CRADLE OF LEADERSHIP: GAGAN NARANG GUN FOR GLORY SPORTS ACADEMY: SHOOTING FOR STARS

"The Gun For Glory Shooting Academy in Balewadi sports complex has been the youth to play this sport, compete and rise in the international arena and set up with the motive to encourage increase the medal tally of India"

The Gun for Glory Sports Academy is the country’s first privately managed shooting facility with world-class infrastructure, training, coaches and staff that is made accessible to talented shooters via scholarships and fee subsidies and has produced many international medal winners. A tete-a-tete with Gagan Narang, the brain, and heart and soul behind the academy...

The Gun For Glory Shooting Academy at the Balewadi sports complex in Pune has been set up with the motive to encourage the youth to play this sport, compete and rise in the international arena and increase the medal tally of India. The journey started in 2011 and has produced over 100 international medal winners within a short span of six years. Established by the Gagan Narang Sports Promotion Foundation, this academy is a not-for-profit enterprise operating out of the Shooting Range at the Shiv Chhatrapati Shivaji Stadium, Balewadi, Pune. Incidentally, this is the country’s first privately managed shooting facility with world class infrastructure, training, coaches, and staff, made accessible to talented shooters via scholarships and fee subsidies. A baby of Gagan Narang, the Indian air rifle shooter, the academy is supported by the Olympic Gold Quest. He was the first Indian to qualify for the London Olympics. He won the Bronze Medal in the Men's 10 m Air Rifle Event at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London with a final score of 701.1.

Son of a retired chief manager of Air India, Bhimsen Narang, Gagan’s family hails from the Simla Gujran village of Haryana's Panipat district. Gagan did his schooling from Gitanjali Senior School and attained his Bachelor of Computer Application degree from Hyderabad's Osmania University. He took to shooting when his father presented him an air pistol in 1997, and perfected his shooting skills in the backyard of his home in Begumpet, Hyderabad. Gagan showed early sparks of his shooting ability when, at the age of two, he shot a balloon with a toy pistol.

Narang had publicly expressed his displeasure after being ignored for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award thrice and he threatened to skip the 2010 Commonwealth Games due to lack of motivation. However, after intense pressure from his family and fans, he decided to participate.

In recognition of his achievements, Narang was conferred the Padma Shree Award in 2011. In 2010, he was selected for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award. This is the highest sports award in the country. He was conferred the award by then president Pratibha Patil in the year 2011.

After winning the Olympic Bronze in 2012, he was the recipient of a number of awards, including:

RS. 10 million (US$160,000) cash prize by the State Government of Haryana.

RS. 5 million (US$78,000) cash prize by the State Government of Andhra Pradesh.

RS. 5 million (US$78,000) cash prize by the State Government of Rajasthan.

RS. 2 million (US$31,000) cash prize by the Steel Ministry of India.

Two kg gold by Sahara India Pariwar.

Gagan who was in Slovenia, training for the World Cup in Gabala Azerbaijan spoke to Corporate Citizen about his academy, besides a number of other issues:

Corporate Citizen: Unlike many Olympic medal winners, you did not become a brand ambassador in the corporate world, but took up teaching. Why?

Gagan Narang: I always wanted to give back to the system of which I am a product. With that in mind, we started Gun For Glory (GFG). It was a humble beginning in the summer of 2011, a year before my Olympic games. To be an active shooter, and plan and execute a project like this was not easy, but I had very able support. That is why GFG became possible a year before my London Bronze came. Incidentally, there were people, who had faith in my ability to guide their children. Some of them were our first students in the academy. Today, we have expanded it to 15 different places in the country, but Pune remains the mother ship. Since I still am an active shooter, I have very little time, but I oversee the processes that are executed by competent professionals.

Did you ever feel the need for turning into a politician like Rajyavardhan Rathore, who is today a Union Minister of State?

No, I have not felt such a need. Not yet.

Your younger days saw much struggle. Can you recall those days? It could inspire young and upcoming athletes...

My journey as a shooter began at the age of ten. I, like most kids, was fond of playing sports but not physical rigour. So while I played cricket and football and hockey and badminton, shooting stuck with me. It helped me focus and at the same time stay engrossed. Then it was the support of my parents and teachers that helped me build a career in sports. I would like to see myself and one of my students on the Olympic podium. That is my dream now. I want to see GFG scale greater heights.

Tell us about your gut feeling after you won the Olympics medal.

My gut feeling was that I would win another one before I retire and I am going to give my best shot in Japan in 2020.

What was the role of your family members?

My parents and my friends have been a pillar of support. They have supported me in building GFG as much as they have supported my shooting career.

Please take us through the history of your academy, and what makes it so special.

GFG was established in January 2011 by the Gagan Narang Sports Promotion Foundation as the Gun For Glory Shooting Academy. Gun for Glory is a not-for-profit enterprise operating out of the Shooting Range at the Shiv Chhatrapati Shivaji Stadium, Balewadi, Pune. It is India’s first privately managed shooting facility with world class infrastructure, training, coaches, staff, accessible to talented shooters who come on scholarships and fee subsidies.

What makes it unique?

Our curriculum offers theory combined with practical lesson plans. We follow the magna aude (dare for greatness) motto and values of integrity, courage, community, and mastery. We always want our students to absorb and learn to the maximum of their capacity and we aim to produce youngsters, who are ready to contribute to the society. Our coaches work tirelessly to pursue high expectations for learning, doing whatever it takes for students to master the sport. The positive and friendly atmosphere helps our students develop self-confidence, social skills and character that can contribute so much to their success.

How are the players from your academy different from other such academies?

That is a difficult question to answer. A person, who has researched academies across India, across the world, will be able to provide an answer.

Your take on the academy, which has catered to many athletes from different castes, creed, rich and poor, and made them champions. What is the mantra?

Sports sees no criterion of caste or creed. It has only one mantra: ‘To be a champion’. That is the ultimate recognition for a sports person. People who come to GFG come with the dream to stand on the Olympic podium. We help them in their journey, but they know that they have to walk the path-rough or smooth-to reach their desired destination.

What kind of faculty does your academy provide?

The Academy has more than 30 coaches under its wing as of now. As mentioned earlier, we follow a unique curriculum-based coaching programme and each coach is trained to coach different levels of the curriculum. All our coaches are of the level of National Shooters and above. We also have a team of expert coaches with more than 15-20 years of experience and also a team of international consulting coaches. Among all the participants, the successful top 50 candidates will get selected for the First Shot programme. Out of them, the top 20 candidates will get selected for the Reload programme and then, the eight best candidates will be shortlisted for the Level 3 programme, the top six of these for level 4, and the top five out of these for level 5.

The Champions

What about counsellors and psychologists? Do they have a role in making a good player?

Counsellors and psychologists are required to help a player find his/her feet when the going is not good. The rest of the time it should be kept uncomplicated. The best way is to motivate yourself. The reason one takes up an unconventional profession like shooting is for the love of it. And it is this love that should keep one going.

What is the motivating factor when it comes to your coaches? How do you encourage research?

Self-motivation is the key to sustained performance and longterm success. We believe in ‘Motivation Through Purpose’. We develop a strong sense of purpose for promoting long-term motivation. Creating a sense of purpose and/or meaning is about changing the way coaches think about their roles, their reasons for coming to GFG, their influence on students, etc. We lead by example. Coaches need to see the commitment and passion coming from the top. We praise an employee’s effort by implementing the ‘Pat on the Back’ award, quarterly. We inspire employees to perform their best by encouraging their best work. We create an environment that allows for challenge, recognition and appreciation.

"Modern day shooting requires a more holistic approach towards coaching and training. Towards this, we deploy the best and the latest of technology available along with special focus on the mental and physical development of the athlete"

Tell us about the facilities at your academy.

GFG has a state-of-the-art facility. It is an initiative to promote the shooting sport by building young talent at the right time in order to produce newer stars in the shooting firmament. There is a 50m shooting range at the academy at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports complex, Balewadi, Pune. The complex provides world class infrastructure that is required to prepare a shooter to meet modern day challenges. The academy prides itself in providing all the tools to build a champion. The courses in GFG offer shooters gun testing facility (testing each barrel and selecting the best pellet for a particular barrel and maintain availability for one year’s training), peak performance management, a link up with an educational institution and residential tie up.

Your comments on what makes a good sports person, and your take on athletes- does it make a difference if they are from economically backward or well-to-do backgrounds?

It does not matter which economic background a player comes from. It depends on what stage he or she gets spotted and gets the opportunity to hone his/her talent. Of course, if one has started out shooting at the age of seven or eight and is from an economically better background than a similar child of similar age, he/she gets a headstart. But if they get the same opportunity, the same kind of coaching in their teens too, they can match each other’s talent, skill and stamina.

What about the fee structure? Do you have concession for players?

The fee structure is highly subsidised. An entry level course would typically cost around 75 Euros per week, all inclusive. The academy provides all the equipment, weapons, ammunition, targets etc., for the student. The student does not have to buy/ purchase anything for his training at the academy. We also conduct Talent Hunts every six months. The training for shortlisted candidates out of this is completely sponsored by the academy.

In the last few years, athletes’ ranking has gone up. What are the factors you would attribute?

The quality of players has become better. That is why the scores are better, hence the rankings. They are fitter and are able to last out longer now. Indians have always been good with their skill sets.

What is the number of player-intake? Who are selected? Are they learners or players with basic knowledge of the game?

We enrol around 100 to 150 students at the entry level every month across all branches. We also recruit seasoned shooters with a prior assessment and then they follow a customised programme under the relevant coaches.

Tell us about the various sections who contribute to the success of your academy.

We have support from the Olympic Gold Quest which is a sports NGO, gun manufacturers Walther, Sancheti hospitals, Eley, ammunition manufacturer, Capapie, for shooting equipment, and Lakshya.

What has been your biggest contribution in your academy?

Ideation has been my biggest contribution to Gun For Glory.

Are you planning to launch a combined move along with Rajyavardhan Rathore, who is also an icon in shooting? For a layman, Rathore and Gagan are like Paes and Bhupathi of Tennis. What is your take on this?

Rajyavardhan Rathore is the Minister of State of Information and Broadcasting and is an active member of the BJP. He was also the first shooter to win an Olympic medal and show us the path. He is a great inspiration to the nation and supportive on any positive initiatives.

Tell us about the scientific and modern approach you have at the academy.

Modern day shooting requires a more holistic approach towards coaching and training. Towards this, we deploy the best and the latest of technology available along with special focus on the mental and physical development of the athlete. Apart from that, our expert coaches provide weapon customisation support, pellet testing facility wherein each barrel is tested for the best pellets suitable and then the shooter is provided with those pellets for the best results. SCATT simulators are used right from the basic levels of training so that the shooter does not have to rely upon the trial and error mode to correct their techniques.

How effectively does your academy groom players to become good players? Do you have your own innovation methods?

GFG has brought together a bevy of foreign coaches, a foreign Grip Maker, Sports Injury Management Team, Physiotherapist, Yoga Guru, Dietitian, Masseur, Gun testing facility, utilisation of SCATT, video analyzers, Equipment Control, Psychologist, among others. The customised training plans are designed by our eminent foreign coaches on the basis of SWOT analysis.

What about parents? Do they also play a role?

Of course, they play a big role. The biggest is their decision to put their wards into shooting sports. The next decision comes when the child wants to pursue it full-time. Parents are as much involved in making a shooter as they are with any other unconventional profession.

What do you do in your leisure time? How do you to take out time for yourself amid such a busy schedule?

I spend my leisure in Gun For Glory since I am also an active shooter. There is very little time I have beyond practising and travelling for my competitions. I also like to watch Netflix and take breaks to get away and do wildlife photography in my leisure time.

By Joe Williams