Site Products
Larry Hodges

Coaching Tips of the Week: 1% Hesitation = 100% Miss

(By Larry Hodges)

In practice, it often seems easy. There’s no pressure, no worries, just you hitting the ball over and over. It’s easy to get into a consistent rhythm. Then you play in a tournament, and while you are perhaps a little nervous, you don’t think it’ll affect you too much. Maybe you’ll hesitate 1%, but that means you’re 99% as good as in practice, right? Wrong.

You probably have had the experience where something you do consistently in practice fell apart in a tournament. It’s exasperating – you almost want to pull your opponent aside after the match and explain to him how much better you are then you were in that match. But what really happened?

Table tennis is a sport requiring hand-eye coordination. In practice, you develop your shots until you are almost a machine. But you probably don’t realize just how complex each of the tasks you are doing really is. Imagine, for example, blocking against a loop. In a split second, you have to 1) read the direction of the incoming ball; 2) read the depth of the incoming ball; 3) read the spin of the incoming ball; 4) move into position; 5) get the correct racket angle; 6) hit the ball in the center of the racket; and 7) execute a proper stroke with 8) proper contact. Guess what? If you hesitate even 1%, all of this comes crashing down, and what seemed easy in practice becomes a nightmare in tournaments.

How do you overcome this? It really comes down to two things. First, stop worrying about winning or losing, and focus on performance. This takes the pressure off individual points, allowing you to play more freely, and thereby increase your chances of actually winning. Second, if there’s a specific shot that you sometimes hesitate on, practice that shot extensively, both in practice drills and in matches against players where you often do that shot, so it becomes so second nature you don’t hesitate. Third, play lots of tournaments or similar “big” matches so you get used to playing under those pressure conditions. Because guess what – 0% hesitation = 99% making the shot!

Stay “In The Loop” with Butterfly professional table tennis equipment, table tennis news, table tennis technology, tournament results, and We Are Butterfly players, coaches, clubs and more.

Latest News

Product Validation – Advanced Set up

July 19, 2025
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Product Validation, Brian Pace offers an Advanced Setup for Advanced Players. This… Read More

Racket Up All the Time

July 18, 2025
Robot will play RANDOM top spin balls to 2/3 of the table (Backhand), Forehand topspin from Forehand/ middle… Read More

Keep the Swing as Compact as Possible

July 16, 2025
Robot will play RANDOM top spin balls to 2/3 of the table (Backhand, only Forehand topspin from this… Read More

Reviewing Bugller with Logan Rietz

July 15, 2025
(by: Logan Rietz) I love pips.  I like chopping with them, hitting with them, anything I can do… Read More

Keep Your Elbow Closer to Your Body

July 14, 2025
WAIT FUNCTION: Serve long serve to elbow and Robot plays topspin to Forehand, Forehand spin block or counter… Read More

#3 High toss serve that disrupts the opponent’s rhythm and leads to a quick attack

July 14, 2025
[Feature] [Special feature] America’s star! Jha’s strong points #3 High toss serve that disrupts the opponent’s rhythm and… Read More

Ten Tips for Faster Footwork

July 14, 2025
(By Larry Hodges) Tie your shoes tight so there’s less give when you move. Grippy shoes on non-grippy… Read More

Rogelio Castro – Third Ball Attack

July 14, 2025
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips, Rogelio Castro is executing the “Third Ball Attack” using his… Read More
View All News

Get the latest from Butterfly

Stay “In The Loop” with Butterfly professional table tennis equipment, table tennis news, table tennis technology, tournament results, and We Are Butterfly players, coaches, clubs and more.