Over the past 15 years I have talked to hundreds (probably over 1000) players about their training routines. Two things stand out. (1) Most players do a disproportionate amount of practice matches, rather than drills. (2) Most players don’t approach practice matches in a purposeful way.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with doing lots of practice matches. Ideally training sessions would consist of some drills and some practice matches. But how much of your time is spent drilling and how much is spent playing matches is entirely up to you.
If you prefer lots of practice matches, then go for it … on one condition: you approach your practice matches in a purposeful way.
The ‘I must win’ trap
Too many players fall into the ‘I must win the practice match’ trap. Of course, it is nice to win, even if it’s just a practice match. It gives our ego a little boost. Yes! I am a better player than YOU!
But it’s the need to satisfy our ego, which often holds us back. The key word is the term ‘practice match’ is PRACTICE. The match has no actual meaning in a competitive sense. Scores are not recorded on a website. You don’t win a point for your team. You don’t get any ranking points.
Practice matches are simply a form of training. You should use them to develop a skill, experiment with a new tactic, improve a weakness or solidify a strength. If your primary goal during a practice match is to win at all costs, you are missing a big opportunity to develop your game.
I dare not try
Let’s say you have been developing a new shot, e.g. forehand topspin vs backspin. You have been practising this in drills with a partner or a robot or a coach. It’s been going well, but you haven’t yet used the shot in a practice match or a real competitive match.
If you approach a practice match with a ‘I must win’ mentality, you are far less likely to use the new shot. Why? Since you don’t have full confidence in the new shot just yet, the desire to win overrides any desire you have to try the new shot.
Your subconscious makes the decision for you. “YOU MUST NOT LOSE THIS POINT.” It won’t let you try the new shot, which might fail and cause you to lose points.
Your subconscious tells you to take the safe option … “RETURN THE BALL WITH A PUSH”. You are less likely to make an error with this approach. In that very specific moment you have increased the chances you will win the point and, if successful, your ego is very happy.
But the skill you have been developing – forehand topspin vs backspin – remains stuck. The door is firmly closed and the skill is not allowed into the room. You may win the point with that push. But you have failed to develop your new skill.
I will try
Here’s an alternative approach. You have been practising your forehand topspin vs backspin with a partner or a robot or a coach. Before you start your practice match, you give yourself a specific goal …“I’M GOING TO USE MY FOREHAND TOPSPIN”.
You don’t care what the score is. You may lose to a player who you normally beat. This player might even gloat afterwards about how he beat you. And he might tell other people he beat you. Thus hurts your ego. But you are going to rise above this.
You have a higher purpose with this practice match. You are looking to the future. You are developing a new shot – forehand topspin vs backspin – which will improve your game and make you a stronger player.
So in the practice match, you try your forehand topspin vs backspin. Guess what? You miss the first attempt. And you miss the second attempt. You may well miss the third attempt too.
“OH THIS IS GETTING EMBARRASSING!”, you tell yourself.
What should you do now? You tried to do this damn forehand topspin vs backspin, but it’s not working. And now you are feeling a little stupid. Maybe it’s time to quit this fancy forehand topspin business and go back to pushing? No, no, no.
Mistakes are a vital part of the learning process. You have taken a huge first step in trying to do a forehand topspin vs backspin in a practice match. Now you need to work out why the shot hasn’t been working. Were you in the right position? Was your timing too early or too late? Did you brush the ball enough? Did you commit to the shot?
In a practice match it’s absolutely fine to make mistakes. You should be making some mistakes. What’s important is how you respond to these mistakes. If you can make adjustments and fix the errors, not only will you get the shot working, you will have also developed a hugely important skill to use in any future match … self-correction.
The break-through
Let’s get back to the practice match. You missed your first three forehand topspins vs backspin. You made a technical adjustment and the next attempt lands on the table. Hooray! It’s the first time you have ever landed this shot in a match situation. This gives you confidence to try again and again. Over the entirety of the practice match, you manage to execute the forehand topspin many times. You also miss a few too. But with every error you were able to learn something.
The match finishes and you have lost. Your opponent is very happy and tells you why you lost. “You made too many errors with that forehand topspin. I wouldn’t do that shot If I were you”. You smile, thank the player for the game and his feedback.
You may have lost this particular practice match. But that’s all it was … practice. So actually you were the big winner. You actually practiced something which in the longer term is going to make you a much better player.
You go away and practice forehand topspin vs backspin some more. You use the shot again in your next practice match. You have a little more success. You practice more. You try again. This process keeps repeating and the new skill keeps improving.
In a few months time, you have another practice match with the same player. Now your forehand topspin vs backspin is A LOT better than before and you can make the shot nearly every time. Your goal for this match is still to execute your forehand topspin – which you succeed in doing – and you just happen to win the match easily.
Now your opponent doesn’t seem so keen to comment on your performance. If you’re lucky, you might get an abrupt “You seem to have improved”, before the player stomps off in a huff.
Yes, you have improved. Why? You have been using your practice matches to actually practice a new skill, not just playing to win.
So, the next time you are at your club training session, be very clear in your mind about what skill you want to develop in your practice matches. It could be a new shot, a new serve, a new tactic, your footwork, your concentration, a strength, a weakness – anything which will help you become a stronger player in the future.
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