Coaching - Where do you get your main coaching and mentoring?

[grimsby archer]

Originally Posted by ironmonkey

good plan
i didn't ask for any comments, but i got them anyway. i wish coaches wouldn't interfere until asked to.

Speaking from the point of view of a coach, it can be very difficult to strike a balance of when to offer advice and when not to.
Having offered advice where it was clearly desperately needed, and then to have it made clear that my "interference" was not wanted, regardless of the fact that the advice was then followed, to the benefit of the archer, is disappointing to say the least.
I changed to a passive approach of only giving advice where it was asked for, to be told that it was a shame that as a coach I didnt offer to help anyone. Add to this the archers who are too timid to ask, and those who dont know they should, or can, ask and its like watching a school disco with the boys on one side, girls on the other, all fancying each other, but scared to ask.

Additional comments:
Anyhow, if we (archers) all ignored the coaches below national level, how are the coaches below national level supposed to gain the skills and experience to make national level. It would be like me ignoring archers below MB. How does a newbie (yes we have newbie coaches too!) make MB to get the coaching?

[pwiles1968]

I would say Self Taught up to a point, I have read the James Park Book and had some advice from forum members, I have had several sessions with Tony from CBA who has not really changed anything majour but has improved a few things which has helped me no end.

[Trunkles]

After the beginner's course most of my training is from watching others and general advice. I am also learning a lot from attending the junior squad sessions with my son. (Shot quite well for me today in the end of day competition - my team of 1 parent, 1 recurve and two compound juniors got the highest raw score) Got a lot of pointers to the basics from the Level 1 coach course and then having to teach real beginners. I have booked myself onto a weekend course at Lilleshall in March.

[cornish george]

Originally Posted by King Custard

So how do I get an invitation to county training?

Be good enough to be considered to shoot for the county, yes it is strange that you need to reach a level before being considered worth the extra coaching to reach that level

[Insanity-Rocks]

Usually I listen to coaches, turn around and do the complete oposite

I just mess around, trying different things, untill I find a way of shooting that is comfy and gets the arrows where I'm aiming them.

[TJ Mason]

I've just spent the weekend in Wetherby at a coaching clinic run by YAA (Yorkshire Archery Association) Coaching. This was a very demanding weekend, but the resulting insights were excellent. Video analysis, group workshops and one-to-one coaching, plus a surprisingly good lunch both days. Well worth £75.

Check whether your own county runs these coaching clinics. If not, see whether you can get to Yorkshire for the next one here.

[moo-mop]

Originally Posted by TJ Mason

but the resulting insights were excellent. Video analysis, group workshops and one-to-one coaching,

Were you asked to write down what you thought you'd been taught later and then get to check back with the organisers/coaches so that you actually remember these insights?

What it not so useful about these weekends for 'better' archers is if there's no planned follow up you get thinking about loads of things (which is good, you have to do this if you don't have a coach) but have little chance of implementing anything properly as you can't do everything at once and as one thing will then affect another down the chain of your sequence.

Hence, you don't get nearly so much out of it long term as you would if you had less coaching over a longer time span working out only a few things at once.

[hooktonboy]

Mosty coaching from a couple of extremely capable club members - when I ask them (not coaches - we have none in our club). Some reading. A little from the county coach.

I know its a pretty small sample but its a bit disturbing to read that the majority of those who responded are either getting little or no input from qualified coaches. Certainly says there's a long way to go yet with the coaching structure.

[TJ Mason]

Originally Posted by moo-mop

Were you asked to write down what you thought you'd been taught later and then get to check back with the organisers/coaches so that you actually remember these insights?

What it not so useful about these weekends for 'better' archers is if there's no planned follow up you get thinking about loads of things (which is good, you have to do this if you don't have a coach) but have little chance of implementing anything properly as you can't do everything at once and as one thing will then affect another down the chain of your sequence.

Hence, you don't get nearly so much out of it long term as you would if you had less coaching over a longer time span working out only a few things at once.

Good points. Moose was the best archer at this weekend, and it would be interesting to hear whether he feels he got much out of it. For me though, it was the first serious coaching I've ever had, and it's given me clarity about my shooting, my mental approach, and what I need to do to get where I think I'm capable of getting. The weekend provided a good grounding rather than a fix-all.

[not dead yet]

Originally Posted by Jumile

My sources are a mix of AIUK discussions, friends/clubmates and self-taught.

Coaches? I've heard of them. Not sure what they look like, though I've seen more than my fair share of club members who think they ought to be made qualified coaches, but without having to do any of the pesky qualifications. Actually, I've had a real coach appraise me for 5 minutes once, which then saw me break 500 indoors for the first time.

i cant understand why there is no one to help (coach) archers in reading