 It's
always a challenge to work with children and Morten Christian
Christenen,oneof the best Danish coachesand alsoan
International Badminton Federation Development Technician, accepted
the challenge and conducted a 2hour 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 andshe 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 internati onal
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."
| J.Vinay |
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2:54:20 PM 
