#development

Wrestling Australia Hosts Education Week prior to Youth Nationals

By United World Wrestling Press

SYDNEY, Australia (October 25) – Wrestling Australia and Combat Australia organized an Education Week prior to their Youth Nationals.  During the week, the participants had an opportunity to participate in a Level 1 Coaching Course and the Introduction to Referee Course.  The coaching course was held on 17-19 October and the referee course was on 20-21 October.  On 22 October, Wrestling Australia hosted their Youth National Competition at the Whitlam Leisure Centre.

The Level 1 Coaching Course was conducted by Mr. Zach Errett (USA) – UWW Education Manager.  This course had 11 participants (8 men and 3 women).  The coach participants focused on many topics that would improve their coaching skills.  The areas of emphasis included:  implementing discovery games, identifying key factors in a technique, introducing new skills, improving coaching skills, checking for comprehension, risk management, age group characteristics, athlete safeguarding and anti-doping.  “We all learned a lot in a short period of time - the quality of teaching was great and very professional.” said Aryan Negahdari.  The coaches also participated in practical assessments on many of these areas.  They were asked to demonstrate the coaching skills that they were learning.  They ended the course with a technical session that covered various areas on different wrestling techniques and drills.  “This group of coaches was great!  They were eager to learn and had a great effort each day.  It was great to see them grow as coaches during the course.”  said Zach Errett.

AUSParticipants of the Level 1 Coaching Course and the Introduction to Referee Course host their certificates after completing the course in Sydney. (Photo: United World Wrestling)

The Introduction to Referee Course was conducted by Mr. Stefan Rudevics (AUS) – UWW Referee Educator.  This course had 14 participants (11 men and 3 women). The referee participants focused on skills that would provide a solid foundation as a referee.  The areas they focused on were evaluation of holds, starting and ending matches, referee mechanics, positioning, safety of the athletes, and controlling the bout.  “"It was fun, and the days went quick. We learnt by doing; pre- and post-course film sessions and putting it all into action on the youth Nationals with close senior referee support. Stefan was supportive, patient and very knowledgeable. He gave us feedback throughout the whole event and discussed multiple sequences of us refereeing on video, both simulated and live.” said Luke Massey.  During their course, they were asked to referee simulated matches.  This allowed them to use the skills that they were learning.  Many of these referees also participated in the Youth Nationals after the course.  “The course is a fantastic starting point for a refereeing journey, especially to complete it with a competition which helped us gain confidence, humility and insights.” Said Jackie Hattingh. During the event, they were evaluated and given feedback during the sessions.  “Throughout the course, the participants were able to build on their knowledge of wrestling and learn how to referee matches. They expanded their knowledge of the rules and understood new and different philosophies of wrestling they had not contemplated before. As an educator, it makes me so proud to see such development of my students. From little to no refereeing knowledge, to confidently and competently calling challenging matches and feeling good about it shows UWW's development program works.” said Stefan Rudevics.

AUS
Stefan RUDEVICS (AUS) (middle) leads the Introduction to Referee Course. (Photo: United World Wrestling)

Wrestling Australia and Combat Australia are actively looking to grow the sport and improve their workforce.  Since they began these referee courses, their national referee enrollment has risen from 7 to 41. This is almost a 500% growth in referees since we started, including 11 female officials.   “We would like to thank Zach Errett, Stefan Rudevics & UWW for the fantastic opportunity they provided our emerging coaches and referees. The training that Zach and Stefan provided throughout the week was of very high value and incredibly important for the growth of our sport here in Australia. The people they trained this week can now go out to practice their new skills and plant the seeds for future.  The feedback we received from all attendees was that they learnt so much and have already started to apply these new skills within days. We look forward to repeating this type of training on a regular basis as it is so important for the growth of our great sport of Wrestling.” said Andrew Kanatli – President of Wrestling Australia

#development

More Than Medals wraps up after a week in Rome

By United World Wrestling Press

ROME, Italy (August 14) --- From August 1st to 7th, keeping with the UWW strategy focusing on youth development, the More than Medals World – Rome 2022, was held in the installation of the Olympic Training Center. "FIJLKAM" (Federazione Italiana Judo Lotta Karate Arti Marziali).

For 7 days 14 countries from the 5 continents and almost 50 wrestlers and coaches took part in the event, allowing these young athletes to exchange experiences and create good memories through different activities.

The training sessions were organized by Vincent AKA (FRA/CIV) UWW Development Officer with the help of each national coach so everybody could experience the other countries' training styles and learn new ways. A video analysis session was also carried out to enhance the ability to understand the tactical resources in wrestling.

Frank CHAMIZO (ITA), a world and Olympic medalist, joined the camp as an ambassador, shared his techniques and experience with the youth, and encouraged them to pursue their dreams in wrestling further.

Additionally, a beach wrestling session was carried out, allowing the participants to taste (literally) the sand and uniquely enjoy wrestling. Also, the athletes had fun with some group beach games.

ITAParticipants of the More Than Medals camp visit historical sights in Rome. (Photo: United World Wrestling)

Different seminars were held to enrich the development of the athletes, like Wrestle for Climate, Olympic Movement Faster, Higher, Stronger, among others.

Dr. Federico Verdi carried out the Anti-Doping seminar from the Italian Committee on Anti-Doping Education, Training, and Research. His seminar was centered on general Anti-Doping rules, the rights and responsibilities of athletes and coaches (rules for minors and adults), testing procedures, clean sports values, and ethics.

For the coaches' development, five sessions of the UWW coaching clinic were dictated to continue working on the concept and nurture of coaching; they are a fundamental gear to keep athletes going with their respective sport and performance.

One day was designated for a tour of the city of Rome, where they were exposed firsthand to what is to be in one of the classic cities of the history of mankind and admire its beauty. The purpose of this activity was to get to know a different country, grasp the cultural exchange, and create open-minded individuals. They have the opportunity to taste Italian ice cream and share a good time under the sun in this emblematic city, for example.

This activity couldn't have come true without the support of the FIJLKAM (Federazione Italiana Judo, Lotta e Arti Marziali).

This camp once again marked the success of the continued More than Medals program that United World Wrestling has been offering to young athletes since 2017.