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Continue readingIn Conversation With Shikha Tandon
Parents around the world face the difficult decision of letting their children pursue a career in sports as the traditional education system is not flexible enough to balance both sports and academics. This can take a toll on their academic qualifications or force them to quit their sporting dreams. Identifying the persistence of this issue in India, The Sports School was established in 2019 with the vision to integrate sports and education to encourage young sports enthusiasts and support professional athletes. The Sports School is the only institution in India that integrates sports and academics to create the perfect training ground for champions of tomorrow.
One of the best examples of success and achievements in both sports and academics is Shikha Tandon, Indian Swimmer & Sports Advisory Board Member at The Sports School. A Jain University Alumni, she also studied biotechnology at Bangalore University. Later, she completed her dual master’s degree in Biology and Biotechnology from Case Western Reserve University, Ohio, and then proceeded to work as Science Program Lead at US Anti-doping Agency, Colorado Springs, USA. Currently, she is working with Silicon Valley Exercise Analytics (Svexa), a physical training intelligence software company.
She has represented India in the Olympics, Commonwealth Games, and Asian games. She has won 146 national medals, and 36 medals in international competitions, including five gold medals to date. In 2005, she was honored with an Arjuna Award by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.
Watch her interaction with our team, where she shares her insights on Swimming, Indian Sports & How Young Athletes should shape their careers.
All You Need To Know About ISL (Indian Super League)
All You Need To Know About ISL (Indian Super League)
About ISL:-
The Indian Super League (ISL) is the highest level of a Professional Football League in India founded in October 2013. The league involves 11 teams with each season usually running from November to March. During the league stage of the competition, each club/team plays 20 games against the others in an all-play-all tournament (or round-robin style). The top four teams at the end of the league stage qualify for the play-offs. The season then winds up with the ISL Final to discover the Champion. The league has been officially known as the Hero Indian Super League since its initiation as Hero MotoCorp signed a sponsorship agreement with ISL. Its organizing committee are AIFF (All India Football Federation), FSDL (Football Sports Development Limited) and Star Sports. Initially, the league started with 8 teams, then expanded to 10 teams in 2017-18 and currently it has 11 teams competing against each other.
Competition Format:-
The league stage follows a double round-robin format (all-play-all), with each club playing against others twice, once at their home stadium and once at their opponents’ stadium, for a total of 18 matches each. Teams earn 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, with the highest-ranked club at the end of the league stage being awarded the ISL League Winners Shield and the top 4 ranked teams advancing to the finals.
Clubs:-
CLUB |
LOCATION |
HOME GROUND |
HEAD COACH |
OWNERS |
|
|
ATK Mohun Bagan | Kolkata, West Bengal | Salt Lake Stadium | Aptonia Lopez | Sourabh Ganguly, Sanjiv Goenka |
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Bengaluru FC | Bangalore, Karnataka | Sree Kanteerava Stadium | Carles Cuadrat | JSW Group |
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Chennaiyin FC | Chennai, Tamil Nadu | Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (Chennai) | Csaba Laszlo | Abhishek Bachchan, MS Dhoni |
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SC East Bengal | Kolkata, West Bengal | Salt Lake Stadium | Robbie Fowler | Shree Cement |
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FC Goa | Margao, Goa | Fatorda Stadium | Juan Ferrando | Virat Kohli, Rakesh Jhunjhunwala |
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Hyderabad FC | Hyderabad, Telangana | G.M.C Balayogi Stadium | Manuel Marquez | Rana Daggubati |
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Jamshedpur FC | Jamshedpur, Jharkhand | JRD Tata Sports Complex | Owen Coyle | Tata Steel |
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Kerala Blasters FC | Kochi, Kerala | Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (Kochi) | Kibu Vicuna | Blasters Sports Ventures Pvt. Ltd. |
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Mumbai City FC | Mumbai, Maharashtra | Mumbai Football Arena | Sergio Lobera | Ranbir Kapoor |
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Northeast United FC | Guwahati, Assam | Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium | Gerard Nus | John Abraham |
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Odisha FC | Bhubaneswar, Odisha | Kalinga Stadium | Stuart Baxter | GMS Inc. |
ISL Record holders:-
- Most titles as a Coach:- Antonio Lopez Habas
- Most points in a season:- 40, Bengaluru FC
- Most wins till date:- 51, FC Goa
- Most draws in total:- 35, Kerala Blasters
- Most goals in total:- FC Goa
- Most goal by an Indian in Indian Super League goals:- Sunil Chettri, Bengaluru FC
- Biggest win:- 7-0, FC Goa vs. Mumbai City FC
League Champions:-
- 2014 :- ATK Mohun Bagan
- 2015 :- Chennaiyin FC
- 2016 :- ATK Mohun Bagan
- 2017-18 :- Chennaiyin FC
- 2018-19 :- Bengaluru FC
- 2019-20 :- ATK Mohun Bagan
- 2020-21:- ?
ATK Mohun Bagan holds the most ISL trophies with 3, defeating Chennaiyin FC in the 2019–20 final.
Click below to know about Football program @ The Sports School by Bengaluru FC
Red Bull Speedster 2020 at The Sports School
Red Bull Speedster is a competition to find India’s best upcoming fast bowler. Along with speed, overall technical ability is also part of the judging criteria. Winners of the qualifying rounds will compete in the national final. The winner of the national final will get a chance to train at the Rajasthan Royals Academy.
Check out some quick tips:
At The Sports School, we take complete pride in our on-campus training, teaching, and facilities. The cohesive educational experience provided by us prepares well-rounded professionals who are both excellent at their game while being academically outstanding. Established In 2019, The Sports School is the only institution in India that integrates sports and education to create the perfect training ground for champions of tomorrow. The Sports School offers an educational curriculum that instead of just including sports, has academics built around sports. We encourage our students, from Grade 4 to Post Graduation, to balance their pursuit for both sporting and academic excellence.
Basketball Players of Indian Origin who made it to the NBA Draft
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is among one of the world’s most celebrated leagues. If you are an aspiring basketball player, then being a part of one of the 30 NBA teams is like a dream come true.
Over the 74 seasons of NBA games, we’ve watched and appreciated players like Tim Dunkan, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. But for all the Indian fans, we worship the players from our country who made it big as a sportsperson. The era of Indian players in the NBA games started in 2015 when Sim Bhullar became the first player of Indian descent to play in an NBA game. Since then, the world has seen three other players who have been rostered or participated in either the NBA Summer League or G-League.
Let’s take a look at them:
1. Sim Bhullar
Sim Bhullar, a 7’3” centre, was undrafted in the 2014 NBA draft but jumped on the Sacramento Kings Summer League team that offseason. He then went on board with the Reno Bighorns, the Kings’ G-League affiliate, where he played most of his 2014-15 season. Later that season, Sacramento Kings signed him to a 10-day contract. On April 8 2015, he became the first Indian player to score in an NBA game after securing two points against Utah Jazz. In the 2015-16 season, he played for the Toronto Raptors’ G-League affiliate, the Raptors 905. He currently plays in NBL China for Guangxi Weizhuang.
2. Satnam Singh
Even though Bhullar became the first Indian to play in an NBA Game, Satnam Singh, a 7’2” centre, made history by becoming the first Indian player to be selected in the NBA Draft. In the second round of the 2015 NBA draft, he was picked up by Dallas Mavericks. However, he was dismissed by the Maverick and picked up by their G-League affiliate, the Texas Legends.
In the 2016-17 season, he was resigned by the Legends. He currently plays for the St. John’s Edge in the NBL of Canada.
3. Amjyot Singh
Amjyot Singh, a 6’8” forward, went undrafted in 2014. In the 2017-18n season, he joined the Thunder’s G-League affiliate called Oklahoma City Blue. The Blue waived him at the end of the season, only to sign him back five days later. He is currently on the Blue’s roster for the next G-League season.
4. Palpreet Singh
Even though Palpreet Singh, a 6’9” forward, was drafted to the Long Island Nets in the fourth round of the 2016 NBA Developmental League, he hasn’t played an NBA or G-League game yet.
At The Sports School Basketball Academy, we aim at excellence, be it our facilities on the ground or coaching techniques. Along with our technical partners Key5 Coaching, we strive to empower students with the knowledge and skills required to excel in the game while fostering positive attitude and competence. Our campus is home to 2 FIBA standard Basketball courts and a half-court with floodlight facility. To know more about our Basketball program, click here.
10 Little-Known Facts About IPL
Cricket is by far the most followed sport in India, and as much as we love all the other leagues, our heart belongs to IPL. The Indian Premier League instantly gained popularity among Indians, given to its 20-over format and fame of the national and international players who are a part of it.
A true IPL fan makes sure that they are up-to-date with everything happening in the field and behind the scenes. Here are 10 little-known facts about IPL that will surprise you:
#1: In 2015, Yuvraj Singh became the highest purchased player for 16 crores, which was more than the winning price of the game, that being 15 crores.
#2: Kings XI Punjab is the only team that has changed its captain 11 times in the course of IPL. On the contrary, Chennai Super Kings is the only team who’s captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been constant since the first match.
#3: Sachin Tendulkar became the first Indian player to win an orange cap in IPL.
#4: Praveen Kumar holds the record of bowling the highest number of dots in the history of IPL. With 1,109 dot balls, he is the most consistent leg-spinner in the league. He has also bowled the most maiden overs.
#5: With 335 sixes, Chris Gayle has the most number of sixes in his name.
#6: In every season, IPL wears green jerseys for one match to promote the ‘Go Green’ initiative. This year they wore it against CSK.
#7: K.L. Rahul holds the record of fastest 50 (in 14 balls) and Chris Gayle holds the record of fastest 100 (in 30 balls) in IPL.
#8: The broadcasting rights for IPL were sold for a prodigious ₹16347.5 crore to Star India Network, which implies 1 ball price around 21 Lakh Rupees.
#9: Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the only bowler to have won the purple cap twice in IPL history. Chris Gayle and David Warner won the orange cap twice.
#10: 3 players have won the MVP (Most Valuable Player) award in the IPL history.
- Andre Russell – 2015 and 2019
- Sunil Narine – 2012 and 2018
- Shane Watson – 2008 and 2013
At The Sports School, we take complete pride in our on-campus training, teaching, and facilities. The cohesive educational experience provided by us prepares well-rounded professionals who are both excellent at their game while being academically outstanding. Established In 2019, The Sports School is the only institution in India that integrates sports and education to create the perfect training ground for champions of tomorrow. The Sports School offers an educational curriculum that instead of just including sports, has academics built around sports. We encourage our students, from Grade 4 to Post Graduation, to balance their pursuit for both sporting and academic excellence.
Sports Nutrition & Sports Psychology
When it comes to sports performance, what you eat, and how you think can affect your play as much training does. Factors affecting sports performance is a topic of constant change and has grown as a dynamic field of study. Research continues to advise improved guidelines and support for both active adults and competitive athletes.
What is Sports Psychology?
Sports psychology is the study of how psychology influences sports, athletic performance, exercise, and other physical activities. Professional sports psychologists regularly assist athletes to cope with the pressure that comes from competition and overcome problems with focus and motivation. They also work with athletes to improve performance and recover from injuries.
There are a number of different topics that are of special interest to sports psychologists. Some professionals focus on a specific area, while others study a wide range of techniques.
– Developing Focus: Involves the ability to tune out distractions, such as a crowd of screaming fans, and focus attention on the task at hand.
– Visualization: Involves visualizing performing a task, such as participating in an athletic event or successfully performing a particular skill.
– Motivation: A major subject in sports psychology, the study of motivation looks at both extrinsic and intrinsic motivators. Extrinsic motivators are external rewards, such as trophies, money, medals, or social recognition. Intrinsic motivators arise from within, such as a personal desire to win or the sense of pride that comes from performing a skill.
You can read our full blog on Sports Psychology, here.
What is Sports Nutrition?
Sports nutrition is often said to be the foundation of athletic success. It is a well-designed nutrition plan that allows active young and adult athletes to perform at their best. It supplies the right food type, energy, nutrients, and fluids to keep the body well hydrated and functioning at the best possible levels. A sports nutrition diet may vary day to day, depending on specific energy demands. It is unique to each person and is planned according to individual goals.
A nourishing diet can enhance an athlete’s performance, make them more efficient, and increase their recovery rate during a match rapidly. The intake they follow should promote muscle growth and repair.
An inadequate diet can hamper their performance and lead to an increased recovery rate. It can also lead to hormone suppression because sports generate a lot of stress hormones, and encourage your body to release energy stores.
You can read our full blog on Sports Nutrition, here.
On Thursday, 29th October 2020 at 5 PM, The Sports School is organizing an interactive IG Live session with Sports Psychologist Shubha Chittaranjan and Sports Nutritionist Shona Prabhu, where they will be clearing your doubts and discussing topics like:
– How Sports Nutrition & Psychology Optimise Sports Performance
– Role of a Healthy Mind & Good Nutrition in Sports
– How to Overcome Physical & Mental Fatigue
– How to deal with Pre-competition anxiety?
Don’t forget to attend if you want to get answers to your questions.
Follow us on Instagram, to get all the updates.
10 Most Influential Sports Women in India
Breaking past the societal stereotypes and following passion has always been difficult, especially for female athletes in India. It was not until 1952 that female athletes from our country received any form of international recognition. Nilima Ghose, along with Mary D’Souza, became the first Indian woman to qualify and compete in the 1952 summer Olympics held in Helsinki.
“Sport is the most effective tool of empowerment,” quoted Suheil Tandon, founder of Pro Sports Development (PSD). Female representation in the sports industry is a way to break down stereotypes and give them the voice they deserve.
Despite the challenges, many female athletes have made the country proud with their exceptional talent. Let us take a look at India’s 10 most influential sportswomen:
1. Sania Mirza: Sania is one of the country’s biggest sports icons. She is the first and the only female tennis player from India with six major titles. Throughout her entire career, from 2003 to 2013, she was ranked by the Women’s Tennis Association as India’s No. 1 player.
2. Mithali Raj: The captain of the Indian Cricket team, Raj is the highest run-scorer in women’s international cricket and is the only woman to surpass 6000 run benchmarks in ODI. Adding to her achievements, she is the first player to score seven consecutive 50s in ODIs and holds the record for most half-centuries in WODIs.
3. Mary Kom: She is a five-time World Amateur Boxing champion and is the only female boxer to win a medal in each one of the first seven World Championships, and the only boxer to win World Championship Medals. Apart from her illustrious career as an amateur boxer, Kom was nominated as a member of Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament.
4. P V Sindhu: After making her debut in 2009, Sindhu rose to No. 2 in 2017. She is the first woman from India to win a silver medal at the Summer Olympics at the age of 21. She also became the first Indian Badminton World Champion. She has received many high-ranking honors and awards, including Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, Arjuna Award, Padma Shri, and Padma Bhushan.
5. Sakshi Malik: With the 2016 Summer Olympics, this woman became India’s first female wrestler to bag a medal at the Olympics. Malik’s first success as a professional wrestler in the international arena came in 2010 at the Junior World Championship and then at the 2014 Dave Schultz International Tournament.
6. Geeta Phogat: Phogat gained attention after becoming the first Indian wrestler to win a gold medal at the commonwealth games 2010. She is also the first female wrestler from our country to have qualified for the Summer Olympic Games in 2012.
7. Deepika Kumari: Deepika Kumari is an Indian athlete who competes in the event of archery and is currently ranked world number 9. Despite being a former World number 1 in archery, she never received the recognition she deserved. She was conferred the Arjuna Award, FICCI Sportsperson of the Year, and Padma Shri for her magnificent game.
8. Dipa Karmakar: Karmakar is an Indian artistic gymnast. She gained national recognition after becoming the first Indian female gymnast to win a Bronze medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Despite all the physical and financial adversities, she became a gymnast and made the country proud.
9. Tania Sachdeva: Tania Sachdeva is a prominent name in women’s chess. She owns the titles of International Master and Woman Grandmaster. She has played for the Indian national team in the Women’s Chess Olympiads since 2008, Women’s World Team Chess Championship in 2009 and 2011, the Women’s Asian Team Chess Championship since 2003, and the 2009 Asian Indoor Games.
10. Rani Rampal: Rampal is an important part of the Indian Hockey team. Her rise-to-the-fame match was Champion’s Challenge Tournament where she was adjudged ‘the top goal scorer” and the “young player of the tournament. At the age of 15, she became the youngest player to be a part of the national team in the 2010 World Cup.
Intrinsic & Extrinsic Motivation For Athletes
What are the factors that motivate an athlete to perform? And not just perform, but consistently perform to the best of their capabilities? Every athlete has different internal and external motivations that push them to dedicate their time to improving themselves. If one wants to excel in the sporting world, the acknowledgment of these motivations is essential to one’s success.
Intrinsic motivations are driven firmly to the fundamental desire to learn and develop new skills. The need to be in control of one’s behavior, the need to feel efficient and develop meaningful relations with others are some of the psychological factors underlying intrinsic motivation. Such motivation encourages athletes to push themselves harder to become the best in their sports, even if it is while training.
On the other hand, extrinsic motivation is driven by external sources such as the prospect of receiving college scholarships, financial incentives, or in some cases, not wanting to disappoint your parents. Extrinsic motivation majorly focuses on performance outcomes by winning the game or performing at exceptional levels. Although, in some cases, these external motivators can decrease the internal determination due to their extensive amount used in sports today. For example, an athlete’s thought process returning from injury as early as possible may be affected by the quality of the team they are playing next or the media coverage scheduled for that particular game.
But, how does the relationship between these internal and external factors affect an athlete’s performance?
The importance of these factors is relative to different athletes. While Intrinsic motivation is crucial for young athletes who are learning a sport, it might not be the case with some professional and elite ones. Research has shown that athletes who have been majorly motivated by extrinsic factors are more likely to become discouraged if they do not perform to expectations, sometimes highly unrealistic.
These elements can affect each other too. For instance, if an athlete sets a goal of achieving some aim (extrinsic motivation) such as receiving a scholarship to play their sport, but fails to achieve this goal, the motivation to continue in the sport lowers significantly. Conversely, if extrinsic rewards are a confirmation of the athlete’s ability, it can have positive effects on intrinsic motivation.
A healthy combination of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is essential to get the best of an athlete. It is the responsibility of trainers and athletes themselves to recognize and develop both these motivations. This allows athletes to perform at the highest level.