Avoiding mistakes: the underrated tactic

To finish, perhaps the most important tactical insight — and the one most beginners find hardest to believe: at your level you win most points not because you hit big. You win them because your opponent puts the Speeder out or into the zone. And conversely, you lose most points through your own mistakes.

That sounds sobering, but it's good news. Because you can lower your error rate immediately — without any better technique. You only have to choose what you play more safely.

Playing safe means: placing the Speeder with a margin to the inside, not on the line. Choosing the angle that leaves you room, not the spectacular one. Better to play one more ball back than to attempt a risky winner that lands out three times out of four. Every ball you bring back safely gives your opponent the chance to make their mistake.

Imagine you're both carrying a bucket of water through an obstacle course. Whoever spills the least wins — not whoever runs fastest. The rally is exactly that — a contest over who loses their patience or their control first.

That doesn't mean you should never attack. It means safety is your default setting and the attack the exception, for which a genuinely good opportunity presents itself. Whoever flips this around — attack as the rule, safety as the exception — gives away the most points at beginner level.

In your next match, deliberately count your own mistakes — every Speeder you put out or into the zone. Compare that number with the number of your real winners. For most beginners the own mistakes clearly outnumber the winners. Knowing that one number is the fastest way to win more matches — ahead of any technical improvement.