I get Nervous during Matches

Hello Mr Alois..  My name is Naufal im asking this question because i have a tournament on Sunday ( i was chosen to represent my school for doubles) and i really need to know why im nervous wen i play a match wen everyone is watching me. When i say im nervous is like My heart is beating fast my hands a shakeing and also my body but wen a small amount of people watch me i play like a pro (my opinion) and if i get nervous i'll lose the tournament on sunday and let my partner and my school down...and im also ganna versu Asians,Europeans,African and maybe even Austrailian people...plz give me a tip or helping why i get nervous? is it because im scared or something? plz answer as soon as possible

Hi Naufal,

Congratulations on being selected in the school team.

The things you talk about are what most people feel when they are in a big situation.  Even players that play at the Olympics get similar feelings.

Concentrate on playing some good table tennis rather than thinking about all the consequences.  The other thing that will help is if you work really hard at watching the ball throughout the match you will start to forget about your nerves.

Main thing is to go out there and try your best.  You have already done well to make the team and they have selected you because they feel that you are the best players to represent them.