Coach Samson Dubina US National Team Coach 4x USATT Coach of the Year
 

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Emotions At The US Nationals

who is your enemy?
Problem and Solutions

 
 
 
 

R U Ready?

The Ball is Coming Back!

Be Ready

This sounds like the most basic advice ever given – be ready for the ball to come back! About 90% of players have developed the bad habit of hitting a good shot then just ASSUMING that it won’t be returned. Starting today, you must force yourself to be disciplined in thinking that all of your serves, flips, loops, smashes, and all other shots will be returned. No early celebration!

Tactical Drills

Learn to change your pre-tournament routine

 
 
 

The Perfect Plan

Learning about feeling the pressure from outside sources

 
 
 
 
 

Watch the DVD TRAILER

Get a sneak-peak of the action...

 

 

International Table Tennis Skills - DVD TRAILER:

 

 

 

 

During this 2 hour and 17 minute DVD you will learn the details of game strategy, anticipation, advanced strokes, footwork, serve, serve return, and much much more. This DVD is now available in North America and will soon be available in Europe and Asia.

 

Mental Strategies - Part 25

Feeling Moody? Read this article!

 
 
 
Be Happy
 
     At tournaments, some players are very happy and others are very disappointed. 
 
Is it the winning that changes the mood? 
 
Or is it the mood that changes the winning? 
 
     It could be both.  But in this article, I would like to address the fact that staying positive and cheerful and excited will help boost your confidence and help you play your best.  I feel that often the mood, before and during the match, really changes the outcome of the match.

Ratings and Skills

Learn How Ratings Can Mentally Fool You!

Often times, tt players will wrongly associate ratings with skills.  Just because an opponent has a certain ratings doesn’t necessarily mean that your opponent can do this or can’t do this.  For example…
 
I asked my 1800-rated student why he wasn’t attacking his (2100-rated) opponent’s half-long serve.  My student responded by saying that because his opponent was rated 2100, he assumed that all his serves were short.
 

Tournament Tough

Becoming a Mental Giant

Because many of you will be playing in the Newgy Cincinnati Open this weekend, I thought that I would summarize some of the mental strategies that I’ve been writing about over the last 8 months.  Here are some things that you must remember…
 
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.
 

Mental Strategies - Part 23

Learn How to Hurdle Some Mental Pitfalls!

In a recent tournament, Shreyans Bafna and I were able to upset a very strong doubles team – Cheng Li (rated 2590) and Yi Chi Zhang (rated 2580).  I’m writing this article, not to brag about our win, but to show you some of the problems that they encountered.  You might encounter some of these exact same problems when playing a lower-rated opponent.
 
Problem #1 Lack of Focus

Mental Strategies - Part 20

Four Steps to Tournament Success!

 
Before the start of each point, you should encourage yourself with 1-2 things such as…
“After my serve, I need to keep attacking first and rally mainly to his backhand or middle.”
“I need to keep my feet moving and stay close.”
“I need to move into position and loop his long serve, if he serves short, then I need to be ready to receive to his backhand.”
 
After the point, you should step away from the table, and give yourself a quick recap of what just happened, such as…

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