Coaching Tips by Shahrukh Khan

Last Sunday while rummaging through a pile of old and discarded stuff in the attic of my house, I chanced upon a CD of the Shahrukh Khan starrer Chakde India!  Thank God! I finally found it; it had been eluding me for long.

So after a sumptuous lunch of “machcher jhol and bhaat” (fish curry and rice), I plunked myself on the couch and for the next couple of hours was mesmerized by the movie’s story line and of course Shahrukh’s histrionics.

Kabir Khan (Shahrukh’s character in the movie) was ostracized by the media and the country for conceding a goal and subsequently the championship against arch rivals Pakistan in the men’s hockey world cup. The rumor mills had it that he was in cahoots with the Pakistan hockey board. He was labeled a traitor and goes into self imposed exile.

The movie is the story of his return from exile to coach a motley group of women hockey players for the world championship. Winning the world cup would be his way of salvaging lost pride and silencing his critics.

What is it that makes the movie great viewing? Apart from the excellent story line, near perfect performances by the star cast, there is a wealth of corporate knowledge to be gleaned from it – I found it to be an excellent read on the principles of coaching.

We all agree that coaching is a serious business! For trainers, FLMs and quality coaches it is part of their daily bread and butter. If done in the right way, coaching can make all the difference to an organization’s bottom line.

Well let us see how Kabir Khan goes about coaching sixteen hockey players from different states of India and turns them into a world class team who go on to win the women’s hockey world championship; a tournament they enter as underdogs.

Right credentials and fire in the belly

A coach has to have the right qualifications for the job. As an ex-hockey player Kabir was the perfect fit as the coach of the Indian women’s hockey team. Being Asia’s best centre forward during his playing days he belonged to the “been there, done that” school.

He also knew the criticality of what he was getting into and had prepared hard enough for the coaching job. During his first interview with the hockey association; when one of the members asked where had he been for the last seven years (seven years, three months and fourteen days to be precise) he replies: “…is meeting ki tyari mein…”

As coaches; apart from subject matter expertise what also matters is guts and gumption. They come in real handy while coaching a team which is almost at the bottom of the heap. A coach should also be adept in handling ridicule and comments like the one by the association member (“…aisi team joh European desho ke school teams ke saath bhi nahi khel sakti…”)

Add to this the coach being a risk lover. This could be to try out a new technique, challenge prevailing norms, break prejudices or even silence rising opposition within his team.

Asking his most experienced player Bindiya Naik to sit on the bench or accepting the challenge of playing against the men’s team; Kabir showed enough nerves!  Playing  against the men’s team earned him a ticket to the world cup and yes he was able to teach Bindiya that individual egos have no place when playing as a team.

Set the bar high and unite the team for a common goal

A coach is not worth his salt if he gets balked by hurdles. Winning the women’s world hockey championship was no child’s play yet Kabir states very audaciously:”…Jo nahi ho sakta, wahi toh karna hai…”

Our teams might be plagued by many ills. Intra team rivalries, ego clashes between the experienced folks, lackadaisical attitude to perform at the highest level, lacking the right technique or even language constraints may be few of them. The coach’s first job is to unite the team for a common cause. When Krishnaji Kabir’s assistant coach tells him that the hard practice is taking a toll on the girls and all of it might go against him as a coach, Kabir says: “…Agar mujhe apna dushman banake woh eik dusre ki dost ban sakti hai, toh team banane  ke liye yeh eik bahut hi choti si kimat hai…”

I also liked the scene in which Kabir asks the hockey players to introduce themselves. With each introduction he shows his displeasure until Vidya Sharma introduces herself:” …Vidya Sharma, India…”

His rebuke to the players hits the nail hard on the head: “…Mujhe states ke naam na sunayie dethe hai, na dhikaie dete hai. Sirf ek mulk-a-naam sunayie detha hai, I-N-D-I-A…”

He further thunders: “… ek baat achi tarah sun lijiye aur abhi samaj lijiye. Kyuki mai dubhara nahi bataunga. Is team ko sirf woh player chaiye jo pehle India ke liye khel rahe hai, phir apne sathiyon ke liye, uss ke baad bhi thodi bhahut jaan bach jaye toh apne liye….state govt. ki naukri ya railway flat k liye nahi …

Know your team’s capabilities

Coaches should also have an understanding of each of the member’s strengths and weaknesses. Kabir displays this remarkable understanding when he fields Bindiya Naik against the Korean team’s man to man marking strategy. He tells her: “…is wakht India ko apne sabse jyada experienced player ki jaroorat hai…man to man marking kaise thodi jaati hai sirf tum jaanti ho…match shuru ho raha hai…jao aur thodo…”

When the team from Argentina famous for their rough hockey seems unstoppable; Kabir unleashes the Punjabi lass Balbir on to them. “…Balbir tum apni game khelo… woh do mare tum chaar maro, woh chaar mare tum aaght maro…”

Such an inherent understanding of the team’s capabilities is required to ensure everyone plays his/her part and contributes to the team’s overall success plan.

Practice hard and challenge the team’s limit

The Chinese military proverb says: “The more we sweat in training; the less we bleed in battle”. Absolutely true!  As in war so in competitive sports.

There can be only one substitute for practice and that is more practice. So if it is waking up at 4 a.m. in the morning and running twenty kilometers to build one’s stamina so be it. And practice is a must for all – whether you are a newbie or an experienced player.

So when one of the players Nethra Reddy falls unconscious due to practice Kabir shouts at everyone: “…kya dekh rahe ho use…behosh hui hai mari nahin hai woh…”

Kabir’s methods of course do not find favor with everyone especially the senior players and earn him the sobriquet “Tughlak”. Bindiya Naik who plays for Indian Railways at the national level is his strongest detractor. She along with Aaliya Bose and Gunjan Lakhani the other two senior players pose a big threat to Kabir’s plan of uniting the team for a common cause. Kabir sends a strong message to the entire team by asking Bindiya and Aaliya to sit on the bench till the time they mend their ways.

Have values and hold them tight

A strong value system will always hold a coach in good stead. It is not just in the coaching arena but also in one’s personal life. When Bindiya Naik hints that she can go to any length to become the team’s captain and confronts Kabir by asking: “main captain kyo nahi ban sakti…captain banne ke liye joh woh kar rahi hai main bhi kar sakti hoon…” he very stoically answers back: “…jawab tumne khud de di…”

Had Kabir fallen; it would have been a very precipitous one.

Let the team bask in the glory of success

When the women’s team returns with the championship title and the entire country is singing paeans about their exploits; Kabir is nowhere to be seen. The same media which had blasted him once was going gaga over him. He had courted disaster before and hence knew well how to woo triumph. And that is what I believe to be the hallmark of an effective coach. The team had toiled hard for this and it was their moment of success – no one should usurp it from them. Not even their coach!

So that is how I spent a great Sunday afternoon with Shahrukh Khan and in the bargain learnt few amazing coaching principles. This movie may not be a gospel on the principles of coaching but it does teach us a thing or two on how to effectively coach teams for optimum performance. Hail King Khan!

Image Courtesy :srktimes.com

The Thirsty Crow

Books have always been my best buddies. I grew up on a healthy diet of “Aesop’s Fables” and “Jataka” and “Panchatantra” stories. During my school days I was a regular subscriber of the popular children magazines “Chandamana” and “Lotpot.”  On most of the Sundays and school holidays I would frequent the local library to borrow “The Adventures of Tintin” and “Amar Chitra Katha” comic books.

One of my favorite childhood stories is the “The Thirsty Crow” from Aesop’s Fables. I have read it many times and with every read it reveals something new and interesting.  For the benefit of those who are yet to read here is the story:

“A crow perishing with thirst saw a pitcher, and hoping to find water, flew to it with delight. When he reached it, he discovered to his grief that it contained so little water that he could not possibly get at it. He tried everything he could think of to reach the water, but all his efforts were in vain. At last he collected as many stones as he could carry and dropped them one by one with his beak into the pitcher, until he brought the water within his reach and thus saved his life.”

Come let us un-ravel the fascinating elements of this fable. To breed familiarity let us call the crow – Kalu and assume he is from the dusty by lanes of north India.  Now anyone who resides in north India knows that the land there can become really hot during summers.  To add to this problem is the acute water shortage – rivers, ponds and reservoirs run dry. The water in the tap turns into a trickle and finally vanishes. For the avian population these months can be very agonizing.

That day the sun was beating down with all its might. Not a soul was to be seen on the roads except the lone stray cows. Kalu had been searching for water to drink since morning. But there was none to be found. A few households would keep water in an earthen tray and place it either on a window sill or parapet for the birds; but that day even they were dry!

Tired and exhausted Kalu perched on the branch of a tree to rest for a while. Thud!! A loud noise broke the afternoon silence.  One of neighborhood crows had fallen dead due to the extreme heat. Kalu did not want to meet the same fate. He decided to find water at any cost.

Life can at times be very cruel. There will be situations completely outside our control. We may fret, fume, tear our hair, beat our chest and wail loudly “Why me?” but things may still remain the same. Seeing one of your own die in front of your eyes can be very painful. Yet Kalu chose not to sit and brood over it or let the impending danger of water scarcity frighten him. He decided to use the weapon nature had bestowed him - the freedom of choice. He chose to fight! He chose to live!

So Kalu flew again from one roof top to another, one village to another, over dry ponds and parched fields. From the top he scoured every inch of the area for water. He could see women walking miles in search of water with earthen pots delicately balanced on their heads and children in tow. At times Kalu would rest for a while on a broken hand pump. Yet he could not find water; neither in any of the hand pumps nor anywhere!

He had flown over a couple of houses when he noticed a nondescript and ramshackle building just around the corner. He was about to skip and fly over it when something caught his eye. Curiosity got the better of him and he flew inside.  What he saw almost took his breath away! He started flapping his wings in excitement.

In one corner of the building there was a pitcher and lo and behold it contained water! Kalu thought he would faint with joy. He had at last found the elixir of life. He was about to make a dash for the pitcher when he noticed something unusual. There were few birds sitting on the rim of the pitcher and peeping in. One of them seemed to be saying something and the others were nodding their heads. Few were on the floor next to the pitcher and talking in hushed tones. A couple of crows seemed very angry. They were pecking at the pitcher in exasperation as if they wanted to break it. Strange! Why were the birds not drinking water?  Kalu decided to go near the pitcher. Alas! The water level was so low that none of birds could reach below to drink it.

Life’s paradoxes! There are instances galore when life throws up such situations with unabashed alacrity. When we are so near; yet so far from the solution we are searching.  And like the birds in the building we wonder what is happening or why is it happening to us? We resign ourselves to fate. Few of us sulk in a corner, few vent out anger like the crows pecking at the pitcher. Imagine Kalu’s plight. He was half dead due to thirst and exhaustion. He had been searching for water since morning and now he finds it only to realize he cannot drink it. This can break even a diehard optimist. So what does he do?

By now only Kalu remained in the building. The others had flown away in frustration. One of the crows even asked Kalu to come with him and forget the water as it was not fit for drinking. But Kalu was undeterred. He perched on the rim of the pitcher and started thinking hard. Time was running out; he could barely manage another hour without water. The thirst and sheer exhaustion had clouded his faculties and he found it increasingly difficult even to stay put. Yet he thought and thought, there has to be a way out of this he kept telling himself. Suddenly there was a splash! A loud one! Something had fallen in the pitcher. Due to this couple of drops of water rose and fell on Kalu. Initially he did not seem to notice and then, suddenly everything became crystal clear. His eyes lit up! On peeping inside he saw that a corner of the edge of the pitcher had broken and fallen in.

The entire tangent of Kalu’s thinking changed. If an object which falls inside the pitcher can make water drops rise; then by dropping more of such objects the level can be raised even higher. High enough for him to drink water comfortably. This was like manna from heaven. Kalu knew he would no longer die of thirst. Not only his but other lives could be saved!

Paulo Coelho in the “The Alchemist” says “And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” All Kalu did was to just hang on. His calm demeanor, ability to think and non quitter attitude when faced with challenge turns him into a super crow; isn’t it? I don’t think so. Look at this way. Was the situation any different to the other birds and crows? Was the sun more benevolent to the others than it was to Kalu? So why did the others flee and not Kalu? Why did he not give up or listen to the crow who told him that the water was not fit to drink? Kalu was not a super crow but he sure knew a thing or two about psychology – more than the situation it is the reaction to it that matters most.

Kalu had won half the battle. He had found water and he knew that by dropping objects into the pitcher the level would come up high enough for him to drink. But what would he drop in the pitcher and how? He looked for something that he could find handy to hold in his beak, fly with it and then drop it in the pitcher.

Now the building where Kalu found the pitcher was in a pitiable condition.  The roof had caved in, the plaster on the walls was peeling off and there were huge cracks on the walls and gapes on the floor. Pebbles were strewn all over. Kalu picked up a pebble with his beak and dropped it in the pitcher. Just as he had thought, the water rose a bit. Kalu went ecstatic. He picked another pebble and dropped it too. The water level rose again. With a new found energy Kalu started picking pebbles and dropping them in the pitcher with gusto. With every rise in the water level he found his hopes rising. He became so engrossed that he did not even realize that the water level had come up to the brim. Kalu drank to his heart’s content. That day the water tasted extra sweet.

Jimmy Dean (the US country music singer) said, “I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.”  Kalu is not like us. He does not know how to crib, throw tantrums or sit and sigh and moan. He does not know how to curse his maker for a beak which is not suitable for picking pebbles. His bird instinct tells him just one thing - events that happen in a crow’s life are not in his control however; what is in his control is how he reacts to them, how well he utilizes things at his disposal and turns disadvantage in to advantage.

So that is my import from “The Thirsty Crow.”  Also, what is your guess? Do you think Kalu is educated? I don’t think so at least not in the way we pride ourselves in being educated. Actually the prevailing system of education is not even geared to provide us with life saving or problem solving skills; the one which Kalu exhibited. I think Kalu is a smart crow who knows how to live his bird life to the hilt.

By the way, what is a group of crows called?

It is called a “murder.”

Weird, isn’t it?

Photo Courtesy :

espliego.wordpress.com