Becoming a Coach
Helping other people to enjoy canoeing or kayaking can be extremely rewarding and this section of the website aims to give you the information and guidance you need to get started as a coach in paddlesport. Whether you wish to introduce others to their first experience of the sport, develop the paddling skills of those who already have experience or mentor other coaches; Canoe Wales can help you to gain the necessary skills and to get qualified.
Why qualify?
Firstly, you will be given the necessary training to ensure you have both the skills and the knowledge to safely take out groups within specific conditions or in a particular type of craft. Qualifying as a coach provides you with proof of that knowledge and experience; while our comprehensive membership gives you the appropriate insurance cover.
I want to know more
For more information, please choose which of the following applies to you:
I have no previous coaching experience
The new UKCC endorsed BCU coaching scheme is ideal if you are new to coaching.
BCU UKCC Level 1 takes you through the fundamentals of good coaching practice and helps you to understand the basic technical and tactical aspects of your sport over a four-day combined training and assessment course which leaves you qualified to works as an assistant coach. You have the option of becoming a boat-based or bank-based coach, depending on whether you wish to be on the water with your groups or not. Both boat-based and bank-based coaches should have attended a
Foundation Safety and Rescue Training day. Should you wish to be boat-based, you must also hold the
BCU 2 star personal performance award; so if you do not yet have the experience to complete the 2 star award, the first thing to do is get some experience of paddling both single-bladed craft (such as canoes) and double-bladed craft (such as kayaks).
For an overview of the UKCC endorsed BCU Coaching Awards; what they involve, the remits they give you as a coach and how to progress through the scheme, please
click here. If you will be working within a club environment, you can gain access to heavily subsidised courses through the
community coach scheme. Should you require other financial assistance, please check the
funding and subsidies sections.
I have previous coaching experience or I am a qualified coach in another sport or I am a qualified teacher
The modular format of the new UKCC endorsed BCU coaching scheme allows those with experience of coaching to apply that knowledge and by-pass elements of the training using the
Accredited Prior Learning (APL) process. Please see the linked page for more information on how to use the APL process to utilise your relevant previous experience to fast-track your coach training.
I am a qualified teacher
There is the option of a 2-day BCU UKCC Level 1 combined training and assessment course (rather than the standard 4-day course), which you can attend if you are a qualified teacher. The course focuses more on "what" to coach rather than "how" to coach. In order to access this 2-day course, we must see proof of your qualified teacher status. Such courses only run when there is demand for them, for example when a school decides to put a few members of staff through their coaching qualifications. If you want more information or wish to request a teachers' Level 1 course, please contact the Coach Education Co-ordinator.