An under-rated breed called coaches

Very recently, sprint legend Usain Bolt hailed his coach Glen Mills as the key to his success at the London Olympics. “I want to give thanks to Glen Mills. He is the greatest person; he has been a father figure, my mentor, he’s been a coach and for me he is the person that makes me laugh”, said Bolt at a press conference. Ideally, you do not associate Bolt with statements and gestures like these. The ‘flaunt it if you have it’ image that he carries and the extremely confident statements that he usually makes about himself makes us believe that he belongs to that rare species of athletes which do not require any coaching or mentoring. But deep down inside, he knows and appreciates the value of his coach and hence he gave his coach his due credit.

But are coaches elsewhere in the world of sports given their due? In a team game or an individual one, it is the players who always end up getting all the credit and praises for their victories and superlative performances. Likewise, they also bear the brunt of the fans and media if they fail to live up to the expectations. However, history suggests that coaching has a huge part to play in the success of an individual or a team. Yes, the captain and the players are important because they are the ones who have to perform on the field. But it does not take away anything from the impact that good coaches or for that matter bad coaches can have on the performance of an individual or a team.

Take the example of Indian cricket. In the year 2000, India got its first foreign coach in John Wright. The former New Zealand skipper kept a low profile and worked behind the scenes. During his five-year stint, Team India enjoyed a remarkable winning percentage of over 40 in Test cricket, winning 21 out of 52 matches. More importantly, Wright’s tenure taught the team to win overseas, guiding the players to 10 wins on foreign soil, including victories over Australia, England, Pakistan and the West Indies. He also helped India attain ODI success, winning 52 per cent of the games, and it was under his regime that India reached the finals of the 2003 World Cup in South Africa. Yes, he had the luxury of an outstanding team comprising of a blend of experienced and young cricketers led by a dynamic captain, but considering that Wright took over the reins in the aftermath of the match-fixing scandal of 1999, his achievements with the side are truly special.

Then came the Greg Chappell era which was known more for controversies rather than cricket. The Aussie had the responsibility of taking Indian cricket to greater heights following Wright’s successful reign. However, things backfired right from the word go, as Chappell’s “I’m the boss” mentality did not go down too well with the star-studded Indian team. Chappell’s two-year stint proved to be a nightmare and the numbers reflected that. The overseas record was even worse with India winning just four games out of 12.

The Indian team had to recover from the Chappell era and after few stop-gap arrangements, they got their 3rd foreign coach in Gary Kirsten. Under Kirsten, Team India went on to win an emphatic 16 matches, at a rate of almost 50 per cent, out of the 33 that they played. The team also achieved huge success on foreign soil, winning six games out of 14. During Kirsten’s three-year stint as team’s coach, India only lost one series while they won seven out of the 12 that they played. It was under him that India not only became the number one ranked Test side, but also fulfilled every Indian’s dream of winning a World Cup after 28 years.

But after the 2011 World Cup, Kirsten left and all of us know what has happened in the post-Kirsten era with Indian cricket. Under Duncan Fletcher, India has already lost 8 Tests in a row on foreign soil and to simply keep the story short, the team is struggling to get back to its glory days. Thus, in the last 12 years or so, the team has seen 4 different coaches and their fates have been strikingly different. Yes, a sizable chunk of players have changed in this period but the core of the team has been more or less the same. As far as Gary Kirsten and his coaching abilities are concerned, he joined the South African cricket team last year and their success is for everybody to see. They recently dethroned England from the number one spot in Test cricket.

Football or soccer is one game in which the role of a coach or manager has always been acknowledged and appreciated. If we have to talk about Manchester United, their coach and manager Sir Alex Ferguson has been often credited with the success of the club in his 26-year regime. And many seem to believe that United will never be the same once Ferguson decides to call it a day. On the other hand, Chelsea, under their manager Andre Villa Boas, plunged to their rock bottom halfway through last season. The star players of Chelsea including Lampard had issues with him and nothing was going right for the club. When Andre Villa Boas was sacked after less than a season in charge at Stamford Bridge, the club was on the verge of an early exit from the Champions League with a defeat to Napoli. To go on and win the Champions League from that situation is fairy-tale stuff and Roberto Di Matteo was able to achieve the impossible. The inclusion of Robert Di Matteo or should we say the exclusion of Andre Villa Boas, did the trick for Chelsea. If this does not highlight the significance of having a good coach in sports, nothing ever will.

The impact of coaches on individual players is immense too. Good players require good coaches to be able to perform to their maximum levels on the field. And bad coaches can make good players look horribly out of sorts. One may argue that good experienced players do not need coaching per se but there are challenges that good players face and they require somebody’s help to tackle the challenges. That’s where the role of a good coach comes in. Sachin Tendulkar stressed upon this point when he spoke very highly about Gary Kirsten and his huge involvement behind India’s success during his era. In fact, Sachin himself could rediscover his form and played some of his best cricket in the Kirsten era. It is only after Kirsten left that Sachin has found himself in a slight slump and Duncan Fletcher has not yet been able to help him get out of it. Sachin faced a similar rough period when Greg Chappell was in charge of Indian cricket too.

Tennis legend Roger Federer also was apparently suffering a crisis of confidence in 2010 and many of us thought that his era was done for good. However, the appointment of a new coach Paul Annacone managed to help him revive his career. Annacone led Federer to two straight year-end championships in 2010 and 2011, a Wimbledon title in 2012 and a return to the World No. 1 ranking. It is interesting to note that Annacone was earlier the long-time coach of another tennis legend Pete Sampras and was instrumental in his success too.

You look around the world of sports and you will find many more examples which showcase the impact of coaches. Basketball coach Phil Jackson and his successful stint with Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, Jose Mourinho and his exploits as a football manager with various clubs, our very own Pullela Gopichand and his mentee Saina Nehwal – all these examples showcase the importance of a good coach. The players understand and acknowledge it. It is high time the others give them their due as well.