Vinesh Phogat needs to maintain Zen-like concentration throughout the six minutes, says coach Woller Akos
Vinesh Phogat’s personal coach Woller Akos believes that she needs to maintain Zen-like concentration from 'zero to six minutes' to stamp her authority in the 53kg at the global level. Ahead of Vinesh’s fourth World Championship, Akos has already outlined a proper training program for his ward.
India’s fiery wrestler from Haryana is preparing for the upcoming World Championship after a reasonably good 2019 season that saw her switch to 53kg from 50kg. In her three previous appearances at the event (2013, 2015, and 2017), she just made up the numbers, but her Hungarian coach believes that she can pose a major threat in Nur-Sultan. Having already bagged some big medals in her career from the Commonwealth Games to Asian Games, Vinesh will chase that elusive world title – which will also ensure her entry at the Tokyo Olympics – from Tuesday.
"She needs to keep concentration from zero to six minutes. This is very important. As of now, it's like a wave, up and down," Akos told PTI in an exclusive interview.
"There are two parts to this. One is physical, which is easy. You do aerobics and train according to match-time (six minutes). If she can hold the tempo from zero to six minutes in training she can do that on the mat also. The second part is mental. And that is the job of the sports psychologist and she is taking help," Akos explained.
Akos struck a chord with Vinesh during a short training stint in Budapest ahead of the 2018 Asian Games, and since February this year, the Hungarian has been her personal coach. With Tokyo in mind, Vinesh already has a complete training program prepared for her by her coach.
"Periodisation is important. She trained before also but it was very mixed. Sometimes this and sometimes that. Now, there are specific goals to be achieved in specific time periods," Akos said.
Given Vinesh’s win against 2018 World Championship silver medallist Sarah Ann Hildebrandt (USA), Rio Olympic bronze medallist Sofia Mattson of Sweden and 2018 European Championship silver medallist Roksana Zasina, hopes among her Indian faithful are high for the ultimate prize in Tokyo next year.
"Tokyo is still far away. We are not there yet, so let's not think about that. Stay in the present. If we have little luck, she can go far but Vinesh and I don't need pressure. She has a job in hand and needs to think about one match only. This is what is needed. She should not think about (Olympic) Qualification," Akos warned.
"Over the year, she is either at camp or travelling to competitions. She needed a fresh head by being at home, spend time with husband and family. Switching off is important. She can put more pressure and we will see it in this World Championship," he added.
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