The last nine months have been hard for Dronacharya Jaspal Rana. He had been abused, condemned, and labelled as someone who destroyed a shooter’s career at the Tokyo Olympics. On Tuesday, the same much-maligned coach was happy that he could do his bit again for Manu Bhaker, the pistol queen.
He has been under pressure of sorts, for training a talented shooter when not part of the national coaching squad. Private coaching has been frowned upon, but if you go by the recent results and how Manu topped the Olympic trials for Paris 2024, it is proof that he has done his bit.
“I am no magician, nor did I take up this assignment as a challenge,” Jaspal told RevSportz in an exclusive interview on Tuesday. “For me, it was somebody reaching out to me, trusting me, and that’s why I took up the task of guiding Manu.”
Once a coach has worked with a shooter, he or she knows the ins and outs. To say that Jaspal knew the nitty-gritty, the nuts and bolts which needed to be tightened in Manu’s approach, is stating the obvious. “Come on, I would be a fool to get back to coaching Manu the basics of shooting,” said Jaspal. “She knows what to do, but what she needed was someone who could talk to her, hear her out and guide her. That has been my role. Inside the shooting arena, it’s Manu who squeezes the trigger. I just have to ensure she is in the right mental space.”
Going back to the time Manu first reached out to Jaspal last year, before the Asian Games in Hangzhou, he did not have much time on hand. The biggest challenge was how to coach her as he was not part of national camps. His academy in Dehradun was the training point, where Manu and Sumedha, her mother, would keep visiting. It needed hard training sessions to get the chemistry back. Soon, trips from Delhi to Dehradun and back became the norm.
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“The relationship between a coach and an athlete is of confidence, and massive trust,” said Jaspal. “If I had been trusted again, I had to deliver. It was not Manu under pressure. It was a challenge for me to get her back on the rails. I do not want to play any blame game – why she had lost her rhythm, why she had started failing. If I were to talk negative stuff with her, it would be pointless.”
Was it tough to press the start button again? “Well, once you have been a coach, it’s all about hearing the athlete, not trying to impose my own view,” stressed Jaspal. “There was always a comfort zone, but the main job for me was to restore that confidence back in Manu. I had to make her believe she is champion stuff and she is capable of winning a quota place for Paris 2024. Yes, I repeat, these trials have been very hard and it was my job, and is still my job, to keep her ready always. Technique and scores are fine. To protect Manu like a child and not let her lose focus, that’s what I strived for and still strive for. It’s still a long way for me and the job is not over. She has two air pistol trials as well, I want her to do her best in this also.”
Was remote coaching hard for the coach at times? “There are limitations when coaching from a remote location,” said Jaspal. “Even now, I cannot sit behind in the chair during trials. Whatever I see, observe and note down, I discuss with Manu. She is a great learner.”
Is winning these trials a job done, or just part of the process? “When you strive for perfection, there can be no break,” said Jaspal. “Yes, I cannot push her so hard she is physically in pain. These kid of non-stop trials are crazy, but if it’s there for all, nothing can be done. There were days when Manu was in pain. I could only talk her through and heal her. Her Mom could massage her arm. Yes, she will need proper physio sessions, and the back-up staff must be in place if I can say that.”
As a firm believer in yoga, deep breathing and staying calm, Manu has learnt many lessons from her coach. “People talk of a mind trainer, a separate coach for mental toughness as so on,” said Jaspal. “I have taken on all roles other than a physio. There can be no divisions or creating compartments in coaching as such. A coach is a coach, he has to be ready to guide every way.”
Having won the highest honour for coaching, the Dronacharya award, has Jaspal matured further as a coach? “For me, coaching is a passion,” he said. “I have never said no to any shooter who has reached out to me. Yes, when Manu came back to me in 2023, it was emotional. But then, emotions are not going to win you matches. You have to be a friend, a coach, to someone you inspire, someone you can bring the best out of. I try and do that, but when it comes to results, it’s Manu standing at the firing point, not me.”
As a shooter, Jaspal was phenomenal. To mature as a coach, he has used methods which have been based on his own experiences. “It’s all about commitment, and not easy,” said Jaspal. “In coaching, it’s not just a job. One has to be focused and be in sync with the shooter. The fact that Manu wanted me to shape her Paris Olympics dream is so important. It may have looked bleak to the critics, not for me. We have believed in each other. The big picture is Paris 2024, and in that journey, I will ensure she is in the best shape, physical and mental.”
Will Manu now get some sort of break? “Anna, there can be no break, we have two more big trials in air pistol,” said Jaspal with a laugh, on the phone from Bhopal. “After this, we will sit down and discuss. I will not share all plans.”
Relieved or job only half-done? “Our goal is an Olympic medal and what we are doing now is a process,” continued Jaspal. “There have been roadblocks and boulders, but I will never let obstacles become a hurdle.”
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