August 26, 2024 – What to Do in a Laugher Match

You’ve all played them – a tournament match that is simply uncompetitive, where you don’t have to try and you’ll still win easily. These can be dangerous matches. Why?

First, make sure it’s a “laugher” match. I once coached a match where my player was rated about 700 points higher than the opponent, and won the first game 11-0. Another of my students had a tougher match starting, so after talking briefly to the first player – mostly about keeping his focus throughout - I went to the other match. Afterwards, I came back and my player had won - deuce in the fifth!!! The simplest way to avoid this is to assume no matches are “laughers.” But even if you assume that, some of them are laughers. What to do in them?

First, keep your focus. It is far easier in a tournament to keep your focus than it is to recover it once you’ve lost it. Winning a game too easily is a common reason to lose focus – which is what happened in the match above. So, focus every point as if it were the most important point you’ve ever played. That should be true of every point you play in a tournament. (An occasional exception is for older or out-of-shape players, or when you have a lot of matches, and so intentionally play less actively in such an “easy” match so as to save yourself for later. But be careful of doing this as it can backfire.)

Second, while you might not need to focus on tactics or smart play against a much weaker player, you don’t want to mess up your own fundamentals by going easy and thereby not playing your normal game. That’s a quick way to mess up your game. That means looping against a push the same as you would against someone in a more competitive match. Otherwise you are just practicing playing poorly. This doesn’t mean ripping everything, it simply means using the same types of loops and other shots you’d use against a stronger player. You can push more to save energy, but don’t overdo it.

Third, work on serves and other fundamentals. Playing a match like this allows you to practice serves and other shots without worrying about the outcome. For example, when I used to play much weaker players in a tournament, my favorite tactic was to just serve backspin over and over, they’d push it back, and I’d have to move and loop every one of them effectively, including good placement. I didn’t need to rip the ball, but I’d practice the strong loops I’d want to use in a more serious match.

Lastly, don’t think of a “laugher” match as a waste of time. They are the perfect time to work on your focus, your fundamentals, and whatever aspects of your game that might need practice. And practice makes perfect – even if the opponent needs a lot more than you.