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Have you ever thought of meditation? Working on breathing and focus? I know as a martial artist it was one of the biggest things we worked on in preparation for a tournament. I often still use the techniques to keep myself calm and collected. I get that you wouldn't have the money, but have you ever thought about checking out good calming techniques online? I was just curious because I agree that you're a very smart player, but I've felt your biggest weakness just from the videos I've seen have a lot to do with mentality than physical ability. Plus with all of your training you seem to be in great shape and your shots look stronger. I hope you'll consider it because it'd be great to see you go for the gold and that I actually have written to you :D

Good luck with training!

I had to add this and you can take it as you'd like, but I used to teach meditation in my self defense classes and I just want to explain it. Maybe you could try to fit it in.

A lot of people think that meditation is about drowning out everything so that you can be one with yourself, I've always had the opposite philosophy from my instructors and father who were all talented black belt and master black belts. Typically the amount of time you want to meditate is all up to how much time you have available. I recommend starting out at 1 minute at the beginning of your day and 1 minute at the end of your day. You want to find a room that is secluded from distractions, but not sounds. A full on 60 second session involves focusing on breathing.

Take the breath fully into your diaphragm and lungs through the nose. Hold for a moment and concentrate on how the oxygen fills your body. Then exhale from the mouth and again focus on the air leaving your diaphragm and lungs. Listen intently toward every sound. Pick out the the sound of your breathing, the footsteps from people around you, the air from the vents, the train or cars passing on the road outside. Focus on all the sounds and let your mind rest. By focusing on the sounds and feeling your muscles contract and release from breathing you can release a lot of tension from your mind and body. The breathing can become second nature and allow you to focus on the ball easier as well as your opponents movements.

If you want to practice it try to increase the amount of time by 1 minute a day until you are at your maximum allowed time. Whether it's 15 minutes or 60 minutes it helps to focus everything in competition.

For me it was Martial Arts and it helped me to focus on my opponents movements. Every step they took every adjustment in body weight helped me to read their kicks and punches. It allowed me to sense them getting ready to throw me for a take down or dive in for a double leg tackle.

I hope this helps you a lot William.
 
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says Do you guys have streaks where you are just not playing...
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Definitely worth trying and sounds like great advice for everyone else here too Richard... thanks for sharing.
 
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Thanks Richard. It's been a very disappointing start to 2012. I managed to keep my play at a consistently high level during my first few months in Europe (Sep - Dec last year) but my game has been like a yo-yo in my first two tournaments of this year. And more down than up unfortunately...
 
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Hey William, even though I was watching a recording I was still rooting for you. I think over all your game has really improved. I've noticed your forehand 3rd balls being more consistent and a lot of good flicks. Your service is of course a tricky one to learn and I really though you'd get Pierre. It looked like your first 2 games were just getting you warmed up and the last 4 were pretty even. I'm fairly sure once you get your groove settled in the first set you'll really have some good wins. I really thought you won it in the 7th when I saw how much time was left on the video for the 6th.
 
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Good luck with everything, Will. For a TT novice like me, it was really great to watch a cool behind-the scenes like that :) really makes you appreciate pros even more
 
says Check out my Podcast Talkin' Smash!
says Check out my Podcast Talkin' Smash!
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Thanks Super! The Aus team sang happy birthday to me at dinner tonight and made me a special dessert of yoghurt, orange and apple from the dessert buffet.
 
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Did Adham Sharara send you birthday wishes too? :)

What's your take on your group, can Australia finish in the top 3?
 
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I don't believe so but then again I'm not sure why he would?? It will be tough; we are seeded 6th in the group and we'll all have to play well to beat any of the teams, let alone any of the top 3.
 
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I don't believe so but then again I'm not sure why he would??

He congratulated you on your qualification for London on the ooak forum, did you miss it? People there were wondering why he didn't contact you personally. But it seems he just wanted to express his support in public.

Anyway, good luck for Dortmund - I think you yourself can beat anyone in your group, but your teammates just need to contribute a point too!
 
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I am behind the times and missed it. I had a fair amount going on :) Maybe he knows I visit the forums. I just saw it now - so a few things I notice there; he misspelled my first name, last name and wrote 'congratulations man'. None of these three things seem very 'Adham-like'.
 
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Yea, it looks like he ran out of l's (lol)...

But otherwise that message should be legit, because it's the official "Adham Sharara answers (some of) your questions" thread! If that was a fake, the forum would have a problem.
 
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