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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. Dedicated individuals 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.
The System
- Is a quality product with respected qualifications
- Qualifications are earned
- Is well documented – provides consistency and clarity for students, educators and assessors/examiners
- Courses being run around 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
- Run by a small group of dedicated and focused individuals with no personal agendas
- Recognised by the FIE and AAI (Académie d'Armes Internationale)
- Attracting participants from around the world (Sweden, Belgium, USA, Japan)
- Interest shown by other countries around the world to use the BAF format and documentation
- Glossary of Terminology is clearly presented, understandable, easy to read and used in a number of countries
- AAI are using the BAF glossary as a basis for preparing an international glossary
- Is self funding
- Numbers of coaches returning to attend courses
- Progression of individuals through the levels/weapons. Awards can be taken at a single or multiple weapons through to and including diploma level
- Students can start at any level
- A number of coaches involved with squads have BAF qualifications
- Open, honest and fair system
- Educators are using the system because they want to and not because they are either paid to or have to.
- Well-administered system
- Consistency between courses, educators and examinations
- Examinations are independent of the courses and its educators
- Fairness in examinations – coach educators/SSTT provide a course assessment and or clarification as and when required by the examiners
- Examinations are organised and run professionally /efficiently by an examination organiser, who the candidates now know and trust
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 Tom@etchells67.fsnet.co.uk
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