Vusumuzi Dube
Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter
GERMANY-BASED instructor Karl Günter Lange believes there is a high interest to develop the level of coaching in the country.
He is in the country to conduct two World Athletics (WA) courses.
The first was a Level Two course that ended at the weekend at White City Stadium, which is the same venue for the second coaching course.
The Level Two course had 22 participants. Lange conducted the course with the assistance of Tendai Tagara who is the National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe (Naaz) president Tendai Tagara.
On Tuesday, the German began training of the other course known as the Micro Cycle coaching course.
Sixteen participants are undergoing the course which sees some coaches from Botswana and Zambia also taking up the programme.
The internationally certified coach gave an insight into the Micro Cycle coaching course.
“There is a principle. If you fail to plan then you plan to fail. The micro cycle course is about the six days where you organise the programme for your athlete so that they are ready for next event. Last week, I had 22 participants in Level Two coaching course. They all seemed motivated to learn. I think the country.
“This will go a long way in improving athletics in the country. There is a high interest to develop the level of coaching which is a positive. The course Micro Cycle coaching course helps one understand what to do, how to do it and when to do it. If you don’t have solid knowledge in coaching you will struggle as coach.
“In this course we will not only show coaches what is wrong in their coaching but also why it’s wrong. We have to apply sports science in modern day coaching,” said the German instructor.
The international courses are meant to ensure that coaches take a scientific approach in their methods.
Gunter Lange last conducted a Level Two long and middle distance running last year at the same venue.
The well-travelled instructor has been to over 70 countries training athletics coaches.
It is the first physical training course to be held in the country since World Athletics re-introduced physical courses.
The governing body had suspended the programmes and introduced online formats.
But a number of coaches from rural schools faced connectivity challenges and failed to complete the online course.
-@innocentskizoe
Online Reporter