Consejos de Mikael Andersson a Kenta

Los consejos que le brinnda Mikael Andersson (ITTF Education & Training Director) a Kenta Matsudaira la joven promesa nipona que salio a la palestra en Yokohama a raiz de un partidazo que le planto a Ma Lin y que por un pelo no lo gano.
Aqui los consejos:

"* Always obey to the TIGER within. I often get a feeling that young Japanese players play and perform for others – not for themselves. You are a winner – you have to always desire and cherish winning. Not play to avoid loosing. Enjoy and seek pressure – always. Take a look at Tiger Woods in golf. He is the best conditioned athlete. At the same time he is the one player who craves for winning the most. On top of that he is a great thinker of the game. Use him as a role model.
* Hire the best possible physical conditioning coach available. I have been told that Japanese young players do not like to run. Get on with it. Fight through.. Run – jump – work out. That will make such a difference. Table Tennis is getting increasingly physical and a power game is needed to beat the Chinese players.


* Get proper Nutritional advice and follow them. There were some real horror stories told to me about the Japanese male players eating habits at the Beijing Games… Mostly McDonalds and junk food someone said. I hope this is not true.. But I fear it might be.
* Learn to relate to Coaching. Good coaching will make a huge difference for you – especially in important championship matches. You must work with a general understanding that quality coaching is a huge benefit . It is your responsibility to discuss coaching with your national association and make sure that you feel comfortable with your coach. Take a look at the Chinese players who are great in using the coaches. They always listen, think, act and evaluate. The Swedish generation of top players like Waldner, Persson and Karlsson did the same. They also respected coaching as a part of the game. In fact I have to tell you that the relation between coaches and players in Europe seems to be worsening by the minute. Many young talented players spend energy on arguing with their coach between games instead of retooling and finding ways to win.
* Delete the word TIRED from your dictionary. Countless times over the last years I have been hearing that Japanese players are tired. Coaches by into that – officials do to. They have complained about the schedule at events and suddenly it becomes a reality. You can in my opinion argue that a tired athlete – is an athlete not conditioned well enough.. Can you not. A good knowledgeable friend in Beijing told me the evening before Jun Mizutanis match with Li Ching in the singles – that he was tired.. So what? That is the one day in your carrier when you can or should be able to fight fatigue – is it not?
* Plan ahead and manage, pace your career. Don’t know who is helping you – who are managing your schedule. Athlete’s management in general is an important key to success moving forward. Put a brave and tough schedule in play.. But make decisions and learn to say NO – Even if there is money on the table. Enjoy your ride. You are a winner – you have that unique winning mentality. Very few if any Japanese players on the international scene are showing the same qualities as you are . Be brave – the rewards are out there. I hope you get them all!
Good luck with everything !

Mikael