Badminton is one of those sports in the world which is played among the masses, across all age groups and genders. It requires minimal equipment and can be played at any time, even night. Therefore, it is unsurprising to know that Badminton is one of the most played sports across the world with over 220 million people actively playing it.
What more, badminton is also considered as one of the healthiest games in the world. It helps in toning muscle, sharpening the reflexes, and maintaining overall muscle to brain coordination while also promoting mental health. Actor Aamir Khan once famously compared Badminton with Ballet dancing, saying, “both require great control, strength, mind play, and measured movement.”
However, the advent of technology and mobile phones, in particular, has changed the way the younger generation plays Badminton or any other sports for that matter. The millennials, also known as the digital age, are more content (and addicted) being in front of the screens rather than on hard tarmac. As a result, obesity among youngsters is increasing rapidly. With 14.4 prmillion cases reported in 2018, India already has the second highest number of overweight children in the world.
This is exactly what inspired Nihar Pradhan to start Badminton360, a sports academy specially targeted at players from the grass-root level.
“Most of the parents are struggling to introduce their kids to the world of sports and fitness today,” he says, “We want to change that.”
Badminton360 specializes in integrating technology and sports expertise to provide an all-round solution (as the name suggests) in the Badminton domain.
“Our main goal is to not only produce shuttling stars but also to build a healthier lifestyle for the newer generation. We are trying to employ old school methods of sports training back on the court to achieve this.” Nihar says.
But what does a healthier lifestyle mean exactly in this context?
“We provide a complete package where the players can attain fitness, weight management and overall developments of their personality- all while learning Badminton,” elucidates Nihar. Apart from being part of Badminton, he is also an active Technical Official of Poona District Metropolitan Badminton Association and Maharashtra Badminton Association.
Although being in the industry for over 11 years, his connection with the sport dates way back than that having played Badminton since childhood.
The process of establishing the sports academy was not straightforward. “We had issues in searching for good facilities and badminton courts where we could start the academy,” Nihar reveals.
Nonetheless, within a year of its launch, Badminton360 has managed to get 60 players onboard. Having witnessed such a massive response in its formative period, the organizers want to expand their operations rapidly over the next few years. “We want to establish 10 centres across Pune by the year-end in association with some of the country’s best coaches” says Nihar.
Badminton360 is one of the most cutting edge academies around. It merges technology with quality coaching to provide players with the best possible training in Badminton. The facility is a one-stop shop for all the needs pertaining to the sport.
It is primarily designed to promote new talents as well as young players, especially the ones who are struggling to fulfil their daily requirements of equipment, finances for practice and tournament through its foundation.
Every session is divided into groups of 10, each of which is monitored by a highly qualified coach. This ensures individual attention to each player, resulting in accelerated growth.
Furthermore, although the sessions are scheduled for one and a half hour, playing hours may extend if the the coaches and players are engrossed in playing the sport. This helps in maximizing the impact of the session.
Moreover, the students are immersed in various events triggered at developing their social skills. “We celebrate birthdays of all the kids in the academy without. Moreover, we have a Chocolate Box tradition here at Badminton360. Meaning, if any student thinks they fared well in a practice session, they can take any chocolate of their choice from the box.” explains Nihar. Moreover, every month the facility oversees an ice cream challenge, where players have to complete a given task related to fitness or Badminton drills in order to win the challenge.
However, as much as it is about sports training, Badminton360 is also about developing and leading a healthy lifestyle.
“We endeavour to create a curriculum specifically for developing different kinds of skills such as teamwork, self-motivation, leadership as well as awareness about sports,” Nihar elaborates, “Our ultimate goal is to generate a lifelong habit of having a healthy lifestyle in the young generation.”
Nihar Pradhan’s ideology of promoting Badminton at the grassroot level is aligned with the efforts at KreedOn. We wholeheartedly pledge our support to Badminton360 through our digital media expertise.
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