India’s chief national badminton coach P. Gopi Chand formally launched his autobiography Shuttler’s Flick: Making every match count, co-authored by Priya Kumar, here on Friday.
Pullela Gopichand: I did not want my autobiography to be dull and preachy
Later, Telangana Minister K.T. Rama Rao, who is also the president of Telangana Badminton Association, engaged the former All England champion in a conversation tracing Gopi’s journey into the world of badminton as a player and coach and as a human being.
“My work doesn’t start and end on the court, it continues off it too. I keep challenging myself by not making the routines, discipline and training boring. I try to introduce variables, challenges and sometimes even fun to keep the players enthusiastic about the game as well as to not let their bodies slip into a comfort zone,” Gopi quoted from his book.
He said it was virtually impossible to make it to championship level without a coach in any field, sports included. “You may be able to hit your target once, but to hit it 100 times you need structured practice,” he added.
“As a coach, I have a 24x7 job with my players. My work is not an eight-hour engagement. I am responsible for what my players do in their training, practice and games. I am also responsible for what they do when they are not on court,” Gopi said.
