pacific games, noumea 2011 - Oceania Athletics Association

Course 5 - IAAF CECS III Throws Course
Oceania Athletics conducted a 14 day CECS III Throws
Course for coaches from eight OAA Member Federations in
September at the Super Sports Centre, Runaway Bay on
the Gold Coast.
The two course lecturers were Fletcher McEwen and Brett
Green, a Gold Coast local, who was lecturing on an IAAF
Course for the first time.
The Sports Super Centre is an ideal venue for a course that
requires four hours a day of practical sessions that not only
included the four events but also strength and conditioning
sessions in the gymnasium.
The course content is well balanced with a variety of
practical participation by the coaches and instruction in the
class room.
The structure of the course is each event commencing with
Advanced Teaching Progressions for that event, followed by
the event Technical Model, then Drills and Exercises and
finally the coaches Teaching and Coaching the event.
The coaches‘ task was made easier with a group of
students from Helensvale State High School, students who
were at the Sports Centre on excursion and some local
experienced athletes. These athletes enjoyed their
involvement in the course and were appreciative of the
opportunity to work with the coaches.
In addition to the sessions on the events the course content
included Dynamic Warm-up, Session Planning including
Microcycle Design, Strength and Conditioning (weights,
medicine balls, plyometrics), Physiology and Anatomy and
Performance Coaching.
At the completion of the course each coach was required to
complete a written exam, plan two training sessions and sit
an oral exam where the coach was given a set of situations
and to analyse what had occurred with the athlete‘s throw
and how to make the corrections.
From the first practical session the coaches were involved in
―coaching‖ whether it was conducting the warm up, working
with fellow coaches or the visiting athletes. This enabled the
coaches to display their own unique method of coaching.
Granted some were not as experienced as others at the
beginning, however the group worked extremely well as a
team to achieve the common goal of developing more
throws coaches in the Federations, In particular the smaller
federations such as Tuvalu, Kiribati and Nauru.
With only one rest day during the course the coaches put in
extra time after hours for study and group planning
sessions.
The course was divided into three syndicates and each of
these had to prepare, for presentation to the course, a
Technique Training Session and a Speed Training
Session. Following the presentation the course then
conducted an open critique of the plans. These proved to
be a very good way of expanding the coach knowledge.
Not only with the group working together but also the
critique, which was a fun time, showing that the sessions
could be varied to meet the same goal.
The course concluded with a social night at the home of
OAA Executive Director, Yvonne Mullins. The atmosphere
here was the traditional Pacific Islands chat and laughter.
Yvonne put on the usual OAA spread with plenty of good
food to satisfy all.
Dayne O‘Hara, who is finalising his Bachelor of
Business—Sport and Event Management , provided
excellent administration and logistics support to the
course.
Some of the course highlights included:
John Quinn attended the course on his way home from
coaching the New Zealand team at the Commonwealth
Youth Games on the Isle of Man.
The continual miss hitting if the arrow key by the Senior
Lecturer to the point where he required a purpose
prepared template over the key board.
Shaka‘s singing of ‗60‘s hits.
The variety of hats Golden (aka Anthony) wore. Couple
were magpies beanies.
Oceania RDC Bulletin 2011 Page 31