The coaching training course calendar will lead coaches and aspiring coaches to develop themselves and consequently enhance Athletics standards in Hong Kong.

In order to cope with the development of Athletics and to deliver high standard coaching knowledge to local professionals, the Hong Kong Amateur Athletics Association (HKAAA) has established a coaching training course for the 2011 season.

Coaches are a direct link with practitioners of all age groups and technical levels. They influence the experience a youngster or a high-level professional has with sports and therefore they need to be appropriately trained and up to date in regards to integrating athletes of all levels with Athletics.

Aware of coaches’ role in developing the sport, the HKAAA structured a comprehensive coaching course calendar to deliver professional knowledge to current coaches and to those who are interested in becoming coaches in the future. The HKAAA demonstrates its support for grassroots development – making sure they have appropriate access to fundamentals development in Athletics – as well as to higher levels of professionals – guaranteeing current coaches are aware of the best techniques, equipments and general knowledge capable of leading to better technical performance.

The courses have been designed in three levels: Level 1 will take place twice a year every year, whereas Levels 2 and 3 will alternate every year and will be organised once a year. The first Level 1 course happened in March and consisted of theoretical and practical modules. In order to be awarded a certificate, participants had to pass the corresponding exams and, additionally, undergo a 30-hour teaching experience. Subsequently this year Levels 2 and 1 are scheduled for July and October, respectively; course details are yet to be defined.

In addition to this internal course, the HKAAA has also invested in the knowledge enhancement of its professionals by inviting active and enthusiastic coaches to attend overseas courses organised by the IAAF. All in all, the HKAAA provides its coaches with a comprehensive development framework and creates solid foundations to continue improving the standards of Athletics training for all levels of practitioners in Hong Kong.

How does your organisation work to increase the number of appropriately trained coaches? If you want to share some of your own experiences please contact us at worldplan@iaaf.org with a short summary, and a member of our editorial team will contact you. Together, we can share in the spirit of the Athletics’ World Plan.