Overwhelming response to hockey coaching clinic in Bintulu
BINTULU: More than 2 0 0 students and 25 teachers from all schools here attended a basic and advance level hockey coaching clinic at SK Ashakirin and SMK Bintulu recently.
Organised by the Sarawak Sports Corporation (SSC) together with the Hockey Association of Sarawak, the clinic was conducted by Sarawak head coach C Sivasubramaniam.
From the clinic, 18 girls who showed potential and three teachers from SMK Kidurong, SMK Sebauh and SMK Bintulu were hand- picked to undergo a more advanced coaching camp at the Padungan State Hockey Stadium in Kuching on June 510.
Sivasubramaniam, who would be leaving the state soon, said the girls would be getting better knowledge in the game and upon returning to their schools, they would introduce what they had been taught to their schoolmates.
“There are raw talents among the mostly Under- 15 girls in Bintulu which would have gone to waste if they are not brought up properly.
“The teachers have been doing a good job but due to the lack of facilities and lack of emphasis on basic coaching, it is better to bring them to a more advanced coaching camp to impart the knowledge of what is high- level hockey,” he said.
Sivasubramaniam, who was assisted by Sarawak State Sports Council and HAS coaches Sri Sakrunathan, C Sunil Roy, Netty Elvis and Pamela Tia, also commented that emphasis should be placed on teaching the students the basics of the game, which is found lacking in them.
He said because of the lack of facilities, the teachers only coached them in the techniques and they were lacking in that important aspect of the game.
In any coaching, they must put emphasis on the basics of the game with 45 minutes devoted to brushing up the basics and the rest on techniques.
Thanking the SSC chief Dr Ong Kong Swee for organising the coaching clinic, Sivasubramaniam said clinics organised for the first time here could help raise the standard of hockey and ensure there would be a good supply of talents for the state hockey team.