Winners, Losers and Technique - 11/09/2009
From PiedPipersHouseOfPong
Salutations to all Pongers:
The legendary Football coach, Vince Lombardi once caused controversy and made headlines with the statement:
"Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing"
Indeed – The Pied Piper does not disagree with Coach Lombardi, and agrees with many other philosophical statements by The Greatest of Coaches. Some of these relate to the fact that our society that puts way too much emphasis on rewarding the underachievers and misfits, rather than the winners. The Pied Piper’s philosophy, and frankly it is just plain a fact of life is that:
"Winners do not need to explain themselves"
A case in point: A very strong, athletic, Football Player was competing against me in a Table Tennis match. Though this person had some very rudimentary technique and skill, he thought the “brute force” approach could win the match. My approach, a 180 degree difference, was that I did not need to work hard, that my technique, even in my relaxed state would clearly win the match.
The match was close in score, but not games. I didn't work hard, nor did I need to, or want to do so. Although these statements may sound lacking in nobility, they are not. The sound application of technique based on the laws of physics is never less than noble.
The technique was so much more effective than the brute force, that the Football Player was no match for me. Have ye never heard the statement, “Work smarter, not harder”? Indeed, had I needed more points, I surely could have gotten them, by adding a tad bit more power to my technique. On that day, it was more fun for me to relax, and not embarrass the Football Player as badly.
I certainly don't criticize the Football Player as a person, or suggest that the conclusions he reached were fundamentally different than what the average person would conclude given the same situation. There is no doubt that I could not match him in Football. However, the average person and indeed many of those above average do not fully realize the importance of technique in Table Tennis. Could I go as far as to say:
"Technique isn't everything, it is the only thing?"
No, but it is damn close. Technique is clearly over 90 % of it. There are many clear analogies between Football and Table Tennis. There are also many distinct differences and things that should not be misconstrued as analogies. In the sport of Table Tennis much more so than in Football:
"Technique isn't the only thing, but it is damn near everything."
I say "damn near", because there is always that rare player; say the 1 in 40,000 chance that the natural athlete can prove me wrong. How many of you consider yourselves that “one in forty thousand” athlete? If you do not, please, above all else:
"Listen to your Coach"
Even low-level Club Coaches in the sport of Table Tennis, know technique better than a recreational player by leaps and bounds. If you don't have a Coach, and you are serious about improving your Pong skills, get a Coach unless you think you are that one in forty thousand player. Technique is just too damn important in Table Tennis to go without a Coach. All good Coaches will be savvy enough to teach you:
"Hit the ball often, before you learn to hit it hard"
That is, "You must pass a lot of balls" and more than that, "You must pass them with proper technique", rather than something akin to the school yard dodge ball.
This email is not about bragging or putting anyone down. Rather, it is about stressing the importance of technique. What is so tragic is that the unskilled, impatient player who wants to hit the ball so very hard could easily do so, having first mastered the technique. That is, adding power is quite simple, after technique has been mastered to the fullest. To those impatient ones, I would say:
"Can you really expect to hit the ball hard, when you cannot hit it soft?"
After the aforementioned match, the naive young Football Player, rather than admiring my technique or skill, flung criticism towards me. Apparently he didn't think I beat him bad enough, wasn't trying hard enough, or didn't hit the ball hard enough. (I never did hit the ball very hard). I did not respond to him, nor do I think I should have. Why did I not respond? Because:
"Winners do not need to explain themselves."
The scores were close only because I wanted to relax, and the game count was not close. That is, any explaining I have to do – will be at the table, where technique will overcome brute force except for that 1 in 40,000 chance.
Thanks and Regards,
The Pied Piper of Pong