Indian badminton star Saina Nehwal participated in Chiripal Group's sports festival in Ahmedabad on Friday. Talking about the fitness secret of Japanese players, Saina said, 'If we adopt the same fitness routine as the Japanese players, the results will also be very good. They run for 30 minutes before and after the match. Which brings the fitness level to a unique level. This is the routine of Japanese players. They don't immediately go into recovery mode even after a match. If you don't play 3-4 days in a week, stamina drops and maintaining fitness is a big challenge. Indian players are also adopting it. Hence the number of Indian shuttlers is increasing. '
The current generation is obsessed with mobile, it should be abandoned Talking about the current status of Indian women's shuttlers, Saina said, 'Currently there is a little gap. China is a powerhouse and we are becoming one. Results are taking time. Me and Sindhu were hard smashers, moving fast and getting results because we both had a never-give-up attitude till the end. Today's young generation is getting a bit lax in this matter, this problem is seen in other countries besides India. Perhaps the reason for this is the neglect of mobile phones. But for success then that too should be given up.'
If the players miss out on medals, they feel more grief Regarding the performance of the Indian shuttlers in the Paris Olympics, Saina said, 'All the competitors have played well, it's not like you go to the Olympics and get a medal. There the pressure is 3-4 times higher than a normal tournament, the target could win the match but the pressure often leads to defeat. He will learn this with experience. It is understandable since Lakshya was in the Olympics for the first time, but if he does it again, it will be a big mistake. While I also had hope from Satvik-Chirag. She was leading in the first set and lost after taking the lead in the second set as well, Sindhu played well while her opponent played better. If the players also miss a medal, they feel a lot of pain.'
Like other sports, Badminton should also be played in leagues On the development of badminton in the country, Saina said, 'There should be leagues in sports including badminton, currently leagues are found only in some sports. As far as I know there are only Kabaddi and Cricket leagues. If there is a league in this too, people will watch the matches. Sports infrastructure is there in the country. Top players get training from coaches like Gopichand or Padukone Academy. If such a high level coach gives training to a 5-10 year old child at the grassroots, think what the result will be.'
Now players also have slip coaches Talking about the last 5-7 years, every player has a mental health coach. Currently, players also have sleep coaches. I had my first physio at the age of 19. Tennis star Djokovic once said a good thing – if you can't handle pressure, you're not a player. But, one thing is that no matter how many mental health coaches you hire and train, you will feel the pressure when you step on the court. I started playing badminton at the age of 9. However, in China, children join sports only at the age of 4-5 years.'
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
