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The return of the coach

Former coach S.M. Arif is set to return to coaching

PHOTO: P.V.SIVAKUMAR

SECOND INNINGS S.M.Arif is back to the place that made him a famous personality.

When K. Tanishk, formerly known as K. Srinivasan, walked across to present a ghazal CD to Dronacharya S. M. Arif, it was a token appreciation for the return of the famous coach to his familiar terrain - the Fateh Maidan Indoor Stadium.

For someone who had retired as coach long back, the offer from G. Kamala Vardhana Rao, SAAP VC and MD, to take up coaching on a consolidated basis proved irresistible. The affable gentleman is back to the place that made him a famous personality. A venue, which saw him mould the raw talent into performing individuals. He produced more than 150 national champions in different categories, the most famous being in 2001, Pullela Gopi Chand.

On his comeback, Arif says, "I gave a long thought to the whole concept. Then, I decided to take it up on a couple of conditions like training the players for only three weeks a month because of my commitments in other centres like Kerala and Chandigarh."

For the players, there is no better sight than this bearded coach giving invaluable tips to them.

"It is always a pleasure to work with Arif sir, we come to know so many new things every day," says Tanishk. For J. B. S. Vidhyadhar, ranked No 7 in India,and now looking to combine with V. Diju for doubles, it was no different. "I just cannot afford to miss his coaching. So I have decided to have one training session daily with him, besides the other one at Gachibowli under Gopi," he says.

Clearly the focus was on the glamour couple of Indian badminton - former national champion and India's best-ranked player Chetan Anand (World No. 24) and Gutta Jwala. In a way, they were also instrumental in bringing back Arif. By requesting him personally, Chetan made it absolutely clear that he will focus on personal training at this critical phase in his career, instead of spending time at national camps.

And that despite of hiring SAAP coach P. Goverdhan as their travelling coach, the duo wanted to train under the watchful guidance of Arif was an apt illustration of how highly respected he is in the badminton circles.

But what exactly does Arif have to say about Indian badminton? "Obviously, I cannot comment on individuals. But I sincerely believe that there should be equal emphasis both on juniors and seniors. At no cost the established players should be given the impression of being ignored. It is always a good idea to have a long-term 2010 vision for the sport," explains Arif.

In the same breath, he makes it clear that he will never be a part of any move that could be detrimental to the sport itself. "I am here just for the love of the sport and I hope to contribute in my own way by treating this as yet another challenge," he says. He doesn't believe that he will be out of place in this hi-tech world. "The basics remain the same, it is only the coaching techniques that vary," he stresses.

By all means, the `bird' is definitely shuttling around at Fateh Maidan and it's a welcome sight for the regulars after a long break.

V. V. SUBRAHMANYAM

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