Conquering fear factor and coming out on top

Fear in sports is an inevitable factor. Often, battles are lost even before they begin. Some master the art of staying calm while some wilt under pressure.

Satvik Shankar’s biggest problem when he started out in badminton was his lack of confidence.

“I used to get scared of my opponents. That’s the reason why I lost a lot of matches when I began playing badminton,” he says.

It’s not easy to deal with a disappointed child. Priya, Satvik’s mother, would agree to this.

“He wasn’t able to break the mental block. It was very tough for us initially. I wondered if it’s worth fighting this battle. I was worried if he (Satvik) would ever find a solution to this problem,” Priya recollected.

His association with coach Krishna Kumar of I Sports academy was a welcome move for Satvik.

“At I Sports, I played against seniors and coaches. My game changed for the better and more importantly, I gained mental strength. I began to feel relaxed,” the 12-year-old shuttler said.

Fear, finally, had stopped hindering Satvik’s progress. He clinched a string of singles and doubles state-ranking titles and his U-13 State singles and doubles titles last year was a proof of this change. A day after the finals, he had to conquer another fight -- examinations.

“I didn’t get much time to practice because I had to study for my tests. But I had constant chats with my coaches and that kept me focused.

“I was obviously a bit nervous. But I badly wanted to win this tournament and I gave my all,” said Satvik, a seventh-grade student of Navkis Educational Centre.

With his consistent success, Satvik has also turned a mature player as he thanks his doubles partner Tushar, with whom he has won two U-13 All-India and national championship gold medals. “He is a very good player. We share a healthy rivalry. We have played many finals and I have lost to him many times.

“These matches have helped me grow as a player,” said Satvik, who thanked father Premjit Shankar and his first coach Mohan for their support.

“We first asked him to take it one tournament at a time,” said Krishna Kumar. “When he joined our academy, he was not in good shape.

“We worked on his fitness, mainly strength. He has now grown into a really good rally player,” he said.