1) START YOUNG

I think to excel in anything in life its very important to start very young.Especially if its a sport .It takes years to be a champion.I started when I was 9 yrs old. As parents its very important to know if your kid has the aptitude for a sport. A game like badminton doesnt just need you to be strong and fit. It also needs you to be intelligent and wise to learn quickly. If a kid is really interested he will surely learn and adapt quickly.

2)FIND THE RIGHT COACH

This is a very crucial aspect of a career.You have to make sure you find the right person to lead your kid.I was in that sense very lucky.I started learning under Santosh Kshatriya in Bombay. He was the one who inculcated my work ethic and my passion towards the game.He understood in the first few months that I could be trained to be a good player.I never run away from hard work and thats largely because of his training and his teachings.Before you finalize your coach I also think that its very important to identify if you are looking at the game as an hobby or something you want your child to excel in.Its difficult to know this in the earlier stages but with time Im sure you will know.You have to beware of running into the wrong people.There are a lot of so called coaches who run centres for the sake of money and not passion.I have always believed that teachers are one of the most important aspects of a students life.I have been very lucky to have had some amazing people in all these years its only due to their guidance that I have achieved a little bit.So please do a good research of your coaches before you enroll your kids.

3)IMPORTANCE TO PHYSICAL TRAINING

We as Indians are not naturally strong like the Europeans and our Asian folks .So it becomes doubly important to make ourselves as strong and as fit as possible.I really think that in the early years its actually more important to inculcate a sense of discipline towards training.I used to run from Andheri to the Juhu beach,run on the beach and then back to Andheri almost every other day .Santosh sir never showed any mercy towards me being a girl or me being so young.I always used to run with the guys.Mostly kids tend to be very excited about playing on the court but they are a little lazy about working hard off it.Its important to push them in the early days,its difficult first but then once it becomes a routine than they like the challenge and start enjoying it.Nowadays there are professional trainers who can help you with a work out.Its not a bad idea to actually hire someone for it.

4)NO UNDUE PRESSURE AND PATIENCE

As a kid the best gift I got from my parents was that they never forced me to do anything.They were as happy when I lost as they were when I won.They were very patient with my losses.They realized that great results take time,and if i am putting in honest hard work results will sooner or later come.Its very unfair on coaches when you ask them after two months of training when is my child going to win?In the early stages its more important to focus on how much the kid is improving on a day to day basis.If hes enjoying the hardwork,if he enjoys competing and does loosing make him work harder or makes him run away from it.If he is having a good time than sooner or later he will perform. As parents its important to show them the importance of failure and how much you learn from it.Your undying support is all that he needs.Stay calm through the failures it should be very difficult to see your kid lose but I promise you it will be all worth it when he wins.Patience is the most important factor in achieving things. The big difference between good and great is perseverance.

5)KEEP IT REAL AND SIMPLE

India today has improved a lot economically.The standard of living has got a notches higher than before.I see parents pampering kids with the best kits,rackets,clothing and facilities.They are treated like stars even before they become one.I started playing with a canvas shoe,a slivers racket,two pairs of shirts,shorts and socks.I didnt even have a kit bag.I used to carry a small hand bag and two rackets in my hand for practice.I got my first yonex racket when I won my first tournament.I still cherish that moment and still have that racket.I know you want your kids to have the best but in the quest of doing that you are actually giving importance to all the wrong things.If your child is good he will win even with a silvers racket,he doesnt need to have a yonex racket costing 9000 bucks.As their level improves their requirements will too.So dont fill them up with the best when they still dont deserve it.Keep it simple and real. An  incentive is very important for performance.Now a days kids have everything already even before they need it.Once they know they have to work for it ,it helps to build a right attitude towards their game and life too.

Happy Parenting!