Cambridge Table Tennis League

Why I miss the stress of competition

Why I miss the stress of competition

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My table tennis club has been open for six weeks. I have enjoyed the dedicated practice time. I’ve been trying to develop my attacking game – topspin rather than block, flick rather than push. This week I even hit a few backhand winners. This is a new experience for me! But whilst this extended period of practice is having some benefit on my game, I am really starting to miss competitive play – league matches and tournaments. I am a little surprised by this, as I actually find league matches and tournaments quite stressful. Keep reading

League champions at last – a review of my league season

League champions at last – a review of my league season

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We won the league! Having finished second for the past two seasons, this year we finished top of Division 1 in the Cambridge league. Hooray! I am chuffed. This is my first ever Division 1 title in local league. I finished with a 63% win percentage, which is my highest total in Division 1 so far. In this blog post, I look at what went well during the season and what areas of my game let me down and need improving. Keep reading

My experience of playing in the top division

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This was my first year playing in the top division in Cambridge. The standard in Division 1 is much higher than Division 2. Looking at the statistics of other players who moved up through the divisions, most got between 10-30% in their first season in Division 1. So I knew it was going to be tough. In this blog post, I share my experience of playing in the top division and reveal whether I managed to win a match. I also give some advice on how you need to develop your game if you want to play in the top division of your local league. Keep reading

We lost! Our three year unbeaten run has come to a crushing end

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Last night, we finally lost a league match. It’s our first loss since January 2014. During this time, we have won 51 matches and drawn 3, across 4 different divisions. It’s been a fantastic run, but the frustrating thing is that we had our chances last night. We could have kept the unbeaten run going for longer. Read on to find out what happened… Keep reading

“Is it ok to use illegal serves?”

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During a recent coaching session, a player asked me whether it’s ok to use illegal serves. He said very few players have a legal serve in his local league. And umpires, who are usually other players, rarely enforce the service rules. He said his opponents have an advantage because they can serve however they want. What should he do? Continue to serve legally or use illegal serves too? Read on to find out my answer… Keep reading

What went wrong with my season?

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It has been a league season of mixed fortunes. Our team remained unbeaten all season in the league, yet we only finished in second place. I achieved a respectable win percentage (84%), but this was lower than the previous two seasons. We won the handicap competition, but crashed out of another cup competition in the quarter final due to a shocking performance by myself. So, what went wrong? In this blog post I reflect on my playing performance over the past few months and examine my big tactical mistake. Keep reading