Over 30 local referees and coaches took part in a BokSmart workshop, aimed at rugby safety, held in Grahamstown recently. The BokSmart workshop was run by Eastern Province Rugby development officers, Richard Lewis (based in Graaff-Reinett) and Mazwi Dingana (based in Grahamstown).
Over 30 local referees and coaches took part in a BokSmart workshop, aimed at rugby safety, held in Grahamstown recently. The BokSmart workshop was run by Eastern Province Rugby development officers, Richard Lewis (based in Graaff-Reinett) and Mazwi Dingana (based in Grahamstown).
Dingana said he was pleased with the great turnout and grateful to Grocott's Mail for its involvement in advertising the workshop, which generated a lot of interest. Participants in the Grahamstown workshop included coaches and referees from PJ Olivier, Graeme College, Grahamstown Brumbies, Grahamstown Primary, St Mary's, Winter Rosa, Lily White, among others.
They were trained on the BokSmart Rugby Safety programme and taken through a DVD facilitated workshop. Each received an instructional booklet, an instructional DVD, and a pocket Concussion guide.
The primary aim of BokSmart is to provide rugby coaches, referees, players, and administrators with the correct knowledge, skills, and leadership abilities to ensure that safety and best practice principles are incorporated into all aspects of contact rugby in South Africa.
The program not only focuses on these basic principles, but also aims to assist in growing the game at grassroots level, and providing everyone in South Africa with the opportunity of being educated to play rugby the Smart way. BokSmart supports and demonstrates the concept that the safest best practice techniques in the game are also the most effective from a performance perspective.
The workshop attendees will now be sent a BokSmart card from SA Rugby, and each ref and coach will be 'licensed' for a two year period. After the two years they will then need to attend another BokSmart workshop.
The only criteria for ‘licensing’ is a compulsory attendance at the workshop. The reason that coaches and referees are specifically targeted is because they are the key decision makers who control both the game and the players on the field. They are extremely influential in terms of how players behave, both from a safety perspective and their attitude towards the game and other players and officials on the field.
BokSmart plans to educate and empower every coach and referee at all levels of play around the country to promote safe rugby techniques and basic medical and injury prevention practices.
