back hand of trading!

20 years ago

i and my childhood friend ashish dewett

used to go to our colony's sports club

every evening

to play chess and table tennis!

while chess was our soul

t.t. was also close to our heart!

we would enter the t.t. room

switched on the sodium lamps hanging from the ceiling on top of the table...

those were the only lights we turned on in the closed big room that allowed zero wind!

we used to start with a warm up game

in pin drop silence

and without talking to each other!

we felt as if we were playing in Asian Games!

then the real games started...

we would play a set of 5 games.

forehand and placement were my weapons

while service and smashes were that of Ashish's!

by the end of the first game

we would be feeling warm

even in winters!

by the end of second game

we would have to remove our sweaters!

third and fourth games were real battles

while fifth one used to be a cliff hanger

when friends turned

table foes!!!

but

after the set

we would hug each other and discuss every game and move threadbare!

i was quite good player

but usually lost the set

because of one critical weakness

which dewett exploited mercilessly

without any regards to our friendship

....my backhand!

my back hand was not weak

it was non-existent!!!

i simply couldn't play the back-hand shot...

even when ball came to my extreme left

i would move myself even further left than the ball

with the speed of bruce lee

to pick the ball

with my

forehand!!!

though this made me more agile than 'akd' (i used to call him thus)

but the quality of my return was severely compromised

because of this handicap.

akd would reward 90% of these returns

with hammer smashes!

admittedly,

i had never learnt or practiced the back-hand stroke...

had i realised the importance of the same earlier

i would definitely have!

--

but i am really thankful

to myself and god

for giving me the good sense

to understand

the importance of back hand stroke

in trading...

"going short"!

--

now i no longer fear it

like my backhand in trading!

now i can play

both sides of the trade

with ease

and profit from both sides!

market can't exploit this side of the

trading table!!!

--