Super League ends Dec 24
Fifa has urged local football coaches to keep up with the modern techniques of improving players’ fitness levels through ball-work instead of normal physical exercises.
The world soccer governing body’s fitness expert Mark Jones made the call during the closing ceremony of the Fifa Fitness Coaching Course at Mpira House in Chiwembe Township, Blantyre on Friday.
“Nowadays football has become more scientific in that it does not require more physical exercises off the ball,” he said.
“One has to be a good athlete to survive in morden football and needs to get used to doing physical exercises with the ball.”
Football Association of Malawi (FAM) technical director John Kaputa, who is also a Fifa technical instructor, agreed with Jones that football techniques have improved to the point that in is no longer necessary to encourage players to aimlessly run up the terraces in the stadium.
“Nowadays, coaches have to use the ball itself to train the player in speedwork, endurance, strength, agility and flexibility. This programme was planned in 2014 when we had a training cycle up to 2018.
“The next course will come in 2020. As the 2019 season will be kicking off, we will make a follow-up to see whether this will be done in accordance with Fifa requirements,” he said.
Masters Security FC coach Abbas Makawa described the fitness coaching course as an eye-opener.
“After this course, I expect to improve my understanding of the requirements of modern football in terms of players’ fitness,” he said.
At least 30 coaches, 16 from the TNM Super League, three from top regional leagues and 11 from youth teams and academies, took part in the week-long course that saw each participant receiving a training kit, training shoes, track suit, carrier bag, a soccer ball and a certificate of attendance. n
