India’s superlative shuttler PV Sindhu is looking to make Bangalore an extended training base under Prakash Padukone at his academy in the run-up to the Paris Olympics.
“I’ll be training in Bangalore with the whole set-up of support system – physio and trainer. Everybody needs to be together in one place and whenever time permits, I’ll be going and training in Bangalore,” she told the Indian Express.
Shot selection, variations, and bringing accuracy to her attack are on the agenda. A double Olympic and five-time Worlds medallist who became World champion in 2019, Sindhu had struggled with injury and loss of form since last August. But she has shown small signs of resurgence in the European swing. For now, she is stepping off the tournament treadmill with a left knee niggle.
Padukone reckons he could guide Sindhu and bring her ambitions back on track, and the target is clear. “Long-term goal is the Olympic gold. Nothing less than that. Along the way try to win the All-England title as well since I believe it is one of the toughest tournaments on the circuit,” Padukone, himself a 1980 champ of the event, told this newspaper.
The Bangalore-based legend who runs a state-of-the-art academy in the city’s outskirts stressed that their focus will be on improving her speed, strength, and endurance, so she can return to her attacking style of play. “We have to work on her physical parameters to make her fit which in turn will allow her to play the attacking game which suits her best. There is a lot of scope to get mentally even stronger. My take is that whenever you are physically strong and you know that you have prepared well for an event, automatically you become mentally strong,” Padukone added.
The Bangalore-based legend who runs a state-of-the-art academy in the city’s outskirts stressed that their focus will be on improving Sindhu’s speed, strength, and endurance, so she can return to her attacking style of play. (PV Sindhu Instagram)
Sindhu’s on-court tactics had stagnated and she had lapsed into a defensive style of play, but Padukone is helping her revive the sting in her offense. “I attack a lot so the strategy he’s helping me with, plays a major role in this. Opponents wouldn’t allow me to attack. But it’s important that you have to also grab that opportunity to take that attack on your side,” Sindhu explained.
Padukone, who is helping her improve her set-up shots before the smash kill, was keen she take to the competitive court with clear goals. “She has to try to win every tournament she plays. My mantra is If you are not confident of winning a tournament, then don’t play that tournament,” he added.
Sindhu, who has currently opted for a protected rank of No 10, is nursing a sore left knee. “Definitely not anything major. But need a few weeks of rest and then I’ll start my rehab. Because the ultimate aim is the Olympics. But before that, my motto is to come back completely 100% fit. Not 50% coming back and playing,” she said.
The move to work with Padukone came about two weeks prior to the Asian Games when she travelled from the Suchitra Academy in Hyderabad where she trains, after the senior coach and playing legend invited her over. “Initially I was a bit concerned when I read in the papers that she was mentally tired and that was affecting her performance, so I reached out to her and asked if I could try to help her. This was during the US Open in August. Before that, I did not know her at all other than meeting at the odd event. She was more than happy to take my help. That is how the whole thing started,” he said.
The duo started talking on the phone on a daily basis. “But there was only so much I could do because I had no idea about her training schedule and also because she was in the midst of tournaments. During that time, it was just to give her confidence and more of a pep talk. We really started working on the court just before the Asiad,” he said.
Helping untangle strategy
Padukone helped her untangle the tactical mire she was caught in which reflected in her tentativeness on court. “She was a bit confused about the strategy to adopt as she had changed coaches after the departure of Park Tae-sang and each one of them had advised her different things. So, my first job was to make her understand what strategy and tactics to adopt while playing different opponents,” he said.
Recalling the early interactions and how it started showing in the game, Sindhu said, “More than everything is the confidence. Also, mentally, and physically I’ve been fit enough. Discussed a few things with Prakash Sir. He’s such an experienced person, such a legend. He himself has done really well for the country. So he gave me his input.”
Stressing that there was nothing wrong in learning from the experts, Sindhu said she felt rejuvenated. “We just used to talk about changes to the support system and everything around. On court, it just depends on that particular point or rally where I’m playing something and he used to say you should have played another way. These are a few tweaks. That itself made a major difference,” she added.
Sindhu was satisfied with the progress. “In just 6 weeks, I’ve come from World No 17 to top 10 and that’s a big margin of improvement. I’m back to the top level where I used to play,” she added.
The Bangalore stint also helped her rediscover her rhythm, Sindhu said, adding that the effort was collaborative rather than the coach merely instructing. “Definitely got a lot of inputs for matches against Supanida [Katethong], [Gregoria] Tujung and [Carolina] Marin. I also had to mentally be there. Sometimes you are not fit enough. It’s important that rhythm and everything comes together. That’s why majorly training sessions were good. And Prakash sir told me a few things strategy-wise. As a mentor, he would also see what I’m trying to say. When I ask Prakash sir for inputs, even I should know what he’s trying to tell me. It needs to be from both sides. That’s when it works out. It shouldn’t be just from one side.”
Most Read
1
Alia Bhatt says she ‘broke down’ after seeing Raha’s photo online in Kashmir, Ranbir Kapoor ‘pushed his work’ and rushed to pick her up
2
Tiger 3 box office collection Day 5 early reports: Salman Khan film dips further, expected to earn over Rs 17 crore
See More
Padukone stressed that Sindhu made for an eager ward. “One of her biggest strengths is her willingness to take suggestions from others despite achieving so much success at the international level. Not many top sportspersons have this quality. Most of them feel they know everything. Because of this attitude, it may not be tough for the team to keep Sindhu’s motivation level high,” he said.
The approach will be multi-pronged as plenty of work has to go in before she can regain her earlier aura and dominance where opponents were wary of playing her strapping game. “She has most of the strokes but the focus is on using the right strokes at the right time. If you have all the strokes but don’t use them at the right time, it is of no use. We are also focusing more on accuracy and making her strokes sharper. Thirdly to bring in a little more variation so that her game does not become predictable. All this will take time but it is a work in progress,” Padukone added.
While she recovers from the knee issue, she’s been catching up on cricket and the World Cup. “My favorite is definitely Virat. Because he’s inspired not only me but millions of people. His aggression, his grit, his passion, and his dedication to the sport is another level,” she ended.
2023-11-17 16:11:40
#Badminton #Sindhus #quest #Paris #glory #helping #hand #Prakash #Padukone #Bengaluru #Badminton #News
