Coaches... What are they good for?

[ecclesarcher]

A couple of points:

1) I'd pay for coaching. It's like anything else; one pays for the time, consideration and experience of an expert (hopefully) in the field.

2) Several people have mentioned the wide range of knowledge required to coach - or teach, if you're moving into compound and longbow - in archery. Once you add in more detailed knowledge of a specific bow type; or field archery; or mental training; or diet, nutrition and fitness; or preparing for international competition etc. etc...there's an impossible amount to assimilate. This is particularly true when looking at continued professional development: the reading alone required to keep up with all aspects of the sport would be a full-time job, leaving aside the discussion, feedback and, heaven forfend, actual coaching .

I don't know whether this is already part of the higher-grade coach assessments, or planned for the higher-level rewrites, but some form of dissertation (<I>not</i> necessarily written or essay-based) on a specialist topic might work. It could be run so that prospective coaches pick a general area from a list, then specialise in a sub-topic within that area (e.g. mental training/arousal control), which would produce an easily-checkable list of which coaches were specialised (and therefore hopefully interested) in which areas. Or each coach could pick any topic they were interested in, which is less easy to quantify but might well lead to some interesting and useful combinations of experience. Whatever was produced for the assessment (coaching records, film, photographs, conclusions etc.) could be given to the coaching organisation as part of the deal, and held in an archive for all coaches to draw on. It might be easier to find or contact a coach specialising in a specific area if there were a central list.

Any thoughts?

[geoffretired]

Ecclesarcher, I think that sounds good.

Originally Posted by geoffretired

Ecclesarcher, I think that sounds good.

I agree too.

In some cases we do pay for coaching. I understand the beginner course cost money.

I have done a GNAS day course at Wetherby, £25. A weekend course at Lilleshall was about £150. Both courses were good and bad in lots of ways. However it was like information over load. Neither did me any long term good. No follow up or continuation. I would prefer a list of available coaches who I could sign up to who would coach me on request as and when I need it. I would pay for this service, and in turn I would like to see evidence the chosen coach can help me. I feel a consistent higher standard of coaching would develope if coaches were paid .A golfer can do this, why can't an archer? Or can we and just don't know it?

As it is I get ths service via my club as we do have a coach willing to help me. However it is not always the case club to club.

How many teachers work for free? To be a good teacher takes time and money, they deserve to be paid for a "quiality" service.

[simon m]

A golf club employs a full time pro.

I don't know of any archery clubs that open most of the day all days of the week, which could afford to employ a pro to teach..........


Shops might be able to, but as with golf pro's they would spend alot of time doing very little.........

[ecclesarcher]

[quote=simon m]A golf club employs a full time pro.

I don't know of any archery clubs that open most of the day all days of the week, which could afford to employ a pro to teach..........
QUOTE]

Perhaps it might be an idea to have coaches attached to the National Sports Centres (not just Lilleshall*)? That way they could be available to work on courses, with squads and with individuals as booked or required. Coaches could be invited to do this (or sign up for it) on a rotation basis. ( I'm assuming it wouldn't be possible to find people to do it full time out of a volunteer population - which is one difference between archery and the likes of golf; golf pros are used to the concept of earning a living from their sport, and quite a few of them will either still be doing so or have done so before taking a pro job; archers don't have that opportunity and we're still at the stage where very few people think in terms of mmaknig their living from the sport).

That kind of arrangement might open up opportunities for a register of coaches who are prepared to travel and work with various clubs/counties etc.

It occurs to me to wonder where counties and regions get the coaching staff fr their squad training, if they run it. Are most squads working with the coaches they have in the area, or do people go outside to fill knowledge/experience gaps

----------------------------------

*and at this point I feel compelled to point out the ridiculousness of the NSC for the north of England being in Shropshire....I think someone needed a geography lesson

[joetapley]

I thought the following link might be of interest.
http://www.texasarchery.org/L1/Training.htm