EERLAND Britt

Grip
Shakehand (ITTF, 02 Aug 2016)

Style of play
Attack (ITTF, 02 Aug 2016)

General
WORKING WITH A PSYCHOLOGIST
In 2018 she began working with a sports psychologist to help her manage the demands of international competition. She had previously worked with a sports psychologist in her youth. "I felt that I always had to show the best version of myself to the outside world, good stories, great performances and very hard training. Being there for the team when needed, even when I was not fit myself. That happened at the beginning of last year [2018]. I played an international match against Italy when I actually couldn't handle it. Still, I let others convince me to participate. I did quite poorly and was very disappointed with myself. Because I had not lived up to expectations. It almost made me depressed at the time. I was angry with everyone, including myself. That's why I decided to call in a sports psychologist again." (teamnl.org, 21 Apr 2019)

CHILDHOOD TEMPER
She was prone to outbursts and mood swings in her youth and worked with a sports psychologist to develop rituals to help manage her emotions. "My first sports psychologist taught me how to keep my emotions under control. In my youth I was a bouncing ball, sometimes I cried while playing. At a young age, I learned ways to calm myself with this sports psychologist. Just walk around the table a little longer, for example, or run your hand over the side of the table, do the clips in my hair right, read the letters on the edge of the table, blow into my hands. Just practise sharpness, focus, attention, and take a moment for myself and a deep breath. Get back in control, accept that I can make mistakes. Don't move too fast, but take intermediate steps. And then on again. Those rituals give me peace of mind." (teamnl.org, 21 Apr 2019)

INSPIRATIONAL DOCUMENTARY
She says the 2019 documentary 'Losers' has helped her to deal with losing in sport. "That film helped me a lot. It is about top athletes who talk about how they coped with their lows, how they got out of a bad period, and sometimes have built a different life. It helped me enormously that other athletes experience the same thing, that I'm not alone. That it doesn't just have to be bigger, better, better. That life continues, even if you do not meet the expectations of the outside world. There will be another tournament, even after the Olympics." (teamnl.org, 21 Apr 2019)

At age 12 she became the youngest female table tennis player to play in the Dutch Eredivisie. (sportprimeur.nl, 29 Mar 2021)