Aakanksha N Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, July 12

Young players have commenced practicing after a gap of almost a year due to the pandemic at Government Senior Secondary School for Girls, Nehru Garden. Contrary to earlier days, the training phase does not seems easy for them. Players experienced tiredness as they took to the field.

Payal (16) a state-level judo player said it was impossible to practice at home. “Thus, when I started, I did experience persistent tiredness. My coach ensured that no pressure to perform better is exerted on us,” she said.

Another player, Ritika, who agreed with Payal, said stiffness and pain were frequent in the beginning. “We could not practice due to the pandemic. I was really missing the feel of actual place where a sportsperson feels the happiest. Now, that we are back, we will do everything to get back our momentum,” she said.

Challenge for physical education teachers has increased manifold as they look forward to increase the frequency of practice sessions.

Sudhir Kumar, who is a physical education teacher, at Government Senior Secondary School for Girls, Nehru Garden, said, “I am keeping training schedule very light for players because if I start hard, they will suffer and it will be not good for their health. They are quite low on strength and endurance. So, it’s like a challenge to maintain pace.”

He said he wants his players to practice daily so that they gain stamina and focus for upcoming trials of ‘Khelo India’ games that can happen anytime now. He said the state government has given them a grant with which they purchased judo mats and opened a gym for players.

Sharandeep Kaur, physical education teacher, Government Senior Secondary School for Girls, Adarsh Nagar, said they would commence training within next 10 days. “I will start with recreational activities to motivate players, so that they don’t feel burdened. I have seen players whose performance has reduced to 40 per cent from 90 per cent earlier. This is a challenge, which we will overcome soon,” she said.