The month of May also saw several IHF Licence courses take place, with 39 C licences awarded in the Islamic Republic of Iran and 30 D licences awarded in Chile.

As with all IHF coaching courses, the programme included both theoretical and practical components, with the participants being assessed to determine whether they are qualified to receive their certificate. 

The course in the Islamic Republic of Iran took place in Shiraz, with 39 participants attending, 20 men and 19 women, led by IHF Lecturer Rafael Guijosa Castillo.

Throughout the seven days, the course contained several intermediate to advanced handball and sport science topics, alternating the theoretical courses with the practical ones. After a short welcome to the course, the coaches entered a practical session, where they were introduced into some games for tactical approach, as well as basic concepts of handball, such as ballhandling, passing and reception.

According to the IHF Lecturer Rafael Guijosa Castillo, “the group of coaches who attended the course demonstrated a keen interest in studying and learning theoretical concepts, handball knowledge, and appropriate methodology to improve their training. Their efforts, work rate, and ability to adapt to the training sessions have been rewarded, as all participants have earned the IHF C Licence.”

The IHF D Licence course in Chile took place between 29 April and 3 May in Concepcion, Chile, and was led by IHF Lecturer Pablo Juan Greco.

The attendees had a busy schedule, with two theoretical parts and two practical parts each day. In the theoretical parts, the coaches learnt about technical-tactical instruments for defence and attack, as well as positioning without the ball. They also studied different systems for attack and defence, but also man-marking concepts, as well as different one-on-one situations.

In the practical part, different exercises for applying the theoretical concepts in practice were taught by Greco, which also provided guidance for implementing several defensive systems, such as 3-3, 5-1 or 3-2-1.

According to Greco's report, the course was successful, the coaches were involved in the activities and all the 12 participants secured their IHF D Licence after the exam.

The IHF Lecturer noted that “the course was successful, with highly motivated teachers who participated attentively in the theoretical and practical activities throughout the course.”