Volleyball Workshop at the National Conference on Sport Pedagogy 2012

Basic concepts for better coaching analysis.

So, I've been a bit busy recently. As a physical educator in the University of the Philippines, the first semester is ending (as of the time I typed this entry). For teachers like us, it is time to check papers. But in our college, the College of Human Kinetics, the faculty have decided to share their knowledge through the National Conference on Sport Pedagogy. That adds a bit more to the semestral ender work. Of course, in a good way, since other teachers will gain more knowledge from the seminars and workshops to be presented. It is in fact our duty as teachers to do such services to our fellow country and its countrymen. This leads to one of the reasons to why I was hired in my college, and that is to teach volleyball. 

I decided to lead the volleyball workshop for the conference as I already have been previously teaching this sport in other regions of the country as well. What I offered to teach however for this conference was something new. Aside from the usual seminars I give, what I took notice was the knowledge the teachers already had for the basics of volleyball. I had to give "new thinking" to a sport of more than a hundred years old. Simple, basic, but very much effective is how I wanted share my knowledge with my fellow professionals. What I taught were details seen in volleyball that are not particularly noticed all the time or given thought of. The understanding of it, and transfer of this understanding from player to coach, could be possible for further improvement of their students, players, or athletes. It is an understanding I apply in any sport I play or encounter. It has guided me through learning volleyball the quickest possible way. Let's just leave it with that for now (I might have to do a whole workshop in my blog).

Participants ready to serve and apply the basic concepts.

The experience was good. The challenge to teach something else aside from my usual routine and help other teachers understand these concepts were new lessons which the participating teachers and I learned together. I'd like to believe that the concepts were accepted well. To notice such ideas also made the participants think while using their bodies during movement. As the saying goes, mind and body should work together.

Finswimming in the UP Pool

Today marks the day I will be teaching my first finswimming class in UP. I think it would be rather cool to start teaching another water sport other than my basic swimming classes. 

Finswimming is swimming with an aid of a bi-fin or monofin powered by a swimmer's own muscles. Finswimming is known to have both recreational and fitness benefits including muscular fitness especially for the abdominals, back and leg muscles, improved swimming mechanics and rehabilitation purposes.

Finswimming in the University of the Philippines Diliman is offered as a service PE to its students.