How to Resist the Technical Decline That Comes With Age, Part 1
Late at night, after playing, I chatted with players. We lamented that players around us generally have less stamina than a few years ago. Before, maybe one could play seven or eight people in an evening with no problem. Now many feel they have about done their duty after two or three games. There may be many reasons — getting older, the pandemic’s effect on many people’s bodies, plus family, work and lifestyle factors. In short, stamina and energy are not what they were; even young people seem to have this. So how to resist the technical decline brought by aging and other factors becomes today’s topic. First, let us consult the former national veteran from the technical level.
Heima: How to resist the technical decline caused by aging? What is your view, master?
Former national veteran: Speed, power, footwork — never mind those. With age, they get worse and worse. You can only find ways in spin, angle, rhythm, serves and patterns. Spin, angle and patterns also need a certain training volume. The most common is serve and rhythm variation — pairing serve with angle to score easily. If both sides rally, use rhythm to control the opponent — only then can you possibly win. For patterns, at least serve-and-rip, commonly called a prepared next shot. For example, you serve, the opponent will likely return a certain way, and how you rip on the next. For receiving, after the opponent serves, it depends on your level — mainly return placement, best to squeeze the opponent so he cannot get on the offensive (this is key), then you get on the offensive.
Besides the master’s reply, on resisting technical decline, especially the stamina and energy decline with age, I have some observations and thoughts.
1
Technique must be more balanced. You need more ways to score. Actually about ten years ago, an elder said: before 30, I could fly through the sky and burrow through the earth — meaning any ball (slightly off-table) he could pivot and rip. So with age, for him as a penhold player, reducing the pivot-rip ratio and blocking more is certain, and the threat surely drops. He must score through blocking’s rhythm variation and by strengthening his defense. For us shakehand players too, the backhand’s scoring ability must rise. Before, maybe over 60 percent of my attacks in an evening were via pivot-rip. Now, in four or five games, pivot-rips may be no more than 5. Sometimes the pivot is just a high hang. Though the backhand is still not reliable, unless forced in a match, I may still play this half-baked backhand — especially against weaker players. Sometimes actively chopping long, deliberately defending with pace-borrowing flicks, is also a scoring way. On serves too, these two years I clearly added more serve tricks, just to end the battle as fast as possible.
2
Sleep. Sleeping well lets the body better recover energy. Only then can you watch the ball tightly, think clearly, and play with full strength. Generally on weeknights, if I go play, three or four games and I am about done, and most of the time I cannot give full effort. But Saturday and Sunday afternoons are different. If I sleep enough in the morning, I am full of strength in the afternoon. For aging players, good sleep gives good energy to play well and let technique unfold. Everyone should understand this. And sleeping more gives a good mood to play. When you feel a bit sleepy, you can hardly feel that joy of playing. And indeed, for many striving young and middle-aged people in their thirties and forties, you have to be a hexagonal warrior. Work or starting a business, or the pressures of caring for elders and children, inevitably leave you exhausted. Truly enjoying play now is not easy. Here, sleeping as much as possible, catching up, is very important. Only so can you spare some energy to face life’s obstacles and difficulties. Not easy — let us encourage each other.