Category: coach education

Wendy Bruce Martin on coaching

I can’t think of any developed nation that doesn’t require training and certification to become a coach.

None — that is — aside from the USA.

With lack of mandatory minimum standards you’ll find some of the least expert coaches working in the States. AND some of the most original thinkers.

From Dvora’s interview of Wendy Bruce Martin:

… I think coaching needs to be a profession, where the people who are responsible for the well-being of our children are taught how to teach them.

Gymnastics coaches (or many other coaches) don’t need an education, license, or certification to teach. They don’t have to know anything about child development, psychology, or physiology. They don’t need to have any mandatory training or governing body to uphold them to any standards. Yet, we leave them with our children during their most influential developmental stages of life and “hope” they know what they’re doing.

Coaches should want to be certified.

First, they should want to be educated in all the areas they will need to coach.

… coaches should also want to have an official licensing board to be able to be held accountable to and be able to monitor and report to. …”

Wendy Bruce Martin On Fear And Moving On

Wendy finished 11th at the 1989 World Championships. Won a bronze medal in team at the 1992 Olympics.

She’s the owner of Get Psyched, a mental toughness training service.

Attention Canadian coaches

There are some opportunities online right now:

E-Learning and Professional Development Opportunities:
During this time, it is a great opportunity to seek other professional development learning opportunities.

The CAC Safe Sport Module was made available on April 6, 2020.  The module is free of charge, takes about 90 minutes to complete, and you will receive 2 Professional Development points.  You can start and stop the training at your convenience.  ….  You can access this module at coach.ca.

Sport for Life is also providing e-Learning discounts for two modules:

“Introduction to Long-Term Development in Sport & Physical Activity” &

“Introduction to Physical Literacy”.  Sport for Life is offering both courses for $9.98, discounted from $24.95. Coaches who complete these courses will receive a certificate of completion and CAC Professional Development points.

Sam Peszek’s Gym School starts March 23

Cost about $79 for 6 weeks.

Looks great.

Online Summit for PRESCHOOL & REC GYMNASTICS COACHES

March 26-27, 2020.

It’s FREE.

Register here.

Speakers include …

Ali Stoffels
Jeff Lulla
Kyle Shewfelt

Topics include …

Conditioning Can Be Fun!

25 Small Things That Make a Big Difference in Preschool Classes

Developing a Personal Best Philosophy

Teach. Praise. Correct.

Working Through the Challenges to Successfully Support Behaviour in Class

Hardy Fink’s last day at FIG

Hardy Fink was the Director of Education and Academy Programmes for FIG. He organized, amongst other things, FIG Academies, FIG Age Group Programme and Olympic Solidarity courses. All things education for 7 FIG competition disciplines – ACR, AER, MAG, PK, RG, TRA, WAG.

For some years Hardy had been asking for a transition plan to a successor. It’s a massive job and not many in the world have the experience, knowledge and contacts to make it work.

Hardy has attend more World Championships & Olympics than anyone, for example. Stuttgart was his 32nd Worlds in series.

Nobody has yet been named by FIG.

The only positive note is that Hardy has been asked to consult with his replacement over the next couple of years. In my opinion, that would be essential or FIG coach education opportunities will plummet.

related – Dvora Meyer’s recent interview with Hardy (for subscribers)

Free SHIFT Sports Medicine Clinics 2020

FREE to the first 100 registrants at each.

Travel, hotel, and food paid by participants.

Open to gymnastics coaches, gymnastics medical providers, and strength and conditioning coaches working in gymnastics.

University of Utah – Saturday, June 13th, 2020 8:30am – 5:00pm

University of Alabama – Saturday, July 18th, 2020 8:30am – 5:00pm

Details.

Dr. Dave Tilley is the organizer.

Expected topics include:

Building Healthy Training Cultures For Athlete Wellness and High Performance
Training Methods for Skill and Level Development
Gymnastics Strength, Conditioning, and Physical Preparation Methods
Gymnastics Flexibility Methods – Science Meets Practical Applications
Understanding, Preventing, and Managing Gymnastics Injuries
Gymnastics Mental Health, Recovery, and Nutrition
TBD based on participant topic request via survey

 

13 FIG Coach Education courses December 2019

The past year has been incredibly busy for the FIG coach education programmes which oversaw and organised some 85 courses in 35 countries that were attended by nearly two thousand coaches from 85 countries and taught by 82 experts.

In addition, Parkour that became part of the FIG one year ago, was fast-tracked so that the Level 1 Academy Programme and the Age Group Development and Competition Programme were completed in three languages and introduced to fifteen countries in three courses. …

On December 13, for the first time ever, ten academies that were held on four continents, overlapped. More importantly, these included all seven competition disciplines – ACRO, AER, MAG, PK, RG, TRA, WAG – as well as Gymnastics for All. On that day 179 coaches from 27 countries and all continents were being taught by 31 FIG experts from 14 countries. It was a remarkable moment and one not likely ever to be repeated. …

FIG

Hardy Fink, FIG Director of Education and Academy Programmes, leaves the position end of February. His successor has not yet been named.

Gymnastics coaches moving to Canada

All coaches in Canada must be certified through the National Coaching Certification Program.

If you move to Canada from another nation you can ‘challenge’ some levels. Approval is on a on a case by case basis.

If successful, a trained evaluator will meet with you at your Gym to observe your coaching and make a recommendation to Gymnastics Canada.

Details.