A former long distance runner himself, Srinivas is the head coach for athletics at the GMC Balyogi Athletic Stadium, also known as the Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. He trains young athletes from ages 8 - 22, hailing from various districts of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. These athletes move to Hyderabad and live at/close to the stadium while attending a school/university to be able to train well.
Situated in the Information Technology hub of the city of pearls and operated by the Sports Authority of Telangana State (SATS), the stadium complex contains the only synthetic running track in the state, attracting athletes from several districts and mandals of the erstwhile (unified) Andhra Pradesh. It offers an eight-lane 400m competition track and a four-lane practice track to accommodate the multiple teams that train and compete here.
Observing an athlete while the others look on.
Drawing up training plans specific to each athlete, to his/her discipline and progress, the team trains twice a day, six days a week.
Timing the sprinters.
Srinivas chooses his athletes based on talent and previous performances but grit and discipline matter the most as the sport tests an athlete on both.
A certified coach by the Sports Authority of India (SAI), Netaji Subhas Southern Centre, Bengaluru, Srinivas is now under the ambit of the Sports Authority of Telangana (SATS) system, says he takes after his guru, Mr. Ghouse Pasha from Khammam. Also under SATS, Mr. Pasha had produced national athletes and continues to do so. After two decades of coaching and now nearing his retirement, he is still not a regularized employee of the state. This un-regularization of coaches has been a burning issue in the SATS system for many years now. (>>ref CAG audit report<<)
Correcting the form of a junior sprinter while a senior looks on. Srinivas says that it’s important to have an environment where the senior athletes watch over the juniors to pass on their experiences. Along the way, he passes on his coaching knowledge to the seniors.
Checking the drills. Often times, Srinivas jumps in and works out with the athletes, improving their form and ensuring progress.
Giving the sub-junior (under 14) athletes their workout for the day. While they started out as part of the receational pay-play scheme, some of these young athletes have trained under Srinivas to become winners at the district levels and are preparing for the upcoming state meet.
On the rare days when he’s late to a session, he directs his assistants or the athletes themselves to make sure they get on with their individual workouts.
Employed via an agency makes him an indirect employee of SATS, under the Pay & Play scheme, binding him to a contractual presence of 5 hours per day at the track, split between a morning and evening session. A considerable chunk of his time goes into coaching kids during both sessions as part of the SATS’ pay-play scheme wherein young recreational athletes of under 14 years, can train at the track under the coach by paying a fee to the stadium administration.
Every athlete should find joy in his sport, says Srinivas. He makes sure the athletes gets a fun game session once a week, one that he joins himself, to lighten the training regime. The teenagers can find the routine taxing so it’s important to keep up the spirit of the team and self.
Srinivas emphasises on holistic development of an athlete, especially teenagers and adolescents as their parents place their trust in the coaches and the system for their development, far from homes. He often takes the time out to mentor the athletes on staying true to the sport that has given them so much joy and if they choose to, their livelihood too, without relying on the state to hand them a job based on their achievements in the sport (>>ref CAG audit report<<).
He believes that he and his athletes should work on finding and nurturing talent that might otherwise be lost to the system’s inefficiencies, to use their knowledge to keep the sport alive, to foster potential athletes who are in situations just like they were, before being discovered by their own coaches.
Along with one of this athletes, Srinivas interacts with the PE teacher of the Zilla Parishad (ZP) school at Gachibowli to plan a trial-day to identify talent.
Taking down the HM’s contact information to schedule trial workouts at the ZP primary school in Kothaguda, Hyderabad. Some of the schools do not have a PE teacher so the duty falls on the Vice principal or Headmaster.
Scheduling a test-day at the primary school at the 8th batallion of TS Police. It’s important to choose schools in the vicinity of the track for ease of transport for the kids who, if chosen, can train at the track.
His way of acting on this is to scout the public schools close to the track, involving all of his athletes in conducting trial workouts for the school students, grades 4-8, while teaching the athletes about coaching kids in the process. A series of tests to measure speed, agility and biomechanics, these metrics are later analysed and potential talent is further narrowed down.
Srinivas leading a pre-test stretching routine.
Timing the kids during trial workouts.
Spending time with kids excited about his sport while working with athletes he’s nurtured gives him a great deal of joy, says Srinivas. He wishes athletics got more attention in the general discourse of sport, a fraction of what Cricket or Badminton get.
Making sure the athletes are warmed up before their big race at the state meet which paves the way to regional and national competitions.
A big challenge of coaching young athletes for competing is just that, competing. Understandable nerves on the day of and inexperience can get in the way of results even if an athlete trains for his/her best season. Trying to keep them coolheaded falls upon the coach and the seniors who’ve been there before.
Congratulating Dileep (left), one of his U-16 sprinters on winning the gold in both of his events while Pranav (center) closely missed the podium.
Reassuring Mahesh, who retired from his steeplechase event due to a calf injury mid-race, while he was close to finishing first.
With some of his athletes achieving and surpassing their goals for the state meet and some who have fallen short, the team resumes training to do better at the next competition before taking to the national selection stage where the contention is tougher and success that much more rewarding.
Srinivas quipping about not doing the goal time he had set for the race for Ritesh who had just won gold in his 2000m race.
