The Sports Gurukul with the expertise of coach Jason Benadretti, the founder of Core Focus Training (CFT), USA, recently launched the TSG Basketball School, at Andheri.
Coach Jason Benadretti (right), the founder of Core Focus Training (CFT), USA seen with one of the trainees during the launch of the TSG Basketball School.
At the inauguration of the TSG Basketball School, coach Benadretti pointed out that it’s very important to focus on teaching the basic skills and techniques to young children from the beginning. “For any sport, success starts with the grassroot levels. As those groups start to succeed, you start to move up together and now maybe you had a guy make it to the top level, and more people get motivated. Hopefully this is what the TSG-CFT partnership will do, create some kids who will improve and inspire the nation to step it up to the next level.”
Paresh Kothari, TSG, Co-founder said, “The passion for basketball in India and the desire to have industry leading coaching is evident. With this partnership, we believe we can not only help to develop the Indian talent, but provide them with a development pathway that has been proven around the world time and time again.”
Coach Jason Benadretti (2nd left), the founder of Core Focus Training (CFT), USA seen with some of the children during the launch of the TSG Basketball School. (West).
The TSG Basketball School will provide an opportunity for budding basketball players to get coaching at both, the grassroot level and at the professional level. CFT have designated their coaches to share their experience with the kids and local coaches and supervise and monitor the entire program. They will be assisted by our TSG coaches, who get an opportunity to work closely with the American coaches and learn the finer points of game and improve their coaching techniques.
“Basketball in India is in it’s the growth phase. The one thing I noticed is that the kids don’t know what to do, they don’t understand the time you have to put in the game to be great. For example, I have worked with a lot of NBA players and we show them the video of Kobe Bryant and he talks about his work ethics. He says I go to the gym at 4am and that’s crazy, it’s extreme. But that doesn’t mean to translate it to out here, you may be working twice a week, now you got to work four times, five times every day. Yesterday I was telling them you go to put five minutes a day on ball handling, you can’t just dribble, you have got to touch the basketball every day and that’s the way forward,” explained Benadretti.
“You have to put in the time to get better, once they start learning and they desire like they have for cricket or racquet sports to improve you will see more and more players moving up through the year,” he further said.
“I have been telling the coaches to compare it to Legos where you build in blocks, you need to make sure you have a strong foundation whether it is shooting, passing or dribbling and then you can advance. Even with NBA players I break it down to the beginning. It is about getting the fundamentals and as you get ahead it is about adding the layers, step by step,” he revealed.
The Sports Gurukul (TSG) is India’s premier sports company that specializes in providing coaching in multiple Sports and Physical Education. TSG coaching programs include, in-school sessions and after school hours coaching activities.