Coaching

How to Remember Students Names

If you are like me, you are terrible with trying to remember your student's names. I'm so bad that I once forgot my kids' names during a job interview and had to make hem up. It took me 2 weeks to tell the story to my wife. Yeah, it was bad...

Knowing the names of your students is so important because you will connect with your students better and build that bond of trust faster. Also, in an emergency, you can keep control of the situation significantly better hopefully leading to a more positive outcome.

Connect with your Students better with Active Learning

By L. Dee Fink
Reprinted from the University of Oklahoma Instructional Development Program, July 19, 1999

Many teachers today want to move past passive learning to active learning, to find better ways of engaging students in the learning process. But many teachers feel a need for help in imagining what to do, in or out of class, that would constitute a meaningful set of active learning activities.

Teaching forward stroke better - A challenge for instructors

Kayaking instructors, I have a challenge for you.

When we teach forward stroke, we emphasize using torso rotation for greater endurance and strength rather then just using our arms. I have absolutely no problem with it. It makes sense to me as an advanced paddler and I believe strongly in it.

Using video in your Coaching

Preparing to use video in coaching.

Introduction:
Video is a flexible and powerful tool for the coach, its level of use is dictated by the coaches ability with the camera and confidence in it's application as part of the normal coaching process. The strength of video lies in it's ability to capture movement and speed rather than fixed shots. Many coaches are, needlessly, nervous because of the technology involved and it's application. The video should be built into normal coaching activity and viewed as additional to coaching activity.

Speaking Good Boat

by: John Winters

Speech Bubble

How long is a long kayak? How wide is a wide kayak? How fast is a fast one? Who cares?

Kayak Edging - Teach it at the start

Photograph from:
www.seapaddler.co.uk

I had an epiphany this past summer. I was teaching at a Greenland Symposium in Wawa, Ontario, Canada and I was paired up for the weekend with Bonnie Perry from Chicago, IL. She is a level 4 paddler and holders her level 3 BCU coach.

Long Distance Instruction

We recently got an email from Vedharajan; a new paddler living in India. He is training for a large expedition to raise awareness about coastal conservation in that area. We posted info about the campaign a couple weeks ago in our news section.

New Directions In Teaching

Navigation class

The past ten years have seen a very significant growth in the popularity of kayaking in North America. Kayakers are now seeking more and better training opportunities. Instructors are meeting these demands with more sophisticated programs and teaching resources, providing both new and experienced paddlers opportunities to develop skills in safe and challenging learning environments.

Dress for the Water - Can you swim for 45 minutes?

Brrr...

Off season paddling, for me, it is the best time of the year. I teach all summer so I don’t get much time to get out and do some paddling for myself so I look forward to the off season when teaching slows down and my own recreational paddling goes way up.

That is good because for me, the fall is the best time of the year to paddle as the storms roll in bringing with them wind and waves. The offside to it is that fall brings cooler air thus cooler water.

Kayak Instructor? No! Kayak Salesperson!

As kayaking instructors, we take on the roll of "salesperson" as much as or even more than we do the roll of "instructor". I like using the metaphor of sales, because we are in a unique position in which students pay money for you to introduce them to the sport. If you don’t do a good enough job "selling" the sport of kayaking on the first day, they won’t enjoy themselves and move on to another sport. This is your only chance to help develop a passion for the sport you love.

Teach Proper Sun Sense

If you were to look at the possible occupational hazards in your career as a sea kayak instructor probably the biggest hazard would be the sun.

Photo Credit Dan Klein

Nobody is completely safe from the sun. The risk of skin cancer today is much greater then it was 20 years ago. That is because we are exposed to more ultraviolet rays due to the thinning of the protective layer of ozone around the earth is becoming thinner due to pollution.

Coaching

How to Remember Students Names

Connect with your Students better with Active Learning

Teaching forward stroke better - A challenge for instructors

Using video in your Coaching

Speaking Good Boat

Kayak Edging - Teach it at the start

Long Distance Instruction

New Directions In Teaching

Dress for the Water - Can you swim for 45 minutes?

Kayak Instructor? No! Kayak Salesperson!

Teach Proper Sun Sense

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