Disappearing beginners

[geoffretired]

Originally Posted by clickerati

Personally, I wonder why people bother becoming coaches if they don't really want to step up and be coaches.

That beats me too. I wonder if sometimes they start full of enthusiasm, have a bad experience or two and decide not to get their fingers burnt again.
I could understand also, a coach keeping quiet if there is a better archer (unqualified coach) who does coaching.

[NoAngel]

Originally Posted by clickerati

So I don't think novices can coach, per se.

Can you show someone how to hold a bow, nock an arrow, move a sight. I am quite sure that if I gave you a complete beginner, never even seen a bow before, that you could get then hitting a boss at 10 yards after 12 arrows.

I am not saying you can offer expert advice, but still some help. I have never been a coach, never been on a coaching course, and have received very little coaching from others other than my beginners course when I was 10ish. But I think (rightly or wrongly) that I can offer equally as good advice to any club members as our coach can. People come to me and ask for my advice, I am not a coach, should I turn them away?

[Rik]

Originally Posted by NoAngel

I think everyone can coach, even a 1 yr novice can offer advice to a beginner, how to hold a bow, nock and arrow, adjust a sight. Most of us know what a good form looks like even if we can't achieve it ourselves. I don't think its fair to leave all the coaching needs of the beginners just to the club coaches.

I wouldn't entirely agree with that. Most people can teach some things. Range safety and how to put a bow together, set targets up etc. are good examples. Proper form and execution are trickier. It's not so easy to get beginners to do it properly. A well taught person might be able to teach beginners proper form. Might not. It's a communications thing...

[PorlyP]

If I don't know the answer to something, I tend to refer people to those in the know, rather than guess, as what I might think could be completely wrong.

nothing worse than getting the wrong advice!

I failed an exam at uni because our tutor had taught us wrongly. Unreal.

[clickerati]

There is a difference between advice and coaching.

[geoffretired]

Most people will offer help and advice. A beginner who is doing better than another, on the same course, will try to help. It seems natural to some.
Without the help from people like No Angel, the clubs would be less well off than they are. If only experienced archers with a talent for helping could be brought into the coaching. It often seems so difficult. Not difficult in the sense that standards are too high: difficlut in the sense that the neaxt course may be a long way off in distance and time.

[NoAngel]

Originally Posted by clickerati

There is a difference between advice and coaching.

Yes agreed, but wouldn't it depend on what level you are wishing to achieve, coaches offer coaching advice, so it’s all advice when it comes down to it, just coming from someone with a title, a coach.

But you are right, you could not really call a beginner a coach, but I still think a beginner could offer coaching advice, what would be the difference between a qualified coach saying that you are moving the sight the wrong way, and a 6 month novice doing the same.

[Trunkles]

Originally Posted by clickerati

Are clubs required to have coaches?

The stated aim of GNAS is for every club to have a qualified coach - but that is going to take time to achieve (if ever). It may be that they just have access to a coach - we have a coach who lives in our area who comes along when she can.

[munchkin]

Beware!! long post!

At my old club, we started a mentor scheme for beginners coming off the course, and joining the club. We were lucky in that most of our experienced members had coaching experience, and were willing to help new members.

(When I left, there was a VERY high proportion of coaches to non-coaches.)
The stipulation was, that the newbie had the coaching system in the club clarified, and could make personal arrangements with their appointed mentor.

The mentor does not necessarily have to be a qualified coach, but should be willing to assist. They may be able to point the mentee in the right direction of an experienced coach.

One thing that we encouraged was attending external competitions, the county league, and postal league days. Newbies can often chart their improvement with scores and handicaps in a more structured way.

Additionally, my old club held a lot of social events, often without anything to do with archery. There were several barbeques a year, allowing the blokes to strut their stuff! Birthdays were also celebrated
Additionally, there were also annual fun shoots; one of us always organised a Halloween shoot (we shot pumpkins disguised as orcs one year, and sank the Titanic another) and I always organised the Christmas darchery competition which inevitably descended into unrivalled rivalry between teams...
We also had quiz nights to raise money for the club, which involved the club, and many other people from local schools etc.

I think one of the most important things was to welcome the newbies' families, as it is very much a family sport, even if some of the family aren't as keen as others. It is also important to stress that you don't have to shoot to become involved. One mum and dad always did the catering when they could, and other parents would give rides to other juniors to the field, and competitions.
If you help generate a welcoming atmosphere, both to the newbie and their family, you can't really go wrong...

[Zanda]

Originally Posted by NoAngel

I think you are right for some cases, but you also get the beginners who just look for personal improvement. We have a married couple in our club who have been shooting for some 5-6years, they are only just reach the level of first class. Other archers achieved this within their first 2 years of archery.

So why do they keep coming back, they will never be at county level, but they have always been encouraged, and they are there to support each other, and they are still very active club members.

for some folks its not a case of wanting to get to county level, its just the love of something they enjoy, for sure they probably would love to get really good at archery, but they are obviously getting what THEY need from the standard they are at, and good for them I say