Indian coaches bowled over by cricket’s use of sports science

The 25-strong party visited Warwickshire County Cricket Club’s Edgbaston Stadium as part of a two-week visit to the University to explore how they can combine coaching and sports science techniques.

Warwickshire CCC Academy Director Paul Greetham was able to showcase how the club uses biomechanics is used to enhance cricket players’ bowling and batting techniques. There was also a demonstration of the club’s high-speed camera system and how it is used to analyse cricketers’ performance.

Experts from the School of Sport, Exercise & Rehabilitation Sciences and University Birmingham Sport have put together a comprehensive programme for the visitors.

Put together by the Sports Authority of India (SAI), the programme was organised by Dr Martin Toms’ after discussions with the Indian Government’s Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports and SAI about how the University of Birmingham could help the country’s athletes boost their performance.

Toms, Senior Lecturer in Sport Pedagogy in the School of Sport, Exercise & Rehabilitation Sciences, is a former professional cricket coach, with a PhD in youth participation and talent development in cricket.

He said: “With the help of Warwickshire County Cricket Club, we are showing our guests how sports science is applied in the real world. We’re keen to showcase ways of identifying, developing and sustaining sports talent.

“Our experts at the University of Birmingham are world leaders in sports science and combining the latest research with coaching to help boost athletes’ performance. By taking our guests to meet the University’s sports partners we hope to help them improve performance across Indian sport.”

University experts are sharing the latest thinking in a range of areas, including sports nutrition, sports psychology, performance analysis and injury rehabilitation with the group.

They also organised a visit to Birmingham City FC’s football academy, where the guests watched young players training and learned about how sports science combined with coaching. The visitors also toured the Football Association HQ at St George’s Park, Burton-on-Trent.

Rajdeep Kaur Talwar is Dean of the Faculty of Sports Sciences at the National Institute of Sports, in Patiala, Punjab and leader of the delegation.

She said: “After experts from the University of Birmingham shared comprehensive knowledge about sports theory and practice, it was our pleasure to visit Edgbaston.

“Paul Greetham demonstrated different activities being run at Edgbaston and showed us the cricket pitch, gym facilities available to players, and the modern indoor training areas and infrastructure. It was an amazing opportunity to see their facilities. The museum depicting notable events and cricketers of Warwickshire was quite impressive too.”

The group includes coaches from a range of sports including athletics, volleyball, kabaddi, swimming and gymnastics. Indian sports scientists from a range of disciplines including nutrition, sports medicine and physiology have travelled to Birmingham.

The University of Birmingham has seen student Lily Owsley and alumna Sophie Bray win gold in the women’s hockey, whilst alumnus James Rodwell scooped silver with the Rugby Sevens – part of Team GB’s record haul of 67 medals in Rio.

Image Credit:  Sarah-Jayne Butcher