CUTTACK: After last year’s Asian Games, India’s coach Massimo Costantini had to leave his job due to personal reasons. While the Table Tennis Federation of India is still in talks over appointing a new coach, Australian Brett Clarke is currently juggling between his role as the junior national coach while also overseeing certain senior commitments.
According to the former Olympian, his contract states he can do both when required and that is something he is enjoying at the moment. “There is a clause in my contract which allows me to coach both juniors and seniors. Officially, I was engaged as junior national coach with some senior obligations. This is part of the agreement. I’m excited to do both and appreciate the offer. Getting to coach so many top 100 players is an amazing opportunity,” he said on the sidelines of the 21st Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships.
Having coached in different places, the Commonwealth Games gold medallist knows what sort of approach to take with regards to his junior and senior engagements. Juniors may need a more hands-on approach. While dealing with seniors, building a rapport can be the best way to extract that extra bit during competitions.
“The most important thing while coaching high-level players is trust. If the player trusts you, he can achieve so many things. My personal focus is on building those relationships and show them that I have the expertise that can be valuable for them. When it comes to juniors, you have to work on technical aspects a bit more.”
The 46-year-old was initially supposed to join back in February. But due to SAI and TTFI delaying his contract, he had chosen to withdraw from the job. He, however, was brought back on board in June. And Clarke had no qualms over the whole issue. “The government did due diligence on me and it takes time, I understand. You must work out if the profile suits the needs of the government as well as the federation. I’m just fortunate to be here and so far, everybody has really helped me feel welcome.” Incidentally, he was one of two national coaches in Cuttack.
The former Australia men’s coach has played against the likes of S Raman and Chetan Baboor during his playing days. So he was aware of the Indian talent pool before as well. But Clarke admits that when he arrived in the country, he realised the magnitude of change that has occurred.
“I think the biggest change that I have witnessed is increased participation. Whenever you go to regional tournaments, you see so many table tennis players. It’s like a breeding ground for excellence. Having the government and SAI on board has helped players as they now participate regularly in Pro Tours and Platinum events. Just look at the growth of G Sathiyan.”
Clarke also likes his share of fun. He has a YouTube channel on which he used to upload either tutorials or funny videos. Something that the kids in Patiala regularly laugh at.
“It was just a hobby. I enjoyed making those crazy videos. I like making people laugh. Even the kids enjoy. It helps in the sense that I become more approachable for junior players.”
Clarke, who hails from Melbourne, will see his current contract end before the Tokyo Olympics but he wants to stay on as this is an exciting time for the sport in the country. “I really like it here. I see players full of confidence. They have role models to aspire to. I genuinely feel the sky is the limit for Indian table tennis.”