Always a step ahead

AS EARLY as 1994, he had predicted P. Gopichand would reach the world's top 20 in badminton.

Not only did the fiercely aggressive shuttler prove his coach right, but fired by his mentor's forecast, even cracked the top ten. The faith reposed in him was not without foundation.

When being wheeled to his room after a four hour operation on his knee, Gopichand had a query for his coach. ``Arif sir, people have written me off (after an injury sustained during the Pune National Games). What do you think of my future?''

Such a question from a badly impaired ward with little chance for the future, would have normally caused considerable heartache for teacher and pupil. Never one to demoralise the dedicated, Syed Mohammed Arif's reply was stirring. ``I have complete faith in the Almighty. And I firmly believe you will recover and attain great heights,'' he said.

Just as much as Arif has implicit confidence in Gopichand's attitude and abilities, so also does the latter rest assured that he is in safe hands. Not surprisingly, the two have many things in common. While on tours, they stay together. Neither is very fond of TV. Both go to bed and rise early.

Discipline is the cornerstone of their lifestyle. When the whole gang has ice-cream, Gopichand resists the urge. Much after the others have stopped their practice, the world's seventh ranked player can be seen sweating it out still.

``You can set your watch to 6 a.m. in line with the arrival of Arif Sir at the Fateh Maidan Indoor stadium,'' says Olympian P.V.V. Lakshmi. ``He's dedicated and determined too. If a player is injured or loses his or her composure, he's quick to lighten the situation with a joke,'' the former national champ adds in admiration. Twice, when she underwent operations, he was a constant source of support, egging her on till she returned to the court.

At the indoor stadium, to which he has grown attached since 1978, there could be action on four courts at the same time. Nonetheless, he can spot chinks in players. ``If the player puts in 100%, Mr. Arif contributes 200%,'' observes Mr. D. G. Kurien, father of Shruti Kurien, junior national champion.

When Shruti squats on the floor during a practice session, Arif's remark is as gentle as the wit. ``Age has caught up with her. She's in her sixties,'' he quips. When G. Jwala comes complaining about being hit in the eye by the shuttle, the father figure asks her to open it. When she does, the words are reassuring. ``If you can open your eyes, then there is nothing wrong with them,'' he opines. The bond Arif has built up with his pupils is more akin to a father doting on his brood. Disgusted with the politics played by sports' officialdom, on the third occasion that he had drafted his resignation letter, his wife had a word of advice. ``Do you think you can stay away from badminton or from its players? If you are happy at that prospect, then go ahead and take the drastic step,'' she said.

The benign coach chose to tear up the letter just as the Director General of the Sports Authority of India (SAI) had done twice before. It certainly wasn't easy for SAI's boss to do away with the man who had produced 11 internationals, quite a few of them Olympians.

Nor could be ignored the fact that players under his tutelage had cornered no less than 121 national level titles. The achievements do not stop there. In the 1998 World Championships in Denmark, India improved its position from 19 to 16. Last year the Indian team qualified for the Thomas Cup after a 12-year gap.

The game's highest authority, the International Badminton Federation (IBF), recognised his contribution by bestowing the Meritorious Service award. Back home, with just three years to go for retirement, he is still to receive the Dronacharya Award, the dream of any sports guru.

But the accolades came the other day in Hyderabad. The Andhra Pradesh Badminton Players Welfare Association (APBPWA) got up a function to felicitate the man almost everyone holds in high esteem. Such a spontaneous show of affection may not be the lot of most Indian coaches.

More than the gifts or the monetary contributions that could be mustered, the heaps of generous praise showered on him by Gopichand and Manoj Kumar, the APBPWA's President must have been heartening. ``The best thing about Arif sir is that he only expects results and nothing else in return,'' former men's senior national champion Praveen Kumar pointed out in a fitting compliment to a truly selfless coach.

Anybody who was somebody in the State's badminton fraternity was present. Arif was touched but he seized the chance to bring a spot of good news. In the presence of Mr. L. V. Subrahmanyam, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP), he made the announcement. A sum of Rs. 4 lakhs had been assured by SAAP to enable Shruti and Jwala, the best women's junior doubles duo to play two circuits each overseas.

Arif also acknowledged SAAP's support by way of the shuttles it supplied. For decades it was the dearth of the `birds' which had hampered the progress of Indian players immeasurably, he said.

Exposure can bring our players on par with the best in the world. Citing the example of star student Gopichand, who hit an all-time high after playing in the German league, he said, that familiarity with trends in the top league would put Indians on a far sounder footing.

For Shruti and Jwala, he has forecast the two-some will make the world's top ten in doubles in three years and also land an Olympic medal too. In all these years, the odd prediction has not come good. That was more because the players lacked application.

If one looks back at his career, the most crucial phase could be the five-year span between 1979 and '84. That was the period he set aside to change mindsets of players and convince them they could be winners. If that went to someone's head, it was Gopichand's, who for the 2001 Korea Open, a Grand Prix event, was ranked fourth.

First in the line of finished products of this new found confidence were Praveen Kumar and Manoj Kumar, who went on to take the junior national doubles title in 1984, even when competing at the sub- junior level. Gone was their awe for Maharashtra, which was a power then as it is now. By then, the AP boys had developed a belief in them that their opponents, however fancied they were, could be beaten.

The bane of Indian badminton has been the near absence of multi- shuttle training, stemming from a shortage of shuttles. Such a regimen is pivotal in keeping pace with the flight of the feathered cork, which calls for response times of 1/300th of a second, says Arif. To illustrate, he recounts his son's superiority in a video game. Since the youngster has been at it for a while, he could easily defeat his father and log more points.

How did his coaching and training scheme evolve ? To start with, he made studies into endurance, followed by speed and other aspects of sports. He examined the various training systems of badminton's super- powers. Imbibing whatever he could apply in Indian conditions, he developed his own models, using them for players in accordance with their natural abilities and aptitude.

A. JOSEPH ANTONY

Hyderabad

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