Applications open for online long jump coaching course hosted by renowned coach Emmarie Fouché

Legendary jumps coach Emmarie Fouché Prinsloo is ready to share her considerable knowledge with the next generation of athletics mentors. The woman who led a successful jumps programme at the University of Johannesburg that saw Zarck Visser win the Diamond League title back in 2013, is now head athletics coach at the University of the Free State where she is in charge of the Kovsies Jumping Academy. And this week they are taking applications for a new online long jump course.

"Covid forced us to rethink the traditional coaching courses," she told #TheTopRunner from Bloemfontein. "This will be pioneering work to accommodate everyone who wants formal coaching education. This course is easy accessible for applicants all over. We can bring the course to the people now and not the other way around," she said.

Fouché at the track sharing some pearls of wisdom with 2014 African Champion Zarck Visser. Photo Credit: Emmarie Fouché.

Some may suggest that coaching education is best done in a practical setting where young hopefuls can physically work with athletes to learn more about the very technical discipline of jumping at the highest level. But the woman who also worked with 7-time SA Champion Lynique Beneke and Olympic silver medalist Khotso Mokoena says the rapid change in virtual conferencing technology allows them to teach basics online.

"This is the first of three levels. Level one will be entry level and really open to any one with interest. Practical work is limited to video analyses and three virtual contact sessions where there will be open discussions," said Fouché Prinsloo of the six-week course which gets underway on the 17th of January.

But the ultimate benefit for anyone who gets chosen to be one of the lucky 100 students that are accepted into this programme is the fact that they get to pick the brain of one of the continents most experienced and successful jumps coaches without having to travel to the Free State. "It will be easy to complete even if you are a full time employee as well. There will be three quizzes and a formal examination at the end," she concluded.

Applications for the registered competence-based short learning programme (SLP) close tomorrow (11 January 2021). Those who successfully complete it will be in possession of a formalised university qualification endorsed by the Council on Higher Education (CHE) and approved by the Academic committee of senate of the UFS.