SREEKAR'S BOOKS

1st book written for aspiring sports parents in India

about THE BOOK

There are many books written on diverse sports topics such as how to play a particular sport, biographies and autobiographies of an athlete, training manuals on how to improve the game, etc.

However, there are hardly any comprehensive sportsbooks for parents about the journey of raising a sports champion. “Behind a Sports Champion” is the 1st book written for aspiring sports parents and parents with children in sports in India.

In this book, you will read about the journeys of sports champions, parents, and experts from different backgrounds.

Some of the parents had a sports background, and some did not.
Some of the players achieved early success, and some did not.
Some of the players came from cities and some from the grassroots.
Some of the players were child prodigies, while some had to work the hard way.
Some were born in financially well-off families, and some were not.
Some of them balanced both education and sports, and some rocked their own chosen field.
Some of them are household names, and some are rising stars.
Some of them took the college route to pursue their passion, and some joined sports academies full-time.

And the list goes on and on.

This book is like a buffet of different cuisines. The menu contains valuable insights and advice from players, coaches, parents of champions, nutritionists, psychologists, sports medicine doctors, and conditioning coaches from various sports. Based on where you are in your journey, prioritize what you want to read first and apply the valuable advice given by these experts. Try their advice and suggestions; retain whatever works well for you and disregard what doesn’t.

WHY I WROTE THIS BOOK?

Research shows 70% of kids drop out of the sport by the age of 13 due to the negative experiences of playing sport. The primary reason for this kind of experience is the lack of awareness among parents about the sport and the journey of raising a champion.

If your child wants to go abroad for higher education, there are many consultancies that can guide you.

If your child wants to be a doctor or an engineer, you can ask your family or distant family members about the journey.

If you want to enroll your child in the best school, even a next-door neighbor can help you.

But if your child wants to pursue sports as a career? Where do you go? How easy is it to get the information?

“Behind a sports champion” features 50 plus full-length interviews of World champions, Olympians, Coaches, Parents, Psychologists, Nutritionists, Sports doctors, and Fitness coaches from various sports where they share their life experiences and valuable advice for aspiring sports parents.

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Nature Photo Collage Travel Postcard (14

WHY DO I EVEN CARE ABOUT THE PROBLEM?

Growing up in the early 90s, Sreekar’s dream was to become a professional cricket player and represent team India. He had a clear goal along with motivation and commitment. However, due to a lack of knowledge and guidance, he was unable to pursue his passion.

Today, sport is growing rapidly with various national sports leagues such as the Indian Premier League, Premier Badminton League, Pro Kabaddi, Indian Super League, etc. As a result, parents are increasingly interested in having their children explore sport as a career option. However, there is no system or resource to guide parents in the right direction, leaving them confused, frustrated, and often wasting their time and money.

So, Sreekar decided to help solve the struggle this generation parents are facing by providing knowledge, guidance, and tools required to raising a professional player via his comprehensive book series.

How thE book IS sTRUCTURED?

“Behind a sports champion” is structured into four sections:

The Unsung Heroes – Parents of Champions

In this section, we highlight the experiences of parents of sportspersons. Their insights and suggestions will make you realize that you are not alone. They also have concerns similar to yours and went through the same challenges. Their advice will help you in making the right decisions.

The Masters – Coaches of Champions

This section has some of the best coaches sharing their experiences and valuable advice with aspiring sports parents. They shared their coaching philosophies, the role of a parent, common parent’s concerns, and the mistakes parents make due to lack of awareness.

The Superheroes - Professional Players

When you go through the journey undertaken by various players from different sports, you will realize that they also went through the roller coaster ride with many ups and downs. The way they dealt with challenges will give you the strength to overcome your challenges.

The Silent Heroes – The team behind the champions

This section has featured Nutritionists, Sports medicine doctors, strength and conditioning coaches, and sports psychologists. All of them have worked with hundreds of top-level players and athletes. They talk about their role in the champion’s journey, when is the right time to hire them, various mistakes parents make, and how to overcome them.

Why you should READ this book?

There are two types of people in this world. The first set of people do mistakes and learn from their mistakes. The second set of people will learn from other's mistakes by reading books, attending workshops, and so on. Most of the people in the first set quit after few mistakes as they lose their enthusiasm and confidence.

Example: If XYZ has 25 years of experience in cooking and makes the best BIRYANI in the world and if you want to be like XYZ? What do you need to do?

You need to learn the recipe from XYZ which saves you time and money.

Similarly, “Behind a sports champion” features 50 plus full-length interviews of World Champions, Olympians, Coaches, Parents, Psychologists, Nutritionists, Sports doctors, and Fitness coaches from various sports where they share their life experiences and valuable advice for aspiring sports parents.

When we read their stories, we realize the struggle and challenges they faced. All the sportspersons and their parents have lived out the same dreams we have, they have set us an example, and have shown us that victory is attainable.

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BEHIND THE SCENES ABOUT THE BOOK

In order to write a comprehensive book to help parents, Sreekar spent several years traveling to various cities to conduct the interviews. This book is in no way all-inclusive of all the experts. There are undoubtedly many experts, past and present, who could have been easily included, but there were quite a few challenges along the journey.

Busy travel Schedules - Sometimes, it was challenging to connect with most of them in the city I am in, as some of the players were traveling to play tournaments. So, I had to travel two to three times to the same place.

Trust - When my team connected with the experts to schedule the interviews, some trusted my passion and agreed, and some did not. I respect their decision.

Conflict of interest - In some cases, the professional players have signed an agreement with moviemakers for a sports biopic to be made on them. Some of them had signed book contracts with publishers, so they could not give the interview for the book.

Fees - Most of the players were managed by sports management companies, and we need to pay them a fee to get their interviews.

Language Barrier - Understanding the local language was quite a challenge when I traveled to different parts of India to conduct the interviews. Most were comfortable speaking in their regional dialect.

No progress - There were days nothing was happening as I could not meet any of the players, coaches, or champions’ parents.

He says, when he looks back at his journey, it was priceless! And he would love to do it all over again. Sreekar personally thanks everyone who has contributed to this book series and especially those champions and their support teams for believing in his vision and contributing to the future generations.