Indians are born brilliant, but they must be prepared to suffer.

• Agus Dwi Santoso, an Indonesian badminton coach, advocates for players to be willing to endure pain for sustained success.

• Santoso has coached elite players in Thailand, Korea, Indonesia, and India, including P.V. Sindhu and K. Srikanth.

• He has also guided N. Sudarshan, his countryman, to the singles silver medal at Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and the World Championship title in Seville in 2001.

• Santoso is currently in India, leading the high-performance coaching program at Game Fit Academy.

• He discusses the talent pool in India, the badminton culture in Indonesia, and the modern game’s development.

• Santoso compares badminton in Indonesia to basketball in the USA, with many players becoming champions and many parents and children wanting to play.

• He compares the training regimen in Indonesia and China, with better coaches leading to improvement.

• Santoso believes that badminton is about thinking, not just physical fitness.

• He acknowledges that many players in India want the shortest route to success, not seeing it as a process.

The Evolution of Badminton and its Impact on the World

The Impact of the Olympics on Badminton

• The sport’s growth has been largely due to the Olympics, with countries like Indonesia, India, Korea, China, and Spain, Germany, and France having more players.

• The Olympics have increased the budgets of these countries, allowing for the hiring of quality coaches.

The Shift to the 21-Point Format

• The 21-point format has made the game more challenging, with players being mentally tired and having to make mental sacrifices.

• Training for tournaments has increased, with strategies and thinking being crucial.

Challenges in Coaching Younger Players in India

• The shift in mentality in badminton has been challenging, with the sport becoming more global.

• The sport’s future direction is shifting from an attacking to a defensive style.

The Role of Mental Strength in Playing

• Poul-Erik Hoyer Larsen, the 1996 Atlanta gold medallist, exemplifies the importance of mental strength in winning.

• The sport is now more focused on technical activity than physical fitness.

The Impact of Mentality on Performance

• Players like Poul-Erik Hoyer Larsen, who won the Sydney Olympics silver (2000) and the 2001 World Championship, had different mentalities and motivations than others.