Done enough for elite players, now second innings started: Prakash Padukone on new venture focussing on grassroots training

PMC schools to have air badminton

An Air Badminton initiative, jointly implemented by the Poona Games Foundation and the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) in civic schools, was also inaugurated by Padukone. Under this scheme, air badminton courts will be marked in 32 PMC schools by the Poona Games Foundation. Each school will be provided with four badminton rackets and shuttlecocks by Yonex. A coach from the Poona Games Foundation will visit each school for a week to provide training, followed by support for the next two to three months. This will be a pilot project, after which PDMBA and the Pune Municipal Corporation will work towards expanding it to more municipal schools.

“In China, 100 times more children must be playing badminton as compared to India. If we can increase the number of people introduced to the sport, let’s say one lakh, 1,000 out of them will go to the next level, and then some of them will go to the elite level. We have to introduce the sport to more children.” The collaboration between PDMBA and Padukone School will introduce a certified common curriculum along with new technical assessment methods for coaches.

Talking about badminton in India, Padukone said these days, funding is not an issue in badminton and enough money is available for players. “Players get whatever they want and they travel with a whole team. Overall, the standard of badminton in India has improved but we should not be satisfied. Players should have that hunger in them to win big tournaments. We need to focus on mind training for players to perform under pressure situations,” he said.