How often have you thought "So many things have to go right for an athlete to win that gold at that moment in time?". Let's talk about the ONE factor that matters so much...
Agreed, a LOT of factors have to fall in place in that one single second that brings home the medal - 'luck' being the one most out of our jurisdiction. Then there are things like fitness, technique, mental make-up, the opponent, decision-making, previous hardships taken and many more. However, the one factor that can greatly enhance all of the above, is the presence of the coach - not just physically, but also how deep he resides in the athlete's psyche.
One such example of a dedicated coach is Dada Sopan Lavate - a wrestling coach who runs a 'taleem' or wrestling facility in Murgud - a small village 40 kms from Kolhapur. He is a sports teacher by profession and an NIS wrestling coach. Coaching upcoming wrestlers is his passion in the true sense of the word and he considers himself a full-time coach, taking his role extremely seriously. What does that entail, according to him? To answer that question, let's take a look at what all he has done on the ground -
Progress of his wrestlers is of prime importance to this man and he has fostered and sheltered many promising kids in his own home.
He himself takes care of all the tournament needs of the wrestlers - finance and logistic part included.
He moved 300 kms away from his hometown Solapur to Kolhapur in order to pursue his passion
He works tirelessly to sustain his facility, engaging with different people who he knows can help out the kids.
He is always looking to upgrade his skills so that he can be a better coach to his athletes.
He is a strict disciplinarian when it comes to the sport and training. No wrestler from his facility is allowed to even own a mobile or divert from his path consisting of coaching, training and education.
This list is not just of all that he does, but can be a reference point for who can qualify to be a good coach! Believe me when I tell you that these qualities are extremely hard to find in today's coaches, and the disconnect between them and their athletes are also evident. With athletes jumping from coach to coach more often today, it is refreshing to see how passionately Dada's wrestlers swear by him! Of course, the results speak for themselves...His taleem boasts of 2 international wrestlers and almost 10 national wrestlers - no mean feat in itself!
Here is hoping that all the coaches of various sporting genres take a cue from Dada and pledge to fulfil their duties with as much passion, devotion and dedication as he does.
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