Shuttler's Flick Making Every Match Count

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Pullela Gopichand is a former Indian badminton player and presently the Chief National Coach for the Indian Badminton team. In 2008 he founded the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy where he has trained world-class badminton champions. He has served as the official Indian Olympic Badminton Team Coach at the 2016 Rio Olympics and 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

Gopichand is married to former Olympian PVV Lakshmi and they have two children, Gayathri and Sai Vishnu. He has been awarded the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, Arjuna, Dronacharya, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and Rashtriya Khel Protsaha awards.

Priya Kumar is an Indian writer, motivational speaker and firewalk instructor with over 26 years of corporate training experience. She has worked with over 2000 multi-national corporates across 47 countries and is an author of 15 inspirational books. Priya's work has been featured extensively in the media and she has been a guest on several business, entertainment and reality shows. Her book License to Live was nominated for the Vodafone Crossword Book Award in 2010. In 2019, her novel I Will Go with You was adapted into the web television series The Final Call.

Gopi Sir's mere presence sets an example of hard work, perseverance and good character. Whether it is on court or off court, his vibe of inspiration and calm is always evident. His commitment to the game when he was a player and now, to the games of the players he trains, is unshakeable and unwavering. Once he sets his target, he will do every- thing to get there, and get there he does.

The badminton players in India will always be indebted to the role he has played in bringing recognition to badminton with his exceptional career and now with the medals and international victories of the players he trains.

His disciplined lifestyle is a benchmark for the athletes. It did not end when he ended his career as a player. It has only grown stronger and deeper and can be seen today in his role as a coach. He is extremely systematic and logical in his thinking and actions, something that adds to the mindset of a champion. The way he sees the game playing out and works out strategies and game plans in advance has served many unbelievable and unexpected victories.

Without him having explicitly taught so, I have learned through his example to never be satisfied with one's success and rest on one's laurels, no matter how great the achievement may be. The hunger to do more and to be more should always drive you no matter how big you be- come. It is great to win the Olympics gold medal, but to win it again, you will have to be better than you were the last time you played and better than your competition who is also training to be better.

This book is about Gopi Sir's philosophy of life and about winning. It will serve you beyond the expectations you would have from a biography. It will provoke you to think different; to think about your life from the viewpoint of being a player in a game, whether you win or lose, the big- ger game of your life's purpose is not over. You are expected to show up the next day and outdo your past victory or defeat. Gopi Sir has been a coach to thousands of players; this is your chance to have him as a coach and mentor for your game and your life.