10 Things About Top Table Tennis Players
1
They know most of the match happens in the brain. If you talk with national players, you find they firmly believe “top players must have top IQ.” The highest-level contests, distinguishing first-rate from super-first-rate players, ultimately come down to game IQ. At the national-player level, everyone trains very hard. But each person’s brain capacity differs, and the speed of absorbing knowledge differs. Table tennis competition is of course a self-disciplined sport. You must boldly attack while being bold yet careful. Under huge pressure, your release must stay steady. This is very counter-human, but you must accept the challenge. For every player, it is so. But at the top contests, it is a battle of the highest game IQ. In a match, the two sides constantly probe and change tactics. When a tactic stops working, how to switch to the next; when to return to the original tactic. (A warning from Captain Long’s bat.)
2
They know how to focus. For ordinary players, they know how to relax via music and such, adjusting their state. But more top players choose pre-match meditation, or rehearsing tactics’ execution and adjustment in their minds. For them, how to exclude unnecessary off-court distraction, how to focus, is already routine.
3
They like to talk about table tennis. Just as we gear-sect masters like to discuss gear, this is just spontaneous love.
4
They cannot wait to start practising. Especially each time they find a new problem and know the fix for a hole, top players are always eager to improve it.
5
They are students of the match. Whether top table tennis or basketball players, they always grow fast in matches. The lessons absorbed, the constant reviewing, store more wisdom in their minds. Of course, those who keep repeating the same mistakes really cannot be called “top.”
6
They can serve strongly spinny serves, but the served balls often look “plain.” A big difference playing amateur experts versus provincial or national-level pros: pro serves are often soft and weak yet strongly spinny. Against pros, my national-player friend always tells me: “your serve, the important thing is not spin; serve mainly no-spin. Because your spin, to them, is nothing. The spinnier the serve, the more they borrow pace, the more they attack.” And for top players, their serve’s most important thing is not how spinny, but to deceive the opponent as much as possible, making him misjudge.
7
They attack serves reaching the baseline, can serve short, and against different serves can flexibly short-touch, long chop or flick. This is just a portrait of comprehensive technique.
8
They like to attack the opponent’s body, or the gap in attack-defense transition. Everyone knows this well. Now many first-rate players’ contests — fast long serves to the body, or constant moving between the backhand and middle — all aim to better restrain the opponent and create chances favoring their counterattack.
9
They keep their body and gear in top condition. Is this why Boll glues several setups each time and changes two fresh rubbers each training? Luxurious! Physically, before each big event, they need to supplement nutrition while avoiding unfamiliar foods.
10
They fight for honor, or medals, not fandom ratings.