Archery coach Feeney out to impress in two-week stint

Australian compound coach Peter Feeney, who will join the national camp in Kolkata, is keen to get right down to business and forge a good relationship with India’s archers as soon as possible. Feeney has been invited by the Archery Association of India for the two-week camp and, if all works well, will get to train India’s compound team through to the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

The two-week stint, in effect, is a trial of sorts where he needs to impress both his future wards (archers) and employers (the AAI).

In an email chat with The Indian Express, Feeney said the Kolkata camp will be an opportunity for both him and the archers to ascertain whether they can work towards making a good team. “The national camp in Kolkata will give both the archers and me an opportunity to see whether we make a good team. The relationship between athletes and their coaches can make a significant difference to the athletes’ performance,” he said.

The other thing that the Australian is keen on is to review the archers in practice and competition to find out how they perform under tournament conditions. “Part of this process is to review the equipment the archers are using and ensure that it is tuned. A review of the archer’s technique and form is very important.”

Feeney, who is scheduled to arrive in India on January 31, had approached the AAI after the federation invited applications for the vacant post on the international archery federation’s website. “The opportunities in Australia are limited under the current structure of Archery

Australia, and the Archery Association of India’s advertisement came at an opportune time. I have been considering coaching on a full-time basis and this will provide me with that opportunity,” he said. His interest grew further after watching the Indians at the Youth World Championships last year in Turkey.

And the Australian doesn’t foresee any communication problems. “Teaching is what I have been doing for quite a number of years. There are lots of ways to get the message across, like video recordings and photo analysis. The best way is to show the archers what is required.”