The Hindu : Sport : Veteran Czech coach happy with Indian trainees

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Aug 23, 2007
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Sport

Veteran Czech coach happy with Indian trainees

S. Thyagarajan

Dr. Miloslav Ejem holds a level 3 status in coaching

BRIGHT FUTURE: Dr. Miloslav Ejem, member of the FIVB Coaches Commission, believes that the game is looking up in India.

Chennai: Volleyball has traversed from medieval era to modern age and has undergone tremendous change. The credit for accomplishing this transformation should go to Reuben Acosta, president, International Volleyball Federation (FIVB).

This is the assessment of the 71-year old Dr. Miloslav Ejem of Czech Republic, a member of the FIVB Coaches Commission.

Dr. Ejem, who is in the city for conducting a coaching clinic in specialised areas of defence and libero systems at the International Volleyball Federation Development Centre, was happy with the grasp shown by the trainees, who numbered around 20 from different parts of the country.

He complimented them as a “very keen” bunch willing to learn the subject and their nuances. “They were careful, practical and active to the task, and individually everyone was good,” he added.

Looking up

While acknowledging the impact of such seminars and clinics on the growth and development of the sport through the FIVB Centres, Dr. Ejem shared the view of many that volleyball in India was looking up in recent years.

First visit

Admitting that he was not closely associated with the sport in India — this is his first visit to the country — the Czech recalled the glimpse he had of the junior team years ago beating all opposition in his country. Another occasion he recapitulated was the 1970 Asian Games in Bangkok, where he was coaching the Iranian team. A graduate from Charles Sports University, the Prague-born Ejem opted to coaching more than playing, gradually went up the ladder.

He did coach some first division sides apart from playing. But it was the work with the FIVB that changed the course of his life.

In the seventies, Ejem was part of the FIVB Coaches Commission, and held positions as president and secretary respectively. He was also a member of the technical commission from 1998 to 2002, and took an active role as the coordinator of the volleyball event in 1992 Barcelona Olympics and 2002 Sydney Olympics and the World championship in Japan. He continues to be part of the Info system in the FIVB, and holds a level 3 status, the highest rating in the area of coaching and development.

That Dr. Ejem has coached and lectured in around 70-odd countries — from U.S., Brazil, Argentina to Egypt, Bahrain, Qatar and Egypt — is proof of his stature as much as the confidence that FIVB has in the competence of the individual. The level 3 rating is equivalent to a professor in any recognised university.

Like many among the fraternity, Dr. Ejem is fascinated by the fecundity of volleyball thanks to the initiative and dynamism of Reuben Acosta. The concept of World League, Grand Prix, and above all, that of beach volleyball, has influenced every section of the society to adopt and admire the excitement the game affords today.

He agreed that the change to the rally point system from the side-out format contributed to substantial growth of interest but pointed out there was always a danger of a match culminating in less than 40 minutes if the two sides were unequal in strength. The idea that governed the switch was to limit the duration of matches around two hours.

Dr. Ejem was forceful in listing the virtues of outdoor volleyball to indoor.

This was in response to a poser about the sport remaining an outdoor sport in the country. The Czech instructor said the challenges confronting the teams on outdoor courts were far more than playing within the confines of an indoor stadium. “Adjusting to the wind is important factor,” he added.

Apart from conducting the courses and seminars, Dr. Miloslav Ejem, continues to be the part of the administration of volleyball in Czechoslovakia as the coordinator of web pages.

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