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It’s no secret that physical activity is good for health, but what about team sport? How beneficial is team sport for an individual? How does playing in a team affect the way we learn and perceive the world? We got a chance to get our questions answered when we met this young man who started playing at 12, and is already a coach at the age of 19! Meet Jagdish Sansare, who works as a frisbee coach in an IB school called Fountainhead in Surat. His journey as a player took a gracious turn when he decided to take up coaching for his livelihood!
Introduction To The World Of Frisbee!
Born and brought up in Surat, Jagdish comes from a very humble background with three brothers and one sister. Growing up, the family faced financial issues, and schooling wasn’t as easy. We asked him at what age he was introduced to a frisbee. He joyfully shares, “I studied in a school called Jumbish, which was run by a trust. Meeta Shah, who heads this trust, brought some frisbee discs into our school and gave it to us; to throw and to learn.”
He adds, “After some days when we gathered some sense of how to use the disc and how to evaluate its throwing direction, Meeta Ma’am took us to a school named Fountainhead, to learn from the senior players who practiced there. Never in our wildest dream had we imagined practising in a school like Fountainhead; so big and so enormous! But there we were, a bunch of eager students, very curious to learn everything about the sport.”
“Soon it became a ritual for a school bus to come and take us to Fountainhead every Saturday evening. Around that time, one team that trained regularly in the school was ‘Trailblazers’. We started doing drills and throws with them. That’s when our learning curve took a steep turn. Watching Trailblazers as a team, working so hard and vigorously, inspired us at every learning stage. And, soon we dreamed of playing like them! Two years after that, participating in various local and out-of-town tournaments, it was time for MUO (Mumbai Ultimate Open).”
He further adds, “This year was special for Jumbish because not only did we play like Trailblazers here, we even defeated them in a silver pool game! It was a moment of pride for all of us, and also for our coaches who trained us so well. Since then, we started training every weekend. Along with practice, Fountainhead also gave us a chance to regularly attend frisbee workshops and training sessions that were held in their campus.”
Perks Of Playing Ultimate Frisbee
Jagdish shares that one of the biggest perks of playing frisbee was a chance to be mentored by the coaches. The training sessions became more and more intense once they started training with the coaches!
We wondered whether it was only Jagdish’s commitment to training twice a week that made him a wonderful frisbee player, or there was more to it! We enquired him and he had this to say, “Our training sessions were not limited to just the two days at KG Farm, Fountainhead. It continued every day after our school hours when we’d run to a nearby garden and play a long match of 50-60 points amongst our friends. It also continued on our way from garden to home; just throwing and catching the disc for fun! Even when we used to catch up and hang out after reaching home, a disc was always around!”
Jagdish says, “Even though I had played other sports like badminton and football, somehow ultimate frisbee is really close to my heart. Maybe it was because I got introduced to it at a very young age. It also gave me a chance to meet many different amazing people. It introduced me to a whole new world where I didn’t shy away from talking. In a way, frisbee gave me the confidence to talk to strangers without being anxious and open the doors of travelling to places like New Delhi, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, and Mumbai. That in itself meant everything to me at that time!”
“Frisbee also pushed us on a better life path. I became fit like never before, avoided all unhealthy habits of chewing tobacco, smoking and other intoxication because I just wanted to play! There was a strict rule for players, that if any of us got involved into these dejecting things, we won’t get to play Ultimate anymore. And that was a huge threat for us, still is!”, he adds with a smile. “Since there is no referee in Ultimate frisbee and we are expected to resolve all the calls within the players, we learned to respect others and their perspective in different aspects of our life as well.”
Frisbee Player To Ultimate Coach
From being a player to being a coach, let’s find out how the dots connected for Jagdish. He shares that there was a thumb rule that Jumbish followed- No Studying, No Frisbee! “Lack of money in the house was an issue that bothered me when I was in school. It was difficult for me to decide whether I should continue studying or find work outside and contribute to my household.”
“At first, I started working in a flower shop, which helped me earn some money, but not enough to help my family. Luckily for me at that time, two other ultimate players, one of them being the head coach of Indian team, suggested that we train ourselves to be a frisbee coach. He conducted a 3-day training session, which my friends and I attended. After attending that session, I joined Fountainhead as an intern first, assistant coach later; to train further.”
He continues, “For the first two to three months, I didn’t coach any classes, just observed. In the fourth month, I coached my first class and then gradually I learned to also lead discussions in a class. Beside the regular school sessions, I gradually also conducted extra sessions for their development in the evenings, which gave me determination and courage.”
Challenges Of A Coaching Career
We asked Jagdish if there were any changes he witnessed in his mindset when he moved on from being a player to becoming a coach. He shares, “There is a lot of difference in the way a coach thinks and a player plays. When you play as a player, you play just one role that is dedicated to you. But when you play the role of a coach, you play every role in your mind to estimate the outcome; sometimes even multiple outcomes! As a matter of fact, in coaching, I am not just expected to assign roles, but it’s also my responsibility to explain those roles to the players. This makes you answerable for the team’s overall performance.”
Working from morning to evening can be a stressful activity for an 19-year old! To that, Jagdish says, “The main challenge that I faced while becoming a frisbee coach initially was my food habits. Working from morning to evening for the first time, the schedule used to tire me so much that I would be left with no energy to cook or do any daily chores. But slowly even those affairs are falling into place. I am attempting to cook food to further take care of my health and body. Even washing my clothes is becoming an alternate day ritual for me!”
Representing India In World Championship
Gripping around the know-how of this looming sport, we were interested to know if there are any international championships which India participates in. To our surprise, Jagdish educated us about the various leagues that India has been a part of in the past as well as the upcoming ones; including WJUC (World Junior Ultimate Championship), WCBU (World Championship Beach Ultimate) & World U24 Ultimate Championship.
Turning a little gloomy, Jagdish adds, “Two years ago, I myself tried out for WJUC U20 team that went to Poland. Even though I got selected, due to passport issues, I lost the opportunity. Even this year I gave a try-out, for which now I am eagerly waiting for the results. Veritably, Fountainhead as a school, plans to participate in the International School France Championship in June 2019, which will be held in France. I am extremely excited to accompany as a coach, and also be part of the prior training sessions.”
Takeaway – Habits That Help
Jagdish Sansare shares, “I try my best to do strength training exercise regularly or at least twice a week. I even watch as many live ultimate games or videos to keep updating my understanding. Another practice that I abide by is to make the team do intense warm-up before initiating any drills/games. These practices to me are very important for becoming a good and responsible athlete.”
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