(by Steve Hopkins, photo Grant Bergmann)
Last week, Bowmar Sports spent some time with Kanak Jha. Kanak has just qualified for the Olympics, has recently won a WTT event in Dusseldorf, has joined a new team in the German Bundesliga, and is preparing to take part at the US Nationals which will be held in Huntsville, Alabama over the July 4th holiday. This is the first piece of that interview – the second portion will be be released as a video in about a week.
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Hi Kanak. Thanks for taking the time to catch up with us. Let’s Talk Comeback. What did you do to stay on task during your layoff? Did you have a specific training regime? How did the time away affect you mentally and physically?
I’m a pretty disciplined person in terms of my body, which made it easy for myself to stay in a good shape physically. I’m not happy if I’m not pushing myself in something. The time off was a benefit in terms of my physical training since I had more time to work on it.
I had a shoulder injury going into my break which took a few months to recover. It was good to not have any stress of rushing the recovery since I didn’t have any competitions. Due to training restrictions, I mostly worked together with my private coach, Jorg Bitzigeio. I started to ramp up the table tennis training during the last 2 months of my break.
Did you ever have a “total break”? Was there every a time to mentally relax and recuperate?
I mixed my time during my break between a few places. I had more time to be home which was nice. Even when I was wasn’t playing, my mind never goes too long without thinking of the game. It was a mental break of not feeling the stress of competition, but I wouldn’t say I ever became too mentally relaxed as I knew I would be back.
After qualifying for the Olympics – Is it possible that what you have achieved is arguably the same as what you would have achieved without the layoff? I presume the goal 18 months ago was to build towards qualifying and performing well – or perhaps saying that differently – the goal 18 months ago was to get to where you are right now. In terms of the goals you have set for yourself – are you behind and working to catch up, or did you come back to all of this recuperated and you are back on plan and where you wanted to be ?
I had a 2 step goal of what I wanted to achieve when coming back. The first step coming back from the layoff was to qualify for the Paris Games which I did. The second step is to do well in the Games. Other than that, I didn’t have any other expectations in mind. I’ve never taken a significant time away from the sport before, so I didn’t know what to expect in my game. I don’t like to compare myself to the past because I find that it can cause unneeded stress in periods where I am not performing well. Generally, I just focus each day on being better than the day before.
What did you do outside of table tennis during your layoff?
I spent more time with my family which was nice since normally the competition schedule is so hectic. I have never had a struggle finding things to do. You give me some sort of game or stimulation and I’ll be hooked. I enjoy listening to podcasts, playing games, reading, and learning random things. I also 100% completed GTA SAN ANDREAS and GTA V. Those who’ve played it know that it takes some time – haha.
Switching teams in Germany also means switching towns and situations. What’s the new squad like? Where do you see them finishing next year?
I’ve joined a new club in Germany upon my return. I now play for TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt. The first time I came to this club was as an opponent in 2019 when I played for a different club. I directly mentioned to my teammates of the time how nice the club seemed to be and how supportive the fans are, so I’m very happy to now join them. The club has been very welcoming, and the atmosphere from the fans in our matches makes it very fun to play. Although I have new teammates, I know them all previously from training groups or tournaments which also made the transition quite easy. We have a strong team, and I hope we will be able to qualify for the playoffs next season.
Which coaches do you credit for helping you get you to where you are? There have been a lot of different coaches over the years for you…
I’ve been lucky to have worked with a number of great coaches through the years. As well as having incredibly supporting parents. I’ve also been a part of many different training groups through the years. I’d like to believe I have picked up different skills from each of my coaches. I think that’s why my technical skill is quite well rounded.
Do you have any pre-tournament/match rituals or superstitions? What’s a typical match day look like for you
I’m not overly superstitious. I have a few preset rituals I’ve added in through the years. Most importantly, I try to make sure I get enough sleep so that I’m physically and mentally fresh going into the match. I might watch a bit of video on my opponent. Depending on the time of the match, I’ll try to eat a bigger meal a couple hours before. And then smaller snacks before my match. I would say getting enough sleep and making sure I have food in my stomach is the most important.
Anything else you’d like to add while we have you here?
I want to add a big thanks to the people supporting me. It always inspires me and helps me to stay disciplined knowing that I have people behind me. I hope I can inspire more young kids in the USA to want to be a professional table tennis player when they grow up.
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