Failing to deliver the knock-out punch has been the shuttler’s bane for some time now, with loss of focus from winning positions becoming a nagging problem. And Rao’s neuro-linguistic programme (NLP) is designed to deal with this affliction. “It’s silly, but it has happened too often this year to ignore. I get into comfortable positions — leading 15-6 or 7, and then lose it from there,” says the 43-ranked shuttler, now India’s lead challenger after Anup Sridhar’s withdrawal.

“I get to a point where I think I have him, and then I just fritter it away. People say my body language drops. NLP helps you programme the head with language cues. Repetition of words plays a trigger to previously won points.

“I should’ve gone to Ashlesh earlier, but I’m sure it’ll be of some help even now,” he says ahead of a tough match-up against the fourth seed. Bhat doesn’t mind that the odds are stacked against him. “I play better against the tough guys. I fancy my chances — I’ll take this any day,” he adds.

Though 2008 has been plagued by losses, Bhat believes he heads into the tournament playing as well as ever. “After my comeback last June — when I started again as an unranked player — I have climbed up to the 40s, with a few good wins and four international series titles in 2007-end. This year, there are no titles to show, but I’m playing well,” he says.

He has an outside chance of making it to the Olympics — if he can displace Anup Sridhar as India’s No 1 — but Bhat admits it will be difficult. “The qualification race started last May when I was still recovering from the ankle injury — when I was thinking I’d never return to the game. I’d almost given up, but then things suddenly fell into place. It’ll be a dream come true if I can make it to Beijing, but I won’t put myself under undue pressure,” he says.

The player who trains under Prakash Padukone believes he plays his best when not gunning for the end-result — especially against the top names. “I want to get a few wins, and I think this venue should change my luck,” he says. He won’t tell, but Bhat might just have figured out the trigger-words to rev him up against the much higher-ranked opponents.