Hamburg: Small changes can trigger big transformations. This is the philosophy that India’s Swedish boxing coach Santiago Nieva has applied in training methods and has got immediate results within months of taking over.
Nieva took over the India job in April and went through his first big test, the World Championships, this month. Though India’s medal count stayed at one but having three quarterfinalists was definitely an improvement compared to last edition’s two.
Gaurav Bidhuri, the only medallist heaped praise on his teacher. “His positive attitude in training is brilliant. He allows boxers the space to sometimes think for themselves,” said Bidhuri.
The others in the team too feel Nieva’s eye for detail and scientific approach is helping them to improve. “The video analyst not only records our opponents’ bouts but also makes short videos of our mistakes which are sent to our phones so that we can see repeatedly where we have gone wrong,” said former Commonwealth Games gold-medallist Manoj Kumar.
Nieva pointed out that move will reap good results in future. “The idea behind this is to ensure that the boxer never forgets his mistakes,” the Swede stated.
Press trust of India