Few sportsmen have escaped injuries; in some cases career-crippling. Demands of high intensity performances invoke body punishing schedules from top sportsperson and trigger a painful recovery grind. Ace cricketer Yuvraj Singh, a cancer survivor and someone who has suffered minor and major injuries, advocates dedicated off-season training and the importance of understanding your body.
How does one deal with injuries – physically, mentally and emotionally? Yuvraj’s response was candid “It is more a mental battle than physical because eventually the injury will get better. Mentally, you want the injury to heal fast but you have to be patient. Days can become weeks and weeks can turn into months as you try to recover, but it is important to be patient. If you hurry up you might land up late.”
He insisted only a qualified physio can help in sound recovery. “You have to consult a really good physio and doctor. Your effort also counts. Nowadays, injury programmes have changed a lot. Recovery from surgery can be fixed quickly since rehab begins the next day. The science of recovering from a surgery or an injury has become smart because of good equipment. They are a boon to sportsmen.”
Yuvraj, who was Player of the Series at the 2011 World Cup which India won, accepts that proper training and fitness are crucial to keep injuries to a minimum.
“Training is the main factor. The better and harder you train the lesser chances of incurring an injury. That’s why we do a lot of off-season training so that the body becomes stronger and you are ready to give your best. I have always believed that off-season training is a must.”
That an injury can hamper a sportsman’s overall performance is best known to Yuvraj, who has played 40 Tests and 293 ODIs. He missed the 2006 Champions Trophy because of an injury from a session of kho-kho at Mohali. “It was the only time I ever played kho-kho,” he laughs.
“I suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear. It was career threatening because if it does not heal properly it can affect your back. An ankle injury if not healed can impact the hamstring. But right guidance and sustained training helped me recover fast. I must say that it is paramount that you go to a specialist when dealing with sports injuries.”
The 34-year-old Yuvraj, who recovered from an ankle injury to figure in the Sunrisers Hyderabad’s title-winning campaign in the 2016 IPL, has a simple message for young sportsmen. “Go only to a good trainer and understand your body. A good trainer best knows your weaknesses. Let his job remain with him. You must not look to become the trainer or the physio.”
