Unless you can find the root of the problem – your problem with persist and you will continue losing.  I often ask players why they lost a specific match.  They often respond with…
 
“It was a bad match.”
“I was just off.”
“I didn’t practice enough.”
“My opponent was on fire.”
 
When I ask for specifics, some have no answer, while others somewhat give generalities like…
 
“I missed too many backhands.”
 

 
 
 
 
At some point in your playing career, you have probably encountered a bad slump.  How long will the slump last?  …sometimes a day, a month, or a year.  In this article, I’m going to give you several tips on how to get out of a slump.
 
#1 Rest Your Mind

During the last 10 years of full-time coaching, I have written around 400 coaching articles.  These articles are now tagged and somewhat organized by topic.  Check out the full listing and read the articles of your choice.  Check them out here - http://www.samsondubina.com/news/tags

 
 
A few years ago, I wrote this article.  During a skype lesson tonight, one of my students was asking me to re-post it!  I hope you enjoy re-reading it!  This systematic approach is helpful for players of all ages and levels.  As you begin your journey, think about these 13 stages...
 
13 Stages!
 
"I'm so dumb!"
"I'm a loser!"
"Why can't I just do it?"

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/patient-stories/103-healthy-competition-i...

 
 
 
 
In the US, most tournament matches are not umpired.  However, you can request an umpire if there is a problem.  So when should you seek help from a tournament official?  You should get help when your opponent is getting an unfair advantage from something like his serve. 
 
Get an umpire if…
1. Your opponent is throwing the ball into the racket and getting an unfair advantage
2. Your opponent is hiding the ball and getting an unfair advantage

 
 
 
Many of my recent coaching articles have been quite long!  Sometimes, I feel that shorter summary articles are better because the key points are easier to remember and apply.  In this article, I'm going to highlight 8 quick reminders that you should consider on the day of a tournament...
 
1. Watch your opponent in a prior match and study his style, his serve, and his serve return.  Before beginning a match, also make sure to check his racket.
 

 
 
 
 
 
Many tournament matches are won or lost based on your mental approach going into the match.  There are 4 simple mental tricks that I would like to teach you…
 
Nandan Effect…

 
 
 
 
 
Investigating, Implementing, Performing
Developing a Tournament Goal
 
 
One year at the US National Team Trials, I was leading 3-2 against ***Mark Hazinski and leading 9-3 in the 6th game.  After a series of aggressive mistakes by me, he closed the gap 9-8.  I simply pushed and blocked the next 2 points to win the match 11-8 in the 6th.  Walking off the court, my coach said, “I would rather have you lose the match than to win it like that.”  I replied, “The goal was to win.”
 

 
 
 
The score was 9-9 in the final game, your opponent served a half-long serve to your backhand, you thought that the serve was long enough to loop, but it wasn’t.  With a full backswing, you looped right into the table!  Ouch!  As blood began to gush from the back of your hand, you wondered to yourself how this could have been prevented.  In this article, I’m going to give you ten tips on how to make peace with the edge of the table.
 
1. Move both feet properly into position