COACHING CLINIC: Nor Saiful and co teach students finer points of the game
GEORGE TOWN: STUDENTS of SMK Teluk Kumbar got a once in a life time experience when four ex-internationals conducted a hockey coaching clinic at the school's ground recently.
The ex-internationals who conducted the half-day coaching clinic were ex-national skipper Nor Saiful Zaini Nasiruddin, Lailin Abu Hasan, Mohd Amin Rahim and Fairus Wanazir.
Nor Saiful, who is the Tenaga Nasional sports department head, and the three taught the excited students the basic skills of hockey, which included hitting the ball correctly, stopping, scooping and also on how to hold the stick correctly while running.
For the students, aged between 13 and 15 years, it was their first experience playing hockey, said an excited Form Two student, Ahmad Ali.
The clinic was made possible by the state Tenaga Nasional Bhd distribution department and the Pulau Mutiara Kilat Club with the support of Bayan Lepas state assemblyman Syed Ameruddin Syed Ahmad.
SMK Teluk Kumbar principal Norati Mohd Othman said the students were just learning to play hockey and despite no proper coach or guidance, had finished third in the Penang Schools district level competition.
She said the school has boys' and girls' Under-14 and Under-18 teams who were in regular training and with the coaching clinic and assistance from Penang State Hockey Association and Universiti Sains Malaysia, she hoped the players and teachers would be motivated to improve and strive for excellence.
Present at the event were Universiti Sains Malaysia sports and recreation department director Muhammad Mohd Haniff, Penang State Hockey Association secretary and treasurer V. Jayanandhan and K. Sunderason respectively.
Also present were state education department sports unit's Mohd Ali Jailani, district education department's Mohd Naziar Mohd Isa, Pulau Mutiara Kilat Club officials and representatives from the school's parents teachers association.