by Mohamed Atoum, Course Conductor
A total of 27 coaches all male, representing seven provinces from provincial and town table tennis associations attended; all were active coaches, well-educated and wanting to learn.
The course was organised in two sessions; in the morning from 9.00 am to 12.00 noon, in the afternoon from 1.30 pm to 4.30 pm. Extra hours were added because of translation time.
High standard facilities were presented throughout, eight tables, hundreds of balls, containers for multi-ball sessions and sufficient court surrounds. Notably, the class room was excellent, containing a projector, white board and sound system. Most conveniently, the distance between the hall and the venue was less than a two minute walk, this helped matters run smoothly. Throughout, meals and drinks were provided for the coaches during the break time.
Furthermore, there was considerable local support. My thanks go to Lilik Hanafi, the Secretary-General of the Indonesia Table Tennis Association; he fulfilled the role of translator and course co-ordinator, whilst making sure that everything was in order.
“I think this is a good opportunity for us to introduce our coaches to good coaching, covering all aspects of theory, technique and organisation. Currently, Indonesia is left behind in table tennis when compared to other countries in south east Asia, so we need to start working with beginners. After this course, when the coaches go back to work with beginners, their players will get the right advice from the very beginning. In the long run, I hope we can catch up with other countries in the region.” Lilik Hanafi
Lilik Hanafi was clearly motivated as was Fedyyanto, a most enthusiastic course member.
“My club is located in a poor neighbourhood; many of the kids have dropped out of school. My aspiration is, by attending this course, to improve their conditions through table tennis, so they can achieve their dreams and hopes.” Fedyyanto
Likewise it was a positive reaction from Anang Satriyono, the coach from Vocational School of Sport.
“As a coach, I’m excited having attending this course. First, it provided an idea of how to coach systematically. Second, in terms of technical aspects, I can use this opportunity to learn and compare the techniques explained in this course to instruct my players. The course also provided theoretical aspects and concepts. Now I understand thoroughly what good technique is and the reason why it should be executed in such way.” Anang Satriyono
On the fifth day during the morning session, the participants fulfilled the roles of coaching, umpiring and playing in a highly competitive environment. A tournament was held in which Agus Fredi Pramono finished in first place, Bobby Ertanto was the runner up with Rangga Aulia and Ramayudhi sharing third position.
A welcome visitor was Mr Komjen Pol Oegroseno, President of the Indonesia Table Tennis Association; he joined us on the third day and encouraged all the course members.
I enjoyed every moment with these active and enthusiast coaches who were willing to learn all the time, even during the rest time. They were always asking many questions, becoming involved in discussions and when required practising very hard in practical sessions.
Notably, they created a What’s App group to keep learning even after the course!
Thank you guys I’m very proud of you and looking forward seeing you again. I’m sure that you can lead your players to a higher level .
