Nathen Turns 7

Dear Nathen,

As you blow out your candles,
I hope all your wishes come true.
There’s nothing more special than the day you were born for Mumma, Serah and Me
— because that’s the day the whole world became brighter for all of us.

You bought great joy into our lives every time we carried you,
Every time you smiled, We smiled.
Every time you cried, we cried.
You made all our families so complete.

I cant believe you are now Seven.

As you Turn Seven, here are 7 Lessons that I want to give you from the Game that you Play.

1. You alone are Responsible for your Win

Table Tennis is a solo sport and you will have full control of your game.
With No One to Blame, you alone are responsible for your Win.
Just like in Life, Dont let things distract you.
Win the Next Point, the Game, Match.
When you are playing Table Tennis, you are only competing with yourself.
You should be always trying to improve, hit the shots faster, improve your placement, do a new spin.
In Life always do the same.

2. Be aware of Yourself

I loved how you won a game today after being down from 4 points to 9.
You must be very aware of all your emotions and state of mind, remember what makes you angry and learn to control it,
This is important, more than what kind of serve, or racket you have.
You can make yourself fail by getting angry or thinking that you are defeated.
Learn how to stay calm, manage yourself and dig deep in situations when you are being in a match or in Life and you will always come ahead.

3. You will Fail, Often.

Table Tennis is all about small and big opportunies to fail.
You will lose Points, Games, Matches and Tournaments.
You will lose More than you win, but be unfazed by these failures.
Learning how to handle failures is what success is build on.
The Greats in our world have lost more than they have succeeded, but we are all in awe of their sucess.
For Champions like Timo Boll, Fan Zhendong, their failures will fade into the background and people have forgotten his failures and only remember him to be a champion.

4. Never Rest On Your Laurels.

If you’ve won the first handful of points or games, well done, but the match isn’t over until you win four sets.
Momentum can change on a dime- your opponent is adjusting their game as much as you are to see what is effective.
As soon as your focus wanes, and your opponent gets your serve returns, ties up the sets and you’re back to square one, figuring out how to beat them all over again. You must stay engaged in your performance regardless of how far ahead you are, because you never know when circumstances will shift: your opponent will improve their game, yours will fault, it could be too hot, or it could rain, etc. There are many factors that could change the course of the match, it is not over until it’s over- so don’t rest on your laurels.

5. It’s Mostly Mental.

Unlike many sports, if you’re the strongest, fastest and most athletic table tennis player it does not mean you are the best table tennis player.
It helps, but it’s not how you win a championships. It’s about shrewd ball placement, athleticism, exploiting your enemies weaknesses, emphasizing your strengths and having complete control over your mental state.
Your confidence can’t be at the whims of every point, game or set lost. Knowing how to remain calm, not feeling discouraged or frustrated throughout a match can make all the difference. You can beat a superior player by never getting rattled, being unfazed by the current state of the game, and playing the best table tennis you can in that moment. Nothing is more unnerving than playing someone who can not be discouraged, and refuses to lose no matter how far behind they get.

6. Don’t Quit When The Chips Are Down.

To build on the point that table tennis is a mostly mental game, a huge aspect of winning a match is not despairing when the chips are down. Being a great table tennis player in some ways is like being great at anything, it’s not about being a prodigy, a genius, or a once in a generation athlete, it’s about not quitting when the chips are down, and gutting it out. You have to get comfortable in positions where the odds are against you. Staying the course, and absolutely refusing to go down has turned matches on its head- it’s part of what makes table tennis so exciting, you watch people regain confidence in real time. Sometimes you’ll come out on top simply because you refused to throw in the towel. The greats like Timo Boll, Fan Zhendong even when they’re a point away from losing, they absolutely refuse to give in- because they know if they give up they’ll lose.

7. Love Everyone like you do!

Table Tennis and Tennis does not say Zero, it says Love.
If every Game we play is played with Love, then there can never be any losing in that game.
You have grown up all these years by being Loving and spread Love everwhere with your grandparents, sister, us parents, cousins and friends.
I will miss all your talks as you grow up, but to see the person you are becoming more than just your table tennis.
I love watching you practice today and will be cheering on the side lines as Coach Daddah when you grow up.

Your Loving Father,
Roby
8th August 2020