Some Reflections After a Long Time Without Matches
1
From small venue to big venue. Usually I play in club rooms or smallish halls. The ball speed is naturally fast. This time playing the alumni cup, the hall was fairly big. Inevitably there was some speed loss. It was still too long without matches, and I did not pay attention. The day before, because my forehand rubber came unglued, I just used the strongly-tacky No. 15 inorganic and glued it once. Actually, to keep better elasticity in a big hall, I should have brushed two more coats. Otherwise my loop-driven balls seem very slow. Ovtcharov said that in a small hall, he brushes the sponge with two coats of inorganic; in a big hall, three coats.
2
A match is another matter. I think I was psychologically relaxed. But I lost two matches that day, at least one I should not have lost. It exposed problems. Still too long without matches. Now I usually use the backhand a lot, but because I had not played matches in so long, once in a match I habitually pivoted more. And now my pivot efficiency and rate are far worse than before, because I rarely play that way now. Solving this is very simple: play more matches. You naturally adjust to a match-adapted state — whether the usage ratio of techniques and tactics, or on-the-fly adjustment. On ordinary days you may play smoothly, because those ball patterns are familiar, ones you are prepared for. Too long without matches, against completely unfamiliar balls, you can fully crack them if your thinking is flexible. But long out of action, your head is still mush.
For example, at this London Worlds, Lin Shidong, long without matches, returned to the main lineup and lost three straight group matches: 1-3 to Oh Junsung, 2-3 to Lanfly, 1-3 to Kallberg. The coaching staff was bold too — entrusting him with a big role at the Worlds, yet not giving him some small events to train. It is hard to suddenly reach the former level. Now most overseas associations’ approach is training through competition, especially the Japanese team, letting players improve themselves in matches. Our closed training is now less effective than before, and overseas associations improve fast, forcing us to also adopt training through competition in the future.
3
Single-minded focus. The best match state is relaxed enough, single-minded. As I age, with the business growing and family chores piling up, I gradually have little interest in competing. And during this alumni cup, typing on one hand and handling so many order communications daily on the other really took a toll. I even wonder whether I must, in the future, not write or do business during competitions. Walking on the Shapowei road tonight, I thought: whether walking alone or with another, you can actually be happy. But if there is no happiness, surely the heart holds something, carrying something, unable to feel single-mindedly. Maybe the difference between ten years younger and ten years older is right here. When young, the heart holds less, so it is easier to relax. You can throw yourself fully into a match, and travel with a naturally light mood. Older, at all times a pile of things waits to be handled. This is the norm of life. Tomorrow is the Sports Expo. Let me see what new products I can share, what new plans the brands have — that is the biggest hope of this trip.