Every world championship is a festival of handball both on and off the court and the 2019 IHF Women’s World Championship in Japan will be no different as the International Handball Federation (IHF) and Japan Handball Association (JHA) will jointly hold an international coaches symposium on the fringes of the global event.

The 2019 edition takes place over three days – Saturday 30 November, Sunday 1 and Monday 2 December – and follows the successful event held in France at the 2017 IHF Men’s World Championship and provides a unique opportunity to absorb the latest handball coaching information while experiencing the highest level of the sport in person.

Just 150 places are available on the course, run over three days of activities, at the Uki City Matsuhashi Gymnastics Centre (Wing Matsubase) in Kumamoto, Japan. 

Planned course content based on modern handball trends includes; training systems and programmes for coastal athletes, training to improve competition habits (practice content) and training to improve the competitive habits of Asian athletes.

A wide variety of lecturers, coaches and officials will deliver the various activities, including:

Dietrich Spate (GER)
IHF Council Member, Chair of the IHF Commission of Coaching and Methods (CCM), former German men’s national team coach.

Paul Landure (FRA)
IHF CCM Member, IHF Analyst (all men’s and women’s world championships since 2009), former France men’s national team player, former head coach of the France men’s and women’s youth and junior national teams.

Oh Seong Ok (KOR)
Four-time medallist at five Olympic Games and 1995 IHF Women’s World Championship winner with the Korea women's national team, current head coach of Korea women’s national youth team.

Morten Soubak (DEN)
Current Angola women’s national team coach and 2019 IHF Women’s Super Globe-winning Primeiro de Agosto women’s club team. Former Brazil women’s national team coach, winning the 2013 IHF Women’s World Championship.

Henny Nijboer (NED)
Netherlands Handball Association (NHV)

Gino Smits (NED)
Former Borussia Dortmund Coach, Former Netherlands men's junior national team coach, Netherlands senior assistant coach, coach at Netherlands Handball Academy in Papendal.

Nems Roland (HUN)
IHF Lecturer, EHF Master Coach, former Japanese men’s national team coach.

Masanori Kuriyama (JPN)
Former Japan women’s national team head director.

Issei Ogasawara (JPN)
Japan Handball Association Medical Expert Committee Recommended Lecturer.

Satoshi Sato (JPN)
Japan Handball Association School Physical Education Committee Recommended Lecturer.

Shigeru Yamamoto (JPN)
Japan Handball Association School Physical Education Committee Recommended Lecturer.

Junpei Yamashita (JPN)
Japan Handball Association School Physical Education Committee Recommended Lecturer.

The proposed itinerary includes:

Saturday 30 November
The first day will open with a welcome and address from IHF President Dr Hassan Moustafa followed by various lectures and presentations about French handball from Paul Landure. Attendance at three IHF Women’s World Championship games in person will end the first day – Japan vs Argentina, Russia vs China and Sweden vs DR Congo.

Sunday 1 December
Presentations and lectures from Dietrich Spate, Morten Soubak, Masanori Kuriyama, Henny Nijboer, and Gino Smits, followed by attendance at the Spain vs Hungary and Korea vs Denmark matches.

Monday 2 December
Presentations and lectures from Oh Seong Ok, Roland Nemes, Gino Smits, Isao Ogasawara, Satoshi Sato, Shigeru Yamamoto and Junpei Yamashita, followed by attendance at DR Congo vs Japan and China vs Sweden.

All lectures and presentations will be accompanied by a Japanese interpreter with all participants who attend the three days receiving a certificate of completion.

Also running alongside the course will be a renewal class for Japan Sports Association Sports Instructor Qualification.

Applications are invited through the official mini-site HERE.

To read about the 2017 IHF Coaches Symposium, held in France, visit the IHF Education Centre HERE.

PHOTO: Marco Wolf