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| Tan (in white) giving instructions to his young charges as they go through the drills during a coaching clinic at SJK(C) Wen Khai in Batu Maung. |
GETTING young children to attend training can be a tough task.But freelance basketball coach Tan Chee Wan has his own way of making things interesting for his young charges.
After all, he is a frequent traveller to the Philippines, where he picked up ideas and pointers from coaches touted as the best in the South-East Asia region.
“The Philippines is the basketball powerhouse in this region.“Over there, you won’t get to see children being told to run 20 rounds on the court just to warm up. That’s a very old style of training.
“They emphasise on the fundamental basketball skills, and incorporate interesting methods into their training. “Players won’t feel bored easily and they always look forward to training sessions,” he said after conducting a recent two-hour coaching clinic at SJK (C) Wen Khai in Batu Maung, Penang.
A total of 42 pupils aged between seven and 12 benefitted from the training session, which was held ahead of the AND1 3x3 Streetball Challenge to be held at the Penang Times Square on Aug 15.
The session began with the players going through the drill to strengthen their muscles and improve their agility and movement.Then they are given pointers on ball handling, dribbling and passing. Tan said the formative years were vital as young players needed strong foundation to reach the top of the game.
“It is vital to expose youngsters to new training techniques in order to keep up with the modern game. “My activities are focused on the basic techniques. The players need to get this right before we talk about tactical game plan.
“We are here to create an interest among budding cagers and develop their potential further,” he said. Citing an example, Tan said one of his charges who was now a Kedah state player, could ‘spring and dunk’ at the age of 14.
“He went through the right training during the formative years and his calf muscles were strong.“He also had sound footwork and all the basic skills,” he said.
During the session, Tan also gave out T-shirts and jerseys as prizes to some of the best performers. The first leg of the AND1 3x3 Streetball Challenge was held at the IOI Mall, Puchong last month.Penang Times Square will host the second leg on Aug 15, followed by Sutera Mall, Johor in September and the grand final in Kuala Lumpur in November.
There will be four categories – Boys’ Under-12, Boys’ Under-15, Boys’ Under 18 and Men’s Under-21. For the grand finals, the top three freestylists from each leg will be invited to battle for the AND1 streetballer title which comes with a RM3,000 contract along with merchandise.
The competition is sanctioned by Malaysia Basketball Association. StarMetro is the official media partner of the tournament, Milo is the official beverage sponsor, Spalding is the official ball partner and Penang Times Square is the official venue sponsor.
News source: The Star Online
