Fahd Daim’s star is still on the rise
He was regarded as the imposing poster boy during his active playing career and it is least surprising that he has now ventured into coaching.
Fahd Daim, the secretary-general of Kenya Table Tennis Association and coach at the Ministry of Works Sports Club and Visa Oshwal, was on a roll most of his playing career.
Most of his peers were in awe of his success which belied his tender age. With an apparently insatiable appetite for success, Fahd did not just make himself the most feared table tennis player of his generation; he won the Kenya National Table Tennis Championship title for over 17 years.
The million-dollar question thus remains: What made this genius table tennis player make the sport appear so enjoyable?
“The buzzword is dedication. Obviously, there are other virtues for me to succeed which include hard training and listening to the coaches’ advice,” said Daim.
‘With sports morphing through different guises, there is no shortcut to success and one has to go an extra mile if he or she is to make it big. Table tennis is no exception,” he says.
As the current Kenya team coach and through his Nairobi based TT academy, Daim continues to churn out players of national repute among them Peter Theuri, Kevin Mwangi, Michael Otieno, Kunal Arora and many more.
For Fahd, the key to being a good table tennis player is the ability to respond quicker, both mentally and physically, than the other player.
“As a player its paramount to learn the most important rules including mastering the basic skills in ping pong.
It’s also important to be familiar with several types of serves and returning serves,’’ he adds.
Daim, who is the manager of Firoze Constructions, also underscores the importance of understanding the tactics to the letter and using the right equipment.
“One needs to understand tactics, the psychology, and the match-play. Obviously, it’s also vital to choose the right equipment and learn how to train and practice daily.”
Daim has a rich curriculum vitae as coach as he has previously handled the national team in several high profile tournaments including the All Africa Games, Commonwealth Games and many others including ITTF Africa tournaments held across the continent.
He was trained in China under the tutelage of Coach Lee Da Young in 1987 and represented Kenya in table tennis for a duration spanning over a decade as Captain and No.1 player.
