Fusing Fun with Work

It's always a challenge to work with children and Morten Christian Christenen, one of the best Danish coaches and also an International Badminton Federation Development Technician, accepted the challenge and conducted a 2-hour badminton session for young badminton players at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Association. The response was overwhelming and the kids learned a lot of new things and enjoyed every bit of the session.

Morten, who had come with his five students, trained the young ones on mental concentration, balance, footwork, grip, defence and reflexes. He emphasised that talent should be groomed right from a young age, infusing fun and active participation. "In Denmark, we train them at a very young age and develop them to become better players in future. Sports activities start right from the school level there. The present players aren't focussed. They should think. Thinking builds their performance."

Morten, aged 40, has the agility of a teenager. Being a good coach and a national level player in Denmark, he is more of a performer than a player. He believes in fusing fun with work. "I like working with kids. It's fun. I train from techniques to tactics. Even they like and enjoy these physical and mental activities."

In badminton, or any sport for that matter, mental preparation plays a vital role rather than sheer physical power. "You have to learn from experience. There is a child in each one of us. You should discover yourself and get creative and find a way to win, as life is all about winning. Survival of the fittest…"

The coach is the key person in any sport. Usually, a good player ends up becoming a coach and we rarely find a coach who has outstanding playing capabilities. It's difficult to get a combination of both. Morten has the knowledge and skill in both these areas. "As a coach and a player, I know my techniques and implement them in the game. My wife is a nutritionist and she helps me in aspects of nutrition. In turn, I train the players in physiological elements as well."

Morten recommends a basic diet required for a sportsperson. "Vegetarian food is healthy, but it does not provide the extra carbohydrates and proteins that a sportsperson so dearly requires.
Fish and meat is very good and help in building that extra stamina within."

It is important for a coach to understand the player in and out. "Yes, it is important for a coach to understand the persona of an individual player. It usually never happens in a group. The coach should prune the strong points of the player."

In recent times, we have seen countries hiring foreign coaches. "It is not that the country lacks good coaches, but it is more of learning from one another. Learning new methods and ways of training..."

The European circuit has many tournaments round the year - German Open, Danish Open, Dutch Open and the much-acclaimed All England Championship. "These tournaments provide more exposure to the players. A few top Danes are in the international circuit for around 15 years, unlike Chinese and Indonesian players who are in the scene for not more than 4-5 years."

When asked about our city, Morten said, "Bangalore is a good place. Karnataka Badminton Association has good infrastructure. We liked the place, but the food here is spicy, not like our traditional food."

One of the trainees, Deepika, summed up the training session. "The session helped us all a lot. It was more fun oriented and unique. It's a totally different coaching style. Well, it was nice."