Renowned badminton coach S.M. Arif feels the biggest challenge any athlete will face after the lockdown will be mental fatigue.
“Athletes — or for that matter any individual — used to busy routines and now confined indoors for such a long time might well face this kind of a challenge. So, it is imperative to do everything possible to avoid it,” says Arif.
The Dronacharya awardee says he is doing, right now, what he has never done in his 46 years of coaching — stretching exercises on the rooftop of his residence and interactions over the phone with his trainees.
The 76-year-old, whose coaching with national teams started four decades ago, has always been a regular at the Fateh Maidan, his ‘second home’.
“This happens to be the longest break for me, beating the previous one during the last General Elections,” Arif says in a chat with The Hindu.
How difficult is it? “For me, it has been a different kind of challenge. Though I retired 16 years ago, I continue to visit the Fateh Maidan and offer coaching free of cost. I can’t just be sitting at home. I love being with the trainees,” he says.
It’s not just athletes!
“So, it is not just the athletes who are hit badly. Coaches find it extremely challenging, too! And, being unsure of what is in store, we are keeping our fingers crossed,” says the coach, the first to produce international medalists in badminton from India since joining the national panel of coaches in 1974.
“There are no options but to stay indoors for anyone, given the grim scenario. But my genuine concern is that the players do not get too rusty,” he feels.
What is his advice to the trainees? “Just to do minimum exercises possible at home to maintain basic fitness levels. Too much of rest is a scary thing,” says Arif, who introduced the likes of Manoj Kumar, Praveen Kumar, Gopi Chand, and Saina Nehwal to the world of badminton.
How does he keep himself occupied? “Well, that is another huge task. I have been watching the Discovery channel a lot of late,” he signs off.
