Tong Tong Gong: Sunday Elite League at MDTTC
February 4, 2009

Tong Tong Gong (Photo: 2008 U.S. Nationals)

By Tong Tong Gong

Every Sunday morning, ten o’clock sharp, my dad and I have to drive one hour 20 minutes to MDTTC to play the Sunday Elite League. This time we played in a big round robin, it didn’t mix well, sort of like combining black and white and hoping for blue. I was the last seed this time, this put me in an odd situation, I was the underdog, which meant higher seeds were afraid of me, but the problem was that the higher seeds were way higher than me. Compared to the highest seed, Raghu Nadmichettu, his league rating of about 2400 was 400 points greater than my out of date 1979 league rating. I decided not to think about it and tried my best. My first match was against Dong Xin Xin, the new coach with a 2200 rating. I lost in straight games. Dong Xin Xin combines speed, spin, and power all in one devastating combo. Even though he was slightly inconsistent, the loops that made it on the table were way too strong for my block. My next match was against Raghu. The first and third games were close. I lost in straight games. I thought about the game and why I lost. I remember myself thinking during third games deuce, “I will prevail…” Raghu was a strong, very consistent, all around player with a strong forehand and backhand loop with devastating counterattacks. I was having an epiphany. I kept backing up from the table when I was playing, trying to out loop Raghu. That was why I lost. I realized that I trying to out muscle Raghu, which was like a rabbit trying to beat up a grizzly bear. Raghu was way stronger than me so trying to beat him at power was ridiculous. I remembered the time when I beat Raghu once (by sheer luck). I played close to the table and “fast”, quick off the bounce. That’s it, I thought. Raghu can’t possibly be faster than me because he’s so big, but maybe if I played quick off the bounce, smashing he returns to far corners, he might not be able to catch up with me. Valuable Lesson: When playing someone older and stronger than you, remember this, if you play “fast” quick off the bounce, you might be able to get better results or even win. I also learned another valuable lesson that day, I was playing John Hsu, and I couldn’t beat with him, he is the kind of person who can loop anything, even the shortest of the shortest balls. I kept on blocking, but after the second block, he would rip it and I would lose. Then, as I was playing him today, I realized something, I was letting John rip the block, and I was letting him loop the heck out of me. I wasn’t even angling my blocks, much less trying to loop first. What’s the lesson? Simple. Against someone who is extremely powerful, and consistent, trying to be even more consistent with your blocks is like trying to stop a wolf from eating sheep by giving him encouragement, being offensive against someone with a powerful offense, but a possibly weak defense, maybe the answer to beating him.

Sunday Elite League at MDTTC