Book review: The Barefoot Coach, Paddy Upton

The Indian cricket team has come a long way especially with regard to its backroom staff. Gone are the days when Ali Irani doubled up as physio, trainer and coaching assistant and, as a former player wryly said, constantly prescribed Brufen for all kinds of ailments! Things have improved over the last two decades, and the modern squad under Virat Kohli has an entourage with relevant expertise.

In that supporting-universe where various men sparkled, Paddy Upton carved a distinct space. He started as a trainer before focussing on his core ability as a ‘mental conditioning’ coach. Upton also maximised his bond with fellow South African Gary Kirsten during their tenure with M S Dhoni’s men. The duo stepped in after a turbulent phase following the exit of then coach Greg Chappell, and yet on the flight to India, had the optimism to pencil in two goals — winning the 2011 World Cup and becoming number one in Tests.

Through his book The Barefoot Coach, Upton reveals the way in which he and coach Kirsten achieved these twin objectives. Upton talks about how they forged a strong team culture and a fine work ethic. There is disarming honesty, too. In an anecdote about their maiden chat with the Indian team, Upton discloses that Kirsten and he instinctively knew that their spiel never landed with the wards. They reworked their approach but later there is a priceless advice that the pragmatic Dhoni dishes out to Upton — “It is not essential that you have to speak all the time.”

Prior to the book’s launch, there were the usual clickbait publicity tactics as seemingly ‘unflattering references’ to Gautam Gambhir surfaced in the media and drew an angry response from the former India opener. But to be fair, Upton just draws a candid portrait of a cricketer who was never happy and kept blaming himself even on days when he had scored a hundred and helped the team’s cause. The author frankly admits that the success-mantra varies for different sportsmen and emphasises that it was evident in the way Gambhir, despite being in a state of heightened anxiety and constant self-flagellation still managed to click. In Upton’s book, during his tenure with the Indian squad, Dhoni and Gambhir were always primed for action. Hence he is not surprised that both excelled in the 2011 World Cup final against Sri Lanka at Mumbai.

The book is not just about the different individuals and various teams that Upton worked with, it is also a personal mirror that reveals his gradual evolution as an individual.

He was a man who, at one point, had everything in his life, which in a way bred a sense of ennui and forced him to quit his assignment with the South African squad. Upton then backpacked through South East Asia, staying in cheap hotels, riding crammed buses, before getting a sense of his life. He later returned to South Africa and was part of an NGO that dealt with people living in the shanties and streets with crime and drugs being perennial soul-sappers.

All through the book and at varying points, Upton delves into long passages of what constitutes ideal coaching; the mechanics of mental toughness and if that killer instinct really exists; and the distinguishing mannerisms of alpha males. This kind of writing could have easily slipped into text-book territory and may have become dense, but what prevents it from becoming a boring theoretical stretch are the examples that Upton dishes out while driving home his point. Like, for instance, the truism that Indians need an emotional connect becomes obvious when Sachin Tendulkar wants his relationship with Kirsten to be based on friendship.

Upton’s profiles of various players, be it a journeyman or a star, elevates his authorship. There are enough glimpses of what makes a Dhoni, Tendulkar or an AB de Villiers tick. And then there are those engrossing parts that show how champions like Rahul Dravid and even Kirsten coped with tipping points in their respective careers — both responded with rousing hundreds.

Eventually, this book casts a fair light on the principles of coaching, illuminates the myriad ways of the mind, and shows that mentorship is not about preaching from a pulpit but it is about being one among the athletes, sharing their anxieties and lending ideas and an arm around the shoulder. And for that reason, the laboured penmanship upon some pages and the odd typo can be forgiven.

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