What you see -In the now congested lanes of Hyderguda at Himayatnagar is St. Paul’s High School, part of the trio of All Saints’ and Little Flower. ‘Truth is Light’ etched in green on the top of the main building welcomes students as they stroll in through the main gate and onto the grounds.
Former All-England Badminton Champion, Pulella Gopichand and Dr. K Srinath Reddy who heads the Department of Cardiology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences are known to have graduated from this school.
Like Little Flower, St. Paul’s was started after All Saints’ completed its centenary celebrations. In 1954, Brother John of God decided to start a new school as a part of All Saints’ at King Koti. About 300 students and faculty were then shifted from All Saints’ to St. Paul’s. In 1955, the school was shifted to its current premises at Hyderguda and in 1958 under Brother Stanislaus the school was made an autonomous institution.
What you get – The co-educational school follows the syllabus prescribed by the state (SSC). The process of education is based on traditional values blended well with modernity. Students till class 9 even have a compulsory Moral Science class as a part of the syllabus. Here they are given important lessons on life, morals and honesty.
Then there is a fine for throwing garbage outside the dustbin and as an incentive any student who reports another’s disobedience of the rule, is given a part of the money earned through the fine. There is also a strict “English only” policy enforced during school hours to encourage students to develop their communication skills.
The examination system followed is the same as All Saints’ and Little Flower where 50% of the marks are for year round performance and 50% for the Annual Examinations. There are special classes for students who need more attention.
The school has four mid-size buses to transport students and the charge is around Rs. 250 a month. The school also has many clubs to encourage extra-curricular and co-curricular activities. It has a state-of-the-art badminton court, a conference room equipped with two projectors for presentations and 12 table tennis tables. The St. Paul’s Table Tennis Academy is run by Nagendar Reddy and Ibrahim, both former national level table tennis players. The school also boasts of two full size basketball courts and two volleyball courts. There is also a HAM Radio training centre at the Alphonsa Hall there. The school has a large canteen, which provides for lunch, stationery, text books and uniforms.
The average number of students in each class is 60 and there is enough space in the large classes to accommodate students. The school has around 80 teachers and about 3,300 students. The school has an active alumni association and network to help students stay connected.
Our verdict - Admission is tough here as there is a common admission form for All Saints’, Little Flower and St. Paul’s. Besides, you cannot give your order of preference while filling the admission form. However, St. Paul’s has good facilities for training in badminton, table tennis, volleyball and basketball. In fact, it is widely known for conducting the Annual State Ranking Tournament for Table Tennis.
Drive to – St. Paul’s High School
Hyderguda, Hyderabad – 500029.
Call at - 040-23222092
Anytime between – 8.45 AM – 4 PM
Academics, badminton and table tennis at St. Paul’s High School Hyderguda Hyderabad – Hyderabad School has been written by Pranay who writes for MetroMela
In part four of the volleyball blocking study guide I talk about the terms the double block and using the block.
Double block – A double block is formed when two players manage to travel along the net to get in front of and form a block against a hitter in a rally. With two players blocking against a hitter, the hitter has less options for open spaces on the court to hit to and is forced to hit to the area of the court the double block is not covering.
The hitter may choose to hit down the line if the double block is covering their cross court, or they will hit hard cross court if the double block is taking away the line. Other options include the dink or the “tip”, where the hitter at the height of their jump will tip the ball softly over the block so the ball lands in an open area of the court, out of the block’s reach and away from the defense.
The hitter may also choose to aim for the “seam” of the block which is the space that’s created between the arms of the two opposing blockers, if for some reason the blockers don’t “close the block.”
The hitter can aim for a hole in the block or “use the block” which means a hitter can hit towards the hole that a blocker has created by not keeping their hands close enough to each other or close enough to their blocking partner’s hands.
Using the block – When a hitter decides to “use the block’ or “use the blockers hands” or “wipe the block” – this means they will wipe the outside hands of the blocker with the ball in order to make a point. This is a practiced skill that is very effective for smaller outside hitters who face big blockers and need a hitting option they can rely on when they can’t hit over or hit the ball past the block. “Wiping the block” technique is based on a spiker learning how to spike in a way that they aim the ball for the outside hand of the blocker who’s closest to the antenna, so when the ball is deflected off of the outside hand of the blocker it bounces outside the court.
This skill is very effective for an outside hitter to learn because it’s very hard to defend a ball that’s already on it’s way outside of the court’s boundary lines.
To avoid “being used” an outside blocker should train to go up to block in a way that their outside hand, the one closest to the antenna, is turned into the court, this way while they block and their hands penetrate the plane of the net, that outside hand is positioned to push the ball back into the opposing team’s court.
Strength and conditioning exercises for volleyball should focus in on achieving explosiveness and power, period! If you have explosiveness and power you can attack the net and dominate your competition game after game. The speed and power that I am talking about can achieved through kettlebell training! Take a look at the following 2 kettlebell exercises that I have included here to transform your volleyball game forever!
1. Dual Kettlebell Jerks: For this particular lift you will need a pair of moderately heavy kettlebells of equal weight. Place the bells on the ground between your feet. From here properly squat down to pick the bells up by performing a kettlebell clean lift. Make sure to securely rack the bells at your chest. From here simply perform a quick and powerful hip pop (or hip snap) to assist you in creating some momentum to push press (or jerk) both bells above your head. As you get the bells above your head make sure to lock your shoulders and elbows into place. Lower the bells back to the rack position and repeat the process for each following repetition.
2. Dual Kettlebell Squat Jumps: For this drill you will also need plenty of flat space, a pair of bells, and sufficient overhead clearance. This volleyball strength and conditioning drill is a MUST for you to be successful in obtaining that explosiveness that I was talking about earlier. To begin, simply place each kettlebell on the floor beside each of your ankles. Make sure that you are standing with your feet at about a shoulder width distance. From here simply squat down to grab the kettlebells and pick them up to hold them by your sides. From here simply flex at both your hips and knees bringing your body into a squat position. As soon as you reach the descent of the squat then explosively extend at both your hips and knees with enough force to elevate your body off of the ground. As you land make sure to do so heel to toe with your ankles dorsiflexed (not pointing your toes). Once you land immediately transition into the following squat jump. To dominate your competition you have got to included kettlebells into your training program. Remember that anyone can train hard, but only champions train smart my friend!