ssc_marcomms posted on November 01, 2009 09:00
Lecturer: Exercise Physiologist Mohamed Faizul
With a career in sport gaining popularity in recent years, the previously-under-valued coaching profession now ranks with other conventional and respected vocations. Outstanding coaches such as Ang Peng Siong and Fandi Ahmad have become more than just household names for sporting excellence; they have become sports mentors in their own rights.
Contrary to popular belief, the road to being a successful coach is neither easy nor simple. Beyond merely possessing a passion for the sport, coaches need to constantly upgrade themselves in order to better develop their charges. In Singapore, the National Coaching Accreditation Programme (NCAP) is one such way to ensure that coaches receive adequate and relevant training.
In order to better understand the NCAP, TPT Reporter set off to the Civil Service College to sit in on the NCAP Theory Level 1 lecture, which marked one’s entry point into the NCAP. That lecture was well-attended, with some 200 participants looking to be appropriately trained and certified. With a programme consisting of a daunting total of 22.5 hours in lectures spanning seven topics and topped off by an hour-long written examination, most people would have thought the NCAP course to be a formidably dreary one.
To the surprise of the TPT reporter, many attending participants had given the thumbs-up for this programme. Part-time swimming coach Mr Muhammad Diyar Mustapa found it to be not only interesting and enriching but also relevant in improving his coaching style. Dance instructors Ms Ivy Ng and Ms Tan Ching Ting were able to draw parallels from the teachings to further enhance their skills.
Even though the TPT Reporter had attended only one session, she had to agree that the lecture was a lively and interactive one. More importantly, she is glad to know that there is another career option for her in sports besides writing.
*The NCAP fulfils the educational needs of coaches by providing them with courses to upgrade their coaching knowledge and skills. Interested parties will be able to find more information here.
The Singapore Sports Council (SSC) strongly recommends to users of sports coaching services that they hire only trained and certified coaches, especially those who are NROC-registered and NCAP-certified, as they would then be duly certified and deemed competent.