Labban: More fundamental skills needed

Technical Director of Team Athletics SVG Gideon Labban, is of the view that there is a need for more fundamental motor skills to be taught to children at a younger age.{{more}}

Labban made this known to SEARCHLIGHT last Saturday morning as he and other coaches took some athletes through their paces at the Arnos Vale Playing Field.

Labban, who gets a first-hand insight of students’ skills as he visits schools across the nation on a regular basis, is of the view that more attention must be paid to the fundamentals at the primary school level.

He stated that for this to happen principals must buy into the idea that Physical Education is as important a subject on their timetables as the core areas.

Labban lamented that at the secondary school level many students lack basic motor skills, hence they cannot function when taught specifics in (other) sporting disciplines.

The technical director holds the view that once things are set in place, the usual excuse of insufficient equipment to carry out programmes would be a thing of the past.

“Once things get going, one can make use of many local resources for PE programmes,” Labban advised.

Labban pointed to several implements, such as “the strongman rope”, sticks, discarded motor vehicle tyres and plastic bottles as inexpensive ways to substitute for the commercial tools that are being advertised.

He drew a parallel to schools in Colombia, which utilize such implements and conduct meaningful Physical Education sessions, at little or no cost for equipment.

“You just have to be innovative,” Labban said.

Woodrow Williams was also present at last Saturday’s meet. The highly trained technical official went further than Labban, stating that it should be in the pre-schools that the fundamentals be taught.

“Sometimes you see that a primary school child cannot even catch a ball, they do not even know the way to hold their hands,” Williams said.

Williams stated that one factor responsible for the drop off in the performance at all sporting disciplines at the secondary level is the absence of competitions in the primary schools.

Williams joined Labban in advocating a return to emphasis on sports in the primary schools. (RT)