The UWW Level 1 Coaching Course -- Introduction to Coaching and Safety -- was held in Maribor from October 28 to 31, bringing together 14 coaches for the four-day course.
MARIBOR, Slovenia (November 3, 2026) -- The Wrestling Federation of Slovenia, in conjunction with United World Wrestling, successfully hosted a UWW Level 1 Coaching Course -- Introduction to Coaching and Safety -- in Maribor from October 28 to 31, bringing together 14 coaches for four days of education, practical activities and professional development.
Led by UWW Educator Neven ZUGAJ, the course introduced participants to the fundamental principles of effective sports coaching, with a particular emphasis on creating safe, positive and engaging learning environments for young wrestlers.
The programme combined classroom-based education with practical sessions on the mat, allowing coaches to immediately apply new concepts and develop their teaching skills through interactive activities, group work and feedback.
“This was a fantastic group of coaches. They were open, curious and fully involved from the first minute," Žugaj said. "It was great to see how their teaching changed in only a few days: less talking, more demonstrating, better questions and much more specific feedback. My message to them was simple: be the coach the kids remember for the right reasons.”
The Level 1 programme was structured around morning theoretical sessions and afternoon practical activities. Coaches explored a wide range of subjects designed to strengthen their understanding of the coaching process and improve their ability to work with athletes at different stages of development.
Classroom topics included the fundamentals of sports coaching, self-reflection, risk management, communication, teaching progressions and strategies for identifying and correcting technical errors. Participants also examined the use of discovery games through the Teaching Games for Understanding approach, as well as video analysis to identify the key factors involved in fundamental wrestling skills.
Athlete safety was another central component of the programme. Coaches received instruction on managing risks before, during and after training, weight control in young athletes, basic first aid, concussion awareness, athlete safeguarding, anti-doping and environmental responsibility.
The course placed particular importance on helping coaches understand how athletes learn. Participants explored different methods of providing feedback, using open questions to check understanding and introducing new skills through simple-to-complex progressions.
The practical sessions provided an opportunity to put these principles into action. Each participant completed micro-teaching activities, led discovery games and delivered technical instruction to fellow coaches. Every activity was followed by feedback from the educator and other participants, along with individual self-reflection.
One particularly popular activity challenged participants to identify and correct deliberate technical errors demonstrated by another team. Using the sandwich feedback method -- positive feedback, a specific correction and positive reinforcement -- coaches competed to identify mistakes and provide constructive solutions.
The activity encouraged coaches to develop their observation skills while learning how to deliver feedback in a positive and effective manner.
The course was attended by Suzana DVORSAK, President of the Wrestling Federation of Slovenia, demonstrating the federation's commitment to supporting coach development and strengthening the quality of wrestling education in the country.
Stanislav SERNEK, General Secretary of the Wrestling Federation of Slovenia and the local course organiser, welcomed the opportunity to work alongside UWW in delivering the programme.
“Thank you to UWW and Neven Zugaj for the opportunity to hold a coaches course in Slovenia. It was fantastic!” said Sernek.
The course was hosted with the support of ZSD Maribor, which provided the classroom facilities, wrestling mats, equipment and teaching materials required throughout the four days.
Albert MIHAJLOVIC, President of Wrestling Club Maribor and Director of the host school ZSD Maribor, also highlighted the value of the experience for the local coaching community.
"As an organisation, we would like to thank UWW and our educator, Zugaj, very much. We learned a lot of new things," Mihajlovic said.
For the participating coaches, the course offered an opportunity not only to refresh existing knowledge but also to discover new approaches that can be implemented in their daily training environments.
“First of all, I would like to thank our educator, Žugaj. The course was extremely educational, interesting and a lot of fun,” said Dritano HAJRIZI of ZSD Maribor, appreciating the balance between education and practical learning.
Fahri SONMEZ, representing Murska Sobota, shared a similar assessment of the programme.
"It was very good. We are happy and satisfied. We refreshed some of our knowledge and learned a lot of new things," he said.
Jure KUHAR of RK Perun also expressed his enthusiasm for the experience and hopes that the programme will continue.
“It was excellent. We had a great educator, Neven, who shared his knowledge with us, and I hope we will soon have a Level 2 course as well,” he said.
