The Hindu : Sport / Badminton : A great experience, says Frost

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Wednesday, Oct 18, 2006
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Sport - Badminton

A great experience, says Frost

Special Correspondent

BANGALORE: Danish badminton legend, Morten Frost, termed his three-day stint with the State coaches at the KBA Stadium here as a "great experience." Frost said that he came with an open mind and made some adjustments with his methods to suit the local needs. "We really worked hard and shared our knowledge and experiences," he added.

The day's training schedule was followed by an enjoyable inter-active session with the coaches, young players and their parents. Frost warmed up to the hour fielding all queries that came flying at him with the same kind of felicity that he adopted on the court.

The queries ranged from when he started playing the game and what one should do to cope up with a loss. He told the audience that he started at the age of eight and played both football and badminton. "I learnt the game on my own without any coach by watching senior players and Danish stars."

Advice to youngsters

Frost also advised the youngsters that they should specialise by the time they are 19 or 20 years old. He told them that they should keep playing both singles and doubles.

The success of Denmark, he said, was due to a sound system that had been built over the years and a strong club culture boasting of as many as 700 clubs. He also recalled his early struggle with health conditions. "I had asthma and many doctors told me to quit badminton and play chess instead, but I kept playing and conquered the conditions," said Frost.

The Danish ace urged the youngsters to treat both the match and practice as a "war." "You shouldn't think of losing in practice also," he said. When a youngster asked him to name his toughest opponent, he said that it was Yang Yang of China.

One of the most pertinent question came from a young lad, who wanted to know how to cope up with an early defeat. Frost smiled and then said, "when I was young, if I lost, I cried first. But I learnt from each defeat and was determined not commit the same mistakes again.''

Earlier, Vivek Karan, President, KBA, welcomed the gathering.

Forst, after conducting a morning session at the clinic on Wednesday, will leave for Goa with his family on a vacation.

Inter-collegiate events

The Bangalore City Vidyarthi Janatha Dal (S) will conduct a State-level inter-collegiate volleyball (boys and girls) and throwball (girls only) championships on Oct. 28 and 29 at the Sri Rama Mandira playground, Rajaji Nagar. For details, contact V. Nageshwar Rao at 9880059830 or Raghu at 9880190973.

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