Coaching Information

The Coaching CCourse Co-ordinator is  Andrew Revell. Andrew is responsible for planning and organising all the coaching courses across the region. He is assisted by Peter Crawford who is responsible for Coaching Examinations  You can contact Andrew at  Elvet Hill House, Elvet Hill Road, Durham.DH1 3TH. Tel. 0191 334 7216.

Coach education in the North is co-ordinated by the Regional Development Officer, the l Coaching Co-ordinator and the Coach Education Panel consisting of representatives from each discipline. The panel's brief is to prepare, maintain and monitor the Coach Education Programme. This includes advertising and promoting coach education opportunities, supporting and advising new coaches and ensuring quality standards are maintained.
The Region offers British Gymnastics accredited coaching courses in all the gymnastic disciplines :

• Men's Artistic
• Women's Artistic
• Sports Acrobatics and Tumbling
• Rhythmic Gymnastics
• Sports Aerobics
• General Gymnastics
• Team Gym
• Trampolining
• Pre-School Gym and Movement
• Coaching People with Disabilities

The Coaching Awards

There are five levels of award for most disciplines

Level 1 Assistant Coach - able to coach a group under supervisions

Level 2 Coach - able to coach a group and supervise others

Level 3 Club Coach - able to run a club

Level 4 Senior Coach Performance Level Coaching
      
Level 5 High Performance Coach National Level Coaching

Coaches are expected to work within the level of their award. Each Award has its own level of responsibility attached and coaches are expected to stay within that level of responsibility.

Assistant Coach: This is the first level of award and only qualifies a coach to teach under supervision of a more highly qualified coach.

Club Coach: This level of coach is capable of assuming charge of a club. British Gymnastics requires that at least one coach with this of award is in place in each registered club.

The Structure of the Awards

Each award has a similar structure and this structure is common to all disciplines. All sections of the exam must be passed and candidates may re-sit a section or a whole award. As well as taking the course, you will be guided and supported by a Mentor Coach during your training, prior to taking your examination. This forms the 'post course experience' requirement of each award.

Most awards include training in Common Core, Sport Specific Theory, Practical Modules, a period of Post Course Experience, a Log Book, work with a Mentor Coach, a Written Theory Exam and a Practical Exam

Who can take an Award?

Entry is normally at Assistant Coach Level and progression is through each level of the Awards.
Further details are available either from the Regional Coaching Organiser, or from British Gymnastics who publish a complete Syllabus for all awards. 

Assistant Coaches wanting to take an award must be 14 years of age when they start a course. Their award will be valid when they reach their 15th birthday.
Club Coach Candidates must be 17 years of age when they start a course. Their award will be valid when they reach their 18th birthday.
Senior Club Coach Candidates must be 18 years of age when they start a course.
There is no age stipulation on the other awards but candidates must have progressed through the earlier awards before starting any higher award. It is also possible to transfer between disciplines with some additional training and by taking the appropriate examination.

What is a Mentor Coach?

The role of the mentor Coach is very important to ensure that everyone is able to develop their coaching skills and expertise in the right way. There are notes in the British Gymnastics coaching log book about the selection of a suitable mentor coach. Among other things, it is absolutely essential that your mentor coach be:-

1. A member of British Gymnastics
2. A Qualified Coach, usually in the discipline in which you are taking your award.
3. Qualified at least one level above that you are attempting.
4. Interested in helping you learn.
5. Prepared to devote time to training you.

Your Mentor Coach will be required to sign various parts of your Log-book before you take your exam. You should make sure you are comfortable with your mentor and that they are committed to helping you to develop your coaching in the right way. If you have problems in finding a suitable person to act as your mentor, approach your Regional Coaching Organiser who may be able to help.
 

Frequently asked questions.

How can I qualify as a coach?

Most people who take up coaching are either interested parents, gymnasts who have an interest in moving into coaching and teachers who are involved with after school clubs etc.But anyone with an interest in gymnastics can train to take a coaching award.

Prior Experience is not needed at Assistant Level although many candidates are at least either doing gymnastics, helping in a Club or are involved in some way in gymnastics. The important thing is to want to help coach and to have an interest in Gymnastics. In most cases, an interest in helping children learn a sport is also essential Above Assistant Level, experience is needed at each lower level before moving on.

Helpers Awards:
If you are unsure about coaching but would like to volunteer to support your local Club this award is designed for you.  If you would like further information on this please contact the Regional Development Officer, Katie Lawton or the Regional Coaching Co-ordinator Colin Smith.

Do I need to belong to a club?

Being part of a Club is really important because you can gain the necessary experience in coaching and find a suitable mentor coach. You will need access to gymnastic equipment which is not usually available anywhere else.

What does it cost?

Cost varies depending on the length and level of the course. 

How do I find out about courses?

Course information will be circulated to Clubs affiliated to the Region. They will also be included in Regional Newsletters and should also appear in British Gymnastic Magazines. If you need a course and there isn't one currently on offer, contact the Regional Coaching Organiser or the Coach Education Officer.

Can a course be put on for me?

Courses can not be organised for individuals as there is a minimum number needed for the course to be viable. If there are a group of you who want a course, contact the Coaching Organiser who will try to help.

Do I need to be a member of British Gymnastics?

Yes. It is a requirement that you are a member of British Gymnastics before you attend one of their courses. For a Level 1 award, you must be an Associate member and above that, you will need full membership before you take an exam. On some courses you will be asked to take a gymnast with you. That gymnast must also be a member of British Gymnastics so that they are covered by the appropriate insurance.

Other useful information.

Attendance at the whole of the course is necessary before an exam can be taken. You will also need to gain coaching experience so that you can put your new skills into practice.

Each Candidate must have a suitable Mentor Coach who must assist the candidate through the post-course experience period.

For the practical days of the course, you will need to wear suitable clothing such as a track suit and training shoes as there will be a lot of active, coaching experience included during the day. You will also be required to remove all items of jewellery for safety reasons.

Some parts of the course may be based in a 'class room' environment and you will need pens and paper with you for the theory sessions.

You will also be required to complete a criminal records bureau check.

How can young people get into Coaching and Judging?

What do you do if you are thinking of giving up gymnastics and are not sure if you want to take up coaching or judging? Many gymnasts reach 12 or 14 and are not sure if they want to carry on training. Many can make good coaches and judges!
What should you do to find out? Why not ask your coach if you can help out for a while? Or organise a mini-competition for the younger members of your Club and offer to judge?

There is no reason why you should not go on a coaching or judging course when you are younger. There is an Introductory Judge Award for those aged 13 years. You may be able to attend a course just to observe at a reduced cost. You would not be able to take an exam if you are too young but you would learn a lot about what is involved in coaching but you would be well prepared to take another course if you wanted to qualify

Most coaches going on courses need a gymnast to work with. Why not ask to go on a course as a gymnast/demonstrator to find out what is involved? It is often helpful to have someone to demonstrate basic skills on a judging course too - so volunteer!
Volunteer to help and see someone else getting real enjoyment out of gymnastics whatever their level of ability or experience Coaches, judges and helpers are always required.

Coach Education Handbook

You can download a copy of the Coach Education handbook from the Documents page of the web site.