HYAF/AINO Summer Program: Week 2
Last week, the HYAF continued its summer collaboration with Association Ibrahim Nassir Omais (AINO), a school for students of special-needs located in Zrariyeh, Lebanon. We engaged in a wide-range of athletic and sports wellness activities both on the soccer field and in the swimming pool. We placed heightened focus on continuing to develop recovery and injury-prevention habits, muscle strengthening, and excitement for exercise.
The first session of the week saw students back on the soccer field. As emphasized by AINO, we looked to cement many of these drills and habits into the minds of students through repetition with gradual addition. Students saw drills similar to what they experienced last week, but with added challenges to allow them to continue to push their limits and challenge themselves. Students began with their usual walking and stretching warmup, targeting essential upper and lower-body muscles that are pivotal for athletic movements. Then, they were, once again, introduced to the soccer balls, and showed enhanced comfort when performing basic stretching movements with the balls in their hands. Students were then asked to perform basic passing movements, which were also completed with great improvement. The next drill was composed of one which students were largely familiar with, where they were to dribble through cones and take a shot. However, this was appended by passing gates, where students had to complete passes through cones before making their way through the cones. This was a large step-up for students from an athletic standpoint, but they faced the drill with open arms and performed very well. The final drill of the day consisted of an obstacle course that focused on agility and stamina, where students relied on their jumping abilities to make their way through the course before throwing a soccer ball into a hula-hoop. Students relied on both upper and lower body strength to show strong perseverance and performance. The session concluded with upper-body focused training with dumbbells.
Session two consisted of swimming activities in the AINO pool! For many of AINO’s students, especially those who are wheelchair-bound, swimming is one of the only way for these individuals to get comprehensive and adequate exercise. For this reason, students spend a lot of their summers in the water. Activities focused on improving swimming technique, overcoming fears, enhancing strength, and increasing stamina. Session two was not only very productive, but also quite fun!
Once again, week 2 was an absolute success! Thank you very much to all volunteers and AINO staff that welcomed us with open arms and allowed us to collaborate and work with them! We look forward to working together in the future.
HYAF 