Winning behind the scenes

Express News Service

KOCHI:  Vyshakh Krishna, a native of Vellimadukunnu, Calicut, has been doing his bit to get the Kerala Cricket team kicking for over two years now. The 24-year-old helps manage the fitness of the team that showcased ace performance at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy.Vyshakh, a former player of the Kerala Junior cricket team, re-entered the field as a Strength and Conditioning Coach. He focuses on enhancing an athlete’s performance, moulding their overall strength and endurance. The youngster has been providing fitness training for several elite players including, Robin Uthappa, Sanju Samson and Sreesanth.

“It is indeed a privilege. As a coach, it is my responsibility to help these athletes achieve greater things in their game,” says Vyshakh Krishna, the second-youngest strength and conditioning coach in India under the BCCI domestic circle.

Working on strategy
According to Vyshakh, along with skill, it is mandatory to consider fitness training as a necessary element for any player to maintain consistency. As a strength and conditioning coach, Vyshakh aims to profile the players individually, considering the key factors — age, physiological limitations, training, and injury history.

Identifying the strength and weaknesses of the players through key performance index and concentrating on the role each player is assigned can help the athletes reduce injuries“Programme designing is one of the key components in any sport, what suits you may not suit everyone. So the fitness training programme is drawn according to the season and depending on the player’s body type and habits,” adds Vyshakh.

Fitness training differs for each sport. “Due to lack of awareness, athletes playing different sports get similar fitness training. The training required to enhance the performance of a football player is completely different from what a cricket player needs,” says Vyshakh. 

A long and hard journey
Vyshakh took his baby steps in the sport as a player. He was on the way to be a national player, but destiny had different plans. Abhinav Manathanth, the strength and conditioning coach of the Indian Olympics team for Boxing and Judo, gave Vyshakh some insight, that changed his plans for himself. 

Having completed the second level of the Australian Strength and Conditioning Certification course and having trained the women’s senior team, Under 23 men’s and women’s teams, Vyshakh is a valuable name to the Kerala Cricket Association. Along with his profession, the youngster is also pursuing a Masters in Performance Coaching at Setanta College, Ireland.Vyshakh trains his players at the high- performance centre in Kozhikode, Nadakkavu. “My motive is to provide aspirant players all the strategies and training that I couldn’t get during my days as a player,” says Vyshakh.