Focus On Fitness Will Produce Future Sportspersons

Bhupinder Singh

(The writer is a national athletics coach)

The state women kabaddi has touched top height at the national level. Many trainers and physical education teachers have contributed in this achievement. Kabaddi is played in almost all schools in Himachal and every physical education teacher is equipped with the knowledge of kabaddi andd kho kho. However to identify the talent at school level, one needs a trained eye and primary sports training art.

Therefore a physical education teacher has an important role to play to produce national and international level player for the state and country. A physical education teacher gets a students at the age of ten years when he is in sixth class. This is the age when vital motor quality speed development begins. This is the reason why a physical education teacher with robust fitness programme produces future shinning sportspersons from his drill period. There are about three thousand physical education teachers serving at school level in Himachal Pradesh. But only a handful of teachers could establish their identity and recognition on the basis of their training programme. One of such physical education teacher was Late Thakur Hira Singh who expired this month after prolonged illness. Thakur had retired from the services from Shillai school in 2008, but his presence was sure in almost all the state level kabaddi competitions. Be it school state level championship or inter college championship, Hira Singh could be spotted easily encouraging his disciples.

During his service, Hira Singh identified many talented girls, gave them primary training and helped them to make to sports hostels of Sports Authority of India (SAI). Priyanka Negi made it into the world cup winning Indian team by continuing her training at state sports hostel in Bilaspur. Born in 1951 in Bandli village of Sirmour district, Hira Singh gave many sports stars to the state like Nirmala Chouhan, Pushpa Chouhan etc.

New direction to sports can be given if physical education teachers appointed in schools in Himachal starts working on any one sports of their choice. Lakhs of students are pursuing their education in schools in Himachal. The country can defintely get fit citizens and better sports stars if impetus is given on battery test and fitness programme during morning assembly and drill period. Taking inspiration from Hira Singh Thakur, if physical eduction teacher determines to put effort in sports training programme, then nobody can stop Himachal from touching the pinnacle of sports field.

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