CHENNAI: Even before N Ramachandran had finished announcing that the Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI) would grant a travelling coach with players, Joshna Chinappa was ready with a response. “Yay,” her hands went up. Dipika Pallikal, who had suggested the idea to the federation, was also happy. Both of them exchanged knowing looks.
The life of a professional athlete on the move can be trying and it’s no surprise to learn that some of India’s foremost exponents in the sport have welcomed the move. “It’s been something we have been trying to work out for a long period,” Joshna tells Express.
“Having somebody travel with us, it makes a huge difference. Many top players in the world travel with two coaches, a physio and so on. It helps especially between games when you come out and see someone supporting you. It gives you a lift.”
Harinder Pal Sandhu explains further. “Having a coach by your side gives you the freedom to play your game more freely,” he opines.
“You don’t have to see what your opponent is doing during points. When you are doing that as well (trying to work out whether the opponent is struggling with some aspect of his game), you have the chance to drift away from your game plan. With a coach by your side, he or she can identify the weakness and convey it to you during games.”
Joshna also points out how having Ashraf El Karargui in the corner helps in plotting the demise of an opposing player. “Having someone like coach Ashraf travel with us is good. He has closely watched a lot of the Egyptian players and knows their games well. At this point, we are playing Egyptians all the time because there are so many of them. In those cases, it definitely is handy to have him watching you from the sidelines.”
It is beneficial in other ways too. It gives the player a chance to talk to a known face on a daily basis. It is not the same thing but Roger Federer threw light on how talking to people helps during a match.
“I think they are more mental than anything else,” he said on injury timeouts after his Australian Open semifinal against Stan Wawrinka. “For the first time maybe during a match, you can actually talk to someone, even if it’s just a physio. We know him well. Just to able to talk about I don’t know what. That can leave a positive effect on you.”
swaroop@newindianexpress.com