Acually it was like a classic hustle where one player convinces the other that he is weak and tired and is going to fold. A variation of this hustle was used by Mohammed Ali to beat George Foreman and he called it " rope a dope ". This strategy begins by losing the first game of the match in a relatively close appearing contest, 5-4. In the second game an immediate lead of 1-0 is followed by the 25-30 minute ball that reults in a slop goal that appears to completely shift momentum to the player leading the match 1-0 in games and 2-0 in the second game. Nothing could be further from the truth as the trap is set and someone is about to be knocked out so fast that it literally will make their "head swim" and give them what I call the "blank stare". The truth of the matter is during the "longest ball" one player exhausted himself, displayed all of his capabilities and shot his wad while the other rested, watched, and waited for the moment to execute the kill. When this match was over the hometown crowd could hardley believe the suddeness of their local favorite and champion's defeat, three games to one. The crowd was quiet as if they were at a funeral. The defeated champion was unable to even raise his hand to the victorious player's extended one for the match handshake as he muttered "what happened?" What happened was one player had a plan and the other just played. The Tournament Director offered congratulations to the vistor as he commented on "that ball, that one ball..." and the visitor replied "what ball?". The TD said that one ball lasted 25 or 30 minutes, it's the longest ball he'd ever seen in the finals of tournament singles play. The visitor commented "oh yeah, I figured he was wore out, so I let that one slop go in to really set the hook before I reeled him in. Plus the last point I deliberately shot off the back of the wall, the back of the goalie and in to show him I can make slop too." Billy Sumption was at the table to coach me that day as I taught Loyd Mandel how to hustle at the Red Arrow in Huron, South Dakota. Jim, now you know the rest of the story.
Roger "Oly" Olson
Grandmaster of Table Soccer
"Any table, any time, your place or mine."
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