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British Academy of Fencing Coaching
Awards
Course Officer: David
Jerry
Candidates may:
 Subject to sponsorship,
take examinations at any level. Awards do not need to be followed in numerical
order
Submit themselves
for examination for one or more weapons up to and including Diploma Level.
There is no compulsion to study all three weapons.
Titles
Those qualifying at Diploma Level in one or two weapons may use the title
‘Maître d’Escrime’.
Those qualifying at Diploma Level in all three weapons become ‘Masters’
of the Academy and may use the title ‘Professor’.
A more detailed description of the standards required
at each level may be found by following the links on the left.
To fully appreciate these notes, it is essential that the reader should
fully understand the difference between teaching and coaching as it applies
to the sport of fencing.
In a teaching lesson, a teacher, imparts to an individual/class,
the knowledge and/or technique to enable them to execute a fencing stroke
(or group of strokes). The teacher should assume that the class/individual
receiving the lesson has no previous knowledge or experience of that fencing
stroke (or group of strokes).
The teacher’s class/pupil control and ability to impart the necessary
knowledge and technique whilst maintaining the interest of the class/pupil
are the essential factors in assessing his/her ability as a teacher.
In a coaching session, a coach takes a class/individual, having
previous knowledge or technical ability with a fencing stroke (or group
of strokes), and formulates exercises and practices that will improve
the class/individual’s ability to execute that stroke (or strokes)
under a range of competitive conditions.
As in teaching, the coach’s class/pupil control and his/her ability
to maintain the interest of the class/pupil are very important. Important
also is the need for the exercises provided to be realistic from a competitive
point of view.
To obtain a copy of the new Coaching Award Syllabuses (Issue 4 - Sept
2006) or further information please contact the Course Officer.
The Academy’s System of Coach Education and Examination
During the last six years the Academy has established what has become
a well documented, consistent, robust, and above all fair system of coach
education and examination. The format and documentation has recently attracted
the attention of a number of foreign Academies. It would be all too easy
to rest on our laurels, and continue with the status quo.
However, dedicated individuals have developed our system for those who
wanted to learn and develop coaching skills and techniques (the customer).
In order for our system to further develop and improve the Academy needs
your help. We need your comments, observations and criticisms.
Below are the observations of a number of candidates, examiners, administrators,
fencers and educators. If we are not delivering want you want, or you
think we can do better, then we need to know.
Comments and Observations
The System
Is a quality
product with respected qualifications
Provided
earned qualifications
Is well documented
and provides consistency and clarity for students, educators and assessors/examiners
Provides coursesaround
the country with increasing popularity
Two residential courses per year (the last 4 courses have been fully subscribed)
Demands certain
standards and levels of skill and ability
Is run by a small
group of dedicated and focused individuals with no personal agendas
Is recognised
by the FIE and AAI (Académie d'Armes Internationale)
and attractsparticipants from around the world (Sweden, Belgium, USA,
Japan)
Provokes interest
by other countries around the world in using the BAF format and documentation
Provides a Glossary
of Terminology whichis clearly presented, understandable, easy to read
and used in a number of countries
(The AAI are using the BAF glossary as a basis for preparing an international
glossary)
Is self funding
Has numbers of
coaches returning to attend courses
Allows progression
of individuals through the levels/weapons. Awards can be taken at a single
or multiple weapons through to and including diploma level
Enables students
tostart at any level
Is an open, honest
and fair and well administered system with consistency between courses,
educators and examinations
Examinations:
Are independent
of the courses and its educators
Are fair –
coach educators/SSTT provide a course assessment and or clarification
as and when required by the examiners
Are organised
and run professionally /efficiently by an examination organiser, who the
candidates now know and trust
Educators are using the system because they want to and not because they
are either paid to or have to.
What the coach (customer) has suggested s/he wants
Information
– should be reliable, consistent, accurate, easy to obtain and easy
to verify, particular when the information is disseminated by coach educators
Qualifications
should be recognised by all organising bodies and the AAI
No re-training/re-evaluation/re-assessment
should be required
Help/guidance
for running a club, coaching in clubs, beginners and taster sessions etc.
Skill/guidance
for earning a living from teaching/coaching fencing
Acquisition of
skills and knowledge associated with teaching / coaching
Contact with
other coaches and an exchange of ideas etc.
To know the standard
and what is required
Lots of courses
(residential/week-end/day)
Intensive training
and refresher training
Information and
knowledge regarding coaching performers – guidance, advice and training
etc.
A support network
of courses etc.
The ability to
transfer/equate qualifications between schemes/organisations
Stability and
consistency within a system
The ability to
get insurance and to be registered as a coach with British
Fencing
Value for money
Not being treated
like idiots
To feel as though
they have earned the qualification rather than it being an attendance
certificate
Simplification
of the sport and the necessary techniques needed to teach/coach it
Coach educators
speaking the same language and singing from the same song sheet
A means of feedback
on progress
Improvement in
their own coaching / teaching skills and personal performance skills
Enjoyable courses
Approachable,
knowledgeable and consistency of educators
Fair examiners/assessors
who are examining what they see rather than what they would like to see
An open, fair
and honest system
Different systems
of assessment/examination and methods of learning, teaching and coaching
Please send you suggests/observations to Course
Officer
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