Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Mangalore
Pondicherry
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
Coaching right
|
Dronacharya award winner and former chief national badminton coach S.M. Arif offers insight into qualities that make for a good coach
|
Photo: K. Bhagyaprakash
THE QUALITIES that enable a player to succeed at his or her sport have often been discussed and are well known. But behind every successful player there has to be an equally good coach. A coach can make or mar a player's career. So what are the qualities that go into the making of a good coach? S.M. Arif, former chief national badminton coach and Dronacharya award winner offers an interesting insight into the qualities that contribute towards a coach's effectiveness.
"Above all, a coach must have involvement and commitment," says Arif. "Without a deep sense of involvement, no coach can be good at his work. He has to approach his task with immense zeal and he must be ready to sacrifice everything for the success of his players. After all, his own achievement lies in their success," he says.
"After a sense of involvement, I would say the next most important thing a coach must have is knowledge. He must keep himself abreast of the latest developments in the sport. A good coach cannot afford to fall behind the times. He must know what progress is being made all over the world."
"In all sports, tactics and strategy keep changing frequently. A good coach must stay abreast of the latest developments in every corner of the world - new ideas, new training methods and new strategy. He must also know and understand the significance of rule changes that may take place. Then plan how to adapt training techniques in order to adjust to the changes that are taking place all around," says Arif.
Handling with care
"Also, as coaches, we are dealing with human beings. Coaches must understand psychology. If necessary, I feel a coach should also go through a formal study of psychology. Sometimes what works for one player may not work for another. Some players need to be pushed hard. Others have to be encouraged with kind words. Each player needs to be handled differently and it is a coach's job to judge what kind of approach is best for whom."
"Besides this, a good grasp of psychology also helps a coach to understand the rival player's frame of mind. If a coach can understand when the rival player is wilting, and what approach will demoralise the rival, then he can guide his own player more effectively," says Arif.
"Lastly a coach must be able to make a fairly good prediction regarding future standards. For example, if a 12 year old is being trained to become an international sprinter, then that may materialise only after eight to ten years. So what will be the record then? Will the 100 mt record be 9.70 seconds? Or even less than that? A good coach must be able to predict it as accurately as possible. And he must train his player accordingly. So a good coach must be able to combine many qualities in the right blend. Then only can he produce champions," says Arif.
ABHIJIT SEN GUPTA
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Mangalore
Pondicherry
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
|
