by International Baseball Federation, www.ibaf.org
HONG KONG — The Hong Kong Baseball Association (HKBA) recently organized a Level 1 (Elementary) Baseball Coach Certification Program in conjunction with the International Baseball Federation (IBAF), the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s baseball arm.
The 5-day intensive course covered classroom theory as well as on-field practices, attracting more than thirty new and aspiring baseball coaches, who looked to increased their knowledge and competence in leading baseball teams/programmes.
As the globalisation of baseball reaches new audiences – especially in emerging baseball territories like Hong Kong – training competent coaches to properly oversee the development of young baseball players has become an essential component of IBAF’s development strategy.
IBAF Technical Commissioner Peter Caliendo, who has extensive baseball experience around the globe, directed the coaches program.
“The turnout has been great and it is nice to see more than 30 potential coaches in attendance, including many women and former athletes,” said Caliendo.
“This is a Level 1 course and we were chiefly here to identify potential coaches and give them a starting point on the path of coaching,” Caliendo noted. “Better education leads to better coaching — and that further leads to better players, stronger national teams and a stronger world ranking.”
IBAF officials noted that the success of coaches programmes, in general, helps to put future baseball ambassadors and coaches in a better position to spread their new knowledge to their teams, new players and future generations, which will provide a long-term boost to the competition level, athlete retention, and overall participation numbers in emerging nations.
“It is important to set up a solid baseball foundation with proper courses while having qualified people to oversee and develop them,” Caliendo added.