Champions make their own way; losers make excuses

By Prakash Padukone

WHENEVER anyone complains about the "lack of facilities" for today's sportsmen in India, my mind immediately goes back to the 1974 Asian Games camp in New Delhi. Our dormitories at Northern Railway Stadium had no beds, no water, and hadn't been cleaned in a long while. We had to borrow buckets from local players, set up a small kitchen ourselves and make our own food. The team went on to win a bronze at the Asian Games in Teheran.

This is not to complain of the dismal state under which we trained, but to make today's players aware of a time when things were not easily available. I've brought this up because it seems to me that there are too many complaints today on insufficient infrastructure, grants, etc.

I accept that there is a lot of room for improvement, but players should not become obsessed with issues that are beyond their control. Ultimately, your success is in your hands and no amount of whining for a better deal is going to make you a better player. You will have to accept what you have been given, and yet try to become the best in the world.

In the sixties, when I was picking up the game, shuttle badminton was hardly known in South India. I learnt the game by observing senior state players, and then national players. I hardly had any international exposure till the mid-seventies, when I was past my teens. The Karnataka team trained on the stone slabs of Malleswaram Association, and we won the inter-state twice. We never had international-quality shuttles, or wooden courts, or even coaches.

Expecting better facilities will take you nowhere because government policy is not in your hands. Players who are earnest will find their own way, no matter what the difficulties. Never think of what you don't have. Concentrate on things in your control and spend all your energy on your improvement. The player of today has technology at his disposal: he can see videos of his opponents, he can surf the internet for information, he can even record his own matches and correct any flaw. Nobody but yourself will have to take responsibility for your performance.

We Indians have an inherent tendency to complain. This also translates into our game — I have seen Indian players overawed by their opponents; we are taken up by their physical build, or big smash, or speed, instead of focussing on our own strengths. Of course you should be aware of your opponents' strengths, but not to the extent that you underestimate your own abilities. Besides, it won't do you any good to dwell on your opponent’s strengths. You should focus on what you are good at and minimise your weaknesses. You cannot prevent your opponent from hitting hard. What you can do is use your control and deception to prevent him from getting under the shuttle and hitting often.

The important point to remember is to not blindly copy the style of the Chinese or Indonesians or Europeans, even though they play spectacularly. I have heard people say that the modern game is of pace and power, and our traditional strengths will not work. I don’t agree. Players like Liem Swie King and Luan Jin were as fast and powerful as today’s players, but I countered them with deception and control. It is almost impossible to match the Chinese or Indonesians in the physical department. We can never have their explosive bursts of speed, or their hitting power, because of racial and other differences. Of course we cannot afford to ignore our physical qualities, but we should not get carried away by watching their game and try the same ourselves.

We have to evolve a style of our own that is based on our strengths — like our intelligence, deception, control, concentration, footwork — and is complemented by our fitness and ability to last the distance in any match. These are equally important attributes with which we can score over the other Asians. The South- and Far Easterners play the game more mechanically; there is so much importance on physical fitness in their training that they cannot easily adapt to tactical variations. By experience I have found that we have a better ability to think on the spot and switch tactics, which confuses them because their training is uni-dimensional and depends more on hard physical work than on the mental side of the game.

Another important point I want to raise is the habit of giving excuses for defeat. It has become routine for players to blame their defeat on the drift in the hall, or the quality of the shuttle, or some injury. At the end of the day, that’s all they are: excuses. Giving excuses is the first sign of deterioration.

Also worrying is the tendency among some top players to skip matches to avoid difficult opponents. Such players are slowly but surely on their way down. Avoiding a confrontation is the sign of a loser. You have to face pressure and the only way to handle it is to keep playing.

Blaming everything and everyone but oneself, and avoiding big matches, are evidence that a player is scared of losing. A player who is scared to lose can never become a champion. You should play to win, but once you lose, be gracious and do not give excuses.

Do not get distracted in the pursuit of your goal. Top players are role models for youngsters and seen as public figures. Be careful about your public pronouncements. I believe star players should avoid making public their opinions because their statements might result in developments that eventually distracts them from training. Players who are likely to be quoted in the media should be careful about what they say. You can speak your mind to your friends, but when your opinions are in the public domain, you have no control over them and will be in danger of being misquoted or quoted out of context. Controversies are best avoided when you are a player – you can always speak your mind after your retirement.

The goal is to reach your potential. Don’t be satisfied with whatever you have achieved – keep pushing ahead. Do everything possible to become the best you can be, so that you have no regrets at the end the day. Rudy Hartono won more titles than me, and I have no hesitation in declaring him a better player, but I have no regrets because I achieved whatever I was capable of.