By Balbir Singh
Indianapolis, IN – December 11, 2016 – United States of America cricket education pioneer Jatin Patel recently conducted a basic practical cricket training education program for future physical education teachers of Indiana University – Purdue Indianapolis (IUPUI). As many as 15 students whose major is physical education, enthusiastically learned the fundamentals of the game and played cricket.
The highly reputed and certified international cricket coach Jatin Patel, who hails originally from Gujarat, India and is well-known for his USA soccer coaching expertise, explained that the project is a “four-year tie up for cricket education at IUPUI, and is now in its third year in a row for the practical coaching sessions held during December towards the end of the semester. Theory, game knowledge and other modules are covered online or via a media take home option, and in class instruction by a IUPUI faculty staff member and in-class instructor Sandra S. Barnett.”
According to Patel, the main aim behind the college’s cricket training program is to develop more future cricket coaches and to develop a consistent semester-long college cricket education program based on the research and ideas from around the world, and about cricket coaching, to fit USA needs while keeping USA sports culture and development in mind.
“Targeted scholars/coaches are the future Physical Education teachers with the health and fitness, sports management, or travel management related majors under IUPUI Physical Education and Tourism Management departments. So far four universities/colleges in Indiana have participated or initiated similar cricket education programs,” said Jatin Patel
Coach Jatin Patel (behind stumps) poses with student participants after the training session. Photos by Balbir Singh
Jatin Patel is confident that it is the most effective way to educate Americans about cricket. Through such projects many future cricket coaches will teach cricket to more youths and many scholars in schools, for many years to follow during each coach’s career. School and college sports are the key for any sport in the USA, and cricket is moving forward in the right direction.
Those who attended the practical training sessions held in a very lively atmosphere were Blake Arnett, Dylan Brinker, Devin Christian, Mercedes Conkright, Genevieve Deis, Jacob Edison, Caleb Hall, Riley Hamilton, Alex Jones, Marigrace Kochert, Caitlin Plummer, Nathan Prescott, Jessica Sauer, Lucas Snider and Keith Thacker.
The program began with the introduction of the fundamentals of cricket, including a display of bats, balls, batting pads, helmets and other cricket related equipment. After explaining the basics of cricket, the first lesson was how to throw the ball while fielding with a large cricket field in mind. Long distance throws are most difficult of skills to learn for any adult novice coach or player. Tennis balls were used for the exercise, and after the initial training, the students quickly understood the importance of throwing the ball with the correct technique. They soon realized the difference between just trying and doing it effectively using the proper technique.
Coach Instructor Patel demonstrated the correct technique for bowling at the stumps, and some of the students were really good in negotiating the balls bowled by their colleagues or Jatin Patel.
The students had their first experience of holding the willow and leather balls used in day or night cricket, and they were presented with certificates of completion for attending the practical training designed for new cricket coaches by the American Cricket Federation and United States Youth Cricket Association, a joint effort for youth cricket development in the USA. The initiative will soon start bearing fruit if the players adopt it as coaches to train the budding youngsters.
Jatin Patel disclosed “Cricket has been played in America since 1709. The first game was played in the USA during 1844, yet cricket is still not an American sport. That’s going to change soon in Indiana and our coaches/players and teachers are modifying this game to fit with the demand, style and environments of many other North American sports. Having played a historic T10 inter high school scrimmage game on May 16, 2013 in Indianapolis, we are continuing to establish new milestones in cricket education and development to lead USA cricket history.”
Jatin Patel was presented a T-shirt bearing the IUPUI logo – School of Education and Tourism Management.
This story first appear at http://sportswire4u.blogspot.com/