Gennext Shines in the Middle East

Its been quite a while since yours truly pitched in with his words but TBK cannot really be faulted for the work that has been happening all around us at Gennext. Workaholic it has been the last few months and so I decided that this one Sunday will be the one to express my thoughts with all the hectic happenings all around us. For starters TBK is now officially a part of the Gennext Team. Personally its a great honor bestowed on me, to shoulder a great responsibility alongside one of the greatest Legends of the Game, our dearest mentor Ravichandran Ashwin.

I still recall one of the evenings a few months back, we were all gathered at RKM grounds in T. Nagar. It was one of the happy, fun evenings which is normally the case with my boss around, actually I am entitled to call him that officially now and it does feel great. So back to that evening, all happy faces around. All of a sudden, my mentors face turned grim and serious. At that point of time, I was still the happy go lucky fan boy and not a full time employee. Ashwin turned to Sudarshan and both of them had an animated discussion. I was like - Hope Things were fine.

It turned out that we had to vacate RKM ground in a months time and we had no place to go. It was almost as though the ground under us was pulled away and we were hurtling headlong into a dark abyss. Where do we go from here? What do we do? One single Center and One School was all that we had at that point of time. However this is where the leaders vision comes through. Ashwin was perturbed for a few minutes but he recovered from that initial shock almost immediately. He announced quite nonchalantly "Guys we are expanding. We are no longer going to be dependent on one single center." A magic few words were all that was needed to turn this entire organization around towards unheralded growth.

We moved to Loyola....KRM a school in Perambur fell in place. Pon Vidyashram our existing center in Valsaravalkam started to show exciting growth. APL in OMR, Chennai one of the upmarket schools decided to join hands with us.An announcement to follow shortly in this regard. At the time of penning down this blog we are in advanced talks of closing the deal with one of the leading schools in Chennai as our next center. While we seem to have more than discovered our mojo at our home base in Chennai we also have expanded our footprint beyond our shores into Foreign Land. We have now tied up with Desert Cubs in Dubai. Gennext Desert Cubs will cater to the requirements of Cricket Coaching in the Middle East. Our Team consisting of Ashwin, our COO-Sudarshan, our coaches Santosh and Srinivasan were there in Dubai last week to kick start our operations there.

The Visit to Dubai was a roaring success and Teams on either side are gung-ho about the relationship with a lot of interesting plans for the future. I would be failing in my duty at this point of time if I do not thank Mr Ramesh ,Mr Balaji and Mr Vinay who were the key architects of this exciting relationship. As I spoke with Ashwin yesterday he was pretty excited with all that transpired in Dubai. His words still ring in my ears"TBK, this tour to Dubai was a grand success and we are really crossing boundaries"

So much has transpired in the last few months and many more good tidings to come in the future. All that has happened has happened for the good including our move from RKM to Loyola. The biggest learning for all of us being that we were in a closed shell as long as we were at RKM, but the moment we decided to open up our vision, the world has become our stage, endless, seamless growth options. All this growth that we have experienced in the last few months has been entirely due to all our staff at Gennext. For me personally this has been an exciting new journey which I pray to continue for many more years to come.

Gennext Moves on

We derive our strength from seeing a wide grin on the child's face. Times are such that we have to keep improvising in terms of infrastructure and our our own coaching methodologies. We as an institute are always on the look out for newer opportunities and challenges, about processes and innovations that will make us better as an organization.

This summer was no different with children and parents thronging our centers in T.Nagar(RKM Grounds), our school centers, Pon Vidyashram(Valsarwalkam) and KRM(Perambur). The enthusiasm shown by the parents and our dear most children gives us more motivation to reach out to newer areas and schools. Our mentor Ravichandran Ashwin in his several conversations with the team in his role as a Mentor has stressed on the fact that as an institute we need to get our processes right,results would follow on its own.

So when we walk into one of our school centers and we see our kids coming up with assignments done up in a creative manner like the picture below suggests we know that our processes are right and in place. Of course due credit has to be given to the coaches in coming up with out of the box solutions. All of this is very much encouraged at our institute.

 

 As an institute we have felt the need to keep growing, for us its North that beckons the only direction going forward both literally and in a positive manner. We have felt the need to serve a larger clientele. So we have decided to move on from our existing camp from RKM Grounds in T. Nagar to Loyola College Grounds in Nungambakkam. The Loyola College Grounds is now fully functional and ready to cater to your needs of Cricket Coaching and Practice. This facility was inaugurated last week by our respected founder Mr Ravichandran and also by the present Parents. To Join the Camp at Loyola College you can reach out to Mr Sudarshan our COO on his Mobile: 9841784061 or our Admin Manager Mr. Shekar on his Mobile: 7845039990.

 

Up North in Chennai itself we have tied up with the KRM group of schools in Perambur to cater to requirements of that part of the city. We are glad that this tie up with KRM is the coming together of two like minded organizations that are of the opinion that sports and academics go hand in hand. We are more than happy to see the kind of encouragement, support and motivation from the Parents, the children and the school management. Our mentor Ashwin paid a visit to the KRM school in Perambur and Pon Vidyashram in Valsarvalkm to spend quality time with the children there.

 

As we expand, we will keep it pretty much simple, grow at the same time Quality of what we roll out as products from the institute for our clients shall be our prime focus area. If you want to reach out to any of us feel free to do so on any of the below mentioned numbers.

 We promise to keep you all updated on the latest happenings from the world of Gennext Cricket Institute. Till then its Goodbye from all of us.....Stay Happy....Stay Healthy

The Cricket Carnival Moves on- This Time to Gennext-Kings Cricket Academy Dubai

When we take up an assignment as an academy, we focus on quality and not on quantity. That has been our philosophy and so it shall remain as such in the years to come. Our Mentor and Indias premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has remained focussed on each and every child that joins the academy. Given that he is busy with a hectic and packed schedule, he does ensure that he spends quality time at the academy. In the long run the academies success will not lie in the number of cricketers we churned out of the academy but the number of better human beings who we moulded from our academy. That is our intention and aim.

The opportunity with the Kings group of schools came in at a time when we were scouting for like minded partners from across the globe, particularly with reference to the Middle East. Thus there was perfect union between our vision and the thoughts of the management of the Kings Group of Schools. Our body language, our dialogues and communication with the external world are all in sync with the aspirations of our management.When we set off to Dubai, we had our priorities and goals set which cannot be sounded in a much more emphatic manner than this Tweet from our mentor Ashwin. Indeed to learn new things and to pass on what we already know.

For us each day is a new beginning and the process of learning and unlearning happens as a routine chore at the academy.

The process of learning and understanding more about the game of cricket or for that matter any other sport is never complete without proper partnership between the coach and the young cricketer. Each individual is blessed with a skill set that is unique to him or to her. Keeping that in mind the coach has to tune the requirements and plan for each and every individual sportsman. This is exactly what we set about doing when we reached our academy in Dubai. Parents on one side, wards on the other, it was indeed a freewheeling session. Idea was to communicate with each and every player who is a part of the academy. Technology was put to best use to ensure that communication was straight and simple, end of day there is nothing that pays off better than hard work. 

Replete with examples and illustrations we try to make the process of understanding finer concepts of the game that much simpler and easier to grasp. 

We are open to feedback and are always on the lookout for new kinds of challenges.  When the UAE womens team came up to us seeking our expertise through our mentor ashwin we were quite up to it and spent quality time with the womens team. 

We at Gen-Next Cricket Academy are a very closely knit family right from the top to the bottom. We believe that each of our employees is a very important stakeholder in the day to day running of the business. Playing the game for fun and for the love of it is equally important on the business side as well. 

Thus concluded our Cricket Master class in Dubai. However an article like this is never complete without a mention of our sponsors and key associates who have left no stone unturned in making this program a grand success. In today’s cricketing scenario, sponsors play a vital role in promoting the sport.

GenNext Kings cricket Academy have been aptly supported by their valuable sponsors right from inception. During the recent master class conducted by Ashwin, the sponsors to the likes of Avon Insurance Brokers, Danube, Prime Hospitals, Trading Enterprises (Volvo) and Zulekha Hospitals have supported the academy.  One of the key highlights by the sponsors was supporting the cricket clinic for UAE Women’s National cricket team, conducting health clinics for kids and parents, transportation and most key aspect of ensuring the insurance coverage is available.  Ashwin also conducted leadership and motivational talks for major corporates to extend his skilled and strategic view on cricket and life beyond cricket.

Parenting-Queries from One Parent to Another

Its a Lazy Sunday morning, one time during the year when you just don't feel the need of a air-conditioner. I hear from the newspaper that the temperature has dipped by 4 degrees, hovering at around 19 Degrees Celsius. This lovely weather is a luxury for people in Chennai, and yours truly feels the need to be under the comfort of a blanket. Just as the eyes want to shut off to slumber, the mobile rings and its Sudarshan, the COO of our Cricket Academy on line. Sudarshan wants me to quickly come to the ground to have a conversation with the founder of our academy Ravichandran Uncle.

Its a opportunity that I cannot really refuse because any conversation with uncle is worth its weight in Gold. I quickly take a few mugs of shower, ice cold water mind you, The Geyser can wait, no time for hot water. I don't want to miss any of the conversation. So after that bone chilling bath I quickly rush to the RKM grounds. On the way in my mind I have already decided that this conversation will lay centered around Parenting. TBK has so many questions up in my heart to ask of Uncle and doubts to be clarified from a Parents perspective. I am on time, as I drive my bike around the curve, I can see Uncle's car coming in the opposite direction.

Customary Greetings follow. As usual I am in awe of Uncle not just because of the fact that he happens to be Ashwins father, but because of the fact that he is ready to strike a friendly conversation with anyone. I bow my head humbly to the simplicity of the Gentleman. So our conversation begins.

TBK: Uncle, When I admit my child to any Cricket Academy, the general expectation is that my child should be in the playing Eleven of any tournament. Parental Pressure and Expectations are on the rise. As a Parent what is your advice to a Parent like me?

Uncle: First of all the Parents can come and watch the children play from a distance. Getting closer to the children or the coaches during the hours of practice is a strict no. My son scored five runs or six runs , again a question in futility. Yes after the practice is over they can and must talk to the coaches about their children's performance.How can my child improve on his skills is a very valid question. My son did not get a chance to play in a tournament is a wrong question. Be  at the receiving end and take all the feedback that the coach gives. Don't complain. As a parent you must be above everything else. You cannot and should not influence his selection. Don't try and get close to the selectors or coaches.

TBK: There is another expectation that if I put my son in a Cricket Academy, He will become a star player like Ashwin. How valid is that kind of an expectation or otherwise?

Uncle: That is a very wrong expectation. When Ashwin was growing up I never knew that he would play for India. Even when he was in the Ranji team I did not have that kind of an expectation. There is and there will be politics in the game. When a player gets popular, there is bound to be jealousy and other kinds of challenges. At such a critical juncture it becomes very important that you support your child as a Parent. Let me give you an example. Two boys are in the center batting. One boy is striking well and he is 42 not out. The boy at the other end struggles his way to a 12 and gets out. The immediate reaction in the Parents will be. See that boy got 42, my son got only 12. At the spur of the moment scolds the boy saying: See How well that boy is playing and how badly you played. Never scold a child about his performance. Give him friendly advice instead. Finally you don't dream that your child should become big in sport. Allow your child to dream big. You as a Parent can support his dreams.

TBK: What kind of positive or negative impact can Parents or Coaches have on the child?

Uncle: It can be a huge factor. Parents getting together and having a negative discussion about your own child or someone else's child. By all means get together and discuss but don't discuss the average performances of your child in front of other parents/coaches/selectors.This can have a ripple effect. It reaches the ears of the selectors and it becomes a sort of chain reaction, spreading like a disease, thereby affecting the future prospects of the child. Secondly Coaches and Selectors should form an unbiased opinion of the sportsman, and should never go by hearsay or based on the opinion of other coaches and parents. See the child perform, and suggest corrections. Give Positive advice that will encourage the growth of the child. Thirdly when it comes to selection, coaches and selectors should keep in mind that they never go by the reputation or name of the Cricket Academy. They should once again oversee the performance of the child and then form an opinion.

TBK: Academics or Cricket Which is more important?

Uncle: Right Eye or Left Eye, which is more important? TBK: Both eyes are equally important Uncle. Uncle: Yes you are right, both eyes are important. Similarly Cricket is as important as academics. As a parent you are responsible for your child's growth. You need to take active interest in his academics as your child. When Ashwin was growing up, I used to do all the running around. He would play matches, I would go to his school and make a note of all the lessons that he had missed. Ashwin would come and insist on going to the ground. I would incentivize him. Finish this lesson and then go to the ground. He would tap the ball at home. At that moment I would ask questions from his subjects and prepare him for his examinations. Till his tenth standard, I would prepare by going through his text books, understanding the lesson myself before teaching it to him. If I had any doubts I would not hesitate in asking doubts from his friends or subject teachers. I knew each of his teachers by name and still remember them. When he reached his 11th standard, I had him shifted to a State Board school-St.Bedes. I understood that in the state board curriculum, the same thing had to be learnt over and over again. I would not understand a thing but would make him to repeat that Mathematical and Science Equations over and over again, till he had learnt it.  As parent I had encouraged  him to play sports and study well. There needs to be a balance between the two. As a parent it is your responsibility to ensure that the balance is maintained.

Pearls of wisdom indeed, especially when it comes from Ravichandran Uncle who has seen all of it from the eyes of a parent. This blog is meant for all parents all across the globe. We keep having these conversations and will bring you more in the days to come, so stay tuned in to us for more.