I dug out my notes from a SCAS coaching conference, some years back. Frank Dick (Daley Thompson's coach) was talking on "unlocking potential".
He gave an overview of the roles (plural) of the coach, which went something like:
Direct, when motivation is high, coach when motivation drops, support through periods of variable motivation/progress, counsel when an experienced athelete has high motivation and is performing well.
The coaches I've met have varied from mediocre to very good at the "Direct" part (teaching). One or two have been pretty good at the "support" part, though I'd say the proportion of good "supporters" among coaches is no higher than in the general population of archers. The "coach" part is difficult to find, though.
I let my certificate lapse, because I don't believe I have the time to do the "coach" part of the job.
I'll still teach beginners, offer advice on technique and equipment etc. but I just can't afford the time committment to the coach/archer relationship that would be needed.
What's bad about the GNAS system? I'm not sure that's a good question.
If I had to say what I'd like to see, it would be something like this:
- Training in how to coach, how to get ideas across in different ways, how to tell when you need to try a different approach to get through to someone.
- Training on training. How you do it, at what level, what sort of results you should expect, how to tell if you're getting them and if not, why not.
- Training on technique. What works, what doesn't. The pitfalls to avoid. Common problems, how to spot them and how to fix them. Things you can get away with varying and things you can't.
- Training on equipment. How to set up kit correctly from scratch. How to advise people in selecting equipment.
The "technique" part is particularly difficult, as I'm increasingly coming to the conclusion that the only way to do that, is through one-on-one teaching, from someone who has a clue. Book learning doesn't cut it. Unfortunately, those people seem to be few and far between.
I could imagine the different areas of the training being set up as separate courses. You wouldn't necessarily have to have ticked all the boxes to coach, but you would need to know when to go and consult with (for example) an equipment specialist, or an expert on training methods. It would be unreasonable to expect everyone to know a lot about every aspect of the sport, after all.
It might also be useful if GNAS put together a "how do I find a coach?" page on their website. Actually, some sort of Coach/Archer "dating agency" might be good... "Archer seeks coach with GSOH in the Surrey area, with view to a long term relationship..."
