Meet & Greet with Chirag Shetty. Golden Shuttle Academy, Kottara, Mangalore.

To celebrate our completion of 12 years as a badminton academy, we had the pleasure of having Chirag in our excellence center, Golden Shuttle situated at Kottara Chowki, Mangalore. An elaborate ‘Meet & Greet’ program was organised by Golden Shuttle on 12^th February 2022 for all badminton enthusiasts in the city; followed by an exclusive dinner with the champ himself! The main motive for organising the ‘Meet & Greet’ program was to provide our kids & members with exposure to badminton at an international level; to learn and understand aspects that influenced Chirag’s career in badminton.

Meet & Greet with Chirag Shetty. Golden Shuttle Academy, Kottara, Mangalore.

Meet & Greet with Chirag Shetty. Golden Shuttle Academy, Kottara, Mangalore.

Along with Chirag Shetty, the ‘Meet & Greet’ program at Golden Shuttle, Mangalore was graced by his parents, Mr. Chandrashekar Shetty & Mrs. Sujata Shetty. One of the program’s highlights was the Q&A session; some key aspects from the session are mentioned further below. After an engrossing interactive session, our kids at Golden Shuttle had an opportunity to exchange a few shots with the ace shuttler. After addressing the press persons, autographed picture cards were given away to all the participants followed by a photography session with Chirag.

Meet & Greet with Chirag Shetty. Golden Shuttle Academy, Kottara, Mangalore.

Meet & Greet with Chirag Shetty. Golden Shuttle Academy, Kottara, Mangalore.

The event concluded with an exclusive dinner with Chirag and his family during which our logo for the Sudhir Ghate memorial Golden Shuttle Cup 2022 was unveiled by Mr. Chirag. The invitees had the opportunity to connect with Chirag at a personal level and gain further insights into the champion’s badminton career.

Meet & Greet with Chirag Shetty. Golden Shuttle Academy, Kottara, Mangalore.

Excerpts from the Q&A session with Chirag Shetty & his parents

Q: At what age did you start playing badminton? How did you (Chirag) decide to choose a career in badminton?

Ans: I started playing badminton at the age of 7 years. Initially, I was very fond of cricket. Over time, I realized that I wanted to play an individual sport and hence I started badminton and gradually was more inclined towards it.

Q: What do you think about the importance of fitness for kids pursuing badminton?

Ans: Till the age of 18 years, we did not emphasise fitness a lot; the focus was on spending more time on the court and honing stroke skills. As a kid, I wanted to just play for however long I was allowed. An extreme level of fitness was not the need of the hour; however, I was fit enough to be able to win tournaments and continue working on my strokes. On entering the seniors’ team (after 18 years of age) fitness became extremely important. Our bodies almost develop completely by 18 years of age and the right fitness regimen can immensely help boost performances. Also, the sport demands an extreme level of fitness at the international level.

Q: How do you manage your strict fitness regimen, diet, and most importantly rest?

Ans: During our on-season, I have a very strict routine and we players spend most of our day in the Academy. We have a full-day regimen which is made considering our diet, rest required, and our upcoming tournament schedule. During our off-season, I tend to keep myself as disciplined as possible; I do indulge and enjoy the occasional outing with my friends & family. I make the most of my time at home by getting all the rest I can.

Q: What do you think about badminton in India?

Ans: I believe badminton has grown exponentially in India. As a kid, when I started playing access to good infrastructure was quite difficult and India had not achieved much in badminton, as compared to cricket. However, in the last 15 years, I have observed that badminton is booming – there are great courts in so many cities making quality badminton easily accessible. Additionally, the number of players pursuing the sport and planning a career in it is rising rapidly and steadily. At the current rate, badminton will definitely be one of the top sports in the country.

Q: As parents, what was your response to Chirag’s decision of pursuing badminton as a career?

Ans: Chirag did well in school and attended school regularly. As he developed an interest in badminton, he juggled his focus on both school & the sport equally. My wife and I have always supported Chirag in his pursuit and have supported him to make his mark in badminton. Parents today need to realise that their kids are children and not machines who can achieve glory in everything. Children are burdened with so many classes and are expected to outperform in all areas. Parents must realise the potential of their child and help achieve wonders in the field of their interest.

Q: What do you enjoy about Mangalore?

Ans: Mangalore is my hometown, I am from Yermal (near Padubidri). This is my first visit to Mangalore after having made it into the international circuit; I am visiting the city after 7 or 8 years. I enjoy the food here, Gadbad from Pabbas is one of my favourites. I will definitely try and visit Mangalore more often.

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Overall, the tournament was a great showcase of talents. Kunlavut Vitidsarn & Christo Popov made it into the U19 boy’s final where Vitidsarn had a smooth straight-sets win against his challenger. The U19 girls’ final was no less than a thriller with Riko Gunji fighting it hard to finally emerge victorious after a three-set battle against Zhou Meng from China. It was really good to watch the second seeds, Carnando and Marthin from Indonesia win a nail-biting final against the first seeds from China in the U-19 doubles finals. Besides the on-court events, the players gained a wealth of experience from off-court activities as well.

Golden Shuttle Academy – Coaches Clinic in Russia

The juniors were involved in coaching clinics conducted by former Malaysian champion, Lee Wan Wah and great former player from Indonesia, Allan Budi Kusuma. Lee Wan Wah provided tips and techniques for a successful doubles strategy whereas Allan Budi Kusuma demonstrated the quintessence of footwork and speed in singles. Apart from these, former players Susy Susanti, Rajiv Ouseph, Anthony Clark and Michael Fuchs were also a part of the mentoring team. The sessions led by them would definitely help the players add a few more arrows into their quiver of strategies. The coaches clinics program was a great takeaway for me as well, both as a coach and a player. It helped me and provided me with insights on the different strategies and approaches used by different coaches & mentors.

Golden Shuttle Academy – Coaches Clinic in Russia

Golden Shuttle Academy – Coaches Clinic in Russia

It was an excellent experience for me to have witnessed the tournament first hand at Kazan. All I can say is, with so many young players from all over the world putting up their best performances, the sport of badminton is bound to go a long way!

Golden Shuttle Academy – Coaches Clinic in Russia

Jnanesh Salian

Golden Shuttle Academy

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Golden Shuttle Academy in Indonesia

The thrill and sheer joy of watching and learning from live matches is just amazing. The Indonesians, Greysia Polli and Apriyani Rahayu played amazingly well to defeat the Danish team and win their biggest title (Women’s Doubles) in Indonesia. The Minions (Kevin Sanjaya Sukamolyo & Marcus Fernaldi Gideon) too had their way in the Mens Doubles finals defeating The Daddies (Mohammad Ahsan & Hendra Setiawan) for the 10th time in a row. After recovering through a painful injury (that occurred on the same court at the same venue in the past year) Carolin Marin played an excellent final against Ratchanok Intanon. It was mesmerizing to watch Intanon play some fine strokes at the net eventually leading to her first title in nine months. Anthony Sinisuka Ginting made the day for Indonesian fans after winning the Mens Singles title. And yes, though I wished to watch him play a few years ago, it was equally exciting to watch even now – the favourite Lin Dan.

Golden Shuttle Academy in Indonesia

Indonesia has an immense fan following for the sport of badminton. Well, one can say, what Cricket is to India, Badminton is to Indonesia. Indonesia dominated the world of badminton back in the 90s and early 2000s and even to this day produces some of the best badminton players in the world. Badminton being the highest played sport in Indonesia and with its history of champions over the years such as Taufik Hidayat, Liliyana Natsir, Susi Susanti, Mohammad Ahsan, Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, Kevin Sanjaya Sukamolyo, Marcus Fernaldi Gideon, Markis Kido etc. and some of the best academies like Djarum academy and Jaya Raya academy, is a haven for badminton lovers. Hence I spent the following week at these academies to learn more about the vast badminton culture in Indonesia and how Indonesia managed to create spectacular players.

Golden Shuttle Academy in Indonesia

At Djarum Academy, I had the opportunity to meet the former champion, Mr. Christian Hadinata. As a player, Christian Hadinata reached the final of the prestigious All England singles in 1973. After he stepped off the court, Christian Hadinata went ahead to coach some of the best teams of Indonesia. I was also able to spend time & interact with the players at the Djarum badminton academy; participate with the them during their training sessions and understand their routines better.

Golden Shuttle Academy in Indonesia

Followed by this, I was able to practice and witness the training sessions at P B Jaya Raya Academy and have the amazing chance to spar with Mr Bambang Suprianto, another great name in the history of badminton – winner of the 1994 All England Mens Doubles Championship. In fact, Indonesian practice sessions are a theatre of ridiculous talent. Their doubles players seem to believe that tournaments are won not by screwed-eyes concentration and tyranny of geometry, but by gentle inflections in the wrists and elbows and shoulders while playing the fool all the time. Overall it was an excellent experience spending my time amongst one of the finest academies & players and learning all that revolves around the badminton culture in Indonesia.

Jnanesh Salian

Head Coach (Golden Shuttle Academy)

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Golden Shuttle Academy Summer Camp

Students and kids nowadays are highly distracted by virtual sources and spend time & energy in an unproductive manner. Our summer camp will allow kids to get off couches and into programs that will allow physical activity. Summer camps allow students to freely explore themselves without the fear of failure. Students often attend school year after year with the same peers, which can lead to labelling and being ‘stuck’ with a particular perception. A child may become known as studious, quiet, etc., when, really, he can be full of energy in another setting. Children who go to camps meet a whole other group of children in a different environment.

Golden Shuttle Academy Summer Camp

Primarily our summer camp program at Golden Shuttle Academy (GSA) works on analysing the current badminton proficiency of the participant and building a program around that to help them develop the right technique and footwork. The session is accompanied by precise and technical warm-up, post-session methodical stretching, analysis of fitness parameters and reflex development. We help students explore their talent while having a great experience at the camp – memorable, diverse and rewarding. Most of our students who pursue the sport at the State/National level started their badminton career in one of these summer camps.

Golden Shuttle Academy Summer Camp

Badminton is gentle and is considered a safe game for all ages and background. Children who play badminton benefit from it with respect to their brain development. They develop better balance and coordination where badminton requires harmonious interactions first between their body parts, secondly, they must use their badminton rackets to hit the incoming flying shuttlecocks. Then, they must be able to work together with their partner in the game and finally react to their opponent’s action. As Badminton is the fastest sports in the world, children have to be alert at all times during the game to make these decisions in split seconds.

Golden Shuttle Academy Summer Camp

Golden Shuttle Academy (GSA) shall be organising badminton summer camps across 4 branches in Mangalore: U.S. Mallya Indoor Stadium (Lalbagh), Father Muller Indoor Stadium (Kankanady), Marena (KMC Sports Complex, Attavar) & Kottara Chowki Indoor Stadium. We have batches available in the mornings as well as in the evenings. To know more, please contact us at –

T: +916364547511, +919591889010, +919901013610

E: goldenshuttleacademy@gmail.com

Facebook: Golden Shuttle Academy

Instagram: Golden Shuttle Academy

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The tournament commenced with the students participating in the badminton events; students were grouped into relevant age categories (Under 9, Under 11, Under 13, Under 15 & Under 17) and fixtures were drawn for each category. Majority of the participants experienced a tournament for the first time; a mixture of expressions varying from a tad bit nervousness to super excitement was observable on each one of them. Alongside badminton, students were engaged in fitness games to achieve the title of ‘The Fastest Kid’ – an event wherein students competed to cover a fixed distance in the fastest possible duration by them. Even though our primary intention of the tournament was for the students to experience a tournament-like environment, we also believe our students must love the sport and enjoy playing it. Hence, the participants were encouraged to take part in badminton based fun games which also helps in improving certain vital parameters such as response time & reflexes. Along with providing a competitive platform for our students, the event also aimed at improving social interactions among the students. To keep them going, a round of fresh & healthy refreshments consisting of a corn & cheese sandwich, a green smoothie and brownies were provided to all the participants. The tournament witnessed some surprising and good performances leading to the final winners and runners up in each of the age categories.

Every participant’s effort was recognised and they were provided with participation certificates. The runners up and winners were awarded medals and certificates during a final valedictory ceremony. The ceremony witnessed the presence of Mr. Ajith Kamath (President, Kanara Small Scale Industries Association), Mr. C.S Bhandary (President, Mangala Badminton Association, Mangalore), Mr. Santhosh Shetty(Ex-President, Mangala Badminton Association, Mangalore) and Mr. Shiv Prasad (Surabhi Associates, Mangalore). The event concluded with a photo session of all the participants along with our guests and the organising team.

Father Muller provided us with a platform to make this event a success and their infrastructure has allowed us to reach out to more students and provide them with badminton training. We are grateful to Rev. Father Richard Coelho and Fr. Ajith Menezes for their constant support and motivation to Golden Shuttle Academy.

Details of the achievers in the Golden Shuttle Juniors 2020 is given.

Winners of Badminton
U11 Boys
Winner: Maanush
Runner Up: Vihaan V Shetty
U11 Girls
Winner: Twisha
Runner Up: Sunidhi

U13 Boys
Winner: Gagandeep
Runner Up: Samprith
U13 Girls
Winner: Sakshi Purushottam
Runner Up: Sanvi Kotian

U15 Boys
Winner: Ajay D Kamath
Runner Up: Vedh Prakash
U15 Girls
Winner: Apeksha
Runner Up: Diya

U17 Boys
Winner: Chirag Shriyan
Runner Up: Chirag Rai
U17 Girls
Winner: Parvathi
Runner Up: Rishika

Winners of ‘The Fastest Kid’ title

U11 Boys

Winner: Tarun

Runner Up: Manjesh Suvarna

U11 Girls

Winner: Twisha

Runner Up: Sanvi N

U13 Boys

Winner: Immanuel

Runner Up: Thanav S Gowda

U13 Girls

Winner: Fathima Zarah

Runner Up: Sakshi Purushottam

U15 Boys

Winner: Naman P

Runner Up: Ajay D Kamath

U15 Girls

Winner: Saanika

Runner Up: Shristi Rai

U17 Girls:

Winner: Kshama

Runner Up: Shivani Bhat

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Badminton-The perfect sport for your Kid..!!

Badminton Court Mangalore-Today, Badminton is one of the safest, most popular and effective sports in the world. As a sports academy specialising in badminton, we believe physical activity plays an essential role and creates optimal conditions for the growth and development of a young body. It is our pleasure to inform you that Golden Shuttle Academy has collaborated with The Bharat Academy, Mangalore to provide shuttle badminton training classes to their students in the age group of 6 – 8 years. We currently provide training to the students at Father Muller Sports Complex, Mangalore. The structure and content for our program have been specifically designed keeping in mind the proficiency and age criteria of the students. The program aims at developing a sense of awareness and interest in the sport in the student.

Badminton is an excellent sport for the physical development of a child. Intensive movement around the badminton court will help the child to keep his body in great shape, as badminton is among the three most energy-intensive game sports and is considered as the fastest racket sport in the world. Badminton has a positive effect on the various vital systems in one’s body. As a result of quick movements for a considerable duration, the capacity of the lungs increases. Nowadays, with a large number of virtual distractions available, spending a long time behind the screen of computers & phones can lead to eye problems such as dryness, myopia, visual ailments etc. in the early years of one’s life. During the game, there is constant training of the eyes – one needs to continuously monitor the shuttle (shuttlecock) moving at different speeds. This improves the blood circulation in the organs of vision helping keep them healthy.

Golden Shuttle Academy, Mangalore

Badminton Court Mangalore

Learning the sport of Badminton will teach a child goal setting and the joys of achieving them. At first, he/she learns to hit a shuttlecock which can be considered as a small goal, eventually leading to the slightly bigger goal of playing a rally of strokes and ultimately defeating the opponent and experience victory. Every day the child will compete with his/her peers; in the process learn to win and lose. A child learns to draw conclusions from defeats, to optimize the game in order to arrive at the main result – to become a successful player. Achievement of each of these goals undoubtedly brings joy to a young kid and also teaches them not to be afraid to set goals in life of varying degrees of difficulty.

Golden Shuttle Academy, Mangalore

Badminton is a non-contact sport, in which there is no direct interaction between the players as well as no extreme loads on the ligaments and joints. If your child is already 7 years old and he is interested in that kind of active physical games, badminton will be an excellent choice!! Contact Golden Shuttle Academy for badminton coaching in Mangalore.

Golden Shuttle Academy, Mangalore

Badminton Court Mangalore

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We have recently launched our website to enable us to reach out to all badminton lovers. Our website is a reflection of the daily happenings and events at Golden Shuttle Academy (GSA). Our blogs shall be updated with details of special events at GSA, trending topics in the field of badminton and sports in general.

The year 2019 has been an eventful one as our student, Ms Akansha Pai has been selected into the Karnataka State team for the National championships. Akansha and her partner are currently ranked 1st at the State Level in the U-17 Girls Doubles Category and Akansha is ranked 3rd in the Mixed Doubles category. Ms Akansha S Pai won the State Championship in the U-19 Doubles category & achieved the runner up position in the U-17 Doubles Category. Earlier this season, despite being 15 years of age, Ms Akansha and her partner put up a good 3 set fight against the national level top-seeded players. She also bagged a total of 8 medals (4 gold & 4 silver medals) at various other State level ranking tournaments. Akansha participated in the AICS 2019 and emerged as winners.

Golden Shuttle Academy, Mangalore: Akansha S Pai (Right) – State Champion in U-19 Doubles Category

Ms Anannya Joishy, Mr Abhijnan Nagaraj, Mr Gaurav Ajila, Mr Madhav Nayak and Mr Alok Gowda won the National Level Vidyabharathi tournament in their respective categories and qualified for the School Games Federation of India (SGFI) held at Aurangabad, India earlier this year. For the second time in a row, Ms Anannya Joishy has qualified for the School Games Federation of India (SGFI) this year too. The event was held in Madhya Pradesh and Anannya (Team Karnataka) won the runners up position in the same. 

Mr Sagar and Ms Nidhi are currently ranked 4th at the State level in the Mixed Doubles category. Our senior students, Mr Abhijnan Nagaraj, Mr Sagar, Mr Chethan and Mr Nithin won Mangalore University Championship 2019. They won 3 straight games out of 5 games to win the championship. Mr Madhav added a total of 6 medals at various levels this season (5 winners & 1 runner-up). Mr Abhijnan Nagaraj and Mr Arush Patrao also gave good performances. 

Winners of Mangalore University Badminton Tournament: Sagar, Abhijnan, Nithin & Chethan from Golden Shuttle Academy, Mangalore

Ms Anannya Joishy exhibited fine games at the State and National level and emerged as runner up in tournaments at both levels. Anannya Joishy along with her partner Ms Jayanthika Rathore exhibited a fine performance in a gripping 3-set semi-final match against the top seeds in the U15 Girls Doubles State Championship tournament. Ms Anannya obtained the runner up position in the U-17 category at the State Level Sports and Games Competitions for School Children.

Mr. Aarav Maindan qualified for the Vidyabharathi 2019 Nationals held at Delhi later this year. Our students, Saharsh Prabhu & Sathvik Prabhu participated in the AICS 2019 tournament and emerged victorious. Saharsh and Aarav have performed well in the doubles categories at the State level tournaments, putting up extremely good fights. They are currently ranked 5 at the State level in the U-15 Doubles category.

Winners from Golden Shuttle Academy, Mangalore: Top (Left to Right): Aidon, Jaideep, Armaan, Sammith, Ajay Bottom (Left to Right): Saharsh, Sathvik, Aarav, Akansha, Drith

Mr Jaideep Lokesh was the winner in the U-17 Boys Singles category in the Open State Level Badminton tournament held in Udupi. Jaideep along with other students of Golden Shuttle Academy – Mr Armaan Salih, Mr Ajay Kamath, Mr Drith K & Mr Sammith played the Vidyabharathi tournaments. After having won the zonal level they qualified for the Nationals which was held in Delhi earlier this year.

Our students have brought out the fact that sportsmen are not born but are made through tests of their determination, perseverance, and spirit. Champions do not become champions when they win the event but in the hours, weeks, months and years they spend preparing for it. The Golden Shuttle with all our coaches and staff shall always strive towards making our players champions of the sport and excellent human beings.

*P.S: All mentioned rankings are as on 05 October 2019.

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