Bespoke training at Inter Campus Tunisia

TUNISIA – The 2016/17 season has brought new ideas and new motivation for the Inter Campus Tunisia project.

For our latest visit, we decided to spend time simply observing the local instructors coaching their children. It would be a chance for us to identify key areas for improvement, meaning we could tailor the subsequent theory-based lessons to each coach.

Each day was based around two training sessions. The first kicked off at 8:30 sharp, to steel a march on the ferocious Tunisian heat. It was these morning sessions which we dedicated to observing the local trainers.

Our men on the ground, Alberto and Lorenzo, were struck by the incredible enthusiasm of the local coaches. Most impressive of all was the care and attention with which they helped the children with both technical matters and emotional issues.

Indeed, sport is of vital importance in an area where radical Islamist terrorism has strong roots – even something as simple as a football can be a powerful vehicle for awareness and learning.

Straight after morning training, Alberto and Lorenzo organised theory sessions in which they further explored how the four areas of the children’s personalities (cognitive, emotive, motor and social) are intrinsically linked to technical skills. Another topic of discussion was how correction methods were of vital importance to creating a good relationship between child and coach.

The second session of the day, held in the late afternoon, saw the kids split up into two groups to let the coaches focus on some of the key points explored in the classroom. It was a chance for them to experience first-hand just how important these principles are in the development of their young players.

The project is, of course, a work in progress. Though great improvements have been made, further steps forward are always possible and this will surely be achieved in our next visits to the site.

In the meantime, we’d like to wish the coaches of Inter Campus Tunisia the best of luck for the season ahead.

06.09.2016