GREEN ISLAND, Hanover — Having just completed the IAAF Level 3 course at the IAAF’s Regional Development Centre (RDC) in Puerto Rico which lasted for two weeks, Green Island High’s Michael McIntosh thinks he is ready to take his coaching career “to a higher level.”

McIntosh was one of four Jamaican coaches who were among the 22 coaches from various parts of the Caribbean. Another Jamaican coach, Danny Hawthorne, was one of the lecturers at the coaching clinic. The coaches were selected by the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA).

There are five levels on the IAAF Coaching strata.

Mc Intosh told the Jamaica Observer West that the course, which he described as “intense and fever pitched,” will make him a better coach and by extension will benefit not just Green Island but the rest of western Jamaica and Jamaica on a whole. “I plan to extend a hand where I can to other coaches and schools as we seek to improve on what we have here,” McIntosh said.

The other Jamaicans who participated in the course along with McIntosh were St Jago High girls’ coach Kelando Goulbourne, John Mair of Vere Technical and Fernando Douglas of St George’s College.

The course concentrated on sprinting and hurdling techniques and while McIntosh told the Observer West that “little of what was taught was new to us,” he said they were taught new and improved ways of coaching with a focus on “the energy systems” of the athletes.

“We were taught what to do and what not to do,” he told Observer West adding that the course saw them participating in two practical sessions per day.

As part of their preparation, the participants were given hypothetical situations and asked to write training programmes for athletes as well as teaching some sessions before doing written, oral and practical exams.