009 Program News

10/8/09: Apprenticeship Sites: Archery

Several ICECP coaches are splitting their time between multiple sites on their apprenticeship. The judo coaches are visiting several Florida Judo-sanctioned clubs and the basketball coaches are working with all the Philadelphia Big 5 collegiate basketball programs.

The archery coaches are the only ones that have the get back on a plane to go to their second site.

Edward Ramesar (Trinidad and Tobago), Badamkhaton Tsogt (Mongolia) and Yu-Chiao Hsu (Chinese Taipei) split their apprenticeship between two US Olympic Training Centers, one in Chula Vista, CA, and the other in Colorado Springs.

At both sites, they work with Kisik Lee, an internationally renowned archery coach. Lee has made five trips to the Olympics as a coach and never failed to bring a home a gold medal. He coached the Korean Olympic team from 1981-1997 and captured the gold eight times.

Lee created national archery programs for men and women in Korea in 1977 and 1978, respectively. He became the head coach of the men’s national team at the ripe age of 24. Lee’s success as a coach comes in part from his focus on the scientific aspect of the sport. “He studies technique, body control, muscular requirements and mental concentration,” which he believes are all vital to the creation of an elite archer, according to his website biography.

“Mr. Lee is one of the most pleasant and helpful coaches I have ever met,” Ramesar said.

While at Chula Vista, the trio worked in the Eaton Aluminum Archery Range, a 50-lane archery complex with movable targets that allow for training at distances up to 90 meters. It is the largest outdoor archery training complex in North America, according to the Chula Vista training center website.

In Colorado Springs, the coaches are participating in a USA Archery Transition Regional Coach Course. From Oct 3-9, they will attend archery-specific lectures, presentations and technique sessions designed to develop their skills as coaches and their understanding of the sport.

Topics include biofeedback for archery, planning and periodization, developing mental skills, strength and conditioning and the Kisik Lee Shot Cycle.

“We [are learning] more about coaching philosophy, goals, training cycles, how to prepare archery equipment for disabled athletes and much more,” Tsogt said.

The course concludes with a written exam about coaching philosophy and styles and a practical exam in Lee’s shooting technique.

More information about the Chula Vista Olympic Training Center can be found here, more information about Kisik Lee can be found here and the complete agenda for the USA Archery coaches' course can be found here.

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