CTTC Autumn Vacation Pennant (13-19 April)

Player: Bruce, Lucas, Jack, Sam

🏓 7-Day Match-Play Training Summary (4/13–4/19 · 40 games total)

Sam 🥇 — From being swept by Bruce on 4/13, to two straight days of 3-0 clean sweeps on 4/18-19. A champion is not someone who never loses, but someone who learns — turning vs Bruce from 0-3 into 4-1 in one week. Next focus: when serving, the ball toss must stay as "straight up and straight down" as possible, avoid an overly large toss angle that breaks the rules, and build a good serving habit before adding spin and variation on top.

Bruce 🔴 — The first 5 days went 10-4, a pleasant surprise for the coaching staff, while the last 2 days went 0-6, an important warning too (caused by a change in playing style; great to see him shed the "pushing-and-chopping" game — not yet stable, but he is now daring to take the initiative and attack). You proved you can beat Sam, the only privilege of its kind on the team. Next focus: receive, and especially serve, need variation in spin, placement, and speed; also work on key-point mentality — you need to stay more focused on tactics and technique during matches rather than being distracted by the playing environment (deuce dropped from 70% to 33%) + vs Jack tactics (suppressed 2-5). State management matters more than technique.

Jack 🟢 — Second on the team in both game win rate and points win rate, technically already close to Sam. Dragging Sam to a full 7 games is the proof. What is lacking is not ability, but that "final push" in the deciding game (game 7 at 0-2, deuce 40%). Next focus: focus and mentality in matches, high-pressure deuce simulation training, and stably delivering in matches the high-quality rallying speed shown in training — once that door opens, he is the team dark horse.

Lucas 🟠 — Match feel is getting better and better; the 2-1 breakthrough day on 4/19 proved his potential and growth. Your deuce win rate and game-7 win rate are both first on the team — the makings of a "long-game" player. The most fatal part is the start (losing the first game = 9% win rate). Next focus: a relaxed match state, the ability to play a strong opening, high-pressure opening training + stopping the bleeding when down 0-2, holding steady on tactics so you can "tangle up" your opponent through the middle game, and playing the "the longer it goes, the stronger I get" card.

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Shared observations:
- 0 comebacks from 0-2 across 40 games — the whole team has room to grow in mental resilience
- The "rock-paper-scissors" pattern is clear: Sam beats Jack/Lucas → Bruce beats Sam → Jack beats Bruce — showing everyone has unique value
- Each person's weakness is not a gap in technique (points rates are all close to 1.0), but in technical stability, key points, and mentality

A word for the four of you: the value of match-play training is not in winning or losing, but in the fact that within 7 days you each made your opponents "need to study you all over again." Keep playing, keep getting played, the gap will keep shrinking, and improve together as a team. 🏓