Manoj Kothari was recently appointed as the national coach for cue sports. Currently at the national camp in Indore,the Dronacharya awardee talks to The Indian Express about his vision to help the players work on the finer aspects of the sport and scientific coaching. You have a scientific coaching method that has become public only now. How do you think it will help the players? Being in the coaching panel of the BSFI,I have been watching players using conventional techniques to improve the game. But now that I have been entrusted with a bigger responsibility,I will be developing programmes which will focus on the mental and physical aspects of a player during a match. I will be working on changing the perception of players and focus on the minute skills which often get overlooked. A proper evaluation and analysis programme will be designed. What methods will you use to coach players and assess their performance? SWOT analysis will be the crux of this scientifically-designed programme. Other than that,the players will be asked to maintain records of their everyday workouts. Charts,tables and graphs of each players performance will be maintained. My job is to make the players realise that some of their strengths were,in fact,mistakes which they make. Once they start analysing themselves,it will help figure out the difference between match and practice sessions. I want to bend their thought process towards science. How do you think the senior Indian players will adjust to this kind of coaching? Once they start with it,it will help them a great deal. It always takes time when you start doing something new,so once the players are pushed to think logically,they will automatically get into the groove. Record books will be given to all of them. The kind of shots to be played,with what speed and how to pocket the ball will be on agenda. Nowadays,realisation of ones strengths is very important and normally players mistake their weaknesses as their strength. If a player is trying something new on the table,he should be clear in his mind. If a player falters less,most of the job is done. You said a foreign coach from England will be coming for snooker,will his methods be similar? The chief coach of the professional body,Derek,will be joining the camp to coach players. I am not aware whether he is familiar with the scientific technique,but he is one of the best coaches in snooker,so he might have management skills. I feel it will be a great combination. It is a mutual learning process and he will also be an asset in letting us know how to rectify errors,how to improve the infrastructure etc. So will scientific coaching system make into the coaching manuals? Definitely. Now that I have the platform,I will surely make it a point that the coaches be trained in this style. Earlier,the players used to take years to correct their weaknesses because they were unaware,but a coach can analyse a player better. So,if the coaches are well acquainted with contemporary manuals,the growth could be rapid. Initially there might be problems understanding the scientific terminology but I will be active in imparting the necessary information. Which aspect of the players will you be focussing on before the Asian Games? There is no fixed aim. Since the players are undergoing selection matches in this camp,I am just observing and scribbling down their mistakes or the kind of shots they are trying. I also encourage them on an outstanding shot so that there is a support system. The data which the players collect daily,I interpret and guide them accordingly. It is the data presentation which holds weight and as soon the players learn to do it,it will certainly see them results.
