Dealing with the science of sport

Cup to be hosted by South Africa in January 2013.
To say the nation was disappointed is an understatement. The truth of the matter is that it was heart-rending to watch the team go down in the first six minutes of the game.
Thousands of people who saw the match on television could not believe it that a team with a two-goal cushion could fail to defend their advantage for 90 minutes of the match.
Politically, it was a disaster. Zimbabwe should make a statement to the world and Africa, in particular, that we are smart and can move mountains. It is sad that our President has done all he could to put the country on the world map and yet sports organisations fail at the last hurdle.
It is not only failing at soccer, but, recently at the Olympics in London and cricket in the World Twenty-Twenty championships held in Sri Lanka. Even with over 73 golf courses in the country, we have not, of late, produced any golfers that can make a difference at the world stage.
Many people are asking whether we have any political will to succeed. Is it a matter of not understanding that sport is a science? What with all the resources into coaching and facilities we still find ourselves wanting at the world or international stage?
One politician was quoted as saying that the administrators, players and coaches lack national pride. Of course they are patriotic, but lack the ambition to do well for their country.
Maybe, we also make a mistake to only appreciate our sports persons when the chips are down. Why promise them the moon when all along we do not, as a nation, look after their interests in everyday life?
It is wrong to dangle a carrot whenever national pride is at stake. It must be a national duty to see that our sports persons are taken care of like we do Government ministers and Members of Parliament.
The system of waiting at the last minute with incentives is unacceptable. Our sports people must not be treated as mercenaries who only can perform for monetary gain. It is like promising your child a car if he passes an examination. It puts pressure on the child. Acknowledge the necessity of a better life for a child in order to perform better.
Sport is not different. If sports persons lead a better life, then the nation can expect better performances. Yes, sport is not just a science but also a way of making a political statement that, as a people, we have a better understanding of the human spirit of achievement.
If we cannot as a country achieve anything at sport, then, it is very difficult to achieve anything either politically or economically. It may mean, we lack political will as a nation.
But the reason of our failure at sports competitions may be attributed to our lack of understanding of why sport is regarded as a science. I have been involved in tennis as a coach for 30 years.
As I conduct tennis lessons for children and adults, very few understand the science of the game. To expect these players to excel is to do the impossible. When asked why no African player was in the 2012 draw of Australian Open tennis championships, I could say that tennis was too scientific.
Even soccer is a scientific game — coaches must be able to impart this scientific thinking to the players. For example, Angolan players are very tall. This is why Angola has one of the best basketball teams in Africa. For our soccer players to always play high balls was a disaster. They could not win aerial duels against the taller Angolans.
When they beat Angola in Harare, our soccer players played the ball on the ground. Then one may ask, why the tactics changed in Luanda? Another criticism was that our team played an open game, something that you never do if you are to defend an advantage.
All these actions show a lack of scientific appreciation of the game. Like some expert said, it is the utilisation of space and angles that all ball sports are about. That is understanding another form of mathematics, which is geometry.
A country with a lack of political will to put an effective system of sports development will not reap the rewards of success at international level. We cannot just wake up one morning and realise that our teams require funding and national support.
Those charged with running of sport on a daily basis have a lot of responsibility to the nation. They cannot claim to be independent of politics and yet at the end of the day run to politicians for financial support. Some even ask politicians to be their patrons.
The administrators must instill national pride in their players and athletes if they want to carry the support of the nation with them at international competitions.