MANGALURU: Dakshina Kannada Badminton Association(DKBA) in Mangaluru is planning to start free para badminton coaching at its indoor stadium at Urwa in the city for children with disabilities.
Sharing his thoughts, Rayeez P C, in-charge of Coaching, DKBA who came up with the idea told TNIE that initially they have plans to train a minimum of 5 children with disabilities in the below 10-15 years category and prepare future players for Paralympics and DKBA is already approaching schools in this regard.
"Badminton should be accessible to everyone, irrespective of physical limitations or disabilities. The next step in developing a complete badminton ecosystem at DKBA is to create an opportunity for players with physical disabilities to learn, train and compete in badminton," Aniruddha Patwardhan, the Head Coach of DKBA said.
Patwardhan is involved in badminton as a coach for around 15 years and is also a former National-level badminton player. He has trained more than 3000 players over the years with more than 40 representing at state level and 10+ at national level.
Patwardhan says he intends for DKBA to become a place where a child or an adult with a disability can walk into a badminton court and feel that there is a place for them here too.
Initially, the objective would be to identify interested players, understand their individual requirements, provide them with appropriate basic training and gradually develop a structured Para Badminton programme. "As the programme grows, we can work towards participation in competitions," said Patwardhan.
Specialised knowledge is crucial for Para Badminton coaching. The fundamentals of badminton remain the same, but the coaching approach needs to be adapted according to the player's disability and classification. "I intend to first educate and train our coaches as well through appropriate Para Badminton courses/workshops and seek guidance from qualified Para Badminton professionals, and then develop the programme at DKBA in a structured manner," Patwardhan said.
Santhosh Kumar Shetty, president of DKBA said that the intention behind the idea of para badminton coaching is to provide a platform for children with disabilities from the coastal region and encourage and prepare them to participate in paralympics. "We will also provide them with a badminton kit and other facilities required," he said.
Currently, approximately 150+ athletes are training at DKBA with the beginner programme alone having around 100–110 children.
DKBA has invited interested children with disabilities to join the free para badminton coaching.
Interested participants can contact +91 95035 02528.
