SPIS Football Camp

As an action activity, I attended the Sharad Pawar International School Football Camp. I participated in this activity because I wanted to improve my football skills. As the Sports Captain of the school, I felt that it was my responsibility to hone my skills in order to play at the highest level that I am capable of. We also had a number of upcoming football tournaments, and practice was essential. A number of students along with me stayed back in the school boarding house for one week for football training.

The activity was fulfilling and my expectations were met. I improved my endurance and stamina. My skills also improved drastically, and I learnt how to deal with game situations better. Additionally, I also increased my strength and power through strength training. Complementing our training regimens, we also had a number of practice matches against other teams. This gave us the opportunity to utilize the skills we were learning and practicing during our training courses. It also helped us to build more team chemistry.

There were difficulties encountered during the camp. In the beginning of the camp, my skills were nothing short of mediocre. Through the tireless coaching by Mr. Prashant Sawant and Mr. Alex Eleson, I was able to improve my skills many times over. The training regimens were hard and painful. After the training sessions, the pain would kick in, and I would not be able to feel my legs. When I could finally feel my legs, my thighs would kill! These difficulties were overcome by nothing other than sheer dedication. The dedication to improve our skills caused my peers and myself to push on and practice even harder, stopping only when our bodies could not pull our weight any longer.

I learnt that there is always room for improvement, and the only way to improve is if you set your mind to it. Dedication and perseverance are of utmost importance. I also learnt that hard work always pays off because when you see the improvement in yourself, it does a world of good for your confidence as a player.

If I was asked to do the same activity again, I would make sure that the players get a rest day in between strenuous practice sessions. The camp took place two weeks before exams, and although everyone was confident that they would be able to study, after the practice sessions, studying seemed impossible. Next time, I would ask for rest days in between strenuous sessions or to have strenuoud sessions every alternate day with easy training in between.

My accomplished learning outcomes were:
1: Increased their awareness of their own strengths and areas for growth
2: Worked collaboratively with others
3: Shown perseverance and commitment in their activities
4: Developed new skills