IOMAA have launched a series of Strength and Conditioning coaching sessions at the IOM Sport Institute. The sessions aimed at IOM representative athletes will provide expert support and advice from the team of dedicated Strength & Conditioning coaches at the Institute in preparation for next year’s Island Games in the Isle of Wight. Twenty four athletes have registered for the weekly sessions and before they started all underwent fundamental movement screenings with the Strength and Conditioning coaches where they were assessed on their strength and flexibility. Athletes can be retested in future months to assess their rate of progression under the Strength and Conditioning programme. Gianni Epifani the IOMAA Head of Performance said, ‘Strength and Conditioning is without doubt an integral part of an athlete’s physical preparation for sport. By providing this opportunity for our athletes we hope to reduce their incidence of injuries and see improvements in athletic performance. This will hopefully see more successes at Island and Commonwealth Games for Manx Athletes’. Working with Trevor Christian, Strength & Conditioning Coach and Athletics Development Officer, the IOMAA have used this initiative as part of their Local Coach Development Programme, by inviting athletics coaches to attend the sessions. Trevor said, ‘The Programme is all about bringing coaches together and sharing knowledge and expertise. In doing so we can help coaches continually improve their coaching skills to better serve our athletes giving them the best possible chance to perform to their potential’. Trevor is delighted at the response to the sessions which have seen around 10 athletics coaches attending each week. The athletes are showing good progress in strength, flexibility and co-ordination and are taking to the sessions with excellent commitment and enthusiasm. If any athletes would like to register for the programme and if any coaches are keen to attend please contact Gianni Epifani on 688592 or email gianni.epifani@gov.im. -Ends-