The second part of the first ever IHF Global Coaching Clinic in Oman proved a great success. After the first part being held by IHF coaching experts and lec-turers on the fringes of the Super Globe in Qatar, the second part took place in Oman. The same group of 44 coaches from 20 Asian and Arabic-speaking countries learned about coaching methods, psychology and sports medicine. After Sylvain Nouet and Alain Quintallet, two coaches working for France’s successful men’s national team, lending some insight into their work during the Qatar session, former Yugoslav goalkeeping legend Abaz Arslanagic attended the GCC in Oman, which was divided into theoretical and practical parts again and focused on goalkeeper training. Frantisek Taborsky, Dietrich Späte, Zoltan Marczinka and Nabeel Taha Al-Shehab attended the course on behalf of the IHF Commission of Coaching and Methods (CCM).
The participants underwent 130 teaching units in total during the two course parts, and they were the first to receive the new IHF Coaching License Level A. The closing ceremony in Oman was attended by IHF President Dr Hassan Moustafa and Oman’s royalty.
Dr Moustafa had conceived the idea of launching the Global Coaching Clinic programme all over the world. It aims at promoting handball federations, coaches and players in all continents and reaching a higher level of education for coaches. The programme aims high so that only national federations may nominate candidates to participate in the courses. Those coaches must have worked for their federations, if possible as a national team coach. In the end of the first ever Global Coaching Clinic in Qatar and Oman all 44 coaches – includ-ing two female coaches – had attained the same level – and the IHF-CCM’s activities with these coaches have not been finished yet, as the GCC graduates will be monitored and will meet again in two or three years to exchange and widen their coaching experience.
The coaches were taught in small groups with only ten participants per lecturer to obtain in-depth knowledge. “Those coaches tremendously increased their knowledge,” CCM member Dietrich Späte said after the second part of the course. Now it’s up to the coaches themselves to spread their knowledge in their countries, as one of their missions is to multiply their knowledge by teach-ing other coaches.
The GCC in Qatar and Oman was the beginning of a series of so-called clinics all around the world. The next GCC will take place in Africa. These training courses are an integral part of those measures taken by the IHF to improve and develop handball outside Europe and to establish a consistent coaching level worldwide. The IHF is the first International Federation to issue those worldwide valid coaching licences level A.
