The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in no school sport happening in the near future and coaches are looking for alternative ways in which to keep active, expand their knowledge and find innovative ways to keep their young athletes fit.

Sports Public Relations organisation, Intune Communications, acknowledges the position that coaches find themselves in during these uncertain times and has put together a series of webinars aimed specifically at school coaches, of whatever sport, to keep them updated on what is happening in the world of coaching, and to help them upgrade their skills.

“We have worked in sports PR for many years and have got to know many coaches from a variety of sports,” said Intune Communications operations manager, Shawn Belluigi, “and they have kept us abreast of their current situation. That’s what spurred us on to put these webinars together to assist them in this time of need.

“The idea is to get experts from South Africa, and around the world, to talk on a number of aspects of sports coaching including training schedules, coaching techniques, the science and art of coaching, philosophies, mind power, health and wellness, fitness, injury prevention and plenty more. While some of the webinars will be sporting code specific, many will be generic and can be applied to any sport.”

The webinars, which commenced in July, are free of charge and take place every second Saturday. The third in the series will be aired on Saturday 8th August.

It will feature ex International Open rowing gold medalist and Martial Arts black belt, John McGrath, Proteas Cricketer, Mfuneko Ngam and SA Gymnastics National Development Manager, Marti Heri.

John McGrath is originally from Ireland but is now based in the Western Cape. He is a mind, body and high-performance coach. Through adversity he has learnt to master the art of mind power and he currently performs in extreme strength events around the world. He will talk about never giving up, the power of the mind and advanced training techniques.

Mfuneko Ngam will answer questions about coaching strategies during lockdown, coaching techniques, talent identification and touch on his cricket career including challenges he faced, where it all started and what he is currently doing.

Marti Heri will fill the coaches in on how the gymnastics coaches are keeping their gymnasts going during these inactive times. Her presentation will incorporate all aspects of fitness that coaches from all sports will find relevant to coaching their kids through this challenging times.

“Most coaches are bemoaning the difficulties they have had in keeping kids of all ages – primary and high school – active and keeping their interest in the sport high. At school level self-discipline hasn’t developed to a stage where young players want to keep fit via Zoom calls, and they are dropping out at a rapid rate. These webinars will hopefully give coaches a different perspective and help make coaching more entertaining,” said Belluigi.

The following webinar (22 August) will focus on soccer. “We have Neil Tovey, ex-Bafana Bafana and Kaizer Chiefs captain, talking about his career and what is happening with soccer development internationally,” Belluigi said. “He has just finished a five-year contract as the South African Football Association’s technical director, during which he travelled the world, attending FIFA conferences and talking about soccer development.”

For more information you can go to www.intunecom.co.za or register at https://pages.services/pr.intunecom.co.za/webinar-series-8-august-2020/