FIS development camps elevate coaching and athlete training worldwide

With the new season in full swing, FIS have been hosting development camps across the world with a focus on different disciplines.  

The month of October has seen five events take place from Europe to the United Arab Emirates, welcoming coaches and athletes from all corners of the globe to expand their knowledge and take training techniques to the next level.  

This featured two clinics, the first of which fell between 3-9 October and focused heavily on the development of coaches in Alpine Skiing. Hosted in Ushuaia, 11 active coaches joined the Argentine Ski and Mountaineering Federation for the week-long event.  

On each day, they attended theoretical sessions while also gaining valuable on-hill practice and course setting, sharing their experiences among one another.  

The primary focus of this clinic was to update coaches on FIS’s current technical and methodological guidelines with a view to engage in concepts of technical progression for children and young athletes, hitting the demographic of participants these coaches work with.  

“The clinic represented a valuable learning and professional development opportunity for national coaches, contributing to the technical and methodological strengthening of Argentine skiing in line with international FIS standards,” said National Technical Coordinator, Carluccio Estefania.  

A second clinic, this time focusing on the classic technique in Cross-Country, was held in Zlatibor, Serbia. 40 athletes and coaches from nine NSAs (National Ski Associations) gathered between 5-9 October.  

With the help of FIS experts Alessio Giancola and Stefano Detassis, who shared their experiences openly, attendees were able to improve their classic skiing technique with roughly 12 hours of training.  

Much of that time was spent on roller skis, the rest focused on technical limitations, with several seminars on offer for athletes and coaches alike.  

Classic technique takes center stage 

Towards the middle of October, a Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined camp was held in Klingenthal, Germany.  

Between 12-17^th, 20 participants were able to take full advantage of the facilities to train, build, and share knowledge.  

Throughout the week, athletes trained on ski jumping hills, and roller skis. They worked on flexibility and coordination with indoor training and attended social events such as tobogganing and evening BBQs.  

According to camp coordinator, Berni Schödler, it was clear to see as time went on how the technical skills of participants improved with well-organized, rewarding, and meaningful training.  

More specifically, showing how to balance all the things required to compete at the very top without it becoming overwhelming – an invaluable lesson for up-and-coming skiers.  

“It Is a pleasure to work with this enthusiastic group on the goals and dreams of the young athletes, and accompany their development through targeted support,” Schödler told FIS.  

Park & Pipe around the world 

Rounding off the monthly action is the two Park & Pipe camps held, the first of which was between 29 September and 4 October in Landgraaf, Netherlands. The aim was to provide developing teams with tools to grow the level of their sport in their respective countries.  

As such, this involved learning to train and adapting to situations and circumstances both at home and abroad, while providing ample opportunity to network and make friends.  

Over the course of a week, 19 athletes and 10 coaches from 10 NSAs engaged in park training, physical training, training motor skills, preparing for competitions, and theoretical training.  

Participants were given the platform to thrive and grow in just a few days, leaving with new lessons and new friends.  

“It is amazing to see how much everyone learns in just one week,” said Hong Kong coach Haris Buric.  

Camp coordinator, Martijn Oostdijk, added: “Shared passion for our sports is what brings us together, regardless of culture or even level of performance.” 

Across the globe in Dubai, between 15-19 October, another Park & Pipe event unfolded, citing a similar purpose and following the same activities as the Landgraaf outing.  

14 athletes and five coaches participated in many of the same events, as well as training on snow and learning new tricks, all while making friends and learning about other cultures. 

“My first camp was so much fun, I want to come back each year,” raved Portuguese athlete Tomas Godinho.  

“Having the FIS Camp in our facility is something the kids look forward to for months,” enthused UAE coach Deepak Guring.  

“It is certainly a yearly highlight.”