A new course has been unveiled in Tahiti with 16 participants taking part in the inaugural Certificat Fédéral de Préparation Athlétique (CPFA) delivered by FTF technical director Patrice Flaccadori last week.

The course ran over four days and required 32 hours of integrated physical preparation, disassociated athletic preparation and associated athletic preparation from U-9 to senior level.

“The objective is to give all the necessary tools to our coaches to develop the athletic aspects of the different categories,” Flaccadori said.

“During this course we focus on areas of physical preparation; the development of strength, of speed, of endurance, of coordination, of motor skills, management and support for each age category.”

Flaccadori said each of the participants, who come from Moorea and Tahiti, were at different levels.

“The difficulty for us was to adapt the course to each participant and in order to do that we alternate the theory and practical.

“The week went really well, despite the different technical and athletic levels in the participants. The most important was to set the foundations to eliminate any errors in the training of our youngest categories.

“And next, we will accompany and follow what each educator will apply in their club, before they receive the certificate.”

Educator at Tiare Hinano, Teheirarii Taupotini, said it was a good week learning new things to improve development in the clubs.

“The objective is to deepen our knowledge and skills in terms of physical preparation, that’s to say, how to organise warm-ups, how to adapt the exercises to certain age groups, but also how to involve young people in understanding the importance of maintaining fitness when playing sports.”

Taupotini said there a number of benefits which will be taken away from the course.

“This course allows each coach to avoid teaching anything untrue, to structure the tasks that fall under their function and become a real asset to the performance of players and the club.

“I’m calling on island clubs to take this course when they can and bring good practices back to their players.

“It’s a real chance to follow and improve coaching skills on athletic preparation.”