One of the most frustrating feelings in table tennis is walking away from a match you feel you should have won.
I’ve seen it countless times in my 45 years of playing and 17 years of coaching.
A player works hard in training, has solid strokes… yet on match night they lose to someone they know they’re capable of beating.
The reason? It’s rarely because of “bad luck” or even poor technique.
It usually comes down to small tactical mistakes:
Choosing the wrong serve at a crucial moment
Playing safe when they should attack (or attacking when they should play safe)
Not having a clear plan for different opponent styles
Here’s a quick tip I give my players:
Before every match, write down (or think through) your opponent’s main weakness.
Do they struggle with backspin?
Do they freeze under pressure?
Do they hate fast rallies?
Do they prefer using Backhand or Forehand more
Do they move well side to side
Do they struggle with short and then long balls.
Then, set yourself the goal of building your tactics around those weakness — instead of just “seeing what happens.”
And what about when you’re up against someone you’ve never played before?
This can be even more challenging, because you don’t yet know their habits.
The key here is to spend the first few points gathering information:
Try two or three different serves early and see how they respond
Test their backhand and forehand with different spins to spot weaker strokes
Check out if they have a weak crossover you can target.
Notice whether they like to attack strongly & quickly or prefer to rally
Think of it as detective work. The sooner you identify their preferences, the sooner you can build a plan.
Many players lose to unfamiliar opponents simply because they don’t adjust quickly enough.
It sounds simple, but these tactical shifts can completely change your results.
I actually put together a guide on this exact topic called:
“Why Am I Losing to Players I Should Beat?”
I decided to make it available free, because I know how game-changing these small adjustments can be.
If you’d like a copy, you can grab it here:
https://www.planettabletennis.com/ptt-free-guide
Hope this helps — and I’d love to hear if you’ve had one of those frustrating “should’ve won” matches recently.
To your continuous improvement
All the best
Phil
