Sunday, November 18, 2001		Article

Lack of sports psychologists affect performance
Ravi Dhaliwal

BARRING the odd victory, like the one we achieved in the Junior World Hockey Cup recently, we enter competitions with a competent team and exit as an incompetent one. Our level never rises above that of mediocrity. Be it any discipline, any event, there is a sameness about Indian sport that is beginning to dull the senses almost like a scratchy record that has played on for too long.

An interview with a cross-section of sports administrators, former and present Olympians and international sportsmen revealed that the lack of top-notch sports psychologists is one of the foremost reasons for the country lagging behind in the world of sport.

Renowned sports writer Marcel Proust once wrote: "You cannot possess if you do not desire." This is a sporting essential. Such things have to be taught to our sportspersons by nobody except our sports psychologists. There should be psychologists who should teach even children in short pants that winning is not a sin. Unfortunately, India cannot boast of a single world-class sports psychologist. That is why our sports administrators wanted to bring in a Germany-based sports psychologist to boost the morale of our sportspersons before the 1998 Bangkok Asiad. However, the idea did not find favour with the top brass of the Sports Authority of India (SAI).

The lack of sports psychologists in the National Institute of Sports (NIS) in Patiala — one of the biggest sports institutes in Asia — is a pointer as to how our administrators (men masquerading as messiahs of Indian sport), are blind to the need for these psychologists. The NIS has virtually become a white elephant after some top psychologists left the institute to seek greener pastures abroad.

The exodus from the sports sciences faculty began when one of the leading sports psychologists, H.A Khan, left the NIS in disgust in March last year and set up base in Canada. The SAI corporate office, Delhi, terminated his services in December last year. Khan was the personal psychologist of ace golfer Chiranjeev Milkha Singh and used to accompany the golfer on his tours abroad. After Khan, his wife, Manoranjani Khan, a junior scientific officer in sports psychology, followed suit. Yet another psychologist, Bhupinder Singh, also left the NIS and joined the Punjabi University, Patiala, as its Joint Director, Sports. At present, the NIS has just one sports psychologist, Reena Kaul, on its rolls. Is one sports psychologist sufficient to instil the nuances of sports psychology into hundreds of campers who attend various national camps being held at the NIS?

That is why the Indian's rest in the Ice Age in the world of sport. The attitude of other countries towards the role of sports psychology is vastly different. At the Sydney Olympics, the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) sent 27 sports psychologists to help its contingent. China sent 13, the USA had 10 on the field. India had none.

Another problem is the lack of literature on sports psychology. We cannot use the literature relevant to China or Germany. The socio-cultural scenario in which our sportspersons are brought up is vastly different from the one operative in China or Germany. What is more, not a single university in India has either a degree or a diploma course on the subject.

Hockey, the only sport that has given India 7 gold medals in the Olympics, was the first sport in which the importance of a sports psychologist was realised. Though the results have been below the expectations, the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) continues to attach a sports psychologist with the team.

Dr Amrit Brar, a city-based psychologist, remained attached with the national team for a couple of years, including the Atlanta Olympic Games. Unfortunately, in Atlanta, the team failed to make the last four grade and went down to occupy its lowest ever position. For the past some time, Dr J.S. Sidhu, of the Chandigarh Sports Department, has been attached with the present national hockey team which just managed to qualify for the World Cup Hockey Tournament after finishing fifth in the Qualifying Tournament at Edinburgh.

The reason given for limited success is that sports psychology sessions are new for players who have already reached the national level. Had this counselling stated at an early age, say at the formative years, the results would have been much more encouraging.

Another area, besides sports psychology, which the hockey federation tried unsuccessfully was the appointment of a physical trainer with the team. Jagmohan Singh, the then Deputy Director, NIS, Patiala, was the first physical trainer of our national team. He continued with the team for a while but there was no visible improvement in the performance of our national in international events. Dr D.K. Tandon, Director of Competitions of the coming National Games, who is basically from gymnastics, also remained attached with our national cricket team, as a physical fitness trainer.

These concepts, though new, need persistence to be successful an yield results. Short and stray experiments here and there lead neither the sportsmen nor the sport anywhere.

There is a need to evolve a system where sports psychology, physical fitness and dietary control are an integral part of sports training and can be used effectively for good results.

— With inputs from Prabhjot Singh