by Saran, Renu
Dinner
Dinner consists of grilled chicken, steamed food and salads.
Saina avoids having carbohydrates after 7.30 PM.
Saina avoids rice and rotis as far as possible. She tanks up on protein shakes, and even resists the urge to snack on a burger.
The No-Nos for Saina
The Olympic winner does not indulge in ice creams and other sweets.
The Must Haves
She also drinks plenty of fluids to hydrate herself on a daily basis. On match days she takes small sips of water as and when she requires it.
Saina Nehwal surely did India proud by winning the bronze in the 2012 London Olympics. All credits go to her dedication and change in diet that helped her perform so well.
How to Be Mentally Prepared
Before a Game
Mental preparation is extremely important for a player. In fact, this is known to be one of the most important parts of an individual’s sports performance. Some players are blessed with amazing skills and incredible stamina to pay around for hours together, but if they are not mentally prepared they would not be able to implement their skills and stamina through the duration of “game time”.
Saina Nehwal prepares herself mentally prior to playing a tournament. So, how does she do it? She practices visualization. In fact, all successful players prepare themselves mentally via practicing visualization.
Here are some tips aspiring players can integrate into their lives to prepare themselves mentally before a game and increase their chances to win:
An Early Start
You need to prepare for a game the night before. This is important to get the grip of the event.
Visualize
You need to visualize the game and then replay it over in your head. Try visualizing yourself hitting homerun. You need to imagine yourself pitching a no-hitter. You need to visualize all that you are planning to do in the tournament. For instance, you may visualize yourself dribbling the ball and then swishing a three-pointer. Imagine your victory as much as possible.
Go Easy
Players should keep their mind at ease. It is important to try not to let anyone upset you.
Keep Calm
Staying calm and focused at all times is an integral part of preparing for a game mentally. If you are calm, nothing can come between you and victory.
Positive Pals
It is vital to have healthy discussions with encouraging, positive individuals. Strictly stay away from those with negative attitudes.
Less of Game
Focussing on game is good but make sure you don’t overdo it. You should not focus on the game too much. Since, you may make mistakes and get upset. This may also deteriorate your level of game.
Only Success
Try gathering all of your attention to just one thing; Success! Don’t think about anything else. You should think about the best times in your career and all the good things you do. Divert your attention to the positives you bring into being. Understand that your mind and body is one unit. What your mind sends to your body that is how it will react.
Have Fun
If you are stressed out, you will not be able to perform well. Look at the brighter side of the picture. Remind yourself that you have practiced a lot and the hard work will not go waste. But you need to excel in the balancing act. Relaxing too much and ignoring practise sessions can invite more harm than good.
Discipline is the Key
Saina has been practicing since she was a child. But she was a disciplined child and grew up to be more disciplined teenager. As a child, she sacrificed on playing with other kids and watching cartoons. Unlike other teenagers, Saina doesn’t get to sleep in, watch movies or hang out with friends. Her schedule is fixed. She gets up at 6 am everyday, 6 times a week and practices. Much of her success has come from just great discipline. This may sound a bit scary but achieving a celebrity status does not happen without sacrificing on certain things in life.
Discipline is something most players lack. To attain a status that Saina has already acquired in the sports arena, discipline is a must. You need to practice discipline in your lifestyle, the way you think, practise sessions, diets and exercise routines.
Awards and Honours
– A Part of Saina Nehwal’s Life
What makes most of us struggle, indulge in hard work and sacrifice certain things in life? Well, for some, money makes the world go around while others strive for recognition. Awards are a part of life and work towards boosting the spirits of those who wish to carvea niche in their respective fields. In short, each of us is driven by an entirely different set of compulsions.
But one thing is certain. Some professions are meant for those who want to make money and some, for those who want to discover themselves.
Ambition always begins with a dream, a purpose. And even though money may be an important part of it, it doesn’t really matters that much. Most people strive, excel, achieve for reasons other than money. It’s the desire to prove themselves.
But not all those who strive, succeed. That’s where the role of awards and public recognition comes in. Awards do not only acknowledge success; they recognise many other qualities: ability, struggle, effort and, above all, excellence. For every Shah Rukh who succeeds and hits the jackpot, winning wealth, fame and honour, there are hundreds of equally gifted actors who do not make it! For every Sachin, there are hundreds of brilliant young sports people in India who never get the grooming and the break they need. And, even when they do, they are stymied at every level by a disrespectful system.
Would you have heard of Aruna Roy or Deep Joshi were it not for the Magsaysay? Would you have gone out and bought Aravind Adiga were it not for the Man Booker?
Awards and recognitions play an integral part of a profession, especially those that bring individuals and their performance into limelight. When it comes to sports, a sportsperson is generally recognized for the number of victories he or she had and most importantly, the awards.
Although, not an out and out sports oriented country, there has been no dearth of incredible players here. Be it cricket (that’s what we know India’s sports as), hockey, tennis (thanks to Sania Mirza) and the recent fad among Indians for badminton, people have always had some time to spare for sports.
Sports Awards in India
Sports Awards in India are bestowed by the Sports Ministry, Government of India to various sports personalities in different fields for their accomplishments and outstanding performances. These awards include the Arjuna Award, the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award and Dronacharya Awards Dhyan Chand Award.
Initially, the Government used to confer these awards to the sportspersons for their performances in all types of competitions. However, from the year 2001, the Sports award is given only in those disciplines that fall under the categories like the Olympic Games or the Asian Games or Commonwealth Games or the World Cup or World Championship disciplines and also in Cricket. These awards are also given for the Indigenous competitions and for the Sports for the Physically Challenged.
Some of the most reputed and popular Sports Awards in India are mentioned below –
Arjuna Awards
The Government of India established the Arjuna Awards in India in the year of 1961 for the outstanding performance from the sportspersons in sports and games. The Government has modified the format of Arjuna Award very recently and as per the revised schematic guidelines a sportsperson must have very good consistent performances for the previous 3 years at the international level to be considered as eligible for the Award. The person should also have excellence in his or her respective field of sport for the year for which the Award is recommended he or she should show some extraordinary qualities like the leadership, sportsmanship and a sense of discipline in his or her own field throughout his or her career. The Government gives a statuette of the legendary warrior Arjuna, a scroll of honour, a ceremonial dress and also a cash award of an amount of Rs.
3 lakhs to the Awardees.
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Award
The Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Award is given primarily to the top overall winners in the Inter-University Tournaments, as these tournaments are a very much integral and important part of games and sports in the universities and colleges and they also play a very important role in supplying the talents to the country. This is actually a rolling trophy and a small replica of the Trophy is also awarded to the University for Retention. A Committee that is constituted by the AIU recommends the award of the MAKA Trophy. They usually send their recommendation to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of India each year. They recommend the names of 4 Universities according to the order of merit mentioning their score and also giving the calculation sheet.
Dronacharya Award
There is another award in India that is named as the Dronacharya Award and the Government of India instituted this honourable award in the year of 1985. The award comprises a bronze statuette of Dronacharya, a scroll of honour and a cash component of 500,000 INR. The award was instituted in 1985. The award is named after the very famous archery coach, mentioned in the epic of India known as the Mahabharata. This very award is not related with the sportspersons who are still playing in the field; instead this is related to those eminent coaches of any particular sport. These coaches are selected by their performance of being successful to train the sportspersons or teams and also help them to achieve the outstanding results in the international competitions. The person, who gets the award, receives a statuette of the great Guru Dronacharya, a scroll of honour, a ceremonial dress and also a cash prize.
Dhyan Chand Award
Dhyan Chand Award is India’s highest award for lifetime achievement in sports and games, given by the Government of India. The award is named after the legendary Indian hockey player Dhyan Chand. The award was initiated in 2002. The award carries a cash prize of 5 lakh (500,000 INR), a statuette, ceremonial dress and a scroll of honour.
The award is given to the veteran sportspersons of India for their lifetime achievement in their respective field of sport. It is also named as the Dhyan Chand Award for Life Time Achievement in Sports and Games. This is new award that is instituted by the Government of India in the year of 2002. The main objective of the award is to show honour to those sportspersons who have contributed a lot to their respective sports by their performance and still continue to contribute to the promotion of sports even after their retirement from the active sporting career.
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award
The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna is the highest honour bestowed to a sportsperson for his/her achievements in India. The award was instituted in the year 1991-92 to provide honour a supreme national accolade to various achievers in the field of sports. The words Khel Ratna, literally mean Sports Gem in English. The award is named after the former Prime Minister of India, late Rajiv Gandhi. The award comprises a medal, a scroll of honour and a substantial cash component.
Other Sports Awards in India
Apart from the awards that have been discussed so far, there are some other special awards from the Indian Government that are being given to the medal winners in the international sports events. In this category of the award, the Government gives away some cash awards. These cash awards are given for winning medals in the international championships like the Olympic Games or the World cup or World Championships or the Asian and Commonwealth Games or Championships. The players who become victorious in the game of Chess and Billiards or Snooker as well as the junior sportspersons who win medals in the World, Asian and Commonwealth Championships, are also given these awards.
Sports awards in India are bequeathed by the Government of India to honour the players who have performed very well in their field of sport. It is organised and conducted to enhance the spirit of players and recognise their skills and achievements.
Awards won by Saina Nehwal
Year 2009 - Arjuna Award
Badminton champion Saina Nehwal was conferred with the prestigious Arjuna award for sporting excellence, in the year 2009 following her success at winning the Indonesian Open Super series title, apart from winning other prestigious titles such as the Chinese Taipei Grand Prix Gold. The Arjuna award was handed over to Saina by the President of India, Pratibha Patil at the presidential palace in New Delhi. The Arjuna awardee is given a statuette, a scroll of honour, ceremonial dress and a cash award of Rs. 5 lakhs.
Saina Nehwal being felicitated with Arjuna Award
by former President of India, Ms. Pratibha Patil
at the presidential palace in New Delhi
On receiving the Arjuna award, the then 19-year old Saina Nehwal dedicated the award to her parents and her coach Pullela Gopichand, and said that the award would motivate her to go for gold at the London Olympics in 2012.
Year 2010 - Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award
Saina Nehwal was awarded the “Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award” which is India’s highest award for excellence in the field of sports, following her terrific achievements in badminton in the year 2010. The Khel Ratna award consists of a bronze statuette, citation and cash prize of Rs.7.5 lakhs for the award winner, and is handed over to the sportsperson by the President of India.
Hyderbadi shuttler Saina Nehwal, however, could not personally collect the prize from the Indian President Pratibha Patil gave on 29-Aug-2010 at the Rashtrapati Bhawan, as she had not yet returned from Paris, where she lost in the quarter-finals of the World Championships.
Saina was almost an automatic choice for the Khel Ratna, due to her phenomenal rise in the badminton world as she rose to no. 2 in the badminton world rankings and had won 3 super-series tournaments in 2010, apart from winning other prestigious titles the same year. She earlier had been the world junior badminton champion apart from having surprised everyone by reaching the quarter-finals of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Year 2010 - Padma Shri Award
Saina Nehwal receives Padma Shri Award from
President Prathiba Singh Patil at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi
Saina Nehwal won the prestigious Padma Shri award in Jan-2010 barely 4 months after receiving the Arjuna award in 2009. The award carries a medal, a scroll of honour and a cash prize of Rs. 5 lakhs.
Year 2012, London Olympics-Bronze Medal
• INR 1 crore (US$189,000) cash award from the Haryana Government.
• INR 50 lakh (US$94,500) cash award from the Rajasthan Government.
• INR 50 lakh (US$94,500) cash award from the Andhra Pradesh Government.
• INR 10 lakh (US$18,900) cash award from the Badminton Association of India.
Saina’s Injury Free Career
Saina Nehwal, one of the most proficient athletes in Indian sports, has undoubtedly a lot of fitness secrets to share. A vegetarian from Hissar – Haryana, Saina has successfully battled with agile and strong players from China, amongst other countries. Saina’s tanacity and grit have won her many laurels and fans across the globe.
Badminton is a sport that requires strong muscular strength, high endurance and not to mention levels of fitness needed to display by a prayer. Saina Nehwal has all this and more. But the most incredible thing to note here is that Saina had enjoyed an inury free career. It is definitely remarkable for a badminton player. But how did she manage it anyway?
There’s a a lot to learn about diet and fitness plans from athletes like Saina, especially because they are not all that different from us in terms of upbringing and food habits. It is true that the international stage is ruled by athletes from nations with diverse dietary and fitness outlooks.
Most of the Indian athletes have had childhoods and opportunities similar to normal individuals. Hence, when someone like Saina comes along and competes on a world stage, it is crucial to get tips and incorporate them into daily lives.
There are many things that make Saina a super fit, high energy badminton star who has enjoyed an injury free career since she started playing.
To maintain apt badminton fitness, Siana performs a routine of exercises and practices schedules as scheduled by her coaches and physiotherapists. Her fitness routine comprises of endurance, agility and skill exercises. The girl also performs a lot of weights. Running is really important. Her daily routine includes sprint, jump and hop for about 65 minutes in a day.
This is not all. She feels that it is crucial to have breaks during severe fitness routine. Since, badminton is an intense sport Saina makes it a point to rest in between (about one week) depending on her schedule.
Just as any game, badminton demands mental fitness from a player. Saina too believes in maintaining a perfect mental fitness in order to ensure maximum out of a game. According to this skilled champion and an Olympic winner, mental fitness is extremely important in any kind of competitive sport. Hence, she performs yoga along with the audio routine recorded in her phone for at least two sessions in a day. She thinks that only a mentally fit person can fight for every point and square inch of court space.
When it comes to maintaining a dietary routine, Saina is very particular about what she should do. Hence, it is all about consuming very less quanitities of food thrice a day. Being a badminton player, she relies mainly on loads of juices, seasonal fruits, few vitamins and calcium substitutes and lots of milk and curd.
Though she was born into a vegetarian home, once she embarked on her chosen career, the girl started eating meat. She knew that she was going out of the family tradition and does not regret it. She feels that players need a lot of strength and the only way to get it is through eating meat. Hence, Sain now eats a lot of chicken and believes it has helped her to gain strength. Saina has also given up junk food.
