Coach Shahin’s 7 Pillars | Part 7: The Ultimate Secret to Peak Performance
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
By David Yeakle
We invest hours practicing our footwork, perfecting our serves and studying complex tactical variations. Yet, when the pressure of a real tournament hits, we often find ourselves playing tight, fearful table tennis.
Why does this happen?
According to Coach Shahin Akhlaghpasand, Head Coach at the Austin Table Tennis Club, the answer doesn't lie in your mechanics—it lies in your mindset. In the relentless pursuit of winning, players often forget the single most important element of peak performance is genuinely enjoying the experience.
Weight of Artificial Pressure
Coach Shahin knows a thing or two about high-stakes pressure. As an Olympian who competed in the 2004 Athens Games, a 4-time Iranian Senior National Champion, and a veteran of 10 Asian Championships, he has performed on the worlds brightest stages in table tennis.
His biggest takeaway from decades at the elite level? Artificial pressure is the ultimate performance killer.
"When the pressure to succeed completely outweighs your passion for the sport, your performance suffers under the weight of heavy expectations," says Coach Shahin.
Drawing on his experience serving as a liaison for Europe's world-renowned Werner Schlager Academy, Shahin notes that psychological tension manifests physically. When you treat a match like a life-or-death situation:
Your body tenses up, destroying your fluid footwork.
Your creativity vanishes, making your shot selection predictable.
Your mindset shifts, and you start playing not to lose rather than playing to win.
Unlocking Your True Potential
How do you break the cycle of tournament anxiety? You look at the game through the eyes of a champion.
Shahin isn't just a coach who talks the talk—he still walks the walk. Decades after his international debut, his philosophy helped him capture both the 2023 USATT Texas State Championship (Men's Singles) and the 2023 US National Championship (Men's Over 30). He wins because he still finds fulfillment in the grind.
Embracing the challenge and rediscovering the raw joy of playing table tennis is what unlocks a player's true potential. When you let go of artificial pressure and appreciate the journey, your talent can finally flow freely.
Coach Shahin's Game Plan for Mindset Mastery
To stop tournament anxiety in its tracks, Coach Shahin recommends shifting your focus back to the core elements that made you fall in love with the sport:
Appreciate the Battle: Enjoy the thrill of a fast-paced rally and the tactical puzzle of outsmarting a tough opponent.
Trust Your Training: As a coach who has coordinated elite national training camps and completed the prestigious Olympic Solidarity Course, Shahin emphasizes that your body knows what to do. Let your muscle memory take over.
Smile Through the Stress: Tension cannot coexist with joy.
Remember why you picked up a paddle in the first place: the satisfaction of a perfectly executed loop and the fun of the game are what make table tennis beautiful. Smile, enjoy the battle, and let your training take over. When you master your mind and enjoy the game, the trophies naturally follow.
We want to hear from you: How does tournament anxiety affect your game? Do you find your footwork freezing up, or do you start "playing not to lose"? Share your experiences in the comments below!
Be happy. You are playing table tennis.
I think that Coach Shahin’s between-point reset in Post #3 offers me the most help when I get nervous in an important match. Along with focusing on the game, the point, and trusting your training, but actually taking a short, physical pause to remind myself of that sounds like useful advice to me.
He absolutely nailed how I felt in my early official competitions. The third symptom, however, really hits home still today: you start playing not to lose rather than playing to win. I often feel this at the end of a fifth game. And I play worse for it. I need to review these 7 Pillars and put together a mantra or something to knock myself out of this snag.
Shahin is a blessing for not just ATTC but entire Austin TT Community. This series of articles proves how much insights/exeperience he adds to growth of table tennis in our community. Thanks Shahin for all what you do in this regards!