In ancient times, people did not want to promise something and say, “I swear by God that I will do this.” Because they felt that if they swore by God, that they were under obligation to keep their oath, and they often wanted to back out of a promise. So, people used to say things like…
“I swear by heaven”
“I swear by God’s throne”
“I swear by the earth”
“I swear by Jerusalem”
“I swear by my head that I promise to do this or that”
Samson Dubina Interview With Rahul Archarya
-Pong Talk with the Stars
I owe this blog to Samson Dubina! It's interesting how sometimes one thing leads to another ... Someone recently asked me how I started writing this blog so here it is.
I don’t really know the Alguetti family. However, I have seen them, heard them (YES HEARD THEM) and played against them. The one thing that they have, which I really admire… is team spirit. The family of five can out-cheer any team in the US. Regardless if they are playing a preliminary round or taking down Timothy Wang in the Men’s Singles, they have a fighting attitude and together they are supported by their team of five.
Paddle Palace Akron Open
USATT Santioned 2-Star Tournament
Dec 11-12, 2015
Title Sponsor: Paddle Palace
Food Sponsor: Subway
Table Sponsor: Butterfly
Facility: The House of the Lord
We would like to thank the 71 players who participated in our weekend tournament playing over 400 matches on 13 tables. We would also like to thank our workers - Blake Cottrell, Ron Arcaro, Sam Dubina, Samson Dubina, Chen Cottrell, Scott Cottrell, and our wonderful photographer Chris Jordan. Tournament photos will be available soon. Check back for updates!
For the last nine years, I have been a 2400 level player. This year, I have been consistently playing 2500-2550 level for the last 8 months and winning most tournaments. Ok, so what is my secret?
No, no, no it isn’t booster or steroids or a flashy serve or a powerful smash…
So, what is it?
It is something very, subtle.
It is something that most players, most spectators, most coaches, and most of my opponents have not noticed.
When playing a much, much higher rated opponent, it is critical to challenge him early in the match. If you are a 1500-rated player competing against a 2000-rated player, you will likely lose. If you play your normal game (statistically speaking), you don’t have a huge chance of winning. This is the reason that you need to take some risk and CHALLENGE your opponent.
Assuming that you are a 1500 looper and your opponent is a 2000 looper, here are some possible ways of taking slightly more risk and challenging him…
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