Here is the second in a series of blogs from double World Champion Scott 'Boom Boom' Beaumont as the pro-rider takes on a new challenge in his biking career; coaching.
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"So I am back at home after my first two days of British Cycling’s Level 2 Coaching Qualification. I have to say what a fantastic weekend. I had no idea that the course would carry with it so much in depth detail and provide so many resources for coaches.
Saturday began with introductions to the instructors Nigel and Ruth. We were given an outline of the course so we could get our minds into what to expect and then we had individual introductions from everyone who was attending the course so that we could get to know each other a little better. We then moved onto some basic coaching principles and what would be expected from us as coaches.
Before we knew it, the mid-morning coffee break was upon us and we had another chance to meet our fellow course attendees. There was a wide variety of people on the course, with very different backgrounds in cycling. BMXers were sat next to road riders, who were opposite cyclo-cross riders and mountain bikers. There was a perfect mix of age ranges, personalities, abilities and experience.
We continued on Saturday morning with group exercises looking at risk assessments, session plans and insurance for coaches before the practical riding elements began out in the hotel car park. Outside, the hotel cordoned an area off for us to do some riding and learn how to implement Level 2 coaching in the field. The group of 16 were halved and two teams of eight went into opposite ends of the car park to start the exercises. I was in Ruth’s group and as the weekend went on made some great friends and had a real laugh with all the others in the group.
Ruth delivered the skills in a really easy way to understand and we were all immediately learning something new. Various coloured cones were set out in the car park and we were learning correct techniques for riding a bicycle.
Lunch was filled with talk about our personal riding and what bikes everyone had at home, before heading back out to the car park again for more experience and learning around the cones and in and out of other riders. Day 1 ended with a recap of the day and a preparation for Sunday’s activities. They included everyone delivering a 15 minute coaching session for the other seven members of the group. Our homework was to prepare these sessions and be ready for the 9am start on Sunday. To be honest, this homework was pretty fun as it was our first chance to do some coaching and be judged on where we were at on our journey to becoming a BC coach.
With the clocks going back on Saturday evening, the extra lie in was fantastic on Sunday morning, but like everyone else on the course I was pretty excited to get going again. I arrived at 8.30am thinking I would be amongst the first few, but I was probably one of the last there! Looks like everyone was excited about their first day of coaching!
So the morning passed and we all had our 15 minutes in front of the group. My coaching went really well and I was happy how the others responded. It definitely gave me confidence moving forward. It was a great group to be part of because everyone was so good. Certainly all destined to be BC coaches.
After lunch, we returned back to the classroom for the final time. Nick Yarworth (the West Midlands BC Regional Development Manager) was in the classroom ready to continue with the studies. This section was looking at Child Protection, one of the key elements that a BC coach needs to be aware of and implementing. Lots of class discussions, examples and scenarios helped to really gain a better understanding of some complex issues and by the end of this session we were all alot more aware of some issues and good practices that surround coaching children.
The day was then summarised and we were informed about our homework that we would need to undertake in the 12 weeks between Day 2 and Day 3 of this course. I now have a folder with exercises, coaching sessions and exams that I need to complete before the final day in January. Coming into this course I was a little nervous about the homework required to complete this course. However after two fantastic days learning the fundamentals of coaching, I now can’t wait to get stuck into the coaching tasks that I have been assigned!
Look out for my coaching blogs as I begin my sessions at Redditch Premiers BMX Club over the next few weeks.
Till next time,
Scott Beaumont
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