The thirty second Crystal Gold Quinton Steele Botes Athletics Teaching and Coaching Clinic kicked off in type yesterday when greater than 200 younger athletes have been taken by their paces by some acclaimed worldwide coaches.
They embody high South African coaches like Jonathan Greyvenstein and Charlie Strohmenger, who’ve each been individuals for a few years and considered one of Africa’s high 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 high 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 working 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 better good of Namibian athletes, particularly the excessive jumpers. It is my seventh 12 months now that I have been coming to this and it is simply getting larger and higher,” he mentioned.
“It is improbable to know that you simply guys are supporting it as a result of then the expertise will develop which is able to make Namibia proud on the finish of the day,” he added.
Greyvenstein mentioned it was essential to start out teaching at a younger age.
“For us as coaches it is essential to get these athletes at a younger age, to get them into the proper methodology of leaping. Particularly excessive bounce, should you get damage 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 assume they’ll do it, however once they get to that bar they do not know what to do. After which they cease or they bounce and so they damage themselves or they really feel silly and so they by no means return to excessive bounce. So for me as a coach it is essential that the athletes begin with the right approach as a result of should you do it incorrect, you’ll by no means get it proper once more,” he added.
“For me it is also essential to educate 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 not say no as a result of it is a privilege to be part of this,” he mentioned.
Prime 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 folks 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 believe there are lots of proficient children right here, the flexibleness and agility is there, so we should simply develop them and keep near the federation and the membership and I will positively do my finest to develop the athletes right here,” he mentioned.
Haitengi mentioned it was essential to plough again into the neighborhood.
“For me that is the place I began off – on the age of 14 I used to be found and pushed by so that is the place my profession began and I simply really feel I’ve to provide again. It is thrilling to see another fellow athletes and simply to provide them some recommendation to get them to the very best stage, so it is all the time thrilling to provide again and plough again into the neighborhood,” he mentioned.
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Haitengi nonetheless holds the Namibian triple bounce file of 16,78m, however he mentioned that considered one of his Namibian athletes, David Afrikaner, is now decided to interrupt it.
“We introduced David over to UJ final 12 months and he has now completed his first 12 months research. He informed me final 12 months throughout a coaching session that he’ll break my file this 12 months, so sure, he is wanting 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.
