Zimpapers Logo

Ellina Mhlanga, Harare Bureau
TOP International Handball Federation instructor Helmut Martin completed his first Handball at School Course at Girls High School yesterday calling on participants to put into practice what they learnt in the past three days.

The coaching course that started on Friday for local coaches and teachers attracted 52 participants from Harare, Mashonaland East, Manicaland and Mashonaland Central.

Martin emphasised the need for the coaches and teachers to play their role by creating competitions in schools as a platform to identify and develop talent using the skills they have just acquired.

“It’s very important they go into schools and they train the children. They must come up with competitions, one school against another. They have to find the best schools for example in Harare and the best players and then they can build for example a national team.

“But I think it’s not enough, they need help in the next years from more instructors from handball at school teachers and then they must form teams in the schools,” said Martin.

The German coach, who has been to Armenia, Mongolia, the Faroe Islands, South Africa and Papua New Guinea on the same programme was impressed with the turnout and interest displayed by the participants during the course.

And 50 of the 52 participants got the level D Licence, which is the minimum qualification for handball.

“Now I am in the sixth country and I have to say that was the best course I ever had because I had more than 50 teachers. They were very interested, they all have done the practical, the exercises and they were very engaged and they were punctual. It was a wonderful course and I think they have learnt a lot,” said Martin.

Some of the participants expressed concern over lack of competition at senior level as most handball activities are vibrant in schools compared to national level where the senior teams have not been active for quite some time now.

Chipo Matutu, who took part in the course said they want to see handball being played at national level not just schools competing so that the up-and-coming players have something to look forward to.

“We want handball to reach even to the national level just like soccer, netball and cricket. We have cricket at national level, we have netball at national level. But handball only ends at cluster level, mostly in schools but we want it to go as high as the national level just like any other sport,” said Matutu.

Black Rhinos coach, Thembani Nkala believes the course will go a long way in bridging the gap that exists between clubs and schools.

“One thing I liked about this course it helps us to coordinate as club coaches and teachers because back in the days it was teachers and club coaches separately. But with the running of this course I think we are going to work together in promoting handball from grassroots to whatever level. The sky is the limit,” Nkala said.

Martin begins another three-day course in Kadoma tomorrow for Mashonaland West, Masvingo and Midlands.

He concludes his visit in Bulawayo where he will have the last course for the hosting province, Matabeleland South and Matabeleland North from April 14 to 16.

The Handball at School Course is meant to equip mainly teachers with the basic skills of the sport and how they can apply those skills when they deal with children in schools.