Learning from the Best! Our Coaches Attended a Seminar with Laurent Meuwly

One of the world's most respected athletics coaches, Laurent Meuwly – the mastermind behind stars like Femke Bol and Lieke Klaver – visited Slovakia in October. The two-day professional seminar in Bratislava was also attended by our coaches Tomáš Zavadil and Rasťo Zíšek, who brought back valuable knowledge and inspiration for their work at ŠK Jablonica.

"It was the best seminar I've ever attended," said Peter Žňava, the Slovak U18 national head coach, after the event. No wonder – on October 25–26 in Bratislava, Slovak coaches had the opportunity to learn directly from a world-class mentor whose athletes have achieved global success.

The seminar was organized by the Youth Commission of the Slovak Athletics Federation (SAZ) in cooperation with the Faculty of Physical Education and Sports, Comenius University in Bratislava.

Around 80 coaches participated on Saturday and about 60 on Sunday – among them, our representatives Tomáš Zavadil and Rasťo Zíšek from ŠK Jablonica.

During the sessions, Laurent Meuwly, who currently works with both the Swiss and Dutch national teams, focused on modern approaches to sprint and hurdles training.
In the theoretical part held at FTVŠ UK, he discussed:

• the development of a sprinter from talent to international level,

• specific training methods for different age categories,

• the technical and tactical approach to the 400m hurdles,

• season periodization and peak performance strategies,

• and the use of assisted and resisted sprint devices to enhance speed development.

The practical session on Saturday, held at the National Sports Centre gym, focused on technical preparation and relay handover drills. Meuwly worked directly with Slovak national athletes – Rebecca Slezáková, Tereza Čorejová, Delia Farajpour, Nina Hejčíková, and Matúš Havaš.

"Laurent went deeper than I expected. He shared everything openly – from detailed training cycles to the psychological approach to working with athletes," added Peter Žňava.

The seminar sparked active discussion on coaching philosophy, communication with athletes, and how to balance physical preparation with mental well-being.

"Laurent Meuwly showed that success lies in consistency and attention to detail. Events like this push both coaches and athletics itself forward,"
said our coach Tomáš Zavadil.

Meuwly is known for his expertise in the 400m, 400m hurdles, and relay events. Recently, his athlete Femke Bol made headlines by announcing a move to the 800m distance – a topic that also came up during the seminar discussions.

This event concluded a year-long series of coaching seminars organized by SAZ, featuring top international experts such as Louis Heyer, Christian Taylor, and finally Laurent Meuwly himself.

The participation of our coaches in such seminars is another important step in the ongoing development of our club.

Every new experience, idea, and insight they bring back translates directly into better training for our athletes. Because if we want to improve — we must learn from the best.