Coaching: An amazing experience

Being a sportsman myself, I know the significance of physical activities for children as well as adults. Before CoVid, I got an opportunity to conduct coaching classes for swimming in my society. I was a little nervous because I had never done this before and when it comes to kids we need to be more careful and alert. I preferred to take classes for kids as of now. So in the beginning there were 4 kids of around 5 - 7 years of age.

I was very excited & nervous too. Here came the first day, I saw these little pals in cute swimming costumes & I got goosebumps. Initially these little pals checked my patience a lot. Sometimes I felt like I should just throw them in the water & remove their fear, but then, studies of child development held my hands back.

Everyday I could remember how my coach taught me to swim. So while coaching I used to get stuck between the training I got vs what child development theory suggests. Eventually I found a way, I mixed these two & found out a third way to control my kids which surprisingly worked out well. Slowly my students started to increase, in number as well as in age which made me discover more new ways to manage these youngsters.

I am glad I got this amazing opportunity to learn about children in a totally different environment. As a child developmentalist we should learn to discover new ways to tackle every kid in different environments. I am surely looking forward to many such opportunities & to be a significant part in a child's life.

• Vaibhavi Ghole