What’s ailing Delhi’s badminton scene?

It is interesting to know that the top ranked player in the under 13 category belongs to Haryana but lack of facilities in the northern region compelled him to shift to Hyderabad. For years now the players have complained about facilities and coaching standards in Delhi that urge them to move to the popular academies. Saina Nehwal,apart from being a north Indian has done exceptionally well since she has been training under experienced coaches. The Delhi players feel that there isn’t any schedule chalked out for them to help them to improve. “There is a big difference between the training styles here in Delhi and the way it is in Hyderabad,Bangalore and Maharashtra. They have three sessions a day that include fitness,skill training and match practice. There is no such routine for us,” said a young Delhi player who did not wish to be named.

Different view

But the veterans have a different view. They feel players have developed a casual attitude towards badminton. “These days players are not focused. Inhe badminton se zyada phone aur laptop yaad rehte hain aur aise player nahi nikal sakte (They care more about their phones and laptops and top players can’t be produced like that) ,” said Shrikant Bakshi,former international player from Delhi. Another veteran cum coach Vikram Bisht who also runs an academy,said that the most compelling reason is the acute shortage of badminton halls.

“I would only say that North needs a permanent residential academy for badminton. This would help players work as a unit and their efforts will be well directed,“ added Vikram Bisht. The coach also stressed the need to conduct more tournaments for the players. He said that the number of tournaments conducted in north. The players lack match exposure and lose in the opening rounds of the nationals. “The more you practice,the better you become. I have talked to SAI regarding a big hall where I can open up an academy and try to conduct a lot of tournaments,” he said.

With DBA still hopeful to get a venue sanctioned by the government,SP Singh said that the association will try its best to convince the authorities so that a favourable equation for the upcoming players as well as the association comes up.