The World Baseball Softball Confederation and Softball Asia (WBSC-SA) Coaching Certification Seminar is currently ongoing in Pataya, Thailand and will end tomorrow.
This collaboration between WBSC – through the WBSC Coaching Commission, and SA – through SA Coaching Committee – is a Level 1 – Level 2 certification seminar.
The course began on Feb 17.
The participants will be required to take a written test and have practical sessions test.
Those who pass the respective Level 1 or Levels 1 and 2 will be accordingly certified. This is the second Level 1 – Level Coaching Certification Seminar that WBCS-SA is working together.
The 1st WBSC-SA Coaching Certification Seminar was from 11 – 14 January 2020 held in Penang Malaysia.
“This is an important development program for Softball Asia and WBSC in collaboration to continue efforts to assist coaches with the necessary skills & strategies. The 1st seminar in 2021 in Penang,Malaysia, was successfully conducted and there were requests for more coaching seminars,“ Yutaka Miyake, WBSC Coaching Commission Member & SA Coaching Committee Advisor.
The Instructors besides Miyake are from SA – Tomoaki Okamoto, SA Coaching Committee Chair, Japan Softball Association (JSA) Executive Director and former head coach of Japan Softball Men National Team, from JSA, Yoshio Yamaguchi, the former head coach of Japan, Softball Junior Men National Team and JSA Board Member; Toru Kuramata – Director of Community Affairs of Yomiuri Giants and JSA Board Member; Sadanori Munekata – former head coach of Japan Softball Junior Women National team and assisted by Ms. Mami Tagawa – Former Denso Bright Pegasus Interpreter.
A total of 26 participants are attending the course, namely from, 1 from Bhutan, (Male); 1 from Iraq (male), 5 from India (4 males + 1 female), 10 from Malaysia (8 males + 2 females), 2 from Singapore (1 male + 1 female) and 7 from Thailand (6 males + 1 female).
The programme included the following:
Day 1 program: Introduction, role of coach, entry level written test and practical assessment
Day 2 program: Practical field session: warm up and drills, infield – catching, throwing, batting, pitching, base- running, sliding.
Day 3 program: More field sessions, outfield, infield, basic strategy, pitching
Day 4 program: Wrap up, written test and practical assessments.
Softball Asia president, Datuk Low Begg Choo, who is also the WBSC secretary-general said that the coaches are lucky to have a team experienced and well known names to conduct the course.
“We are indeed grateful to WBSC and JSA for making this certification course possible,” she said.
“I hope the coaches tap the expertise of these coaches and learn as much as possible and return home to your respective countries and uplift the standard of the game and in turn raise the general standard of the game in Asia.”