BCCI ties up with Australian S&C Association to create pool of trainers | Cricket News – Times of India

BENGALURU: In its bid to create uniformity in training system across ranks, the BCCI has joined hands with Australian Strength & Conditioning Association (ASCA) to create a pool of world class trainers (S&C coaches) in the country.
Recently, the BCCI has formed its Sports Science section at the National Cricket Academy, which is being headed by former national team head physio Dr Nitin Patel.
They have now come up with the concept of creating a programme that will “increase the knowledge base of fitness trainers across all levels in BCCI.”
The concept note that the BCCI shared with state unit trainers, which is in possession of PTI, it is understood that the idea is to ensure that from U-19 (men and women) to senior state teams and subsequently national teams, the same training module is to be followed by the teams.
“Often, we see that at the state level, the Strength and Conditioning training is completely different from what is there at India U-19, A or senior teams. This course will create enough S&C coaches, who can then follow the curriculum at the state level also,” a former India A trainer, aware about developments, told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
He then cited how some of the state teams have completely different ideas of S&C training from what the national team or NCA follows.
“Let me give you an example of this Ranji season. The BCCI had sent a note to all state teams that YoYo test (aerobic endurance fitness test) and 2k run, which were earlier used as fitness parameters are no longer mandatory as full season post-COVID is starting and we don’t know about lung capacity of players.
“Still at DDCA, Rajkumar Sharma and his coaching staff used YoYo as a parameter to decide who are eligible candidates when the world is acknowledging that it is not a parameter to judge cricketing fitness,” he said.
The idea is to have such a training programme where there is less interference from old-school coaches across some state teams, whose idea of S&C training is still archaic.
As per BCCI-ASCA tie-up, it will be a three-year course with Year-1 being ‘Cricket Specific S&C Beginner Program’ followed by Year-2 which will have ‘Cricket Specific S&C Intermediate Program’ and the final Year-3 will have ‘Cricket Specific S&C Advanced Program’.
As per the program requirement, 114 candidates (potential S&C trainers) across 38 affiliated units will be undergoing the course along with six miscellaneous candidates, making it a total of 120 candidates.
“Two male S&C coaches and 1 female coach per BCCI affiliated units will attend the program for a ‘Year Round Mentoring via the NCA Central Team’. 114 candidates will be taught by six professionals and it starts in July with a 2-day Hybrid Programme,” a BCCI source informed.
It is understood that during the on-site programme, 20 state S&C coaches will be mentored by one NCA central team S&C coach. Thus 120 candidates will have six such coaches.
“The plan is to have a year-round mentorship so that we have a robust group of S&C coaches in both men and women’s set-up,” the source said.