New Delhi: In a move to support the coaching and training aspects of the sport, Badminton Association of India (BAI) launched Badminton World Federation’s (BWF) prestigious school programme – Shuttle Time in Delhi today. The BWF run program is an innovative self-study training programme. A range of training resources have been developed by the International Badminton Federation (BWF) to help teachers and coaches learn the ‘how-to’ teach badminton to children and youth, and offers an excellent opportunity for amateur coaches, qualified school trainers and Physical Education (PE) teachers to improve their skills and get certified by BWF and BAI.
In the event for the launch, Director-General Sports Authority of India, Sai Injeti Srinivas, while speaking about the program, said, “Badminton Association of India has been working very proactively to promote the sport at all levels. Shuttle Time India is another effort from BAI to train Coaches and PE teachers at various schools, who will then nurture young talents at grassroots level. India has over 1.3 million schools and if each school has at least one PE Teacher who is expert in one sport, then we collectively can unearth more talents and foster young crops at a very initial stage.”
Speaking about Indian Badminton and the program, BAI President and Badminton Asia Confederation Vice-President Dr Akhilesh Das Gupta said, “Badminton is on the rise in India and it is slowly gaining the popularity that was long overdue. This program will surely popularise the sport in this country and will increase the badminton participation in youngsters. PE Teachers and local coaches are the first ones who train future stars. At this level, young shuttlers must get right coaching at a right time. The programme will help PE teachers and coaches to learn the ‘how-to’ teach badminton to children and youth at grassroot level.”
The Shuttle Time initiative’s is to promote the sport of badminton for school-going children and encourage them to take up the sport by teaching them badminton in a fun and engaging way. BWF has been working for a while with the Continental Badminton Federations to get this program the necessary mileage to support the sport. In line with the vision of the program, the participants are provided valuable insights from BWF coaches and taught techniques which would keep the children interested in the sport.
Starting with New Delhi, wherein Ludlow Castle School will host the teachers and participants of the Shuttle Time India program which comprises of Teacher’s Manual, lesson plans and a range of instructional video clips. The program which aims at developing grassroots in India, kick-starts at the Delhi based school from September 19- 27.