Long haul ahead

Hadi Sugianto is a brave man. Having been coach of the Indonesian national team and one of their top clubs, he nevertheless decided to take up an assignment with the Indian team. How wise a career move this is will be seen over the next year. But Sugianto has no second thoughts on his decision.

Sugianto (with Aras Razak), was ranked world no.11 in doubles. Having retired in 1997, he became coach of Brunei for a year, before returning to Indonesia as coach of Surya Naga for five years.

The former world no.11 doubles player talks to Dev S Sukumar about his ideas on the game and what he has planned for Indian badminton:

Q: Are you happy with the way the camp has gone?
A: I have concentrated on doubles… the players have improved over the duration of the camp. They're better than before. They are ready for Malaysia .

Q: You have emphasised on fitness…
A: I have given them a little physical training. I didn't have time to make them as fit as I would've wanted. In the first days of the camp, they were quite weak, but now they're better. The problem with them is, they're not strong, the muscles are weak.

Q: You have asked them to improve their basics, such as serves and dribbles?
A: The serve is very important in doubles. If the serves are not perfect, we cannot hope to win. Among the boys, the serves are better, but the girls have to improve. While serving, you should be very confident, and you can develop that only after a lot of practise.
Light training should be done whenever there is time. They should practise serves and dribbles for an hour everyday, after regular training.

Q: What is your programme after the Thomas Cup preliminaries?
A: I've asked for four to six pairs, I'm asking for a year's continuous training, either at SAI (Sports Authority of India), or at KBA (Karnataka Badminton Association), Bangalore. I also need a couple of junior teams.

Q: Is there any particular way you approach your sessions?
A: I try to explain the training programme before the session. After the session, I explain its effects.

Q: Why did you decide to take up this assignment with the Indian team?
A: I want to get a lot of experience, because I'm still young. I need to learn.

Q: How do you spot talent in Indonesia ?
A: Our scouts attend all the major competitions. We observe players for three things: skill, footwork, and fighting quality.
If they have all these three qualities, they're invited for further training.

Q: Are you comfortable in India ?
A: I have to be happy, it's my job! If I'm not, I will return to Indonesia .