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Maître d’ Escrime, Provosts, Members and Associates Representative.
OUR NEW COACHES
I have recently spent a week on the BAF summer residential course at Denstone, this was a first as a member of staff. While pondering the week over a beer, several actually, I realised that the character of the course has changed over the years. I attended my first BAF course under the Joint AFA/BAF Coaching Scheme in 1987. The candidates on that several subsequent courses were all well versed in fencing having been taught in their clubs all over the UK. The coaching course taught “How to Coach”. The candidates aim was to progress up the ladder of qualifications to a level which suited them and their needs.
The courses we are running today have a very different input standard. The candidates are all fencers but some of them have not had a traditional grounding in fencing skills. The result is that the students have to work really hard to brush up on the theoretical aspects of fencing as well as learn the coaching skills.
What can we as coaches do about it? Firstly, we need more qualified coaches so it is in everybody’s interest to encourage those who show an interest in coaching. The path to a coaching qualification can be eased by working on the personal technique of those aspiring coaches before they come on a course. The Academy publications Key Teaching Points, Glossary and Terminology are useful tools. This work could be done as part of club training sessions or could be the topic of a weekend Training Camp, you may even make money from that approach. There are several coaching days scattered around the country, attending these prior to a residential course will provide a longer work session than is available in the week at Denstone.
In the past the Academy has always focused on Coach Education, perhaps in the future potential coaches would like to attend a “Foundation” or “Pre-Course”, in order to polish the personal performance before the twice yearly residential course. Let me know what you think.
There is no doubt in my mind that any fencing club can benefit from having Level 1 coaches to help the senior coach. A recent experience of mine was at a university. We had 3 Level 1 coaches as assistants at the beginning of the academic year. This enabled us to handle the “Freshers” in smaller groups consequently giving them more time and more individual attention. At the end of the first term the entry for the fresher competition was double that of the previous years. Do not look down on the lowly Level 1 coach, they have a vital role to play, help them achieve that first step on the ladder.
I really must applaud those coaches on the course that I was involved with. I am sure many of them realised quite soon that they were going to have their work cut out. They all persevered to the end, I suppose driven by their desire to help their fencing clubs or even to ensure the survival of their clubs.
Without coaches there would be no clubs. Whatever the qualification level of a coach they will get better. These new coaches are sustaining our sport.
Dave Jerry
Dave can be contacted via membersrep@baf-fencing.org
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