The thirty second Crystal Gold Quinton Steele Botes Athletics Teaching and Coaching Clinic kicked off in model yesterday when greater than 200 younger athletes had been taken by way of their paces by some acclaimed worldwide coaches.
They embrace prime South African coaches like Jonathan Greyvenstein and Charlie Strohmenger, who’ve each been contributors for a few years and certainly one of Africa’s prime pole vaulting coaches Louis Nienaber, who has joined for the primary time.
Namibian lengthy bounce and triple bounce coach Roger Haitengi, who’s now a prime coach on the College of Johannesburg, was additionally again to share his experience with a few of Namibia’s up and coming younger athletes.
Excessive bounce coach Greyvenstein mentioned it was nice to be again in Namibia.
“It is wonderful that this course has been operating so lengthy, you’ll not discover that in South Africa. It is a great factor to be a part of and personally I’m right here for the higher good of Namibian athletes, particularly the excessive jumpers. It is my seventh yr now that I have been coming to this and it is simply getting greater and higher,” he mentioned.
“It is improbable to know that you just guys are supporting it as a result of then the expertise will develop which can make Namibia proud on the finish of the day,” he added.
Greyvenstein mentioned it was necessary to start out teaching at a younger age.
“For us as coaches it is necessary to get these athletes at a younger age, to get them into the suitable technique of leaping. Particularly excessive bounce, when you get harm with that bar as soon as, you’ll by no means come again once more, so we begin with the fundamentals, from the again, simply doing a crab stand and going right into a backflip,” he mentioned.
“At college they normally simply allow them to stand one aspect and so they simply say bounce, after which these guys suppose they will do it, however after they get to that bar they do not know what to do. After which they cease or they bounce and so they harm themselves or they really feel silly and so they by no means return to excessive bounce. So for me as a coach it is necessary that the athletes begin with the right method as a result of when you do it incorrect, you’ll by no means get it proper once more,” he added.
“For me it is also necessary to teach the coaches, as a result of the extra coaches there are, the extra we may also help the athletes. As a result of they’re right here and they’re hungry. Yearly Leonie (van Rensburg) calls us and you can’t say no as a result of it is a privilege to be part of this,” he mentioned.
High pole vaulting coach Nienaber, who has produced quite a few South African and African champions, mentioned it was as privilege to be a part of the clinic.
“I really feel privileged to be right here and to be invited. It is a dream of mine to get pole vaulting began in Namibia. I like Namibia and its individuals and I used to be as soon as at a coaching camp in Swakopmund, however that is my first time at this camp in Windhoek. I am very excited to have the ability to make a distinction within the lives of the Namibian children,” he mentioned.
“I feel there are a variety of gifted children right here, the pliability and agility is there, so we should simply develop them and keep near the federation and the membership and I will undoubtedly do my greatest to develop the athletes right here,” he mentioned.
Haitengi mentioned it was necessary to plough again into the group.
“For me that is the place I began off – on the age of 14 I used to be found and pushed by way of so that is the place my profession began and I simply really feel I’ve to present again. It is thrilling to see another fellow athletes and simply to present them some recommendation to get them to the best stage, so it is all the time thrilling to present again and plough again into the group,” he mentioned.
Haitengi nonetheless holds the Namibian triple bounce document of 16,78m, however he mentioned that certainly one of his Namibian athletes, David Afrikaner, is now decided to interrupt it.
“We introduced David over to UJ final yr and he has now completed his first yr research. He instructed me final yr throughout a coaching session that he’ll break my document this yr, so sure, he is trying good, it is a work in progress and we’re constructing the basics, so I am hoping that I can take him to the subsequent stage,” he mentioned.