Rahul, recurve archer practicing. Mumbai: You could call it a mini-mission to learn from the best. That’s what eight Indian archers are seeking to achieve at a high performance training camp they are currently attending in South Korea ahead of the World Archery Championships starting next week in Gwangju.Supported by the Reliance Foundation (RF), the eight archers, including the seasoned husband-wife duo of Atanu Das and Deepika Kumari, have been in camp at the renowned Yecheon Jin Ho International Archery Center since Aug 14. And perhaps one of the biggest benefits to come out of this special arrangement orchestrated by RF, has been the opportunity to train under the celebrated former Korean head coach, Moon Hyung Cheol.
Archers practicing at the venue
With four of the eight set to compete at the worlds from Sept 5-12, it’s exactly the preparation and conditioning the squad’s travelling coach Rahul Banerjee believes his archers needed ahead of the test coming up in Guangju.“The reasoning behind the planning of this camp is, firstly, Korea is around three and a half hours ahead in time, so acclimatization is crucial,” Banerjee told TOI from Yecheon. “So that’s why we came around 25 days before.“Secondly, the place we are training in, Yecheon, it is known as Mecca of archery in Korea. Korean archery mostly started from here. A lot of Olympic medallists, even the current ones, are from this ground. And we are training under Mr Moon who was head coach of the Korean team in 2016 and 2008, under whom they’ve got the highest medals.”The biggest learning, both Banerjee and the archers emphasized, has been on how to tackle the windy conditions, which, they say, you don’t experience in India.“The most difficult conditions for our players, not only in Korea, but in every tournament especially overseas, it’s the windy conditions. In India we don’t get such windy conditions, so when the winds come in, immediately we get mentally weaker than the opponent. And in same conditions, Koreans are around 20-30 per cent ahead of us,” said Banerjee.It’s this area which has been the focal point of his interactions with Hyung Cheol, not even allowing the language barrier to deter him.“I keep on asking him how to judge the wind and what are the things your archers focus on during windy conditions,” Banerjee said. “One barrier is the language. We are totally dependent on Google translation. We have also downloaded KakaoTalk (a popular instant messaging app in South Korea). So I keep on messaging him and he replies on that.”
Rahul with legendary Korean coach Moon Hyung Cheol
Four-time Olympian Deepika, who will feature in Gwangju along with Rahul and the compound archery duo of Aman Saini and Prathamesh Fuge, echoed her coach’s sentiments.“It’s provided an excellent opportunity to judge these conditions,” said the decorated recurve archer who has twice bagged silver at the world championships. “When you suddenly go from competing in dead wind to encountering wind, it can be confusing.“However, if you continue working in such conditions, your confidence automatically builds up, helping you understand how your shooting will be affected.”It’s a new experience for these archers, and a more than welcome one. “This is the first camp of its kind in Korea for me,” said Aman, a 2018 Asian Games silver medallist. “It’s a great initiative that we’ve been sent here by RF for good training before the world championship.”Training with the Koreans, even if this may not be their top line of archers, has been another significant plus point. “There’s a world of difference between them and us,” said Deepika.“Every Korean coach and player has a fast shooting style. And when you see good things, your body tends to adopt that if you want to.”The overriding feeling among Banerjee and the archers is clear. For Indian archery to truly hit the mark on the biggest stages where, unfortunately, it’s often fallen agonisingly short, it could surely do with its best archers spending more time in an environment as elite as this.
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