need to re-read this article and apply what you read 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Proof
 
For proof, I could give you hundreds of examples...
But I'm going to limit it to Five.  Five real stories of people who applied and didn't apply these principles...
 
 
First Story
A young boy really liked table tennis.  After getting two-years of coaching, he reached a high level by taking one lesson each week and playing matches at the local club.  Then he moved to one of the main table tennis training centers in the world, hired three professional training partners, and began intense training daily.  He plateaued off and never got much better than 2200 level, even with five years of elite daily training.  
His downfall?  
#1 Thinking that the environment would make him good.
#2 Not playing enough practice matches for the number of hours he was training
#3 Putting too much pressure on himself to win because others at the same center were elite level
#4 Believing the myth that he just wasn't talented
 
 
Second Story

In April 2023, the #1 Cadet on the Chinese National Team lost to a low-level junior who practiced exactly 1/3 the total number of hours.  How is it possible that the best junior in the best environment with the best practice partners loses to a player averaging 10 hours of training per week (compared to his 30 hours)?  The lower junior had an incredibly good serve and excellent timing variations that messed up the champ.
Key Moral of the Story:
You don't have to be the better player to win.  You just need to have weapons that can defeat your opponent.  Following a different path is an excellent way to develop new skills that trouble your opponent.

 
 
Third Story
Nick Snider was an average basement player who started table tennis at 19-years-old.  Without coaching, he went to the table tennis club and played matches 3x per week.  Within 5 years, he was over 2300 level.  He forced himself to try new variations and used them on a group of guys 1500-2100 level and achieved what most adults only dream of!  The rule that a kid needs to be _____ rating by _____ age and play with these professional players by this age isn't actually true.  Another illustration of this is Sameh Awadallah who started playing when he was 21 years old and reached the top 4 in Egypt (2550-2650 level).  The same is true for Grubba who started when he was 15 years old and reached the top 10 in the world.
 
 
Fourth Story

Many of these principles contained in this article are from the book With Winning in Mind by Lanny Basham.  The principles won't make you amazing overnight but will allow you to fully use the skills that you have.  One US player was ranked #300 in the world for juniors.  This player had skills but wasn't able to implement them because of self-inflicted pressure. Within months of reading Lanny Basham's book, this player defeated the #1 junior in the world 4-0.
Key Moral of the Story:
Having a strong mental game will help you to use the skills that you have already developed.

 
 
Fifth Story
About 6-7 years ago Mima Ito was the best player in Japan and defeated many of the world's top players.  What was she doing differently than the others?  She had her own private training session.  She hired two Japanese guys to be her practice partners.  With her mom and her practice partners, she trained specific skills and developed different weapons than the others.  She didn't practice with the national team.  She practiced less.  She practiced more specifically to her needs.  And she had better results.
Key Moral of the Story:
Working on key specific details in your game is often better than playing thousands of hours with general drills.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Your Assignment
 
I'm asking you to do this for the next 30 days.
 
Today, spend 10 minutes writing in a notebook about your best matches
Today, spend 10 minutes writing about the best skills you used in these key matches
Today spend 10 min writing about your future improvements and exactly how you plan to develop these improvements
This Month, practice these specific strengths with training partner or Power Pong
This Month, video record your practice 1x per week and watch it
This Month, video record your matches 1x per week and watch it
Play at least 10-15 matches per week
Hunt down lower-rated opponents and play against them
Picture energy as a good thing
When your opponent gets a net dribbler, be excited for the opportunity to get it back
View your performance as the ultimate goal over winning
Take your time between points and go through the 4-step process 
Avoid Complaints against anyone
Give yourself genuine detailed compliments
Give 5 of your friends genuine detailed compliments
Meet 10 new people this month and remember their names 
 
 
 
 
 
FAQs
 
 
 
 

 
How essential is mental training?
If you don't believe that you can succeed, you won't begin the journey!
 
Is mental training for beginners?
Yes, if you apply these principles as a beginner, then your improvement will be faster and you will have the system fully developed by the time you reach and intermediate level.
 
So is it all about being positive?
Your mind can't comprehend negative statements like "don't think about a pink elephant!"  What you should say is "think about a blue horse."  If you want to think about the blue horse, telling yourself what NOT to say isn't effective.
Avoid saying, "Don't miss your serve."
Instead say, "Control the first bounce."
Avoid saying, "Don't just stand there."
Instead say, "Watch his racket, and adjust for the incoming ball."
Avoid saying, "Stop hitting your edge."
Instead say, "Keep your racket high and contact the ball more in-front of your body."
Avoid saying, "Stop making silly mistakes."
Instead say, "Adjust for the ball and generate more spin."
As you can see, it isn't just a matter of being a positive guy, it is about giving yourself the right tactical information.  
 
Is the 10,000 hour rule correct?

Yeah, Google will tell you that it takes 10,000 hours to reach a good level in anything.  I'm not nearly as concerned with numbers of hours as I am with developing skills, having fun, and applying them.  I knew someone who played less than 600 hours and was 2000 level.  I knew another guy who played 30,000 hours and reached 1900 level.  Hours don't directly give you results.
 
What about effort?
Hustle is important.  While learning skills like balance, positioning, timing, and anticipation, being able to put out full effort is one of the most rewarding things for you to do and will put a smile on your coach's face as well!
 

What if my coach doesn't believe in mental training?
Your game is your responsibility.  If you want to share this info with your coach, explain to him that you want to have more effective practice sessions, remember better what he taught you, and be able to perform better in major competitions.  If you tell him that, I doubt he will have any complaints.
 
Is it ok to have a weird tournament ritual?
Some things are routines that help your performance - like warming up, staying hydrated, arriving 3 hours before match time, going through lots of drills and practice matches.  Other things can hinder your performance and distract you from the real problem.  I had a beginner student once who would flip his racket to the other side if he missed a shot.  He had the exact same rubber on both sides.  He would play red on his forehand.  If he lost a point, then he would look at his racket, shake his head, and change to black.  I told him to stop doing that.  I said that there was a reason that he missed, if he narrows down the reason to the wrong side of the racket, he has missed the root cause of the error.  Same for you - stop crediting your success to staying at Marriott Hotel instead of Hampton Hotel.  Stop saying you play well with 1 sugar and 1 creme and not as well with 2 sugars and 2 cremes.  There are key factors of why you win and lose.  Your job is to clearly narrow these down to give you your best performance.

 
Should I play mad?
You need to be in control of your emotions.  It should take an opponent to get you angry for you to bring out your best game.  You should be able to motivate yourself to bring focus and quality to every training session and every tournament match.
 

Do you believe in the saying 'you either win or you learn?'
The undertones of this expression seems to imply that you don't learn from wins.  I personally believe that you should learn MORE from your wins than your losses.  Focus on what you did well to defeat your rival.

Do I need to change my life?
You make time for what is important.  If improvement is important, then learning to control your thoughts, structure your training sessions, taking your time between points, have a habit of good notes, and developing the right approach to tournaments and training is necessary.

 
How has sports psychology changed in recent years?
Previously, sports psychologists worked with athletes off the court teaching them about motivation, goal setting, confidence, visualization, and more.  When the athletes would go to the training hall, they would somewhat try to hold onto these things.
 
NOW, sports psychologist have developed a much better system with teaching these same principles DURING training.  This effective way to teaching directly applies to table tennis athletes in learning about visualization, learning a pre-point and post-point routine, learning how to react to won and lost points, and all the other details.  
 
Problem!
The main problem is that table tennis clubs are filled with 20 tables, 40 people practicing, and another 50 people waiting for a table.  It is nearly impossible to learn and implement new approaches during a loud club night.
 
Solution!
For this reason, we highly recommend purchasing a Power Pong Table Tennis Robot.  These robots can give human-like spin variations, do simple drills isolating specific skills, and combining everything into tournament-like-match-situations.  While doing robot training from your quiet home, you can easily perfect the homework assignments that I have for you listed above!  Practice and apply these principles for 30 days then let me know how it is going!  
 
 

Thanks for reading and I'll talk with you soon!
Samson Dubina
 
 
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If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail tt@SamsonDubina.com