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Table tennis as a self-helpA personal comment by Jürgen Zender
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Photos: PingPongPhoto.de by (tt)Thomas Ullrich
Today I, Jürgen Zender, am back in our sports hall in the east of Munich and, like every Monday and Thursday, I take part in table tennis training. Almost a dozen players meet here and together we warm up for a few rounds.
What is just a leisure sport for many has a very special meaning for all of us here. We all suffer from Parkinson's disease, a disease that prevents us from properly controlling our muscles and limbs. But that's exactly why we play table tennis. The complex and fast sport helps us to relieve the symptoms of the disease.
When I was diagnosed with Parkinson's almost four years ago, my world collapsed. I had to give up my beloved hobby as an extra and small actor in numerous film and television productions and started to reinvent myself. I started studying for seniors and attended lectures in philosophy and astrophysics and I began to write down the information and knowledge I had gathered in a blog, now known as the Parkinson Journal.
Our group meets twice a week and is made up of people from all walks of life. But we all share a common destiny and a common goal: to keep moving and fight against Parkinson's disease.
Table tennis gives me the opportunity to block out my problems for an hour and a half and focus on something else. My stiff muscles work automatically when I play, my knee stops shaking and my coordination improves.
The cohesion in our group is also particularly important. Together we are strong and support each other in the fight against the disease. We made many friends and grew as a community.
Every week we make progress and I can see how the table tennis training helps us all. It's my new purpose in life and I want to pass on this positive energy. Our group shows that an active life is possible despite a diagnosis of Parkinson's, and I would like to encourage other affected people.
Jürgen Zender, May 2023
PS: the small series of photos shows pictures from the Quooker German Open 2023, the annual highlight of the PingPongParkinson tournament season.
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