The Burkinabè Tennis Federation (FBT) organized a training workshop from September 10 to 22, 2023 in Ouagadougou in order to equip coaches with new lawn tennis techniques. This training, provided by an expert from the International Tennis Federation (ITF), is part of the development of the discipline in Burkina Faso.
The training workshop brought together around twenty coaches from different regions of the country. This training is held in three stages, explains Ousseni Tapsoba, technical director of the FBT.
“ This is the first step. The second stage will take place in January. This is a step that will take place during the course. What the coaches will have learned from the first phase, they will apply with the children they will have had to train during the three months to show the coach that he did not come for nothing. The third phase is in March. This is the realization, we are going to have competitions with the students they will have had to train (…) to see if they have understood and assimilated ,” summarizes Ousseni Tapsoba.
Deepen the consequences
The technical director of the FBT judges the results of this first stage of training to be positive. According to him, it allowed coaches to familiarize themselves with new lawn tennis techniques.
“ This is a positive outcome of the moment where the actors recognize that this is not too much training. It’s always welcome because for a long time, they have needed an expert to deepen their knowledge of tennis ,” he rejoices.
Expert Ilou Lonfo waits for his supervisors to implement the knowledge learned.
IIlou Lonfo, expert from the International Tennis Federation (ITF) provided this training workshop. He shared his experience and his know-how with the Burkinabe coaches. “ This sport is evolving so quickly that we should even stay in touch with this evolution. In my opinion, things are going well. Afterwards, I have to come back in January to see if what is put in place is being implemented on the ground. From there, I will be able to tell if things are going well or not ,” he hopes.
This expert already carried out a mission to Burkina Faso two years ago, where he provided training. He notes a clear evolution of tennis in Burkina Faso. “ I see that some coaches are already almost ahead of what is being done. There are others who work in the traditional way. I hope the message gets across because that’s my role. In the second pass, I plan to organize rallies. I’m going to get my satisfaction from my second visit. It’s a work process. If they understand this, we can say that the fight is won ,” appreciates Ilou Lonfo.
Coach satisfaction
The beneficiaries say they are satisfied and motivated to put into practice what they have learned. This is the case of Isabelle Ouédraogo, nurse tennis coach: “ We have retained a lot of things, especially since the old training that we learned is over. We learned a lot of techniques and tactics. I think that when he returns for the re-evaluation, we have to work a lot with the children in our clubs. I hope that the quality of the training we received, if we put it into practice, we will be able to make champions in Burkina Faso .”
The prospects of the FBT are to provide coaches with educational material, which is a handicap for good tennis practice. “ There are many things that you have to create yourself ,” stressed Ousseni Tapsoba. The FBT also intends to strengthen the federal tennis schools, which are breeding grounds for talent detection. With this training, the FBT hopes to give new impetus to tennis in Burkina Faso and train the champions of tomorrow.
