Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Our focus should be on the U14 upwards.

We already know that we have world class players below U12. But lets look at this realistically. U12 doesn't really prove anything much. As we all know, many "accidents" can happen at this level and so the mark of us as a chess nation is really shown as we move up the age categories; where there are less and less "accidents".

I think our trainers and coaches will learn a lot if we focus on the higher age groups. What are we missing? What more do we need to learn? Is the fact that our Juniors get more and more demotivated as they get older a matter of concern? What can we do to keep the fire in their eyes? What are we doing wrong?

Don't give up on them and then start looking at the U12's again. If we do that we will not grow, we will not learn. And don't hit out at the older Juniors because it is we who have failed them. Don't shift the blame.

Is this something worth thinking about? Can looking seriously at competitor analysis and having proper training long before an important tournament and not the last minute ones we now have be a possible solution?

If so, how can we get there? And what is in our way?

2 comments:

  1. I think there is still the question of are our coaches capable of taking the players from the U14 level to the next? (i.e. to the FM/IM level)

    Many of the coaches continue to focus on U12 simply because there is more money to be made there, and hence, no incentive to upgrade their skills to coach at a higher level. Of course, there are exceptions to coaches like Mok etc, but one or two of them isn't going to be enough.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think we should focus on finding solutions. And then plot our way there.

    ReplyDelete