Turkiye head coach Yusuf Goktug Ergin made his mark when he reworked the recurve archery scene in his nation to provide Olympic and World Championship medallists.
Ergin, who represented Turkiye on the 2008 Beijing Olympics, shot into the limelight when his ward Mete Gazoz turned the primary Turkish archer to safe an Olympic medal by successful the boys’s particular person gold at Tokyo 2020. Gazoz, who turned a World champion in 2023, joined arms with Berkim Tumer and Abdullah Yildirmis to say the boys’s staff bronze at Paris 2024.
Having tasted success together with his coaching methodology, the 41-year-old recurve coach, who can be the chairman of World Archery’s Coaches Committee, doesn’t thoughts sharing his information for the good thing about coaches and archers throughout the globe.
With Indian archery seeking to break its Olympics jinx at Los Angeles 2028, the Archery Affiliation of India (AAI) just lately invited Ergin to coach its coaches at a workshop in Jaipur. Ergin carved out a while for The Hindu to discuss his teaching philosophy and his perspective on Indian archery. Excerpts:
What’s your impression of Indian archery and its coaches?
I’ve been following them for a few years, as a result of we’re competing towards one another in several competitions. They’ve nice ambitions, are all the time able to win. They’re working so laborious, dedicating their lives. In India, what I see is nice. There are many coaches able to share their expertise. They’re able to improve their information and serve their nation.
Why aren’t Indian archers successful medals within the Olympics?
All essential issues are already there. Solely, it appears, the items need to be managed in another way than they’ve been managed till now. India doesn’t have any lacking half to get the medal.
For successful high-level medals, how a lot of the preparation is psychological?
For a high-level medal, one wants 80-85% of psychological preparation. I all the time inform my archers, expertise is [the reason why] they’re in such an enormous pool, however after they compete internationally everyone is proficient. To beat the proficient individuals, you must have one thing completely different. Everyone can do the bodily work, however psychological work could make the distinction.
Do you advise that coaching ought to embody each abilities and psychological coaching?
Psychological coaching needs to be a part of your preparation on a regular basis. It shouldn’t be a sort of separated programme. Psychological coaching needs to be a part of bodily and energy coaching, technical and endurance work. If you find yourself engaged on scores and efficiency, psychological coaching has to run inside. Once you plan your coaching programme, psychological coaching needs to be a part of it.
Do you suppose India wants Korean coaches to win an Olympic medal? What’s your expertise in Turkiye?
I’ve the expertise of working with Korean, Italian, Georgian and Soviet coaches. Each nation has completely different sorts of dynamics. My philosophy is that if India or some other nation makes use of their very own sources, in the event that they educate their very own coaches, will probably be a lot simpler to get success. A overseas coach can do a fantastic job and produce some success, however the essential level is legacy. All of the coaches are working for themselves. After they depart a rustic, they need to depart one thing again. More often than not, the transition doesn’t work. I’m so glad the AAI is now doing a extremely nice job. They’re targeted on their very own coaches, attempting to coach them and enhance their information. This might have a a lot greater impact than bringing a overseas coach to handle the nationwide staff.
Do you suppose India can study one thing from Turkiye and implement that right here to provide prime medallists?
Each nation and tradition has completely different sorts of dynamics. I’m right here to share what we did in Turkiye. I count on all Indian coaches will get into it and convert it to make it appropriate for India. I wouldn’t say I’m right here to show them. I’m right here to share. And in the event that they share, this change will probably be useful for each of us. India is among the strongest international locations on this planet. They’ve each medal, apart from the Olympics. It was a lacking half for us too earlier than Tokyo. After we obtained our first gold in Tokyo, it has grow to be a lot simpler for us.
High quality margins: Ergin says no person would have been shocked had Ankita Bhakat and B. Dhiraj received gold at Paris 2024. Finally dropping bronze, he says, was simply right down to ‘timing and dynamics of the day’.
| Photograph Credit score:
Ritu Raj Konwar
India’s compound archers are successful medals constantly on the prime degree. The junior archers are additionally doing effectively. Do you have got any concepts why the senior recurve archers are lagging a bit?
After all, I’ve some concepts, however I respect my colleagues. My coach associates are working actually laborious. They need to have some options. I attempt to share my information and expertise. They’ll perceive and realise what must be improved and what will be performed higher. I don’t need to specify something as a result of I’m following them from hundreds of kilometres away. I see them in competitions and don’t know what’s happening within the coaching precisely. What I see within the competitors, it’s not that unhealthy.
India (Ankita Bhakat and B. Dhiraj) completed fourth within the combined staff occasion on the Paris Olympics. The place do you suppose they may have performed higher in that bronze medal match?
In that match, there have been numerous breaking factors. However within the dynamics of the day, it was completely different. It was a bit in regards to the opponents too. They had been so near stepping into the ultimate [they led 2-0 after the first set of the semifinal against the eventual gold medallist Korean pair of Lim Sihyeon and Kim Woojin]. It might have been a shock for none of us if India [had] received the gold. It’s not a shock they completed fourth. All of the groups had been so robust. There have been at the least three breaking factors throughout the [bronze medal] match [against USA’s Casey Kaufhold and Brady Ellison]. However none of them had been associated to the coaches or the archers. It’s simply timing and the dynamics of the day.
What’s your impression of the inaugural Archery Premier League in India?
I like the system and the kind of competitors. It brings a sort of pleasure into archery. Lastly, somebody has regarded out of the field. The matches had been so thrilling and had been of excessive degree. Due to the kind of the competitors and the time restrict, coaches weren’t in a position to information as a lot as we anticipated. The remainder of the format is nice. I consider it’s going to proceed and another international locations will comply with it.
Any Indian archers who remind you of your ward Mete Gazoz, a World and Olympic champion?
There are a few archers. Atanu Das is doing a fantastic job. He all the time appears so near successful. In any competitors, he appears so calm and robust. The [other] identify is B. Dhiraj. He’s additionally so calm. I might say Atanu could be one of many greatest favourites for successful any medal.
Printed – March 21, 2026 01:00 am IST
