Online Reporter
Ellina Mhlanga
Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe continues to explore various programmes to strengthen their grassroots with Bulawayo hosting the Youth Athletics Development workshop today at White City Stadium.
This is the second workshop focusing on the programme, after a similar event was staged at Prince Edward School.
The workshop will be facilitated by coaches Cuthbert Nyasango and Marian Dube, who attended the programme in Kenya in April.
“The Youth Athletics Development workshop in Bulawayo, is the replica of the course that we attended in Kenya in April, where we learnt a lot of things. We were tasked to come back home and share the information that we got. We would like to share with local coaches who are working with youths so that they have an appreciation of some of the practices that are being used in other countries.
“So, we are not really coaching anyone, we are sharing information that we learnt in Kenya using all the modules that we used in Kenya,” Nyasango said.
The workshop is targeting coaches and athletes drawn from schools.
It will cover topics such as biomechanics, training principles and planning, nutrition and anti-doping, safeguarding and ethics.
“The programme focuses on key topics in athletics. One of it is biomechanics, just introduction to biomechanics. We will try to cover also the training principles, the energy system that athletes use in different events, safeguarding and anti-doping.
“We also deal with nutrition. We are going also to cover on branding and the use of social media by athletes and coaches.
“We are going also to have some practical (sessions) with the athletes, just to share with the coaches, areas to focus on, areas to improve and what to look for when you are dealing with an athlete,” said Nyasango.
They are expecting participants from Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, Midlands, Masvingo and Bulawayo.
Nyasango, who also works with youth and junior athletes at the National Sports Academy, housed at the Bindura University of Science Education feels the initiative will go a long way in helping coaches and athletes further develop their skills.
“I think it’s a great initiative where youth coaches are informed or going through some of the critical phases or critical information that they have to use with youth athletes.
“We sometimes miss some of the developmental skills during this phase which is the youth development. This is a very important initiative where we focus on applying the basic principles, being the principles of training, understanding biomechanics, understanding nutrition, safeguarding issues, how to prepare athletes for international competitions, how to use social media, the importance of building brand from youth level,” said Nyasango.
The former long-distance runner would want to see the workshops going to all provinces which will give access to more coaches and athletes.
“This is a very good initiative and we hope that it will continue to be cascaded down to even to district level so that everyone, every corner is covered. And people have an appreciation of the latest science and latest approach to coaching.
“The response in Harare was overwhelming. We received youth coaches from different schools, from primary schools and secondary schools.
“Athletes from primary schools and secondary schools also attended this workshop, which was a positive to us. We are happy with the response that we got in Harare,” added Nyasango.
