We all know who Pullela Gopichand is but what we may not know is about the man seen along with him since December 2016. This simple looking man with a sling bag always on his side is the man who nurtured Taufik Hidayat to an Olympic Gold at Athens 2004 and then World Championships gold in 2005. Yes, Mulyo Handoyo has taken charge of the Indian Singles players as the India’s singles coach from December 2016.
In his three years contract with the Badminton Association of India he will be working with Indian Singles players. Though his English is not so good; he is brilliant in explaining the technical skills to Indian players. He is always standing behind the players to explain them what they are doing right or wrong.
Handoyo prefers to have long sessions and emphasizes on mental strength of players. Currently, India have eight singles players in top 50 and Handoyo have a mission to make them mentally strong. He feels that skills and strength is equal in every player, but what make the difference in the crucial moments is the mental strength on court. While he analyzes the player from the line he never hesitates to jump in between to correct them. He has eagle eyes and watches the players with patience to lead them all to better performances.
He knows that Indian players have complete game in them but what they need is the composure to train harder and smarter. Sometimes smarter you play harder your mind will work. What we see on the court is not the magic it is the skill coupled with mind that creates the magic. Now that Indian Open has started we will be seeing more of Handoyo in the coach’s corner.