Interview| Indians are born clever but they should be ready to suffer: Santoso Premium

Agus Dwi Santoso, Indonesian badminton coach, emphasizes mental toughness and early training for elite success in the sport.

Agus Dwi Santoso has a ruthless streak in him. The noted Indonesian badminton coach, who otherwise has a baby-faced charming look, comes from a school of thought that believes that a player should be ready to die – not quite literally – on court in the pursuit of excellence. Playing through pain is non-negotiable for sustained success.

In the present-day environment, there will be many who will not be in agreement, but Santoso has results to back his methods and his nation’s rich badminton history to make his voice heard. He has coached the elite in Thailand, Korea, Indonesia and India (including P.V. Sindhu and K. Srikanth) and also the likes of his countryman Hendrawan, whom he guided to the singles silver medal at Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and the World Championship title in Seville in 2001.

Santoso is also from a country that revolutionised badminton in the 1960s, first through Rudy Hartono who mesmerised the world with his power and speed and won seven straight All England titles from 1968 to 1974, and then via Liem Swie King, a three-time winner. To this day, Indonesia has elite players like Tokyo 2020 Olympic bronze medallist Anthony Ginting and reigning All England champion Jonatan Christie.

Now, Santoso is in India, heading the high-performance coaching program at Game Fit Academy in one of Bengaluru’s south-east suburbs. In an interview with The Hindu, the 59-year-old speaks of about the talent pool in India, the badminton culture back home, the way the modern game is shaping up and what India needs to do to be consistently good at the world stage. Excerpts:

How do you assess the talent in India?

There is a lot of talent. But only a few can become world beaters. How? The culture has to change. Indians are born clever. But they are not able to manage pain, sorrow and suffering. In China, you start training from six years old. But in the West, may be at 10 or 11, and if the player or the parent sees talent, then they become serious. No, it is too late. You have to start early.

How is the pool different in India from Indonesia?