After playing table tennis for 20 years, Arul Selvi is now playing multiple-roles by taking up coaching assignments with senior and junior India women teams and shaping the budding career of her teenage daughter — Selena.
Tamil Nadu’s Arul, an employee with Indian Bank, is here to watch the proceedings of her daughter in the 76th cadet and sub junior table tennis championships in progress at Cherukuri Convention Centre.
“After my playing days, I got assignments from the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) and accompanied women teams to France, Germany, Poland and Slovakia with a fair amount of success. I helped girls win medals,” said the former SAF Games gold medallist.
Arul, who is married to former national paddler Selva Kumar, felt the exposure trips by the TTFI were doing whale of good to the young paddlers as they were give an opportunity to play in different conditions. “We need to strengthen our bench strength and these trips are essential for preparing juniors for the bigger challenges.”
She felt the academic compulsions were hampering the growth of table tennis as the talented players preferred to give up the game for professional courses like medicine and engineering. “In countries like
China and Japan, table tennis is a 24X7 indulgence and that is the reason we are witnessing stupendous results from these countries,” she pointed out.
Arul said that table tennis was more a mind game that required swift decisions and quick reflexes. “The 11-point game hardly gives time for the player to settle down and the early initiative is very important. Though the sport is played in a small area, it requires fleet-footed movements,” she pointed out. She said the TTFI’s year-long camps for the select top paddlers were instrumental for the youngsters excelling in the international events.
Under her wings Selena is shaping as a promising paddler and she is already No. 4 in the sub junior segment. “I train her in the mornings and in the evenings; she gets trained under Vasu, Ramesh Babu and Ravi Venkatesh at Maharishi Vidya Mandir”.
Next assignment for Arul is to take care of the fortunes of Tamil Nadu team in the National Games at Kerala and at the Senior Nationals at Pondicherry.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by J.R. Sridharan / Rajahmundry – December 27th, 2014