Friend and pupil Katherine Mansas
posed the question "what are some tips for new coming coaches". Katherine
is embarking on a career I always knew she would be perfect for: teaching children
riding. Katherine has sat through theory
lessons, seminars, coaching clinics and hundreds of hours of training horses and
riders, and as a member of the State Young Rider Dressage Squad, the success of
her career is assured.
I hope my answer to her questions
will be just as valuable to other readers.
Know your stuff
You need to know the rules
to your sport. Your technical knowledge must be the best you can
make it. I recommend attending judge's clinics...even if you
don't want to judge. You must have not only a keen understanding
of a movement, but WHY it is done, and the philosophy behind it.
AND THE GOOD NEWS?
It is so easy! How did I get 100% in my exam? I read
the rule book, and studied every word.
Read, read, read.
And when I remember us poor students struggling to by books...Now, you
even have things like:
horse riding FEI rule books free on line
And, when you have been to
the clinics, done your theory, had hundreds of hours of practice,
learning, and instruction, plus lots of competition championship wins,
then HAVE CONFIDENCE.
and, imagine how easy it
is going to be to improve your eye when you have ANIMATED dressage and
you can actually SEE the top horses actually videoed doing the
movements, and it's FREE:
See also article
learn your stuff.
Ask
questions
Science certainly is
starting to MEASURE every area in other Olympic and world sports.
Look at other sports such as cycling and sailing...and the equipment
they now have, and the sports specific costumes they are wearing at
Olympics - even the different types of highly specific sport shoes.
Millions of dollars go
into measuring each and every aspect of the athlete in other sports,
yet most riding clubs still don't own a mirror.
As a new coach, when
you get stuck - ASK QUESTIONS. Naturally, if you have a
mirror at the club, then use it, but if you don't...try this for an
exercise. For the advanced coach you
will recognize the use of visual, kinesthetic and auditory learning,
even neuro-linguistic programming elements. Add in having
the class visualize the exercise and then you have covered most
basics of sports psychology in its many forms. You are
using ALL of your learning and teaching skills.
click here for article
Make sure you are insured!
You might THINK you are
insured. But chances are you may not be. You must see
that policy. Don't just believe what they say.
Honestly too many times it has happened to instructors in the past.
And, a little hint, if you want to be polite, tell them that it is
YOUR insurance company that needs a copy of the policy, which it
probably will anyway.
A common practice amongst
barns is to insure the property owner but not the instructor.
If the instructor is not registered, and they haven't paid their
coach's insurance to the EFA or their local body, they might not be
insured.
No matter if you are
teaching at a private stable or public club, make sure you have seen that policy yourself, and if in doubt consult a specialist
public liability and professional indemnity expert.
For the price of a riding
lesson, you could loose EVERYTHING.
Ask the riders what THEY want to do
The quick question "so,
what would you like to do today?" was taught to me many years ago
in some teacher training or management clinic so long ago it is long
forgotten.
But, I remember the
question so clearly - as I have used it in nearly every lesson I have
ever taught since.
This simple question will
reveal the little child's worst fears. For an advanced rider it
might show if they are perhaps too ambitious for a young horse.
It will reveal all sorts of things.
So, LISTEN VERY CAREFULLY
to each rider's response. Often you have riders that are so
scared they can't speak...that in itself is their answer!
Not long ago I donated my
time to a group of top squad level young riders, and, all prepared for
them wanting to learn the next step of a particular biomechanics term,
or dressage movement, and all ready with my ideas...I had to laugh
when I asked them "what do you want to do today"...all they wanted was
to go on a trail ride. They were so "trained out" they just
wanted to relax. So, we went on a trail ride and they had the
time of their lives - and, I still taught all the way long, so they
were still learning.
Play games
See tips on playing games
-vs- being taught
click here
Cheating...
The GREAT thing about
teaching at a lot of pony clubs is that the children arrive at 10:00
or so for the first lesson, and you teach that group. Then, at
10:45 another group arrives, then perhaps another before lunch, and so
on.
The great thing is you can
practice your lesson skills. If you have FIVE groups that day,
you don't need five different planned lessons, you can do one
lesson and practice and perfect it throughout the day.
If I ever donate such a
day to a pony club, I now ask they give me the littlies first, then
followed by the more advanced, finishing finally at the end of the day
with their top riders. In my case, I have a lot of teachers
watching me teach, and I might stick to a 'similar' lesson theme that
day, and use the same basic ideas for the littlies, the mid range, and
later the advanced.
No, it's not real
cheating, it's smart teaching & learning your craft.
Use "things"
Kids love them, and
advanced riders can't do without them if they want to succeed at top
level now.
Use "things" - anything as
simple as a pole on the ground, or some cones or witch's hats.
Kids like to "do things" and "see things", but it's not just for kids,
for example before my Medium Judge's exam I traced and mapped out the
path of the
half pass in cones and with lines on
the ground, and then I went back and sat in a chair at 'C', and then
moved to 'M', and then to 'H' and looked at the angle of the marked
arena.
Click here for a wonderful video
of half pass
It could mean you have to
arrange for a mirrored sliding glass wardrobe door to be put on the
back of a utility truck next to the arena for a clinic.
It could even be to bring
your own CD player, and playing music at
152bpm
and keeping the horse's left foot in time in trot.
Or, it could be as
complicated as a fully digital video movement analysis system
projected real time onto a big screen for the Olympic rider to be able
to view their true biomechanics, seat and posture.
Bottom line...remember
what you liked to do, and do the same stuff
Lastly, have fun!
Thankfully I came from the 'old
school'. I have had seen jump stands thrown by instructors when they
loose their temper. I have seen the "masters" walk out and refuse to
teach riders because they didn't like the horse, or the rider was overweight,
or old, or injured.
I say, thankfully, because all it
taught me was to be nervous and frightened, and ultimately a way I could learn
to teach better myself.
For goodness sake HAVE FUN.
