The Italian Coaching Tree

Coaches from Italy are like a spider web through the rowing world taking on top positions in many countries. Currently there’s Francesco Fossi in the Netherlands, Sweden has Marco Galloni, Romania has Antonio Colamonici and Ireland has Antonio Maurogiovani. Then there’s Gianni Postiglione who has coached in various countries, most recently in Greece, Russia and Lithuania.

They are not the only nationality to take off to coach in another country, there are British spread especially in commonwealth regions. New Zealand and Australian coaches are also found dotted around the globe.

Postiglione says this spread of Italian coaches internationally is a relatively new thing stimulated by the ease now in communicating.

“We are the first generation to speak English. I know there’s others about that can’t go because they can’t speak English.”

But it takes a whole set of factors to line up for a coach to give them the ability to work abroad. Postiglione knows this well having moved a number of times for the love of coaching. For Italian coaches he sees their ambitious nature and the need for space to coach as they know best.

“If we don’t get space then we’ll go to other countries,” says Postiglione.

But the overriding consideration to make it possible is always family and Postiglione attributes his wife and children for allowing him to move.

Postiglione first left Italy to coach in Spain. He was 50 years old and was told he was too old to continue his position in Italy. The nation had a small chance to qualify for the Olympics and when Postiglione arrived they did not have any crews capable of qualifying. This was 2002. By 2003 they qualified three crews.

“In 2004 they were in the Olympics for the first time and they got one crew into the final (Nuria Dominguez in the women’s single sculls).

He has now coached in Japan, South Africa, Lithuania, Greece, Serbia and Russia. For most he has been as a consultant with Greece his constant gig. He was given an offer in 2004 after they had won their first ever medal in rowing at the Olympic Games.

“I asked why they wanted to change their coach. They said they wanted a system, I’m more of a system coach. The system in Greece is complex.”

Postiglione describes coaching in another country for an Italian like being a cell entering a new body.

“If you put something new into a body, like a transplant, at the beginning the body accepts it. Then there’s a chance it will be rejected. So it’s the same in rowing.”

Postiglione says after a period the local coaches believe they know what to do in terms of coaching, but they still may not understand the system.

“You need time to see if the system works and to know if its effective. It’s like a machine, you have to see if it works. You can’t always tell after just one year.”

Postiglione can point to his progress in Greece.

“From the time of my arrival, every four years we have gotten an Olympic medal.”

At Tokyo Greece achieved their first Olympic gold medal in rowing when Stefanos Ntouskos won the men’s single sculls.

When coaching Postiglione communicates mainly in Greek for key rowing words. But his style is to use a variety of communications methods including art, pictures and graphics as well as English. In any language one word can have different meanings and know the nuance of that language is difficult.

English has predominantly become the go-to language.

“When you go to a new country at the beginning it can be difficult to link to this new place.” For Postiglione working with athletes has made this part easy.

“When you work with athletes you work with a specific person. I need to know that person very well and I need to communicate with them a lot.”

Some people question Postiglione how he can work with different countries at the same time.

“It makes no difference. If they are good they will find someone to work with. I want to take out of the people the best of themselves. This is what I like. It doesn’t matter if it’s someone rowing against my rowers, I want them to be the best they can be.”