Lessons to be learnt -- but who will learn? Indian badminton’s one academy policy is dangerous Sep 2, 2011 http://www.firstpost.com/blogs/indian-badmintons-one-academy-policy-is-dangerous-75562.html Excerpts: The Prakash Padukone Academy’s decision to close down its Pune feeder centre due to lack of talent and need for better fund management must have come as a surprise to many badminton followers. After all Pune was the only centre of the Bangalore-based academy to produce national and international level stars from the grass-root level in its 12-year existence. ...But the last few years have been difficult for the centre with no new stars on the horizon, forcing the academy administration to shut shop and look northward for talent. Though, the decision could be termed drastic, it has many lessons to be learnt for the badminton administrators in the country. ...While it is understandably difficult to create a foolproof succession plan in a team sport as they cannot afford to compromise on the results, the process can be relatively simple and all the administrators need to do is broad base their talent hunt program. Badminton powerhouse China is a prime example of how a country can maintain a steady flow of world-class talent by building a network of zonal and regional coaching centres as a supply line to the national centre. Thousands of aspiring stars train at these zonal centres with just about five per cent of them making it to the national camp. In contrast, badminton activity in India tends to concentrate only in one or two centres depending on where the power lies. Till 2004, Bangalore was the go to place. But since Pullela Gopi Chand took over as the national coach, Hyderabad has become the epicentre with all the top stars training at the Gopichand Badminton Academy. Today, there are about 40 full time trainees at the Academy and Gopi Chand was forced to deny admission to many other candidates since it is difficult to provide the same level of training to a bigger pool of players with the available resources at hand. Almost all these 40 players are from the same age group and since they would be around for another few years, there is little chance that Gopi Chand and his team would have much time to groom new talent. If India has to sustain the progress it has shown in the last few years, the Badminton Association of India needs to step out of their comfort zone and create a system of grooming talent across the country. While zonal academies are the right way forward, the association cites lack of funds to kick-start the initiative. However, an alternative plan of action could be to promote setting up private academies in different part of the countries and given them the status of zonal centres. This way, BAI and the national coach can monitor the training at these academies and at the same time create a bigger pool of coaches capable of giving proper training to budding shuttlers. All it needs is a will to decentralise power and a vision for the future.
Good day at the office for Indian players! A pretty large Indian contingent were present at the Dutch Open, and they started off in style. Almost every one of them went through to the second round. Anup Sridhar retired with the score just 1-0 against his round 1 opponent, Anthony Dumartheray of Switzerland. And Nandagopal K went down in straight games to 7th seed Hsuan Yi Hsueh of Taiwan. In the Mens singles, top seed (Boonsak has withdrawn from the tournament) Ajay Jayaram, Prannoy H S, Anand Pawar, Sai Praneeth, Arvind Bhat and Chetan Anand all went through to the second round. In the Womens singles, both Indian players Arundhati Pantawane and Sindhu went through without much fuss, taking out much higher ranked players. In the Mens doubles, Tarun Kona/Arun Vishnu and Pranav Chopra/Akshay Dewalkar are still alive, having received a bye in round 1. In the Womens doubles, Pradnya Gadre/Prajakta Sawant got a bye in round 1, and have received a w/o from their round 2 opponents; so they advance to round 3 later in the day on Thursday without a shot fired! In the mixed doubles, both teams of Akshay/Pradnya and Pranav/Prajakta won their first rounds, and have booked themselves into round 2 tomorrow. Great job! I'm pretty sure there will be a strong representation in the quarter-finals as well!
OT: Indian mainstream Sports Journalists I don't know if I should be amused or irritated. Every time I come upon an article or report in the mainstream Indian newspapers online dealing with the performances of the Indian badminton players, it seems that the players are either "storming into" or "crashing out of" And the "storm & crash" bug is infectious. They all use the identical lines. Everytime. Saina (or Sindhu/Ajay/Kashyap/Jwala/etc) "storms" into round 2, or the Semi-finals, or the finals. There is no discrimination. The "storming" begins right after a win in round 1 itself, and goes on until the player "crashes." Must be very painful for the Indian players... Sometimes, there is some more background offered. Such as, "Saina on course for revenge" with WSX or WX or JS etc. Indian journalists covering badminton: get a life, please.
For anyone doubting the truth of my previous post re. Indian sports journalists, and the "storm-and-crash syndrome," check out these latest headlines.... Sindhu storms into Dutch Open semifinals | Indian Sports News Jayaram crashes out of Dutch Open - The Times of India
Hungry and Foolish How champions Padukone and Gopi stayed hungry and foolish Aparna Popat Oct 12, 2011 http://www.firstpost.com/blogs/how-champions-padukone-and-gopi-stayed-hungry-and-foolish-105604.html The final issue of the Whole Earth Catalog publication in the 1970’s carried a photograph of the early morning country road with the words ‘Stay Hungry Stay Foolish’ printed below. Steve Jobs stated this in his memorable commencement speech at Stanford in 2005 where he admitted that he always wished that for himself. Looking back at the trials and tribulations, successes and experiments of Steve Jobs’ existence, one can say that he really brought the phrase ‘Stay Hungry Stay Foolish’ to life. Yes and made it fashionable. Today, almost everyone wants to adopt this motto. They see it as the attitude to have to become successful a-la Steve Jobs. But not everyone can be Steve Jobs. Just like not everyone can be a Nandu Natekar or a Prakash Padukone or a P Gopi Chand. That requires a special kind of hunger. These were special champions who at times appeared foolish but only because they were hungry. Nandu Natekar was the king of Indian badminton in the 1950s. He was touted as the craftiest player that India ever produced and renowned world over. Inspite of having a near perfect game, he would practice for hours insisting that the shuttle landed exactly in the corner of the court or on the line. But this was not sans hardships and some seemingly irrational decisions. He shifted from the small Maharashtrian town of Sangli to bustling Mumbai to pursue badminton – at the time when sport was still known to be recreation and not taken seriously. At the age of 18, he stayed in a modest accommodation around the Crawford Market area and made full use of the opportunities that Mumbai provided. Natekar was a natural talent like no other and went on to win over 100 national and international titles for India in a career spanning 15 years. Padma Shri Prakash Padukone, World Cup and All-England Winner, had no formal badminton training back in India. For most part, he was on his own, devising his own training schedules. Often, he would train so much that he vomited immediately after the training session. This was obviously neither a wise nor scientific method of training. In his hometown Bangalore, he practiced in a badminton hall that doubled up as a marriage venue with ceiling girders low enough to obstruct any player trying the conventional high singles service or lift shots from the net. Yet, he was hungry enough to experiment and foolish enough to persist playing at those courts. After hours and hours of relentless practice, he mastered the art of hitting the shuttle accurately through those girders. It was this very control of the shuttle that helped him win the All-England title in 1980 at the Wembley stadium, UK, where the drift in the hall caused the other players to lose control on the shuttle. I was fortunate to have played alongside Gopi during his heydays so I can claim to know Gopi and his quirks a little better. Gopi was the ultra-dedicated, determined and passionate sort. Through his career I have seen him experiment with so many training routines and techniques with the sole aim to succeed at the sport. He had an uncanny sense of self-belief and belief in his training methods. If he felt that the training schedule would benefit him in any way he would give it his 200 percent. Certain days his coaches had to beg him to stop training. Apart from training, there was this time I remember, he heard that spinach was good for your health. He ate spinach untiringly for two months until someone convinced him that he was overdoing it. Another time, he took up yoga in order to help him mentally focus during his matches. Come rain or shine, a tough training session the previous day or a tedious journey, Gopi pursued his yoga every single morning without fail. In fact he became such a pro at it that even the monk at the prayer room at the Sydney Olympics athletes’ village heeded his power of concentration. One must not forget that during this journey of badminton, Gopi went through three career-threatening knee surgeries and bounced back to end his career with the prestigious All-England title in 2001. Very few, if any, could be foolish enough to defy such odds. Thus, I can proudly say without any hesitation, that here was a true champion that walked through fire to become an icon of Indian sport. Many a champions have subscribed to this motto. However, some others who lived by this motto might not have tasted that kind of success but all was not wasted. My guru and father figure, Anil Pradhan, former national champion, reminded me of that just the other day. When he played competitive badminton in the 1960’s he lived in Dombivali, a suburb of Mumbai. He played matches at 9 am which meant he had to leave home by 6 am to travel a grueling hour and a half by local train to south Mumbai where matches were often played. The return would be after his matches in the evening. In case matches went on late, tired and spent, he would run to the station to catch the local that would ply at 50 min intervals at that time of night. In fact, a couple of times he even missed the last local home and had to sleep on a handcart at the station. He played his heart out and without any financial support or encouragement. It was just a mad passion for the game. He said, “The hurdles were aplenty but we didn’t give up. We did it for the love of the game. Had we stopped playing then, players like you would not have had a chance to play at the level that you did.” If you give it a serious thought, the generations before us set the stepping stones for our success – all because they were hungry and foolish. Therefore, as Steve Jobs wished for the Stanford graduates to be ‘hungry and foolish’, I too sincerely hope that the youngsters in the badminton fraternity have the heart to stand by this motto – for themselves as individuals and to breathe life into the sport and keep the ball rolling or should I say, shuttle flying. Maybe, they will all be able to say: i-hungry; i-foolish; i-happy.
Multiple Crash!!! This time, it's a pile-up on the Freeway!!! Saina Nehwal crashes out of French Open Super Series PTI | Oct 27, 2011, 06.04PM IST http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/s...w/10509466.cms Excerpts from the report of the gruesome incident: India's ace shuttler Saina Nehwal battled her heart out before going down to Xuerui Li of China in straight-games to crash out of the French Open Super Series in Paris on Thursday. It was a disastrous day for India at Paris as Ajay Jayaram and Commonwealth Games gold medallist pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa too suffered defeats to draw curtains on the country's campaign at the event. Fourth seed Saina lost 18-21, 29-30 to Li in a 48-minute gruelling women's single match to crash out of the second round for the second time in the last two weeks. Jayaram, who reached the second round of the men's singles competition after beating fellow Indian RMV Gurusaidutt last night, suffered a 19-21, 14-21 loss to sixth seed Chinese Jin Chen in a 46-minute hard-fought match. Jwala and Ashwini too couldn't get past the sixth seeded Korean combo of Jung Eun Ha and Min Jung Kim and lost 13-21, 12-21 in a match that lasted for 27 minutes.
A fascinating read This article makes for a fascinating read, another story of triumph over adversity in life. Worth every moment of the time it takes to read the entire article. Gopi’s rise: How parents supported a sports protege Anupama Bagri Dec 9, 2011 http://www.firstpost.com/sports/gopis-rise-how-parents-supported-a-sports-protege-151653.html Excerpts: It was interesting to note that badminton wasn’t Gopi’s first choice. Actually he and his older brother were quite keen on tennis but didn’t pursue the sport because the other boys who played at the Fateh Maidan Club in Hyderabad came from affluent backgrounds and his parents didn’t want the boys to get any sort of inferiority complex. Badminton, they thought, was a more lower-middle class sport. That their decision would change the course of their lives was something they had never imagined then. ...Later on, when Raja got through to IIT Madras and Gopi was still struggling to make it big in badminton, his parents braved all taunts from the extended family and let Gopi pursue his dream. ...his mother, Subbaravamma, would walk 4-5 kms in the punishing Hyderabad summer just to save the one buck bus fare to buy her son a shuttle. She stopped socialising and didn’t watch a movie for 13 years so that the money could be used for Gopi’s kit or better food for him. In fact, Gopi’s father, P Subash Chandra Bose, would make do with just four shirts in a year to fulfil the never-ending demands of the game. But if there was a bigger sacrifice it was Gopi’s younger sister Hima Bindu, who was always denied clothes and books because of Gopi’s badminton needs. Of course, Gopi pampered her silly once he started doing well and always got her a gift when he went overseas. ...Initially the custom officials were suspicious that Gopi was bringing back so many used shuttles for trading but when they were told the reason, they were quite amused. ...He’s often said that had it not been for her, (his mother) he would’ve never come back from the career-threatening knee injury and All England would’ve remained only a dream. The freak-injury had left Gopi on crutches and since his building had no elevator, his parents would carry him up and down the stairs on their shoulders. ...The doctor had overheard Gopi’s parents say that they couldn’t afford Rs 15,000 for the surgery and waived off his entire fee. Just to make Gopi and his family feel better, Rajgopal said if Gopi ever won the All England, that would be his fee. ...What impresses you once you’ve finished the book is that even though he can now afford the luxuries of life, Gopi’s lifestyle and his dedication to badminton remains unchanged. His state-of-the-art academy at Gachibowli in Hyderabad, now worth about Rs 80 crores, is his gift to millions of budding players who now have all facilities under one roof, something Gopi never had.
At least she made it to the finals of the ss final and force the match to the deciding game. Way to go. wish 2012 would turn out to be a good year for her..
Here is a good review of the year, in particular for Indian badminton. Worth a read for all those who want to follow Indian badminton. http://www.dailypioneer.com/sports/30175-little-missed-sunshine.html
How does a good junior become a great senior? Aparna Popat Dec 23, 2011 Another good, thoughtful and insightful article by Aparna Popat http://www.firstpost.com/sports/how-does-a-good-junior-become-a-great-senior-163914.html
Very correct indeed... Its a fact that applies to all the sports in India barring cricket (Even though they are not good enough at that). At junior level Indian sportspersons do really well but the transitioning to the senior level is a big concern... For many years now, a lot of promising talents have just faded away leaving few and far in between who were lucky enough to succeed.... Thanks to the initiative by Gopichand for putting up a team who make the dreams of many promising badminton talents to be competent enough at the international level. They may not be as extra ordinary as the Chinese and the others but they trying are very hard to be at their level, that much I can say looking at the current crop of Indian Badminton players. I don't how many of them are natural born talents like Yihan, Inthanon etc.. as sports in India are played on personal interest. Just because someone has interest in a sport doesnt mean they have natural talent for it. Which makes it all the more difficult for them as they have to work twice or thrice as hard compared to the naturally talented ones (That, in no way, means that the talented ones got a free ticket, hope you know what I mean ). The absence of scouting for natural talents at grass root levels (like during schooling) in India is the main reason for this. The whole system needs to change. I hope the current players change the mindset of Indian parents who always stress their children to choose education over sports for a profession. I was lucky my parents weren't like that... I chose education myself when I realized I didn't have talent for Cricket.... I should've tried badminton instead .
Top stars for inter-State and National championship Avinash Nair BANGALORE, January 17, 2012 http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-sports/article2806744.ece Excerpts: Saina Nehwal and a host of internationals will be seen in action at the inter-State and Open National badminton championship beginning with the qualifying rounds at the K. Raheja KBA stadium here from Tuesday. While the first two days will see the qualifying rounds of the open National, the inter-State event will be held on January 19 and 20 while the Open events will commence from January 21 with the finals slated for January 25. ...“The International circuit is on and most of the players are keen on improving their ranking points. Also since most have not played in the national circuit they have not been seeded, which means a top player like Ajay Jayaram (World ranking of 27) can play the seeds as early as in the first round, which makes this Nationals an open one. As many as 15 players in the men's list can win the title this year,” added Vimal. ...In the inter-State event, the powerful Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) will be the team to beat in both sections, though Airport Authority of India (AAI) and Air India can pose stiff challenges especially in the women's section. The seedings: Men's singles: 1. Sourabh Varma (PSPB), 2. Sai Praneeth (PSPB), 3. Mohit Kamat (Rlys), 4. H.S. Prannoy (PSPB), 5. Pratul Joshi (AI), 6. Arvind Bhat (PSPB), 7.Sumeeth Reddy (Aai), 8. K. Nandagopal (AAI). Women's singles: 1. P.C. Thulasi (Ker), 2. Neha Pandit (AAI), 3. Sayali Gokhale (AI), 4. Aditi Mutatkar (PSPB), 5. Dhanya Nair (Rlys), 6. Arundhati Pantawane (PSPB), 7. Anita Ohlan (Rlys), 8. Mohita Sahdev (AAI).
Seasoned Bhat raring for one major smash Josey Samuel, Bangalore, Jan 17, 2012, DHNS: http://www.deccanherald.com/content/220031/seasoned-bhat-raring-one-major.html Excerpts: On his career so far: I started playing badminton at the age of 12 for a fun. I even quit the sport when I joined for Mechanical Engineering (BE) at University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering. I was 18 then but I came back two years later and joined Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA). But I took it seriously only after winning a National-level tournament where I beat some of the top players. Soon, in 2002, I was named in the Indian team for the Thomas and Uber Cup. Since then for the past 10 years I am a regular in the squad. I won my first international title in 2004 at the Scottish Open and my other major triumphs include the Czech Open, Jordan Open, Syria Open. However, I lost in four National finals from 2004-08 before I could pocket the crown in 2009. When I started my career there was hardly any money in the sport. Now I am happy that I am employed with Bharat Petroleum as an Asst Manager in Bangalore. On his future: I want to play for two more years. I am focusing on winning a major international title, especially Super Series, before quitting. So working hard to realise that dream. On the talent pool in the country: None of the upcoming shuttlers is extraordinary. They all are at the same level. Sourabh Varma, Ajay Jayaram, Sai Praneeth, Kashyap are all good but not extraordinary players like Prakash Padukone or P Gopichand or Saina Nehwal. To succeed at the highest level in international circuit you have to be above average. But among women, PV Sindhu is a good prospect. She has taken her game to a different level and has every chance of winning the crown here. But overall, the badminton in India is looking good.
It may be a bit harsh saying that some of the players mentioned above are not good enough but what ever he said is true. Even Sindhu, unless she works on her fitness she'll find it really hard to survive.
Rewind to..... When a foreigner won nationals http://expressbuzz.com/sport/when-a-foreigner-won-nationals/355663.html Excerpts: In 1940 Chi Choo Keg of Malaysia became the first foreign player to win the title. Then in 1959 Erland Kops of Denmark, the 11-time All-England champion, won the title. Erland was invited to play in open tournaments in India and was also given an entry into the nationals. He promptly entered the final and won the title as well. ...A 17-year old boy from the then Mysore state won his first national title way back in 1971. From then on for nine years in a row, he won it every year.
Not desperate for the 10th title: Rupesh Kumar By Dev Sukumar | Jan 20 http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/01/20/indians-are-not-built-strong-rupesh-kumar/ A very insightful interview by one of the top MD players from India! Excerpts: Are all countries playing a similar style? I think the Chinese play faster than the rest of the world. Technique-wise Indians are very good, and Indonesians are the best. Skill-wise, the Koreans are the best because they will never lift. They don’t lift the shuttle even if the shuttle catches the tape; they just use the brush-stroke. They never worry about mistakes, even if they’re down. We try to play safe, and in the process we end up lifting a lot. It’s a mistake that we don’t try different things. The last ten years we Indians have been playing the same game. I think the younger players should try new stuff. Most top-ten teams have muscular players. Is that a deficiency in Indian badminton? We definitely don’t have the strength they have. I feel in 60 per cent of the time, it’s inborn. The Indonesians, Koreans and Chinese are basically strong. In India, we are not built strong; we aren’t born strong. We have to build our strength. It’s genetic. It’s not possible that every Indonesian looks the same, that everyone’s legs can be the same – but you can’t find a single weak leg among the Indonesians. The physical advantage is always with them. As Indians, what we have are skill and talent and technique. That’s where they lack, a little.
Triumphant campaign for teenagers Sourabh Varma and Sindhu http://www.thehindu.com/sport/other-sports/article2832370.ece Excerpt: Teenagers Sourabh Varma and P.V. Sindhu captured their maiden National men's and women's singles titles in the 76th edition of the badminton championships here at the K. Raheja-KBA courts on Wednesday.
Teens’ night out at Nationals as Sourabh, Sindhu rule By Dev Sukumar | Jan 25 http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/01/25/teens-night-out-at-nationals-as-sourabh-sindhu-rule/ Excerpts: Bangalore: A clutch of fresh faces emerged winners at the National Badminton Championships here on Wednesday, making it seem like this was an event destined to mark a new chapter in India’s badminton history. ...Rupesh and Sanave’s loss meant that 10 would continue to be the jinxed number of Indian badminton. No player has won ten titles in a single event.
I saw an Indian guy paired up with russian girl in XD international game- I forgot. It was very interesting, because I always wonder "can different national players be mixed up together?"
Delhi’s Apinder Pal set to umpire in Olympics Saji Chacko NEW DELHI | 1st Apr http://www.sunday-guardian.com/sports/delhis-apinder-pal-set-to-umpire-in-olympics Excerpts: ...Speaking to The Sunday Guardian, Pal, who is currently working in the AG Audit Delhi, said that he was thrilled when he got the letter from the London Olympic Committee four days back."At first I could not believe it..." ..."I am aware that I have joined the elite panel. More than anything else I am happy that I have become the third Indian to umpire a match at the Olympics. It is a great honour for me. I feel on top of the world," he added. ...For Apinder it has been a case of a change-over from a player to an official. As he put it,"I started off as a state level player. I had dreams of making it big at the national level. When I realised I had my limitations to make it beyond a point, I decided to shift to officiating. It was a tough process but then I was determined to make my presence felt at the international level," he added. He started his umpiring career in 1992 after passing the Grade 2 exam in Calicut. "That was one of the toughest exams I ever passed. Interestingly, it was the first time that I had appeared for an exam," he added. Thereafter he cleared the Asian Badminton Confederation (ABC) and BWF accreditation to become a Grade I umpire.
