Having a strong mental game is one of the most overlooked aspects of table tennis, and one of the most important aspects of the game. When you have a strong mental game, it is just another key advantage for your game in a tough situation. But, when your mental game collapses, it is not only a disadvantage to you, but a HUGE advantage to your opponent because when they know you are frustrated, they will use that to their advantage. Another big thing when you lose your strong mental game is that it can discourage you, and make you play worse all day.

Here are some tips to help you:

After a bad point, take a step back from the ping-pong table, and take a deep breath. If you are upset from the last point, it will do no good wasting the next point because you are mad. Don’t get mad about the last point, you can not change what happened, so let it go!

If it is your serve, take your time to get back to a good mind set.

And finally, try not to let it get to you in the first place. I believe Joseph Redding said it the best when he said, “IT’S JUST PING-PONG”, winning isn’t everything, but character is.

Perry Wilson