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Coaching the right way
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Former national champion Enrico Piperno feels that tennis coaching methods in India need to change radically
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Our kids don't train hard enough ENRICO PIPERNO
WORLD CLASS Enrico Piperno was full of praise for the facilities at JASE
Enrico Piperno is a live wire. His infectious exuberance not only marks his personality but also his game. He played tennis with a big heart and always believed that passion was the key to success. The former national champion, who later became non-playing skipper of the Indian Federation Cup team, is doing his bit for the game, running an academy at Mumbai. He was recently in Bangalore to conduct a specialised summer camp for a bunch of his trainees and a few selected players, 28 in all, at the Jain Academy for Sporting Excellence (JASE).
"It was intense. The kids put in six to seven hours of training on court. I would say this is a good amount of time because our kids don't train hard enough," said Piperno. The group made a happy and hard working bunch with Piperno always goading them to stretch their limits.
"When I was a junior, we had such camps organised at NIS Patiala by the AITA. It helped me immensely and that experience set me thinking about conducting a professionally managed camp for juniors. When Chenraj Jain, Chairman, Jain Group of Institutions, asked me to conduct a camp at JASE last year, I grabbed the opportunity," said Piperno.
Along with top Indian junior players like Agnel Gladwin, Devendra Das and Punam Reddy, the entire Sri Lankan Davis Cup team also trained at JASE. Piperno has been training the Lankans for the past few years and the national team of that nation has done pretty well for itself in Group IV.
"Sri Lankans are natural athletes and the guys in their Davis Cup squad are far more capable of playing better tennis than they are doing now," Piperno quipped.
The physical workouts designed at the camp were tennis specific. Piperno points out that general workouts make no sense, unless they are game specific.
"Tennis needs a different kind of physical training. That's what we attempted to do here."
When asked what is lacking in the Indian juniors, Piperno said without batting an eyelid: "Hard work and fitness. They are hardly putting in any quality training and they should be playing lot more tournaments at this age. Let us not forget about the passion. They should have a desire to excel and should set their goals higher and higher."
For hard work Piperno cites the example of fellow player Leander Paes.
"He has an unbelievable passion for the game. Whenever he is on the court, he doesn't flinch and gives his best, no matter what the odds. He is such a shining example for the whole lot of our youngsters."
The biggest handicap, according to him, is the lack of sound basics and proper game strategy in match situations.
"They often end up playing the wrong strokes at the wrong time. They should learn to build their game and plan their strategies accordingly, but unfortunately most don't do that," said Piperno.
Among the present lot, he likes the attitude of Harsh Mankad and Prakash Amritaj and of course the teen sensation, Sania Mirza.
"What I like about this girl is her guts. She isn't bothered who is on the other side of the net. You put Serena Williams or Maria Sharapova, and Sania will just play her natural game. I wish more of our girls have that attitude," said Piperno.
The coach praised facilities at JASE, set in the picturesque rural ambience of Kanakapura.
"The facilities here were mindblowing. I don't think even SAI can match this complex," he said.
KALYAN ASHOK
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