Three More Hot Tips
Joseph Wang
11/7/2007Don’t Stop the Attack—When you are leading, especially if you have 9 or 10 points, it’s a common mistake to play passive and hope that your opponent misses his or her shot in order for you to win. At this point, you should still grab opportunities, think “Oh, that push went long. I’m not going to give it back easy. I’m going to make a loop off it.” What to Serve—Everyone has gotten nervous and missed his or her serve before. When you miss your serve, it’s usually due to high tension that freezes up your hand, so you don’t have the regular fluidity and control to execute your serves as you do during normal practice. It is during this time that you shouldn’t try to break out your tough or tricky serves, because you just might miss them again. Instead, just place the ball over: a short or even medium, neutral no-spin serve. Your opponent doesn’t have much to work with due to the no-spin, and you have a better chance of winning compared to missing another serve by trying to serve tricky. Watch Your Opponents—Most of the time, your matches will come in a round robin format of four players. While you aren’t playing, take a good look at how your opponents play. Watch how they serve, how their opponents return the serve, and what openings you can exploit in their game. A good idea would be to pay attention to crucial points such as deuce or 9–9, where one usually sneaks out a tricky serve. By observing your opponents, you can develop an edge when you play them to better your chances of winning, even if they are high rated. [Playing Tips.] | 
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