More than 4,500 reviews on selected table tennis products (bags, balls, blades, glues, robots, rubbers, shoes, tables) have been submitted so far!I hope this reads well, I'm very tired...
Right, so I see this as my 2nd ever Grand Prix. My first being Liverpool 2009 and my actual first being Blackpool 2007. I know its cheating, but I just don't count Blackpool '07 as a serious effort, I played because it was local to me at the time and had no intentions of even winning!
I decided to play this time in band 6 and 5, but not at all on the Sunday as I want to concentrate my efforts within my standard for now. I think it definitely was a good decision (mentally, physically, and financially!)
My first group was band 6, at 11am, however I arrived for warm up at about 08:20 and was surprised to see a few tables free, as Liverpool was packed at this time. Without mentioning names, I'll take you through my band 6 group :
PM - Plays in sheffield league, friend of a friend, and I know he's Band 3/2 standard really; it was his first ranking tournament.
BF - Scottish kid. I guessed probably good, as was 0 ranked, but seeded top in band 6.
AC - Didn't have a clue who this was, 0 ranking points.
So first game on was against AC. Turned out to be a 14year old ish kid. I won 3 straight, this was abit of a let down. I could easily serve and hit third ball past him, no worries.
Next game was PM. PM had just played BF and won in 5. It was clear both players were good. I lost 3 straight to PM. However, I really felt in it - first game was 8or9. 2nd game I had game point, and 3rd game I was 9-8 up after winning some great rallies...and then served into the net! This was a game really where I have the right tools to win, but PM simply had more class and know-how - something I'm growing in slowly. I'll come to come conclusions later however.
Final game against Blair. Had to win to come runner up in group, but, I lost 3-1. The kid was definitely beatable, again, I had all the tools and was winning the rallies. I wasn't making stupid mistakes/shot choices (as I was in Liverpool), but just simply beaten in the match play.
Turns out the Band 6 final was BF against PM. PM won in 4 (I think). So, I think its fair to say I was unlucky with my draw here. But, it shows the potential I have if I can just polish the edges abit.
Band 5 now:
CH - Top seed in group. Has 1083 ranking points making him the so called "449th best player in the UK" I guess. Nice bragging rights anyway.
LP - Chinese, could be good, could be bad, who knows. Unranked (but for some reason played band 4 also).
EW Jnr - Plays at my club, and in Nottingham league. Plays Nottingham Div 1 and is currently on 87% (p15). So, he's good! Another unranked one though.
First game was CH. I went 2 up, very confidently. Was playing just nice, how I like it, was feeling good...he came back and won in 5. I really don't know what happened, I think he took his backup plan of hit and hope, and it was working nicely. I then tensed up on his serve which I was returning tight previously, and just feeding him openings. I was pretty gutted here to be honest. I could have won.
Next was LP - Won 3-0. Turned out to be a not so good PH chinese player who couldn't loop chop, and couldn't return my feasibly disguised topspin BH serve (even after a few attempts!). No problems here.
Finally was EW Jnr (lost against PM in 5 in band 6 semi). I knew if I won, I had a chance of going through based on the other results. I had been really looking forward to this game, as he plays highly in Nottingham 1st; its a standard I am aiming for. He also plays a nice 2 winged looping game, and I knew it would be an enjoyable game. I went 2 down here, but then really turned it on and came back to 2-2. This was it for me, I really felt at home with myself, I was playing at the standard I am used to feeling myself play at in local league. There were a handful of people watching this and clapping, which I was quite pleased with. Some really fun rallies though, loop to loop etc. It got to 9-9 in the 5th, and it was all sqaure, we had both worked each other out really by now and was a matter of who could play the better final two points. He could! I lost 11-9 in 5th (thinking about it, may have been 12-10, but definitely one/other). Despite losing, I was really pleased here. Really pleased.
Conclusions:
Overall, 2 out of 6 wins on the day, but it really feels like 50 wins. Whereas in Liverpool I felt tense, stuck, tight, this time I was playing close to (at the end pretty much at) the standard that I perform to in local league. Things where I'm going wrong:
My serves get too readable towards the end of the game - EW was reading my short ones and was probably ready for the hard flick kill even before I tossed the ball I think.
I don't take advantage of weaker serves- This was the reason I got close in the games I did- I was returning serve well, and confidently. A lot of the times I just poke it around where I could maybe punch or flick it. I need to have more of a plan here. If its off the end of the table I'm fine though, I'm comfortable looping them.
I need to attack more - again, linked to confidence. If I'm playing my shots, I win. (upto a level of course) On a positive though, my attacking is really coming on, if a player goes back from the table against me, I buzz with confidence. EW was a really intense game. In practice I can loop-loop with some great loopers, and well, but rarely have the chance to do it in a game. This was it though, the chance to go loop to loop but for points! I was winning the longer rallies, definitely. I don't know if this shows anything?
For me it really is all about trying to play tournaments with the confidence I play local league, this brings out the best of my abilities. Sometimes its only when I'm playing well that my tactical mind really comes out (I don't know how to describe this - its almost like when I'm playing well, I'm playing double well!). I think my results show I'm close. You have to go off results really, its fact. Another fact - tournaments really do toughen you up!
