BASKETBALL coach Philip Arissol is the fourth Seychellois to benefit from the International Support Programme for African and Caribbean Sport (Paisac) applied science in sports coaching training and he has returned recently better equipped.
Socga president Gopal (right) presents coach Arissol with his certificate in the presence of Socga officials and friends
Arissol received his level-three certificate after a successful three-month training course in Montreal, Canada.
Seychelles Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association (Socga) president Antonio Gopal presented Arissol with his certificate during a ceremony at the local Olympic body’s headquarters at Stad Linite, Roche Caïman, in the presence of executive members and friends.
Coach of the HotShots women’s team who achieved a first league and cup double this year, Arissol is ready to put into practice what he has learned.
“I have learned a lot from the course but I get the feeling that three months were not enough to assimilate the bulk of information.
“The course isn’t about basketball training only, but sports in general. I met volleyball, swimming, and basketball coaches. They all picked up what’s best for their sport,” said Arissol.
Among the topics covered were nutrition, making ethical decisions, the psychology of performance, prevention and recovery, and developing athletics abilities.
“I also got the opportunity to learn more about long-term development and training plans which I hope to put into practice with my team,” added Arissol, who took over as HotShots coach in 2002 and has won three league titles and the Seychelles Basketball Federation (SBF) Cup three times.
Tipped to be named the country’s women’s team head coach, Arissol also trained with the McGill University women’s basketball team and described it as “a great experience”.
During his three-month stay in Montreal, Arissol visited the World Anti-doping Agency headquarters and the Quebec Basketball Federation.
He also met members of the Coaches’ Commission of Canada which writes about the overall development of sports in Canada.
Other than Arissol, volleyball coach Julien Onezime in 2008 and swimming coaches Annette Monthy in 2006 and Barnsley Albert in 2007 have also benefited from the Paisac programme.
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