Skip to content
Padukone Sports Management
  • Programs

    • custom

      • Juniors Coaching Program

        Give your child the right start with step-by-step badminton coaching.

      • Coach Certification Program

        Padukone sports management offers an in-depth badminton coaching program for badminton players who wish to explore a career in the field of coaching.

      • Adults Badminton Program

        Start playing badminton today with the finest of coaches in India at a Padukone sports management.

      • High Performance Coaching

        The world of badminton is full of exciting opportunities and you can help your child forge a successful sporting career

      • Badminton Summer Camp

        Spend an exciting summer by enrolling at the Padukone sports management badminton summer camp at a world-class Padukone sports management facility near you.

    • World-Class Badminton Coaching for Children and Adults

      Enrol for exhilarating on-court or online badminton training sessions curated by the legendary Prakash Padukone.

      • Go to overview

  • Our Centres and Cities

    • Cities

      • Bangalore

        Padukone sports management is India’s leading badminton academy committed to bringing badminton to every individual in the country.

      • Greater Karnataka

        India’s rapidly expanding footprint in the world of badminton is creating ample opportunities at the home ground.

      • Greater Maharashtra

        A country that’s been home to some of the world’s best-known sporting events.

      • Mumbai

        Badminton is a sport that has been enjoyed for centuries by people of all backgrounds.

      • Chennai

        Game that has been around since the 16th century is now creating a glorious future for players worldwide.

      • Coimbatore

        At Padukone sports management, we love badminton and wish to share our passion with badminton enthusiasts across the country.

      • Greater Northern India

        A game that deserves a special mention in India’s long sporting history is creating waves across the world.

      • Ahmedabad

        One of the most popular games in India is now available to learn and enjoy at your fingertips.

      • Hyderabad

        A sport whose past and future can be traced to India is rapidly creating opportunities for players across the world.

    • Our Centres and Cities

      True to our vision of bringing badminton to every individual in India, The Padukone Sports Management is located across 38 centres and 8 cities.

      • Go to overview

        Give your child the right start with step-by-step badminton coaching.

  • About PSM

    • psm-first

      • Prakash Padukone

        Sport is an integral part of growing up as it builds one up for lifelong success.

      • Baddy Kids

        The best badminton training program for lifetime success.

      • Our Team and Coaches

        Meet the high-performing team at Padukone sports management, led by the legendary Prakash Padukone and Vimal Kumar.

      • Testimonials

        Read how our participants are getting benefitted from transformative badminton coaching programs we run at Padukone Sports Management

      • Gallery

        See our latest updates from the court-side

      • FAQ

        Some of the frequently asked questions. Please write to us in case of any queries.

      • PSM TV

        Stay tuned for upcoming updates

    • Padukone Sports Management

      At Padukone Sports Management, We Recognize That Every Participant Is Unique And Requires Focused Attention To Meet His Or Her Needs In Order To Achieve Their Individual Goals

      • Go to overview

  • Tournaments

  • Blog

  • Careers

  • Contact us

Careers
Contact us
10 Mins | March 24, 2021 | Padukone sports management

Importance of Sport- Prakash Padukone on Lessons Learnt

Prakash Padukone

Founder, Padukone Sports Management

Share via-
Importance of Sport- Prakash Padukone on Lessons Learnt

Learnings from Sports:

Rarely do we walk away from an encounter with a legend without learning something new. A rendezvous with a sporting legend opens newer perspectives, both towards the game and life in general. For many, sports is an avenue for recreation or entertainment. For some others, it is about fitness. For some it is about building team spirit and living in the moment. For some, it is also about glory and achievement. The boundary of sports is custom-defined and is a gold-mine of lessons, open for all to explore the depth and learnings. Read on for perspectives from someone who catapulted India onto the international sports & badminton scene as a formidable country and was vital in changing the course for badminton in India.

What does a sport teach us? There is more to what a sport teaches us than just technique and skill. An Arjuna awardee and recipient of the prestigious Padma Shri, Prakash Padukone’s journey is an excellent illustration of the multiple lessons one can learn. His career began at the tender age of seven. Over the next few decades, his presence completely changed the face of Indian badminton and we now know him as the living legend in the world of badminton.
Looking at a career spanning decades with a wide variety of challenges and experiences, it is fair to say that sporting talent is not the only thing one can see and aspire to learn from him.
His first official tournament, the Karnataka State Junior Championship was played at a time when there were only two categories – below 18 and above 1. It was a match where a seven year old played against an eighteen year old. But he lost his first big game.

The first loss was a win – he discovered that there was always a feeling of ‘Wanting to win’. He recalls being given a ‘best loser’ trophy. The urge and want to win was there from the beginning. He went on to win the state junior title two years later.
As demonstrated at many junctures in his career- Champions don’t wait for things to happen; they find their own ways to win, fair and square. They don’t wait for success to come to them; they go after success. That’s the hallmark. A true fighting spirit and intense passion is a crucial learning from sport.

Champions don’t wait for things to happen; they find their own ways to win, fair and square. They don’t wait for success to come to them; they go after success. That’s the hallmark. A true fighting spirit and intense passion is a crucial learning from sport.

Prakash padukone

First Indian to win the prestigious All England Badminton Championships

Focus and Discipline

Inspired by his father Shri Ramesh Padukone in the early 50s, Prakash Padukone starting playing in the club. Accompanying his father kindled his interest in the sport. The journey from there to the present was not a steep rise – it was a gradual step-by-step expedition with challenges at each turn. With his father as his coach, he took his initial steps into the world of badminton at a time when the sport was not popular in the country. With not much popularity, support was scarce. Another crucial learning at this phase was to be self-propelling and not let external limitations curb our experience and potential.

With sheer determination and focus, his career saw the first under-18 tournament win at state level at the age of twelve. He went on to win all the five titles in the state championships at the age of 15 – a record set again. The Junior and Senior national titles were won by him the same year – a record still unbeaten.

Patience and Dedication

Playing a sport can be extremely rewarding as it literally demonstrated how working hard with a willingness to learn from mistakes pays off. It was only with extreme dedication, discipline, concentration and an ability to analyze that Prakash Padukone could understand his strengths and weaknesses on court. It is what enabled him to perfect his presence on court through self-learning and watching other players. 

In his own words – If you love what you do, nothing else matters, not even awards. Follow your heart and live your dream. 

His achievements came at a time when there was no proper support system for a player to just concentrate on his game. Technology was still building and the sport was not so popular as to engage financial and technical support leave alone churning out champion role models.

  • Prakash Padukone at the All England Championships
    Prakash Padukone at the All England Championships
  • learn focus and displine at psm
    Focus and discipline are key to success in any sport.
  • prakash padukone on court
    Prakash Padukone in action. Prakash Padukone on the Badminton courts

Going beyond your comfort zone:

From doing whatever one knows to learning to do what one doesn’t know – taking the leap is another huge takeaway from sport. It allows oneself to broaden the boundaries and tackle the uncertainty of the unknown.

One example to illustrate this would be Prakash Padukone’s Indonesian training period. With support from his work-place, he went on to train at some of the world’s best facilities in Indonesia. Yearning to learn and broaden perspectives, to improve skill and expose oneself to better talent, this phase was crucial in enabling him to discover his true potential. Post-this journey, he marked his presence on the international arena by winning the commonwealth, All England Championships and there was no looking back after that.

The game is not about copying technique and skill, it is about playing to one’s strengths. It is about focusing on strengths and working on weaknesses. The sport teaches us the difference one can make by removing one’s limitations. A well-known fact is that in terms of speed, power and fitness the outside nation competitors had an edge. It was this awareness which helped Prakash Padukone in developing a style of his own, using his strengths, perfecting his game. 

Passion propels- From player to a beacon

For many the journey ends at retirement. The story ceases. But in his case, passion fueled his presence in badminton beyond the two-decade long competitive career. With a passion to enable badminton reach everyone and to see the country’s badminton talent flourish, Prakash Padukone began his own coaching academy to increase focus on the sport and provide the right resources and platform for talent. A trendsetter, the academy is the first ever privately funded badminton academy in the world!

One can also learn how passion ensure success in all walks of life. Passion towards the sport can make a champion out of you, it can also make you champion the cause of the sport itself! From a time when one had to demarcate the difference between ball badminton and shuttle badminton, India is now seeing a time where we are embracing badminton as an all-round sport. Moving from a concept of ‘play to become a champion’, badminton is now a hugely enjoyed sport with an increase in the base and reach to become a sport for all. It is a sport that now competes with cricket in terms of its popularity and patronage.

Share via-

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You might also like

June 1, 2021 | Padukone sports management

Visualization In Sport

Learn More

June 1, 2021 | Padukone sports management

Mental Toughness in Sport

Learn More

May 29, 2021 | Padukone sports management

Building Self Confidence In Sport

Learn More

Interested in Joining with us?

team
Join our team

View Our Program

Explore
health-clinic
See what we can do for you

Explore Our Centers

Explore
Career Opportunity
Career Opportunity

Meet Our Coaches

Explore
Easy Participation
Easy Participation

Apply Now

Explore

Never Miss an Update

Subscribe to our Newsletter to receive the latest thought leadership by Padukone Sports Management experts, delivered straight to your inbox!


    Our mission it to ensure every individual
    in India has access to quality
    badminton coaching​

    badminton
    • Programs
    • Our Centres and Cities
    • About PSM
    • Blogs
    • Contact

    © 2023 Padukone Sports Management Incorporated. All rights reserved

    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Return and Refund Policy

    Made with love by SALT and Digital Advantage