Gurdaspur judo coach selected for World University Games

You miss 100 per cent shots which you do not try. This, in essence, means without trying you reach nowhere. These words of judo coach Ravi Kumar hold true not only in sport, but in life too. Despite his not so comfortable upbringing, this man tried and consequently excelled in national judo championships. Before that, he won medals in the National School Games, besides picking up a silver medal while representing Punjab in the All-India Judo Championships in 2012.

He had joined the centre as a toddler and grew up as a player under the eyes of coach Amarjit Shastri. In 2014, he retired as a player. He was recruited by the Punjab Sports Department as its coach in 2019 and was deputed at the same centre, where he had spent his formative years as a player. He says it is a matter of pride that he is one of the around 100 domestic players, apart from the 40 international judokas, produced by the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Judo Centre, Gurdaspur.

For him, it is the little details in coaching which matter “because little things make big things happen”. He always emphasises the importance of preparation, the value of effort and the lessons learned from both success and failure. He flourished as a trainer because he knew his livelihood depended upon judo and coaching of youngsters. He is now the Indian team’s judo coach, which, at present, is playing in the World University Games being held at different venues in Germany.

For two successive years, 2022 and 2023, he has won the best coaching achievement award from the state government.

“A good coach must bring his or her players closer to their full potential, or at least discover it. That is the main objective of the coach, and one that must be tried to achieve every day through daily practice. Winning may well be a part of that potential or maybe not,” he told TNS on the eve of his departure for Germany.

Ravi often tells his students the importance of preparation, the value of effort and the lessons learned from both success and failure. “Young players need freedom of expression to develop as creative players. They should be encouraged to try skills without fear of failing,” is his favourite line to his pupils.

If you never try, you will achieve nothing. There is no better example of this than coach Ravi Kumar himself.