Once in four years the whole Globe turns its attention to the Olympic Games. This year in Tokyo it wasn’t different. 11.000 athletes from 205 countries are contending for glory in 339 events. They are the top-notch, the best of the best!

What does it take for one to get to the top and win a medal? Saint Paul wrote: “All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal… I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line. I’m giving it everything I got. I’m staying alert and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself.” Discipline, training, hard work, giving everything, staying alert are essencial qualities for you to finish well.

The same principles apply to our lives as well. Therefore, be it on the field or off it, let’s strive and give our best to go for gold and finish well!

For more than 15 years CTM Sports and Brazil Sports Network have brought dozens of football players and coaches in some of the top clubs in India such as Mohan Bagan, East Bengal, Dempo Club, Churchil Brothers, Vasco Club, etc.

But this Brazil-India connection was never intended to be a one-way road. And it was in 2011 that we sent the first Indian player to Brazil for advance coaching.  

Samarth Salvi, a student from St. Vincent College in Pune, was 15 at the time he was sent to Sao Paulo for a 2 years contract. From being a star striker in India, he faced a tougher challenge playing among Brazilians. But it was a great learning experience for him and for us as a company. 

We are hoping that in years to come this Brazil-India connection will continue to see many young boys going oversees to learn the art of playing the “beautiful game”!

 (Samarth is standing next to Mr. J Tanaami in the picture below)

Nowadays, most professional football clubs start “scouting” for young talented players at the age of 7. That’s the age young Messis or Ronaldos are spotted by them.

Children learn things very fast. Their brains are like sponge; they can absorb many things. That’s the age to start inculcating in them good habits. “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” (Proverbs 22:6). 

Creating good habits, like a living a heathy life style and practicing sports, will give children a head start in life. They may not become professional athletes. But, certainly, they will carry these positive influences for the rest of their lives. 

We at CTM Sports believe in imparting godly values to the students, starting as early as at the age of 7!

(photo credit: Solace Vemai) 

At CTM Sports we believe in doing things with excellence. We plan each session according to the needs of the group os students, well ahead of time, because we want to achieve our goals and give our best to the clients. We plan ahead because that is how top performing teams do, and they succeed. Our coaches spend as much time outside the field, planning and preparing their sessions, as on it. Then, once on the ground, they just implement what they have carefully planned. That’s is what differentiates the professionally run coaching teams with the ordinary ones. 

Saint Paul once wrote, “You’ve all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard… I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. I’m staying alert and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself.”

In life as much as in sports, plan well and give your best. It pays off!

One more academic year has come to an end at Anisha Global Schools NIBM and Marunji. We are thrilled to see how much the young and talented boys and girls have improved during this year. They have grown physically, they have excelled academically and they have learned new football skills and team play as we all enjoyed our daily interactions with them. 

As the Brazilian coach and director Josue Tanaami explained today, in football we all have to work as a team to defend and score goals. There are challenges and setbacks. But in the end, usually the best team wins. It’s also true in life. We will go through challenges and difficulties. But we need to keep our focus on the goal and do our best: work hard, overcome barriers and become a winner!

Now it is a time to enjoy some rest. But when the students come back in June, our team of coaches Diego, Jhantu, Santu, Kele and Seyie will be waiting to take them to a higher level. Till then, have a enjoyable and restful holiday time!

Kaká, Cafu, Denilson, Casemiro, Rogério Ceni, Hernanes and Julio Baptista are some of the top Brazilian football players whose careers started at Sao Paulo Futebol Club. Once upon a time they were just boys, teenagers with dreams like hundreds of thousands of boys and girls. Sao Paulo FC provided them the platform, it’s world-class facilities at the Cotia Athletes Formation Centre and the best professionals shaped their lives and skills so they could shine in some of the major professional leagues around the world.

So, what’s the secret of Sao Paulo FC’s success? We believe there are several factors: a rich history and tradition, hard work, competence, great infrastructure and top professionals, etc.

We hope, in a near future, to partner with such clubs to see the quality of football in India develop to its full potential. Stay tuned for more news…

First it was Mumbai. Then Goa, Kolkata, Pune, Imphal, Agartala and even Malda, in West Bengal. Some are ongoing coaching, some are just for a week to a couple of months. CTM Sports’ unique coaching style, led by a team of South American coaches – from Brazil, Bolivia and Chile, besides our highly motivated Indian professionals, is changing the way football is taught, not just with skills and techniques, but with fun and friendship. After all, we ought to enjoy what we do best. And football is in the blood of our international coaches.

Stay tuned for more coaching opportunities in a near future!