Apart from being a trainer and a motivator, men’s head coach C.A. Kuttappa has been diligently keeping track of the training of the elite boxers during the lockdown period.
Following the coronavirus outbreak, the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) has facilitated a system through which the coaches can train the boxers through video conferencing and other means.
Even as he is enjoying a long break with his family at Mysore, Kuttappa is closely monitoring the progress of the boxers.
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“Five (male) boxers have qualified for the Olympics and we have 10 others who have the potential to qualify. Three coaches have been assigned to monitor a group of five boxers. The boxers are given training programmes, videos and guidance to carry on with their training at home. Santiago (Nieva - high performance director) and I oversee everything,” Kuttappa said.
“Since there is so much of uncertainty, we need to motivate the boxers as well. I also call up their parents and family members to cross-check whether they are training sincerely and not bluffing.
“The target is to keep them at their peak fitness level so that when the camp resumes they rejoin with 50 to 60 per cent of their game and not start from zero.”
Kuttappa, however, said the Olympic qualified boxers were not short of motivation. “Confidence of guys like Amit Panghal, Manish Kaushik and Vikas Krishan is high and they are eager to perform. One has to make them understand that it’s a long wait for everybody and there is a need to sustain the motivation.
“Since some of the Olympic qualifying events have finished, we send our boxers their own videos and that of their prospective opponents. This helps them watch, compare and analyse how to tackle their rivals. We have to prepare for the Olympics from now,” said Kuttappa.
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