FIH has invested in the future of coaches, managers, players and the game itself. How? The FIH, in partnership with World Academy of Sport, is initiating a series of educational programmes under the banner of the FIH Hockey Academy.
The aim of the FIH Hockey Academy is to provide a simplified education structure and resource for nations and continents to be able to develop coaches, officials and managers from grass roots through to a high performance / international level. All nations will have the opportunity to access the programme pathway at an appropriate level.
What is on offer? There are different programmes on offer. The first two are online courses available to anyone. The latter two are by nomination by FIH and or your country’s hockey management. Your progress through the programme is automatically saved, so you can leave at any time and return later to continue where you left off. At the end of the programme you will be able to download a certificate of completion
Is it a step in the right direction? Certainly hockey education will always be valued. Just how it fits in conjunction with or possibly superseding the coaching pathways already existing in different hockey established countries is still to be evaluated, especially where countries have their own playing style and coaching methods. The first two programmes that are available to everyone have much merit for clubs to use for new first time young coaches, parents of new players and new players themselves. I look forward to seeing the growth of the FIH Hockey Academy as it introduces umpiring and hockey management as additional education programme pathways.
The following are a synopsis of the available programmes. For further information go to http://www.fih-hockey.academy/
PROGRAMME: Start Hockey
This online programme is open for anyone who is currently involved or wants to become involved in hockey, globally; coaches, officials, managers, athletes, event organisers, volunteers and fans. The programme is also the starting point on the FIH Hockey Academy education pathway. This programme contains four modules, which are listed on the left. You’ll need to pass each module by answering a series of multiple-choice questions before moving on to the next. The modules are; FIH Academy, History of Hockey and FIH, About Hockey, Delivering Hockey.
PROGRAMME: FIH Start Coaching
This online programme is open for anyone who is currently involved or wants to become involved in coaching, playing or participating in hockey globally.
This pathway will evolve over time, with Start Coaching 2 and Start Coaching 3 being the next online programmes under development. This programme contains seven modules, which are listed on the left. You’ll need to pass each module by answering a series of multiple-choice questions before moving on to the next. The modules are; FIH Hockey Academy, Role of the Coach, Preparing the Coach, Coaching Theory, The Athlete, The Game, Plan, Do, Review
PROGRAMME: FIH ACADEMY EDUCATOR PROGRAMME
This is a ‘hands on’ programme. Selected participants have the opportunity to become certified as a WAoS / FIH Hockey Academy Trainer or FIH Hockey Academy Coach Educator. The programme exposes partipants to best practice educational techniques to train and assess course participants
Requirements
Trainee Coach Educators should:
- be nominated by your home Federation or Continental Federation
- have appropriate knowledge, skills and experience to deliver courses
- have a genuine interest in wanting to develop other coaches
- hold experience of presenting information to adult groups
- adopt an interactive rather than lecturing approach
- be open-minded, adaptable to change, welcome feedback and be willing to self-reflect
- agree to deliver a specified number of training days per year (2 per year as a minimum)
- have successfully completed the FIH Academy Online Programmes
Programme outline
This Educator Programme has been divided into six three-hour modules.
Module 1: FIH Hockey Academy training process and styles of delivery
Module 2: Role of the Educator and client population
Module 3: Learning, competency and assessment
Module 4: Reviewing learning and facilitation skills
Module 5: FIH Hockey Academy education programmes
Module 6: Risk management
The second FIH ACADEMY EDUCATOR PROGRAMME was just completed in Greece. The FIH news report about the course is below;
Norman Hughes – FIH Hockey Academy Educator
In partnership with the FIH, the European Hockey Federation delivered the first European FIH Hockey Academy Level 1 Coaching Award course in Greece this month. The course was held at the Democritus University of Thrace, Komotini, Greece. The University is Greece`s foremost Physical Education & Sport University. The course was delivered on an athletics track as there is no artificial turf and local school children, many of whom were new to hockey, were invited to take part in the assessment day.
FIH Hockey Academy Coach Educator Norman Hughes (ENG) conducted the course assisted by Siegfried Aikman (NED) and Antonio Antonov (BUL).
20 trainee Coaches coming from Bulgaria, Cyprus, Turkey, Albania and Greece were assessed and 14 were awarded the EHF/FIH Hockey Academy Level 1 Coaching Award. Siegfried Aikman was also assessed and awarded the FIH Hockey Academy Coach Educator qualification.
This is the very first FIH Academy development level education course the EHF & FIH have delivered in collaboration. Norman Hughes, EHF Education and Development Manager said, “The course is part of the EHF SNG (Supporting National Growth) Programme and an ongoing commitment to supporting the Balkan states. Using the new FIH Hockey Academy online programmes and Level 1 Award for the first time was extremely successful and well received by candidates and educators.”
This is an extension of the FIH ACADEMY EDUCATOR PROGRAMME for those appointed by FIH.
Source; adapted FIH news
