Back then in secondary school, I was a total noob. I always lose. I don't remember winning any games. Right now, I felt like I have improved so much compared to back then. I was one of the best in my department. There is another person same level as me let'sc call him 'E'. The winning ratio between me and E is 50:50. I wanted more exposure. So, I went ahead and I played during weekends with my cousin, friend, and even total strangers.. Until one day..
The day when I received a broadcast email regarding TT tournament. I did not want my National Service life to be just work all the time. And I never participated in any tournament before. I invited a few my friends to come along but they rejected it. Back then during my poly time, there were many things I wanted to do and be involved, but none of my friends were interested. So I did not go. But right now, I told myself that I shall not listen to others no more. Its time for me to make my own decision. Its time for me to be myself. I shall not depends on other people views and decision..
So.. I joined the tournament for fun. I did not know how far can I go. I was just joining it for fun to see where do I stand.
A few days before that, 'E' was advising me to get a new paddle as the one that I am using currently is the cheapest one which cost $10. I ignored his advise initially. 2 days before the tournament I dig out my wallet and there were $70 inside. And I was like thinking of getting a new paddle with a $50 budget. oh and 1 week before the tournament, I played with some strangers at Sengkang and hurt my wrist. my right wrist sprained and it was very painful. The following day, I was having a shooting test. If you did shoot before, you should know the recoil effect on your wrist and palm. These 2 events worsen my condition.
My wrist was injured pretty badly even till today (22/8/2012), I have not recovered yet. Ok so back to Sunday. Before I went to a sport shop, I went to a pharmacy to get a wrist support. It costed me $39! and I was like "Man.. That's it! I am not buying a new paddle." So yea, I decided not to buy. I thought even if I buy, there is no guarantee that I will even win my 1st match. Oh and the tournament was based on a knock out system. If you lose, that's it! No more games.
The night before the tournament, I was googling, "what makes a table tennis bat good". Guess what? It says that it depends on rubber resistance. The more resistance, the better. In order to measure your paddle resistance, you need to get a TT ball, hold it tight, and rub across your paddle to feel the resistance. If it rubs smoothly, forget the current paddle, and get a new one. Ok pretty easy to measure huh? So I took out my paddle and I did that and guess what?! The ball rubs across very smoothly, and my eyes at this moment rolled out. "OMG! I am dead!".. Ahh never mind, I will just play based on my skills and luck.
Let's go to the basics, in a match, in order to win, it depends on 2 things, your skills and equipment. I would say, 70% skills and 30% equipment. In this case, you can say that I only based on my skills which I think is only about 30% coz I am not so good.
So, I was having a cold sweat basically. When I stepped into the sports hall, there were lots of crowd and lots of tables. I was like, "goshhh...!" It was freaking nervous. I can assure you that. On top of that, everyone was warming up. All the tables was full. And all the audience were watching you playing. I wonder what were they saying.
And you know what is the best thing about this tournament?! I don't know whether it was just a fate or a coincidence. But my game was the 1st game in my category which was novice category. A few minutes before my match I was sitting and watching people play. Generally, the way they play is like a beginner like me. So, I was expecting someone at my level. Oh and I did not manage to warm up as all the tables are full.
So, when my turn came, I met my opponent, and he was sweating! which means he had plenty of warm. He was well built and in his 30s. And I was like, OMG.
We had about 3-5 minutes warm up game. His balls were super spinny, curly, speedy, and pretty. I had a very hard time returning his serve. I can tell that he is a pro! Much higher level than me. If I am only at Level 1, my opponent was a fusion of 2 friends of mine (whom I consider pro), 'E' and 'J' to form EJ Level 2. Let me rate his strength. I would say, 50-60% skills, 30% equipment. I only rate myself 30% skills/
The game consists of 3 rounds. Each round is 11 points. At first, I thought, total is 5 rounds, so I took my own sweet time. I had a good game with my opponent. We laughed and joked during the match. So here are the scores for each round (O / Me):
- 1st round: 11 / 9
- 2nd round: 8 / 11
- 3rd round: 11 / 7
So basically, I only won 1 round which is on the 2nd round. I was so sad after the 3rd round coz I thought it was for 5 rounds. So yea, I shook his hands in the end and I wished him luck. My game lasts for about 20 minutes I think.
Anyway, this post sounds like I am making an excuse after losing. Don't get me wrong. I don't really care whether I lose or win. As a men, I do accept my defeat and I acknowledged my shortcomings.
Hope that you enjoyed reading this. :)
