The Covid-19 pandemic brought sports activities to a halt, causing loss of livelihoods for many people in the sports industry. To help basketball coaches, referees, and leaders, Goducate’s basketball program, GoBasket Philippines, held its first online coaching training session on May 25-20.
Around 120 of these people from all over the Philippines attended this webinar, given through Zoom, a platform for audio and video conferencing. The aim of the training was to train participants in holistic coaching, skills development, and the development of good moral values. The holistic approach looks at all aspects of an individual — the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual — because athletes have other things going on in their lives besides sports.
The topics covered by trainers from different countries were:
- Coaching Matters, by David “Boycie” Zamar, assistant coach of San Miguel Beermen Professional Team of Philippine Basketball Association;
- Sports Chaplaincy, the provision of spiritual and pastoral care to sportsmen, by Mon Casuga, coach at AO1 Skills Academy;
- Basketball Officiating, by referee George Magsino of Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League;
- Sports Livelihood, by Paul Advincula, head coach of the MalaysianBasketball National Team 1999 to 2016; and
- Skills Development by Jefferson Codera, skills trainer of the US National Basketball Association Golden State Warriors.
The team of international and professional speakers, with their experience, knowledge, and practical tips, made the training session seem like a week-long basketball festival.
This GoBasket Philippines webinar is the first of several sessions to be held over a year to train and produce competent sports leaders to reach their own communities through basketball, the most popular sport in the Philippines.
*Our guest writer is Agape Abarte, a volunteer coach with GoBasket.