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Oman Sail nurtures education programme for its coaches

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Oman Sail is continuing the implementation of its coach education programme by taking part in a special coaching clinic in Lanzarote designed to radically alter training methods for young Laser sailors in Oman and ultimately empower Omanis to stand out on the international sailing scene.
The intensive four day clinic, held at the Marina Rubicon training centre on the Spanish island was organised in parallel with a training camp for some of the best youth Laser sailors in the world to give three Omani coaches valuable experience in developing elite level talent in the 15-18 year age group.
The programme was tailor-made for them and for the specific needs of Oman Sail with the need to keep young sailors engaged in the sport set as high a priority as improving technical skills and performances.
Oman Sail’s commitment to provide sail training, life-long learning and development opportunities for Omani nationals is part of its mission to use the power of sport to contribute to the development of Omani people, to introduce 70,000 Omani children to sailing by 2020 and ultimately winning a medal for the Sultanate in the 2024 Olympic Games.
In Lanzarote, Abdul Aziz al Mashari, a Laser sailor and senior instructor who is Laser Race Club coach for the MBR sailing school in Oman and Ahmed al Mashari, Laser Race Club coach for the Mussanah sailing school were joined by Said al Araimi, a senior instructor and Youth Race Coordinator, to undergo the comprehensive programme of sessions, on and off the water.
Project work involved running training sessions on the water for the young sailors, all of whom are World and European champions in Laser 4.7 or Laser Radial in the Under 17 category.
Over the next three months, the Omani coaches will also have to develop additional projects, using the knowledge and skills they gained in Lanzarote, to be integrated into the Oman Sail Youth Sailing Development programme as new innovations or solutions to enhance current practices.
“It will radically change the way we are training our youth and the coaches approach to coaching,” said Marina Psichogiou, Oman Sail’s Youth and Women’s Sailing Development Manager.
“They have trained to be instructors so they can teach kids to sail upwind and downwind but we haven’t focused on how to keep sailors involved in the sport.
“For example, we have worked on sailing culture, pathways in terms of succession of classes and famous sailors like Torben Grael, Robert Scheidt, Paul Elvstrom and Tom Slingsby. These guys are sporting heroes and we need to make sure our coaches use their example to inspire Omani youth.
“Already I am seeing a difference. I can see by the way they are participating that things are beginning to change. They are motivated and interested and want to develop their ideas so they can put them into practice back in Oman and see progress among the younger sailors.”
The clinic was run exclusively for Oman Sail’s Laser Race Club coaches and delivered by two leading international youth coaches Gael Le Maugen from France and Gonzalo “Bocha” Pollitzer from Argentina under the watchful eye of Sylvia Molina from the Marina Rubicon. “We are already working on the plan for the Optimist Coaches clinic to be held in the beginning of January,” added Psichogiou.
The clinic in Lanzarote is only one of the numerous trainings planned by Oman Sail in the future to provide Omani sailors with the best possible quality training tailored to their needs.