How do you believe in coaching,

[buzz lite beer]

Never had an official coach as such, had my six lessons then basicly left to fend for myself, however I did have the fortune of having a like minded competition orientated friend and we bounced ideas back and forth and looked to the top shooters available in the county to see what equipment they were using, stances, follow through, etc, anyway the point I'am trying to make is how can you let yourself take advice from some one who can't shoot any where as well as you, and believe whole heartedly that what they are telling you is right. I could never do it and that is probably why it took me about so long to get to MB and GMB ,

[Wrexham Exile]

i used to be coached by a chap called Graham at my club.

as i was a junior at the time he was a lot older than me but had been doing archery for what must have been over 30 years.

like you said we used to compete against each other and he offered me advice and ideas when he saw fit. in his day he was a very good archer and he never pressured into changing anything.

more importantly though he knew when he couldnt offer me anymore advice.

when my shooting surpassed his and he knew he couldnt offer me any more help he admitted it. rather than make educated guesses or just have a go he knew his limits and stuck to them.

i'll be forever greatful to graham as he helped me immensley but he also had the bottle to admit when he'd done all he could and i think that, and the factor of trust, makes someone a great coach.

[buzz lite beer]

I can understand that, and would have liked to have been taken underwing by a good shooter for advice etc, but what happend after Graham said I can't teach you any more, did you search for sombody else with a better technique/higher scores for advice, I've seen many a person take advice off of people who can't hit a bovine's bottom with banjo.

[geoffretired]

I can understand people thinking that the coach should be able to shoot better than the student. Why would anyone listen to someone whose own shooting is poor? Far better to listen to someone who shoots well. They know how it's done! It does create problems for world champions and world record holders though. Who coaches the best in the world? Who is better than the best in the world?
The aspects that are missed when we think that way are those of experience and knowledge. The archer may never notice a weakness in their own form; the experienced coach probably will, even though that coach has never shot such high scores. Shooting and coaching are different, they require different abilities and skills.

[Mufti]

Couldn't agree more.

[SLOWHAND]

Do I know you Buzz? Are you going to any of the Killingworth FITA's this week or next. If you want a bit of coaching and advice pop along to the Guisborough club (several people do). Pete will soon sort you out.

[Bald Eagle]

Buzz, coaches may not be the best archers in the world but have trained hard to instill confidence in their students by trying what works best for them. As a coach, I look at the individual and try to assess the situation, it's a two way thing, you both need to have confidence in each other to succeed. Recently, I helped take a guy to M.B. and was proud to assist . We went completely back to basics and started all over. It took a year with weekly meetings and diaries kept but we got there and now he's knocking on GMB's door. If someone wants to achieve they will, but it's a lot of hard work and practise, as you know Some guys like Slowhand and yourself are "naturals" and the coach in question has an easy time, but generally it takes a lot of commitment on both sides.There is no magic pill as has been said many times, it's sheer hard work and the will to succeed!

[SLOWHAND]

Have to say that Bald Eagle has been my coach for the last couple of years. My motto has no connection with this in any way.

Thanks for your comments about being a 'natural' but as you know, I shoot at the club three times a week, frequently practice in my garden and shoot tournaments most weekends. The more I shoot the luckier I get. There is no substitute for a good coach and practice,practice,practice.

[Wrexham Exile]

Originally Posted by buzz lite beer

I can understand that, and would have liked to have been taken underwing by a good shooter for advice etc, but what happend after Graham said I can't teach you any more, did you search for sombody else with a better technique/higher scores for advice, I've seen many a person take advice off of people who can't hit a bovine's bottom with banjo.

after that i got invited onto squad. initialy very good coaching but it didnt have longevity - for one reason or another (mainly archery politics and too much infighting with in the organsiation - from what i could make of it - and resulting it people leaving) the squad sessions stopped and hence so did my coaching.

this resulted in frustration and erros creeping in and eventually me giving up the sport.

started shooting again a year ago and have been invited back onto squad. but have found same problems.

have tried looking for a coach in my home area and at uni but not to too much luck (although one person may help).

the problem is when you say you want a coach too many people will (although in some cases with the best intentions in the world) offer their help and expertise and its a case of too many cooks. also i havnt felt that level of trust or indeed comitment. im after someone who will take a genuine interest and really want to help - not just use it as a side project to see what theirs ideas can do and then wonder off if it dosnt work.

its a tricky situation and one advancing archers must be vary warey of. after trying my own theories for the past year i am just under MB level and think on my day i could get it.

but i dont have anyone to check on things or "brainstorm" with, and with no disrespect to any archers at my cubs they are not at a level to do this with.

like you have already suggested - a competitive shooting partner of around the same level is indeed a good thing to have and can help each of you out immensly.

maybe i should place a "lonely shooters" add on here or something - then again parts of this must already sound like that lol.

[Kellog]

I was in the position towards the end of indoor season where I was desperately looking for a coach.
I was really happy when my coaching mentor agreed to coach me as well as mentor. I've jumped from a position where I would be working hard to scrape together enough first class scores to having shot 2 bowman scores.

The only problem is that hes really not around very much.
Which is where a shooting partner comes in. Gibbon (a housemate) is one, and increasing sky_high30.

I would really recommend trying to find someone (bare in mind sky_high30 is based out of York, whereas I'm Sheffield.) and even being able to just bounce ideas off each other over the phone or msn really helps.