He recreated history by winning the prestigious All England Open Badminton Championships at London in 2001. Rewards followed and he became one of the most recognized faces in Indian sports. But he is one man who hasn’t changed over the years. Success, as a player and now as a coach, hasn’t affected his temperament. He is still cool, restrained, suave and focused. Rather, with time and age, he has become more determined and has been working twice as hard to churn out champions from his now famous Gopichand Badminton Academy in Hyderabad.
Pullela Gopichand has achieved what most other Indian sportspersons can only think of by actualising what he dreamt seven years ago. He established India’s biggest badminton academy ‘Gopichand Badminton Academy’ (GBA) at Gachibowli at the cost of Rs. 9-crore, which caters to the need of the burgeoning shuttlers, providing them with world-class facilities and serves not only the Indian players but also the world at large. The founder of the academy is the only sportsperson to use the 5-acre which it allotted by the State Government and he has achieved all this independently by raising funds through friends.
Gopichand Badminton AcademyMeasuring 42 ft height x 270 ft length, the academy accommodates eight courts. “The academy has procured the world’s best equipment to help recover faster and train harder. Health club, ice bath, steam bath and Jacuzzi and physiologists over the years. The wooden flooring of the courts was made as per international standards .The academy provides boarding for 30 players in its 14 fully-furnished rooms. The whole idea is to cut down on the time spent on travelling from hotels to the stadium. Modern-day training is not just focused on skills but also on the recovery phase,” said Gopichand, who is also India’s chief coach.
Idea behind the setting up of GBA
The main idea behind setting up of GBA was to attract talent from various parts of the globe and to make it a ground for honing the skills of the talented lot. “The academy started off in July 2008 in Hyderabad and it was with the intention that we have this world class facility in our city so that all our players don’t have to leave and go abroad. They could train here at one place. We have had some amazing results over the last few years and we are hopeful that the Academy will do well in future as well. I can see the pool of youngsters already being attracted towards the game. Academies have revolutionised badminton in India. We have players like Saina, Kashyap, Guru and a lot of youngsters, who have been doing well in the international events. I hope there are more kids coming up from our country and doing well internationally,” said Gopichand.
Perspective on coaching
Dronacharya Awardee Gopichand, who is the main force behind the emergence of Saina Nehwal, P KAshyap and now PV Sindhu and Kidami Srikanth as the best shuttlers of the country and has taken up coaching of India team, says that coaching isn’t an easy job.
“It has been 13 years that I have been coaching. It takes a lot to coach players and understand their psyche. But for me it is like giving a personal touch to coaching, as I have worked hard on the court for years. I can understand it better and tackle the problems faced by the players quite well. I spend most of the time with players so that I understand them better and coach them better,” added the ace shuttler.
Structure of the academy
There are about 8-10 coaches who assist Gopichand at coaching centre. Right now there are about 20 players who train and stay at the academy and about 50 players who train at the academy and are not hostellers. The players are divided into groups on the basis of performance and age. Players get personalised attention by the coaches and all requirements of the players are given due importance.
Championships played so far at GBA
GBA has hosted Asian Championships 2004 and the Yonex Sunrise India Open, which is like a Grand Prix tournament. Then the biggest tournament in the World, the World Championships have also been played here.
GBA vs. other academies
Gopichand Badminton AcademyThe Academy has been officially nominated as Asia Training Centre along with BAM in Kuala Lumpur by the prestigious Badminton Asia Confederation. This allows the players, officials and coaches from across Asia to be trained on the latest advancements, techniques and developments in badminton. “A string of regular international events, seminars, conferences, coaching clinics and training programmes give excellent exposure to the players and coaches of this Academy and help them polish their skills and produce world champions. Emphasis is also placed on eating the right kind of food and therefore there is a well-stocked cafeteria and a dietician for nutrition counseling. Physical fitness is ensured and so there is an athletic track, an upcoming swimming pool, weight training and of course yoga and meditation for mental rejuvenation. All of these facilities are exclusively available under one roof i.e. GBA,” asserts Gopichand.
Pool of youngsters at GBA
From India’s ace shuttler Saina Nehwal -- who left the academy to shift her base to Bangalore two years ago -- Arundhati Pantwane, P.Kashyap, to young players like Guru Sai Dutt, H.S.Prannoy, PV Sindhu, Kidami Srikanth, etc are all training at GBA. All these players stay at the academy and train under Gopichand. “Young players have done really well. These players will be on the top in few years. Five years ago if I had one player to focus on now, I have at least five to six players to invest my time at present. Young guns like Sourabh Verma, H.S.Prannoy and PV Sindhu are giving good results,” said Gopichand.
“Gopi sir thinks a lot for us and plans accordingly. Whatever we are today is because of him,” says Guru Sai Dutt, gold medallist National Games 2011.
“At the academy, it is all about the atmosphere we get which has really helped us grow as badminton players. Gopi sir is a dedicated soul. He reaches the academy at 4:30 in the morning and leaves at 7 in the evening. He is the best coach in India. The programme guides and the monthly recreational activities at the academy make it world class and unique.” said Arundhati Pantawane, also a gold medallist at National Games 2011.
What’s on offer for the masses
The academy also encourages tournament matches for children with budding players taking part in the State and National championships. This serves as a talent search mechanism, believes Gopichand, adding that one really needs to start young to understand the pulse of the game. Other than that, the academy also invites hobby players who just want to play and keep fit. It is even turning out to be a place that working professionals could look towards for their corporate outings.
Future lies here
It is strongly believed that professional training centres like GBA are working as a catalyst in the growth of Indian Badminton circuit .Not only they have popularised the game, but have also played an instrumental role in giving the country the talented lot. “We already have some great young players who possess the talent to reach the top 30 rankings. We, the coaches, need to give them more attention and international exposure can work wonders,” says the master.
Gopichand also wishes to promote other sports through GBA like table tennis and swimming and would bring in experts in those fields as well. Yoga, aerobics and meditation is encouraged too. The academy is almost like a Sports Village. Through GBA, Gopichand is certainly giving back to the nation, something it will be proud of.
By Akshi Aggarwal
