Table tennis notes that win the rematch
The match you lose twice
Most players know this feeling. You lose the first two games, and somewhere in the third you finally see your opponent’s weak side. Now you know how to win, but it’s too late.
Then you meet the same player again. What you found out last time is gone, and it all starts over.
How to deal with this?
Short answer: write a few lines about each opponent right after the match, while it’s still fresh. Cover their serves and how you returned them, their weak spots, their rubbers, how they start and finish a match, and what finally worked. Read those notes before you play them again. It only takes a few minutes.
You don’t need more talent to fix this. You need a structured notebook that’s with you at every match. That’s exactly what SpinBook is: a table tennis diary on your phone.
What to note about an opponent
You don’t need a full report. A handful of short, specific observations beats a page of general impressions. Focus on these:
- Their serves, and what worked against them. Serves decide more points than anything else, at almost every level. Note their main serves (short backspin, side-top, long and fast to the backhand) and, more importantly, which return worked. “Short backspin to my forehand: push it long to their backhand, don’t flick” is worth more than “good serves.”
- Weak spots. Most players have one or two places where they don’t like the ball: the wide forehand, especially against a fast ball; the middle, where they have to choose between forehand and backhand; short balls, if they stand far from the table; heavy backspin, if they prefer to hit rather than loop; slow, spinny balls, if they like pace. Write down where they struggled, not just that they struggled.
- Their equipment. Rubbers change everything. Long pips or anti on the backhand, short pips on the forehand, a player who twiddles the bat: note it. If you know what you’re facing before the warm-up, you don’t have to work it out during the first game.
- Strong early or strong late? Some players come out firing and fade. Others start slowly and get better as they read your game. Some get nervous at 9–9. This tells you whether to survive the first game or to stay patient in the last one.
- What finally worked. This is the most valuable line and the easiest one to forget. Name the tactic: “serve short to the middle, then attack their backhand,” “keep the rally going, they miss after five balls.” Also write down what didn’t work, so you don’t try it first next time.
- The result and the score. A 3–2 loss and a 0–3 loss against the same player mean very different things for next time.
Write it down right after the match
Notes written three days later aren’t worth much. Emotions fade and the details blur into “they were good.” Take two minutes between matches or on the way home, while you can still see the rallies.
Keep it short and honest. “I panicked on their serve and pushed everything high” is an uncomfortable note to write, but it’s the one that will help you next time.
Read your notes before the next match
A note you never read won’t help you. Before your next match, spend a minute on each opponent you have notes on. Pick one or two things to try: a serve return, a target, a plan for the first game. Walk to the table with a plan instead of a vague feeling.
Over a season or two, you’ll also notice patterns across opponents, like struggling against every player with pips, or losing most deciding games. That’s useful for your training too, not just your tactics.
Your opponent notes in SpinBook
SpinBook keeps your notes attached to the matches themselves, so they’re there when you need them.
- Log the match and add a note straight away. When you save a match in your diary, you can record the score, the type of your opponent’s forehand and backhand rubbers (long pips, anti, short pips) and your notes.
- Open the opponent’s page before you play them again. It shows your head-to-head record in matches and games, and collects the notes from every match and training session you’ve logged with that player, plus a general note about them that you can update at any time. Your whole history against them is on one screen.
- Keep honest observations in the private note. Every activity has a public note and a private note. The public note can be seen by the other players in the match when you share the activity with them. The private note is only visible to you. “Their backhand falls apart under pressure” belongs in the private one.
When you meet the same opponent again, you won’t have to remember. You can just look it up.
Questions about how the app works? Read the FAQ.
Log Your Table Tennis Life
