Agus Dwi Santoso has a ruthless streak in him. The noted Indonesian badminton coach, who otherwise has a baby-faced charming look, comes from a school of thought that believes that a player should be ready to die – not quite literally – on court in the pursuit of excellence. Playing through pain is non-negotiable for sustained success.
In the present-day environment, there will be many who will not be in agreement, but Santoso has results to back his methods and his nation’s rich badminton history to make his voice heard. He has coached the elite in Thailand, Korea, Indonesia and India (including P.V. Sindhu and K. Srikanth) and also the likes of his countryman Hendrawan, whom he guided to the singles silver medal at Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and the World Championship title in Seville in 2001.
Santoso is also from a country that revolutionised badminton in the 1960s, first through Rudy Hartono who mesmerised the world with his power and speed and won seven straight All England titles from 1968 to 1974, and then via Liem Swie King, a three-time winner. To this day, Indonesia has elite players like Tokyo 2020 Olympic bronze medallist Anthony Ginting and reigning All England champion Jonatan Christie.
Now, Santoso is in India, heading the high-performance coaching program at Game Fit Academy in one of Bengaluru’s south-east suburbs. In an interview with The Hindu, the 59-year-old speaks of about the talent pool in India, the badminton culture back home, the way the modern game is shaping up and what India needs to do to be consistently good at the world stage. Excerpts:
How do you assess the talent in India?
There is a lot of talent. But only a few can become world beaters. How? The culture has to change. Indians are born clever. But they are not able to manage pain, sorrow and suffering. In China, you start training from six years old. But in the West, may be at 10 or 11, and if the player or the parent sees talent, then they become serious. No, it is too late. You have to start early.
How is the pool different in India from Indonesia?
Indonesia is a little bit like China. It’s because China copied from Indonesia. Back in the day, three important people moved from Indonesia to China because of political reasons. Those three, including Hou Jiachang and Tong Sin Fu, built Chinese badminton. Tong Sin Fu was Lin Dan’s coach. In terms of basic training, Indonesia and China are better. In India, it was not very good. But with better coaches, there is improvement now.
What makes Indonesian badminton so successful?
Badminton in Indonesia is like basketball in USA. So many people play the game and become champions. Kids see them and want to play. It’s like a cycle and it’s part of the culture. Football is still No. 1 and badminton No. 2. But badminton makes our country proud at the World level and at the Olympics. So, many parents and children want to play.
How is the training regimen in Indonesia? Is it centralised?
Normally, it is taken care of by clubs and there are so many of them. Players come into the junior program from there… U-12, 13, 15, 17 and so on. Then they come into the National Centre, of which there is only one. Players from all clubs ultimately come there. In India, it is a bit different, because multiple clubs and academies can become National centres. And players train separately too. But in Indonesia, you will stay in one building. China is also similar.
Do you feel the Indonesian set-up is better?
Yes. When you go to represent your country, you have become “pure Indian” or “pure Indonesian”. It’s the same in India too, no doubt. They all represent their country. But to me, it is not as strong a feeling like in Indonesia, Malaysia, Korea. The owner of the academy may be like ‘this is my player, even if he goes to an international tournament’. In Indonesia and China, it’s not like that.
Is it challenging to coach youngsters in India compared to other countries?
Badminton is all about thinking… like chess, tennis. It is not like athletics or swimming where you have a good body, some thinking, good technique and that’s enough. In badminton, even if you have everything, if your thinking is wrong or not straight, it is tough. You can become a champion. But may be just once. You won’t be a legend. In India, if you become a one-time champion, you can become somebody. I am sorry to say that.
Agus Dwi Santoso. | PHOTO: SUDHAKARA JAIN
What does it take for that shift in mentality?
When I train kids here, there are some problems. Many players want the shortest route to success. They do not see it like a process. It is challenging. If you are at an academy, you should [aspire to] be the best professional there. Indians are clever. The body is like Europeans. But the thinking has to change. A young player should be ready to go through the suffering.
Badminton is becoming global and there are champions from many countries. How do you feel about this pattern?
It is good for the sport. But how has it become like this? Because of the Olympics. It all started from 1992. So every country tries to build for that. We see so many players from Indonesia, India, Korea, China etc., but Spain, Germany and France don’t have that many. In our countries, the systems are better and we produce many players. However, they [Europe] have one or two special players, like Carolina Marin. With Olympics, their budgets have increased. Quality coaches can be hired.
How has the sport changed?
I feel that ever since we shifted to the 21-point format (from 2006), it is more tough. You cannot make a mistake. If you do, the opponent gets a point. In the 15-point format, if you make a mistake, it is only a service over. In the 21-point format, as you cannot make a mistake, you get mentally tired. Normally, one game is 20 minutes. But tough opponents can last 30 or 40 minutes. If there is a second game, then it is one hour for two games. So we do training for two and three hours. It’s just like boxing. It was Muhammad Ali I think who said ‘I train for 110-120 rounds for 10 rounds in the tournament’. The basics are the same. Training must be more. In tournaments, there will be strategising and thinking, and that can make you tired. If a match goes to the third game, just two things matter – either the player is better physically than you or more clever.
Where do you see world badminton going? Is it more attacking or more defensive?
Now it has become both. Attacking depends on the quality of the player. Defence is about how you can program a player. It is all about how you can transition from one to the other. It is also about who lasts longer, and about the mind. You may be a good attacking player, but if you are not strong in the mind, then… A good example is Poul-Erik Hoyer Larsen, the gold medallist at 1996 Atlanta. He was 32 [sic: nearly 31]. Back then, only those in their 20s were winning. But how did he win? He was mentally very strong. If he was focused, and felt okay on the court, it was very difficult to get even one point from him. There were so many good players. But he won. So how to beat such players? You have to attack their minds.
What about Viktor Axelsen?
Easy to say. He has a body like a European player, but his mind and agility are like an Asian player. So he is complete. In badminton, if you are clever and more efficient, you can play until you are 34-35 years old. A long time ago, in the Liem Swie King era, it was very physical. The coaches back then also trained more for the physical part. But after you turn 25, you cannot upgrade the physical aspect. You can just maintain. Axelsen does a lot of technical activity and not too much of the physical.
Finally, who is the best player you have trained?
Hendrawan! He won the Sydney [Olympics] silver (2000) and the 2001 World Championship. He was not a special player and didn’t have strong fitness. He had tonsillitis, and in elementary school he had an operation. If he trained hard, the next day he would be sick. But how did he become a world-beating player? His mentality was different. He was from a rich family but when his father had a financial problem, he stopped badminton. He stopped badminton for a second time when his father fell sick. He wanted to make his father happy but was not physically up there. But he had the motivation and willpower which were different from others.
Published – February 21, 2025 11:49 am IST
