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So my local club have asked me to come onboard as an extra coach for their ever increasing junior MTB section - great!
I'm currently MIAS L2 with coming up to 3 years experience in coaching & guiding - great, apart from the fact that BC don't seem to recognise MIAS and I need to start my qualifications from scratch......
So the 'new' structure for BC appears to have done away with L1, L2 etc and now goes along a discipline specific approach.
The 'first step' appears to be "Introduction to Coaching course" - which qualifies you as an 'Activity Coach' which seems to cover:
Body position
body movement
cornering
braking
pedalling
gear selection
mounting and dismounting
weighting and unweighting
absorbing and compressing
And means that you can coach in the following areas:
Off road terrain which is rideable at walking speed, with an obvious line choice and rollable technical features.
No more than ten minutes walk from ambulance meeting point, eg, trail centres, natural off road trails, urban off road, pump tracks and nontechnical off road (eg parks).
Which seems to cover most Green, Blue & some Red trail centre routes - Thinking Perry's & Follow the Dog at Cannock (blue & red respectively) as that's where we're based.
All well and good I think - Don't mind paying to do the course as I really enjoy coaching kids and watching them progress.
What I don't understand is where you go from there - i.e next level up as there doesn't seem to be any info that I can find and the club aren't too sure either.
So anyone have info on how you progress through to the next level etc.?
Thanks
Factor in the access gate being locked as that tends to be the case so your 10 minutes walk is from the locked gate.
I'm not sure how the new coaching stuff works, I was doing my L2 and MTB dsu and was told on both courses that the new structure is more pick and mix...if you wanted to go down coaching racing then it would be a list of performance options that you'd be able to pick from and move through. Skills based stuff would be similar.
Unsure how that works for me but I'm not overly interested in the racing side - happy to encourage, but not wanting to do racing (I'm in no shape to race myself which I think isn't a good example to be setting as a coach).
We have some young coaches just completed their L1 courses and when they turn 16 they are looking to do more, but unclear what they'll be doing.
Now I've done all that havering - brilliant news that you have been asked to get involved. More people getting involved always helps.
Maybe a chat with BC to see what can be done due to your existing qualifications and experience (although from personal experience they'll be looking to get as much money from you as possible so entirely likely to get you on the absolute starter course, which doesn't sound quite right).
Having had a look at the description, this - https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/coaching/article/coast_Level_1_certificate_new-Level-1-Certificate-in-Coaching-Cycling--0 - sounds more like the level you'd be starting at, no?
Thanks @DickBarton - appreciate the reply.
Yeah there's quite an active XC race team at the club, but I'm more about the skills and getting people riding too.
The club have tried to get me on a L2 course but the only available one I can't do due to family commitments, so It looks like It'll have to be the new route.
I've emailed BC to see what the craick is with my existing experience etc. - but as you say they'll squeeze as much cash out as possible lol
Have a look at, special coaching area description
V5_Table_of_roles_and_remits_for_Intro_to_Coaching1.pdf (britishcycling.org.uk)
the new system certainly appears more flexible and accessible than L1, L2, L2 MTB etc.
Emailing should get a good response, the education team do seem to be pretty good with replies and almost all are useful!
What about the L1 course? More than the starter course and may be seen as a good way to convert your current qualifications.
Are you paying or is the club paying?
@rootes1 I looked at that table which is where I got the info from - just not sure where it goes from there.
@DickBarton not sure about L1 - another question I asked.
Club will reimburse me on completion of the course.
Hiya,
From the seminars (i went though L1, L2 & L2MTB some time back now) it would appears they will be in a period of transition to the new structure and they stated that new modules etc. would be rolled out over a couple of years.
So at the moment Activity Coach is just that effectively leading activity, you coudl continue to just that and build experience and/or then undertake new modules (when available) for full coaching award(s)
Have a look at:
V5_External_FAQs_Coaching_Framework.pdf (britishcycling.org.uk)
This explains how they see pathways etc.
and
Introduction_to_Coaching_Activity_Coach_FAQs_v1.2.pdf (britishcycling.org.uk)
for the moment seems to be nothing stopping you doing L1, but they have not posted any more L1 courses for the rest of 2023 and assume they won't now that Activity Coach option is rolled out, especially as L1 is more restrictive formally in the environment you could operate in.
Also getting direct entry to L2 courses was made harder a few years back, they pretty much push all to L1 first irrespective of previous experience. Worth asking the Education team as there are some L2 and L2DSU available this year, though they do treat leader qualifications as not being equal to coaching qualifications it seems.
Would seem best best to get on and do Activity coach and await new further modules as they come out which should be from August or so onwards, based on lack of L2/L2DSU beyond July.
Had a friend who is mbla 3 qualified and he got on the l2 coaching course. Didn't complete it as he ended up not having the time to plan his sessions and deliver them, which was a real shame as I suspect he'd have made a fantastic coach.
What club is it that's close to Cannock Chase, I didn't know there were any?
Yep I originally had a direct entry to L2, but for personal reasons could not complete the course.
When I went back to restart few years after, was forced to go L1, still was all useful experience, as was the ambulance call out whilst on L2MTB course on edge of Dartmoor!
Thanks again.
Yes keeping it more discipline specific from the start seems like a better idea.
However it turns out as long as I can give something to the kids I'll be happy.
Hoping to get more of them into Enduro rather than just XC too.
Thanks again all - appreciated, I'm booked on to the 'Intro to coaching' at FoD on 14th July
@gixernick it's Stafford Road Club - they have a Youth MTB section.
Emailing education@britishcycling.org.uk is probably worthwhile if you have a specific question not answered in that linked FAQ.
From my reading of the new structure, it allows younger people to get into coaching what they enjoy doing sooner - so from 14, they can coach MTB, BMX or whatever, which is a big improvement on the old structure, which meant they had to do L1, L2, first aid course, L2 DSU etc.
So, 'Intro to Coaching', then add on a number of online modules, then 'Understanding Learning & Development' (mostly online with 1 face-to-face training day, then 'Coaching in Context', more online stuff, then 2 x face-to-face training days (which is also where 'off road' splits into CX, MTB XC and MTB Gravity)
Hi all just a bit of an update on this.
I had my development/practical day for 'Activity Coach' at FoD on Friday (very very wet!!).
Considering it was the first one it went pretty well.
Handily Jo from BC Education & Development was there to see how it went and what feedback we had.
I also now have a good understanding of how the new structure works!
Hopefully I can get on the next modules as they are released.
Oh I passed too !