Why Sachin Tendulkar ever needed a coach? What does it mean for you?

“A life coach does for the betterment of your life what a personal trainer does for your fit health”. As it is rightly said, “Life Coaching is not a therapy. It is product development with you as the product.” The product that we talk about today is none other than the legendary Sachin Tendulkar. In the words of Sachin Tendulkar, “Along with the talent, you also need direction” and this direction was shown by his coach  Ramakant Achrekar. The iconic cricketer was coached under Achrekar who moulded him as a child and built the foundation where he stands today. Under the able guidance of Ramakant Achrekar, Sachin learnt some important lessons of life that are instrumental in shaping his career. Fondly called “Achrekar Story”, following snippets give an insight on why Sachin Tendulkar ever needed a coach.

The tight slap- Tendulkar still remembers the “tight slap” he got from his coach for missing a match as he went to cheer for the senior school team match. Achrekar's take was that “People should come to watch and clap for you rather than you clapping for them”. Since that day Sachin started practicing very hard and put in lot of efforts. These harsh and strict strategies helped shape up his destiny.

One rupee coin- Tendulkar fondly reminisces the story of priceless one rupee coins that Achrekar placed over stumps and challenged Tendulkar not to get bowled in order to earn those coins. This innovative strategy strived Tendulkar to work hard towards earning those coins, polishing his game more with every coin earned.

Hard taskmaster- Sachin credits Achreker for his stamina; at the end of each training session when Sachin was completely exhausted, Achrekar would make him run in full gear (with bat and pads) to do the rounds of the cricket field. It helped build his capacity to run for long hours without getting tired.

Utmost dedication- There was times when Achrekar would himself drop at Sachin’s residence and bring him to practice. He would even take little Tendulkar on his scooter to play multiple matches at various cricket fields of Mumbai. He was one of those few mentors who went that extra mile to ensure that his students never miss the opportunity.

Clear Insight- Achrekar had a clear vision of how Sachin’s battling style could be optimized to get the best results in his game. It was Achreker who asked Sachin to go back to his original low grip after advising him to hold the bat higher. Achreker closely observed Sachin play with the bat held higher and realized that he was not having the same had a quick vision and suggested that he go control and his shots were not coming off well. He back to the original grip.

Achreker belonged to an era where technology was just a dream. His story tells us that simplicity, honesty and hard work are undisputed routes to success.