New Delhi [India], January 30 : Continuing its effort to create a standardised coaching structure and build a strong network of qualified coaches, the Badminton Association of India (BAI), in association with REC Limited (a leading Maharatna company under the Ministry of Power) and the Sports Authority of India (SAI), will conduct the first-ever BWF Level 1 Course for coaches along with BAI Level 1 (Advanced) Courses at multiple venues in February and March.
The advanced coaching courses are part of BAI's continuous efforts to up-skill grassroots coaches and also encourage top players to take up coaching after they retire. The BWF Level 1 courses, which are supported by both the REC Limited and SAI, will be held in Goa, Raipur, and Guwahati with each state association allowed to nominate preferably one male & one female representative between the age of 25-45, who fulfil the basic criteria of having represented the state in National or Zonal championships and have coaching experience of three years with the association
The first leg of the coaching courses began in Goa on Monday while the second edition will be held in Raipur from February 4-10, 2025. Guwahati will host the third edition from February 12-18.
Speaking about the initiative, BAI Secretary General Sanjay Mishra said, "For the last few years, BAI has been working toward creating a standardised coaching structure to ensure that every player in the country gets the same quality of coaching from the grassroots to elite level. Having successfully conducted the grassroots coaches' courses last year, it was a natural progress to now conduct the BWF Level 1 and BAI Level 1 (Advanced) courses to upskill the coaches further," as quoted from a release by BAI.
Last year, BAI launched its first-ever Grassroots Coaches training program through which it trained around 250 coaches with training imparted to them across 112 days from March to October 2024. During the grassroots courses, the coaches got an opportunity to interact with qualified trainers, including former internationals, and were also explained the nuances of a holistic training programme, with experts from the field of sports psychology, nutrition, physiotherapy and even menstruation and its impact on women in sports.
Only those coaches who bagged Grade A in the BAI Grassroots Coaches Courses will be eligible for the BAI Level 1 (Advanced) Courses which will be held in Guwahati (February 14-23 and February 24-March 5) and Raipur (February 14-23).
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