Professional sports coaching for kids is no longer about recreation alone

Highly professionalised and extremely competitive, sports coaching for kids has become serious business

Rondos on any football ground in India are rare sights. For those wondering, a rondo is a drill that sees a group of players, typically arranged in a circle, trying to keep possession while another player (sometimes two) — termed the “joker” — tries to steal the ball away. You are allowed only one touch on the ball. FC Barcelona is the most famous exponent of this exercise, which has over the years helped them master the art of playing a quite extraordinary brand of passing and eye-catching football. For many of Europe’s elite clubs, no training session is complete