Dear Philippines,
I'd like to share a highlight video of my son , Half-Filipino, Half-German, who placed 9th at the recent German U11 National Ranking Tournament. He's just 10 years old and shows some really dynamic and exciting rallies in this short best-of Video. - including a win against the #2 seed of the tournament.
Hope you enjoy it!
Feedback welcome - Greetings from Germany
Holger
We would really appreciate it if you could watch the video directly on YouTube so that my son gets the views counted properly. He would be happy. Thank you very much for your support.
I'm excited about Nico's future. He shows a lot of potential and is definitely much better than most U11 players here in the Philippines. Has he participated in any local tournaments here?
Are you Filipino, or is his mom Filipino?
We would really appreciate it if you could watch the video directly on YouTube so that my son gets the views counted properly. He would be happy. Thank you very much for your support.
Nico has very good backhand at a young age - explosive and efficient. He could even easily U12 tournaments in the Philippines.
I must assume you guys have meet Timo. hehe
Thank you so much for your kind words! Nico has only competed in tournaments in Germany so far. However, if we do travel to the Philippines for a vacation in the coming years and the opportunity arises, he would definitely love to participate in a local tournament. We don’t visit very often, maybe once every few years, but it would be fantastic if it works out someday!
Nico’s mom is Filipino, and I’m German, so he gets to enjoy the best of both cultures!
Nico started learning the backhand topspin at six. It’s part of the newer training philosophy, where kids focus on mastering the backhand topspin early, before refining the backhand counter. This way, both sides become strong.
Thank you so much for the compliment about his backhand — encouragement like yours really motivates him.
And yes, Timo Boll is absolutely one of Nico’s biggest role models. We’ve been following his career for many years. He’s not only an incredible player but also a great example of humility, focus, and longevity in the sport. Nico once had the chance to meet him near a training hall — it was an unforgettable experience for him.
May I ask which city or province Nico's mom is from? I could share your video in the local Facebook group, if it's available and if that's agreeable to you."
Here are some top young local players from my province - Cebu and Leyte. One is 12 years old, and the other is 11. Both are already top players (#1/#2) in their province for 12U and below.
But the kids still lack backhand topspin efficiency that Nico already has. Their backhands are still not stable and efficient.
Wow! A very talented kid. I heard table tennis is an extremely popular sport in Germany. It's the perfect place for him if he chooses table tennis in the long term. He will have the best resources at his disposal.
I would love to see Nico be in Germany or Philippines table tennis team.
Thanks a lot for the kind offer! We'd actually prefer not to post it in local groups for now, since the video is more meant for table tennis fans. But feel free to share it in any table tennis-related Facebook groups if you think it fits! Thanks a lot.
Thank you also for the very impressing video it'realy interesting to see different playing styles in our countries. I’ll message you later with my thoughts on their impressing game.
First of all, I want to say that I was truly impressed by the video. Both players are very talented. I was just a bit surprised that they played diagonally so often and rarely switched sides. Maybe that’s because they’re both left-handed and have a similar playing style. I would have loved to see a bit more variation in their serves, like a tomahawk serve or a short serve, but these are things that come with time and experience, and my own son faces similar challenges. I’m also curious to know if these two boys compete in national tournaments and what their approximate national ranking is. Do you have a rating system similar to our TTR points in Germany, which ranks players regionally and nationally? In any case, I wish them lots of success; they are truly strong players, and just like my son, they will continue to grow in their tactical skills.
Thank you so much for your kind words! It’s true that table tennis is popular in Germany, but like many sports, it has faced some challenges in recent years, including a bit of a decline in membership. There’s also so much competition from other sports and activities nowadays, and kids often start playing at a very young age, even as young as four or five, which is quite different from a few decades ago. The most important thing, though, is that he enjoys the sport and stays confident and motivated. I believe that if he keeps at it, he’ll continue to grow into a strong player. Of course, it would be a dream if he ever made it onto a national team, whether for Germany or the Philippines!
Unfortunately, we don't have any point system to rank players nationally. We only have national events. For the youth, the two biggest events are Palarong Pambansa and Batang Pinoy.
Players who win these tournaments get the opportunity (at times) to represent the country at different international tournaments.
So there is no official rankings.
I would say these kids approximately already top 10, at least, nationally for 12U. One of the kids in the video won a bronze in Palarong Pambansa.
Thanks for the detailed explanation!
It’s really helpful to understand how youth table tennis works in your country. Even without an official ranking system, it’s clear that events like Palarong Pambansa and Batang Pinoy play a major role in identifying top talent.
The fact that one of the kids in the video already won bronze in Palarong Pambansa says a lot!.
Being approximately in the top 10 nationally at 12U is a huge achievement.
He's amazingly good for a 10-year-old. Are you training him personally? Are you a player table tennis player yourself?
Thank you very much! 😊
I started playing with him very casually when he was just 5 years old – on a small garden table and even on our living room table. For the first few years, I could still keep up with him, but now, when he’s focused, I definitely can’t match his level anymore 😄
But I can still do multi-ball training with him!
I used to play table tennis quite passionately myself, but I never reached a high level and didn’t start as early as he did. He began serious training in a performance squad when he was 6,5 years old and just recently joined a two-week training camp during the summer holidays.
Maybe his Filipino side contributes to his talent 😉
Of course, the video shows highlights – so the mistakes and weak balls are mostly cut out 😊
