Kidnapped
A traumatic incident happened to me when I was 3-years-old…
My dad, 1-year old sister, and I went to Kames Sporting Goods store to make a quick purchase. My dad left Amanda and I in the car, locked all the doors, and quickly ran inside to make a purchase. As soon as he was in the store, a car pulled up next to ours. The guy got out of his car and was staring at me. Then he asked me to unlock the car door. I refused. He offered to give me some pizza. I refused. I was scared stiff and wanted to protect my 1-year-old sister in the back seat. He continued to try to coax me out. I refused. My dad was walking out of the store, the guys jumped into his car and sped off into the night…
This story I remember very clearly…
I remember this exact parking spot
I remember the guy
I remember his car
I remember hearing the loud muffler as he sped off
Why do I remember all these details? Because I replayed this story in my mind hundreds of times. What if I would have unlocked the door? What would he has done to my sister and me? Would we have ended up buried in his backyard?
So how does this apply to table tennis?
How clearly do you remember what happened in your last tournament? Do you remember pushing all of those deep sidespin serves because you were afraid to loop? Do you remember those late-timing-passive-forehand blocks from 4’ back? Do you remember always forehand flipping directly to your opponent’s forehand? How vivid is your memory? For most players, during and directly after the match, they understand about 40-50% of what happened. By the next day, they remember about 20%. By the next week, they remember less than 10%. Replaying that critical match again and again in your mind is important. Why? Because it changes your training mindset. As you better understand your tournament performance, you will make necessary adjustments to your training routine, intensity, mindset, and game patterns.
Just like I replayed this story many times in my mind from 33 years ago…
You too should replay your tournament matches many times in your mind.
Getting to an elite level starts with THINKING at an elite level!
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Samson Dubina Table Tennis Academy
Phone: 330-949-9230
E-Mail: tt@SamsonDubina.com
Website: www.SamsonDubina.com
Address: 2262 South Arlington Rd Akron, Ohio 44319