MUSCAT: Thirty participants, including male and female coaches and a physiotherapist, are attending a strength and conditioning course for youth basketball coaches at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher.
Organised by the Oman Basketball Association (OBA), the five-day programme is led by Amir Eid, an international instructor with the International Basketball Federation (Fiba). It focuses on modern approaches to physical preparation, improving players’ readiness and managing training loads, alongside practical exercises tailored to the demands of basketball.
The course comprises 25 training hours, combining theoretical lectures with practical sessions covering strength and conditioning, training plans, fitness assessments and performance monitoring.
Tuesday’s sessions addressed cooling down and recovery after training and matches, following an opening day devoted to warm-up strategies and movement preparation specific to basketball. Upcoming sessions will cover season planning and the design of strength and conditioning programmes, before the course concludes with fitness testing and performance monitoring.
Practical activities take place in the gym, weights room and basketball court in the complex’s secondary hall, giving participants opportunities to translate the concepts discussed into exercises they can use with their players.
Abu Bakr bin Ahmed al Jahwari, OBA Vice-President, said the course reflected the association’s commitment to developing coaches and strengthening their ability to work with younger age groups. He stressed that improving coaching standards was essential to building a strong foundation for Omani basketball.
Al Jahwari explained that modern player preparation extended beyond technical skills and tactical training to encompass strength, speed, agility, endurance, flexibility, recovery and injury prevention, supported by continuous monitoring of training loads.
These elements, he said, required scientifically informed programmes suited to the needs of each age group.
“Working with players during their growth stages requires precise knowledge of how to select exercises and determine their intensity, volume and rest periods, while taking into account individual differences and each player’s physical capabilities,” he said.
Al Jahwari highlighted the importance of directing the course towards youth coaches, whose training decisions must reflect the changing needs of developing players.
He said the participation of coaches and a physiotherapist demonstrated growing interest in the scientific aspects of training. Closer cooperation between coaches, physical preparation specialists and physiotherapists would help produce more effective programmes while supporting injury prevention and appropriate recovery.
The association, he added, would continue organising specialised courses and development programmes, particularly for coaches working at athlete preparation centres. The aim was to equip them with the knowledge and practical skills needed to turn scientific principles into daily training practices that improve players’ performance.
The course is expected to strengthen participants’ ability to design physical preparation programmes, manage training loads and develop strength, speed, endurance and agility, contributing to better preparation for young players and supporting the future of basketball in Oman.
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