The summer camp initiated by the Sports Department of Government of Jharkhand gained momentum as approximately 600 students from Government as well as non-Government schools are participating in different sports activities. The camp at the Birsa Munda Football Stadium in Morabadi was started on May 16 will continue till June 15.
Keeping in view the intense summer heat, the organisers have decided to concentrate on indoor sports. The one-month summer camp facilitates different sports activities such as Carrom, Table Tennis, Volleyball, Karate and Yoga. It also focuses on making the students incline towards learning self-defense tactics like Karate, Wushu and Fencing.
As told by one of the organisers, “The purpose of the summer camp is for the students to utilise their vacation in a constructive way and to teach elementary sports to the children.” Primarily meant for the underprivileged students the enrollment fee is a nominal amount of Rs 50 whereas for the affluent students from private schools are charged Rs 500 for their enrollment in the summer camp.
There are 26 coaches appointed for the training of the students. To keep the kids hydrated and healthy, they are provided with juice, boiled eggs and fruits during the time of practice.
Wushu, a form of Chinese martial Arts is the most sought-after course which is joined by nearly 137 students. Pradeep Kumar Singh, the coach from Manipur teaching Wushu said “Wushu is a more aggressive form of self-defence than Karate. It is a hard-game which prepares the students against any untoward risks.” He added “Wushu is a traditionally known name of what is now commonly called Kung Fu and the form is popular among youth because of Jackie Chan movies.” He further expressed his confidence over the form and said “Student who have mastered the form of Wushu can take part in any other discipline of self-defence.”
Chandan Kumar, a coach of Karate who received his training from the Indian School of Martial Arts (ISMA), said that he aims to teach the students four-months of curriculum within the limited span of thirty days. There are children even below the age of seven willing to learn self-defence. He intends to teach advanced techniques especially to girls within the circumscribed time.
The trainers were in unison to say that self-defence not only brings fitness but also help students to grow up as confident and physically as well as mentally healthy individuals.