BAI urges former players to learn coaching and save Indian badminton

India Today

22-04-2025

The Badminton Association of India (BAI) wants former top Indian players to hone their coaching skills under foreign coaches and work with junior players but also strive to save the Indian style of play from fading.BAI had advertised coaching position and received an overwhelming response with as many as 49 former players applying for the job."We invited applications from the top players who want to come into coaching with BAI and SAI. We got 49 applications out of which we have shortlisted 10-11. The list has gone to SAI for approval," BAI General Secretary Sanjay Mishra said in an interaction.advertisement
Mishra stressed the importance of preserving the traditional Indian playing style, which he believes is slowly fading due to the increasing influence of foreign coaches. "The Indian style is somewhat fading. Prakash (Padukone) sir used deception to win the All England, (Pullela) Gopichand played net game to win. But now, under foreign coaches, the Indian shuttlers are playing a more physical game, more like the Indonesian or Malaysian style."Maybe our physique also doesn't fully support that kind of play. After playing one or two games the body may not be able to sustain the tempo. So these Indian coaches can pass on our style apart from learning the foreign style which may give better results," he added.BAI plans to rotate the shortlisted coaches across training centres. Initially they will be assigned to junior players at the National Centres of Excellence (NCoE).advertisement"These coaches will be rotated in the centres. We want these coaches to work with junior players at the NCoE before moving to elite coaching."The BAI is also focussing on the development of junior players as it wants to create a "chain of talent"."Our focus at the NCoE is on junior players. Earlier, we would just hold 15-day camps before tournaments. But now, with the NCoE, they have a consistent space to train together," he said."It will take 3-4 years, but eventually, the question of 'who after Sindhu?' or 'who after Prannoy?' will be answered.""In China if top two are not playing, the third string player also goes and wins a tournament. We want to develop a similar system, prepare a chain of players so that even if the top two are not available then third best player has the capability to reach the semifinals."Mishra added that the top players will be given a choice to train across the three NCoEs in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Guwahati where one foreign coach will also be stationed.Currently, Malaysia's Tan Kim Her works at NCoE in Hyderabad and Indonesian Irwansyah Adi Pratama in Bengaluru while South Korea's Park Tae-Sang, who coaches junior players, works in Guwahahti.advertisementHe also added that shuttlers will undergo fitness tests thrice a year."SAI has been focussing on players being fit or ready to play. They have set some parameters for this, some test that players should take thrice a year."India will host the senior World Championships next year and a team from the world body BWF will travel to India to inspect the venue -- the Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi -- in June.Must Watch