07/03/2021 19:30
School Project workshop inspires dozens of Macedonian coaches
News from the National Federations
Skopje, North Macedonia, March 7, 2021. The Erasmus + project ‘Play Volleyball, grow with it’ run by the CEV again brought many smiles and curious looks among the children attending a workshop organised on Sunday in Skopje. The clinic was a truly special learning opportunity not only for the kids, but for many Macedonian Volleyball coaches and physical education teachers as well.
Perhaps coincidentally, but certainly symbolically, the workshop took place where the Macedonian men’s national secured their second straight EuroVolley appearance this past January, i.e. at the ‘Boris Trajkovski’ hall in Skopje. Kristof De Loose, an internationally renowned coach when it comes to working with children at the entry level of the game, held a lecture for as many as 86 coaches and physical education teachers who had the opportunity to learn exercises specifically designed for the younger age category.
“I am really honoured to be here. When I posted a photo on Facebook yesterday, I had many positive reactions. It is nice to see how involved the coaches are. In the first session, the children were extremely motivated, although this is a different kind of training and a different way of doing something, but it is important to create new inspiration for the coaches and teachers from so many schools. I wanted to show them how to train with balloons and a ball; these are not competition exercises and for some, they may look like stupid exercises, but it is fun to do. Those are the main goals, I want to see fun, smiles on the children’s faces, and we achieved that. They moved a lot, so this is good, and the third part is learning. I want to inspire the coaches and I am pleased with their positive reaction,” said De Loose.
While some 10 kids performed exercises under his guidance, De Loose managed to keep their attention at the same level in the two two-hour sessions. Using basic aids, the Belgian coach offered a new look at the training process to his Macedonian colleagues. Their expectations from the workshop were high, and they were fulfilled without any doubts, considering that they had the opportunity to learn numerous exercises in order to awaken the curiosity of children who are starting to practice Volleyball or are considering to step onto ‘the magic rectangle’.
“I am extremely pleased with the high number of workshop participants and especially with the desire of those present to actively participate. If we take into account the health situation with the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the fact that many of the participants came to Skopje from other Macedonian cities, we can arguably say that they are willing to invest in their knowledge and education. It is a very important step and undoubtedly, it shows that Macedonian Volleyball has potential. From such events we expect to inspire and improve the education of coaches and physical education teachers, who are our main partners in the whole process,” said Vuk Karanovic, Head of the CEV Development Department, who is in charge of the project implementation.
In addition to the Volleyball Federation of North Macedonia, the projects brings together the National Federations of Slovakia, Estonia and Finland, as well as two sports universities based in Cologne and Ankara.
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