Gurdaspur coach to lead national judo squad

Small towns like Gurdaspur and Batala often provide a passionate environment where coaches receive strong support from the local community, parents and even businessmen willing to dig deep into their pockets to ensure the growth of their adopted sport.

While Gurdaspur has emerged as a hub of judo, with more than 40 international players trained at the Shaheed Bhagat Singh JFI Coaching Centre, Batala has made a name for itself in the world of hockey by consistently producing a glut of top-drawer hockey players. This sporting success has been made possible due to some dedicated coaches.

Ravi Kumar, a judo coach and an ad-hoc employee of the Punjab Sports Department (PSD), is one such example. He has been selected as one of the four Indian coaches to accompany the 18-member national judo squad (comprising seven boys and seven girls) for the Asian Youth Games, slated to be held in Bahrain from October from October 28 to 30. His fellow coaches are Sushil Gaikwad, Gitanjali Pawar and Ramashrey Yadav.

Ironically, despite mentoring numerous national and international judokas, Ravi is not well-compensated by the government. His coaching colleagues claim that the government follows a ‘one-size-fits-all’ policy, which fails to distinguish between good and mediocre coaches. “A good coach consistently produces excellent players throughout the year. In comparison, a mediocre one produced none. Yet, both are paid the same. So how do you motivate a good coach?” says one of his colleagues.

The motivational level of a good coach, who has given admirable results, is bound to drop. And without motivation, and more importantly incentive, nothing can happen.

The national team’s coaching camp is currently being held at the SAI Centre in Bhopal. It began on September 28 and will continue until October 27, funded by the government. Ravi has already left for Bhopal.

Nearly 150 boys and girls train at the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Centre and the nearby Lakshmibai Training Centre for girls. Ravi himself trained at the Bhagat Singh Centre during his prime and was once a national-level player.

It is often observed that coaches play a crucial role in identifying and nurturing talent in small towns that might otherwise go unnoticed in larger cities.

Ravi is a firm believer in hard work, discipline and dedication. “A coach is someone who sees beyond limits and guides his trainees to greatness. I believe in hard work. A player who is not willing to give 100 per cent has no place on the field. The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary,” he says.