This piece was published in Sportskeeda
http://www.sportskeeda.com/2013/04/18/interview-rajeev-ganpule-the-first-indian-to-clear-wbf-level-1-coaching-course/
Coaches put in the hard yards behind the scenes and seldom grab the spotlight. Rajeev Ganpule is one those self-effacing coaches, who lets his coaching attributes do the talking. The former national-level shuttler is in seventh heaven after he became the first Indian to clear the Badminton World Federation’s (BWF) Level 1 coaching education course held at Male, Maldives last year.
“I’m happy to clear the WBF Level 1 coaching course. Being the first Indian to clear the course gives me huge satisfaction,” Ganpule says in an exclusive interview.
The 49-year-old Mumbai-based coach was the lone Indian to take the Level 1 coaching education course. “The World Badminton Federation (WBF) invited applications for the said course from across the globe. The Badminton Association of India (BAI) invited applications from all state associations and our national body nominated me for this prestigious examination, which was conducted by the world governing body in Maldives last year,” he says.
Ganpule, who is also the executive secretary of the Maharashtra Badminton Association (MBA), shed light on the Level 1 coaching education course. “Well, the course was an eleven-day affair. Around 14 coaches took this course. We used to have theory classes from 10 am to 2 pm, which also featured PPT presentations by the World Badminton Federation. We used to have practical classes from 6 pm to 9 pm. Former Malaysian international and current New Zealand badminton coach Thanabalan Arikrishnan was the World Badminton Federation (WBF) tutor for this coaching course.”
Ganpule has no doubts that the course would stand him in good stead for the future. “WBF tutor Thanabalan Arikrishnan assessed my expertise and felt that I was pretty comfortable conducting all three levels of coaching – basic, intermediate and advanced. Definitely, I was richer with this experience,” he quips.
Going forward, the seasoned coach sees overseas coaching opportunities in future. “We were asked whether we were keen to take up coaching assignments overseas. I expressed my keenness to explore such opportunities.”
Ganpule now wants to share his experiences with other Indian coaches. “I’m not just happy to be the first Indian to clear this course. I want to share my experiences (Maldives stint) with other coaches so that it can benefit them. I would love to see more Indian coaches clear this course in future,” he asserts.
The 1983 Mumbai University men’s singles runners-up feels that coaching is lucrative if one has the desired skill sets. “A good coach can rake in the moolah. If you carve out a good reputation, money should not be an issue,” he assures.
Ganpule, who runs the Yen Badminton Academy in Mumbai, touched a pertinent point when he talked about the need for high quality grasroot-level coaching. “Look, in India, there is a crying need for decent basic-level coaching. We lack proper basic-level coaching across the country. Even if we have, the quality is not there. But for advanced-level coaching, there are no such concerns as former players like Prakash Padukone, Pullela Gopichand and Uday Pawar are doing a wonderful job.”
The Maharashtra Badminton Association official harbours hopes of coaching in India. “Coaching is booming in India. Lot of international schools and luxury societies are setting up badminton courts, which effectively means that coaches will always be in demand,” he reasons.
Sports runs in the Ganpule family. He runs a sports goods shop ‘Ganpule Sports’ in Mumbai. “It’s a family business which we run in two places – Thane and Mulund,” he signs off.
http://www.sportskeeda.com/2013/04/18/interview-rajeev-ganpule-the-first-indian-to-clear-wbf-level-1-coaching-course/
Coaches put in the hard yards behind the scenes and seldom grab the spotlight. Rajeev Ganpule is one those self-effacing coaches, who lets his coaching attributes do the talking. The former national-level shuttler is in seventh heaven after he became the first Indian to clear the Badminton World Federation’s (BWF) Level 1 coaching education course held at Male, Maldives last year.
“I’m happy to clear the WBF Level 1 coaching course. Being the first Indian to clear the course gives me huge satisfaction,” Ganpule says in an exclusive interview.
The 49-year-old Mumbai-based coach was the lone Indian to take the Level 1 coaching education course. “The World Badminton Federation (WBF) invited applications for the said course from across the globe. The Badminton Association of India (BAI) invited applications from all state associations and our national body nominated me for this prestigious examination, which was conducted by the world governing body in Maldives last year,” he says.
Ganpule, who is also the executive secretary of the Maharashtra Badminton Association (MBA), shed light on the Level 1 coaching education course. “Well, the course was an eleven-day affair. Around 14 coaches took this course. We used to have theory classes from 10 am to 2 pm, which also featured PPT presentations by the World Badminton Federation. We used to have practical classes from 6 pm to 9 pm. Former Malaysian international and current New Zealand badminton coach Thanabalan Arikrishnan was the World Badminton Federation (WBF) tutor for this coaching course.”
Ganpule has no doubts that the course would stand him in good stead for the future. “WBF tutor Thanabalan Arikrishnan assessed my expertise and felt that I was pretty comfortable conducting all three levels of coaching – basic, intermediate and advanced. Definitely, I was richer with this experience,” he quips.
Going forward, the seasoned coach sees overseas coaching opportunities in future. “We were asked whether we were keen to take up coaching assignments overseas. I expressed my keenness to explore such opportunities.”
Ganpule now wants to share his experiences with other Indian coaches. “I’m not just happy to be the first Indian to clear this course. I want to share my experiences (Maldives stint) with other coaches so that it can benefit them. I would love to see more Indian coaches clear this course in future,” he asserts.
The 1983 Mumbai University men’s singles runners-up feels that coaching is lucrative if one has the desired skill sets. “A good coach can rake in the moolah. If you carve out a good reputation, money should not be an issue,” he assures.
Ganpule, who runs the Yen Badminton Academy in Mumbai, touched a pertinent point when he talked about the need for high quality grasroot-level coaching. “Look, in India, there is a crying need for decent basic-level coaching. We lack proper basic-level coaching across the country. Even if we have, the quality is not there. But for advanced-level coaching, there are no such concerns as former players like Prakash Padukone, Pullela Gopichand and Uday Pawar are doing a wonderful job.”
The Maharashtra Badminton Association official harbours hopes of coaching in India. “Coaching is booming in India. Lot of international schools and luxury societies are setting up badminton courts, which effectively means that coaches will always be in demand,” he reasons.
Sports runs in the Ganpule family. He runs a sports goods shop ‘Ganpule Sports’ in Mumbai. “It’s a family business which we run in two places – Thane and Mulund,” he signs off.
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