Swimming coaches get FINA training

The 2013 FINA International Swimming Coaches Clinic and a mini swimming training camp has ended successfully at the Lincoln Community School and the Tesano Sports Club respectively.

The five-day clinic saw 43 persons undergo rigorous structured training program to become swimming coaches.

Participants came from Togo, the Central, Brong Ahafo, Ashanti, and Greater Accra regions, as well as the University of Ghana Sports Directorate, the Navy, Ghana Armed Forces and hotels life guards from across the country.

The clinic, conducted under the tutorship of Mr. Rick Powers, a USA FINA Swimming Lecturer, took the potential coaches through both practical sessions in the pool and theory (classroom) lessons at the Lincoln School at Abelemkpe in Accra.

Among the topics studied for the practicals were techniques and drills for the four basic swimming strokes – freestyle, backstroke, butterfly and breastroke.

Video analysis of the London Olympic swimming events, physiology of training/energy systems, mental training for swimmers, parents education, IM training, dryland training and mega, meso and microcycles workout were some of the subjects covered in the classroom theory sessions.

The coaching clinic was followed by a non-residential training camp at the Tesano Sports Club from June 30 July 2.

It mainly comprised the National Team swimmers including those who have been selected to represent Ghana at the upcoming FINA World Championship and the FINA World Juniors Championships to be held in Spain and Dubai in July and August respectively.

Mr. Rick Powers conferred with the Ag. Director General of the National Sports Authority, Mrs. Alice Attipoe on the potential of swimming development in the country and how the coaches trained could be utilized to unearth talents by applying the scientific methods of coaching they had acquired at the clinic.

In his remarks at the closing ceremony, president of the Ghana Swimming Association Mr. Theophilus Edzie congratulated the participants for their discipline and punctuality during the course period.

He also praised the International Swimming Federation (FINA) and Mr. Powers for conducting a successful event and promised that the coaches would be empowered to develop and promote the sport in Ghana.

Each of the 43 successful participants was awarded a certificate signed by the FINA President, Dr. Julio Maglione.