Threatened by injuries, Saina Nehwal needs to find a smarter route to the top

Sport is a fickle creature - taking athletes on the soaring flight of victory one moment before condemning them to a lacerating defeat the next. Over the last few weeks, Saina Nehwal, the first Indian shuttler to reach the summit of badminton, has been learning the difficulties that accompany high altitude living. Her uncharacteristic losses in Japan, Denmark and France have illuminated the challenges she faces as she looks to establish herself at the top of her sport. Ever since gaining prominence as one of the most promising badminton stars, nearly a decade ago, Saina has battled her body and mind in the pursuit of her lofty dreams. Early in her career, she suffered a series of niggles through 2008 and 2009. [caption id=“attachment_2486214” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Saina Nehwal has had a tough time lately. Reuters[/caption] But the determined shuttler worked her way back to glory – stirring a nation’s spirits with a remarkable fight back to win the gold medal in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. Her 19-21, 23-21, 21-13 victory over Wong Mew Choo garnished her status as the country’s finest badminton player. It was also the year in which Saina rose to world No. 2 behind Wang Yihan of China. However, her journey has been one of stops and starts and 2011 was marked by a mixed bag of results. An Olympic bronze in London 2012 was followed yet again by a string of injuries and disappointments as she marched through a barren 2013. The story of her working with Vimal Kumar at the Uber Cup in 2014 and the subsequent move to Bengaluru has been well documented. The move paid rich dividends as Vimal helped Saina rediscover her love for the sport, providing her a fresh canvas of freedom to express everything she learnt at the school of Pullela Gopichand. But injuries once again threaten to derail her progress and this is as good a time as any for Saina and her team to consider what it would take to build a sustained run of good form with an eye on the the 2016 Olympic Games. Badminton is a sport that needs strength and flexibility, speed and endurance. The challenges of tuning an athlete’s body and mind to deal with these contrasting demands underlines the need for a professional unit to help the athlete realize her potential. Saina and Vimal have hit it off from the word go and her rise to the top of the rankings bear testimony to their collective success. But it is one thing to scale a summit, another to build a habitat in such rarefied air. Saina needs to build a strong team of professionals with specialized skills to keep her at the top. And that team should build itself around the coach and player – consisting of an experienced physio, a fitness trainer guided by an expert in bio-mechanics. It is also essential for Saina to have occasional access to a mental trainer who can keep her mind calm and focused when it matters the most. Bio-mechanics could be a key tool to enhance Saina’s consistency Very few people are aware that Saina has a form of Plantar Fasciitis, a condition that is the most common form of heal pain and one that athletes are particularly susceptible to.. Saina’s feet are also small for her frame, being less than 26cm and “with asymmetrical width from toe to heel”, according to an August 2012 story in the Times of India “To hold the wide body frame that Saina possesses, one needs longer feet,” Gopichand said. “Due to this peculiar condition it is very difficult for Saina to maintain fitness throughout a season,” Under these circumstances, it might be worthwhile for Saina to go through a series of bio-mechanical sessions to map her movements. This will help her understand the power and reaction forces exerted by her joints on her upper and lower body. While it may be too late in the day to change the fundamentals of her game, the study could help Saina and Vimal manage the physical stress on the body through careful management of her court movements. For instance, a badminton player soars nearly three to four feet in the process of executing a jump smash. With shuttle speeds ranging upwards of 250kmph, the player has about half a second to flex the elbow to attain a racket speed of nearly 50kmph to execute a power packed punch and nail the opponent. Since it is vital for badminton players to maintain a low centre of gravity during points, Saina exerts enormous stress on her femur and tibia, not to mention her quadriceps and biceps as she works her way through a point. A bio-mechanical expert could help manage these stresses and reduce the risk of injury. Physiotheraphy is vital to keep Saina fresh and ready Saina has also been known to turn extremely stiff, especially after surviving longish matches. Often times, she has gone on to lose to lesser opponents after battling to tame a far more seasoned opponent. The physio can play a vital role during tournaments and in between matches, helping Saina play deep into the tournament. Mental coach and good management team could help her stay focused One of the reasons for the growing distance between Gopi and Saina has been the later’s desire for freedom and the former’s taste for discipline. In an era where sport is driven by television, there are conflicting demands on Saina’s time, given her substantial commercial interests. While one needs to respect an athlete’s need to earn well, great success cannot be achieved through a diluted commitment to sport. A good professional management team can help Saina strike a balance between the demands of badminton and those of her sponsors, so that she can deliver her best at the tournaments she enters. With a good schedule on the table, Saina should be able to manage her body better and play to her potential. The mental coach can help Saina stay connected with her genetic predisposition toward excellence, by channeling her energies in to the sport she loves. At 25, Saina clearly has a few good years ahead of her. She has already acquired a taste for being the best player in the world. At this crucial stage in her career, Saina would do well to re-assess her schedule and support structures to build further and create a lasting sporting legacy.