Tomorrow im taking a couple of my guys on the Level 1 Instructors course through the British Aikido board (BAB). I am part of a group of Schools in the UK led by Sensei Matt Hill. The course is in Glasgow this weekend, Just wanted to ask if anyone has done the course and what it was like ad what they feel they got out of it, if anything. Im hoping to gain a better experience in teaching beginners and how to work with mixed group and give everyone something to learn. What can peeps tell me about it.?
Dentoiwamaryu, I have a BAB coaching certificate. I have very mixed views on coach education, whilst I think that coach education is a good thing, I also believe that the standard of the subject matter taught should be a part of the process. The problem with getting people into teaching at a low level is that there is the possibility of teaching poor Aikido very well. What any of these coach eduction courses will do, is make the instructor aware of any legal requirements class planning and structure. All in all a very good place to start. I would guess that many of the UK mappers like me did this process the wrong way around. I did the BAB coach education course in 1997 I was a 5th dan and had been running a club for many years. Our association the European Aikido Association JAA was outside of the BAB. Many of my present association (Zen Eikoku Tomiki Aikido Renmei) dan grades have attended BAB coach education courses and learnt something from them. I am sure that you will bring some positives back with you, and anything that helps with the running of a club is a good think. As a instructor you are different things to different people some put you up on a pedestal some hero worship and too others you are a social worker of even a baby sitter. Its very hard to judge if you are a good teacher, I think that I am fairly good as I have a well attended club with 16 dan grades in support of me. For me Aikido has given me a lifetime of enjoyment friendships and mental stimulation. I view that teaching is a way of giving something back and hopefully preserve the way I was taught Tomiki Aikido. All the best with the course, Shaun Hoddy
Dentoiwamaryu, I have a BAB coaching certificate. I have very mixed views on coach education, whilst I think that coach education is a good thing I also believe that the standard of the subject matter taught should be a part of the process. The problem with getting people into teaching at a low level is that there is the possibility of teaching poor Aikido very well. What any of these coach eduction courses will do, is make the instructor aware of any legal requirements class planning and structure. All in all a very good place to start. I would guess that many of the UK mappers like me did this process the wrong way around. I did the BAB coach education course in 1997 I was a 5th dan and had been running a club for many years. Our association the European Aikido Association JAA was outside of the BAB. Many of my present association (Zen Eikoku Tomiki Aikido Renmei) dan grades have attended BAB coach education courses and learnt something from them. I am sure that you will bring some positives back with you, and anything that helps with the running of a club is a good think. As a instructor you are different things to different people some put you up on a pedestal some hero worship and too others you are a social worker of even a baby sitter. Its very hard to judge if you are a good teacher, I think that I am fairly good as I have a well attended club with 16 dan grades in support of me. For me Aikido has given me a lifetime of enjoyment friendships and mental stimulation. I view that teaching is a way of giving something back and hopefully preserve the way I was taught Tomiki Aikido. All the best with the course, Shaun Hoddy
Honestly, speaking as a professionally trained instructor, I thought the BAB course(s) were paper exercises, simply to gain certification required to gain instructor insurance and satisfy sports centre managers that you were "qualified" to teach. On the Level one course I sat at someone's kitchen table doing a host of theoretical stuff, looking at hand-outs which had very little to do with physically teaching someone how to coach, then the following day had about 15 minutes of a teaching practice. Compared to say : A fully prepped and structured coaching course, phase 1 alone, lasting 2 weeks of an 8 week period; consisting of teaching periods of 40 minutes at least three times a day with full lesson plans etc etc. The best person on here to chat with about this is Phil Smith PM him. Dave
I must admit that I have taken a CIEH PTC for my Job. This was far more informative than the BAB course. The BAB require a coach cert for insurance. I guess that the coach award is like anything else some are good some are bad.
I'm just curious. Did anybodies dad need an instructors certificate when they were learning to ride a bike? It's not a bad thing to learn to become a better teacher. I'm just sick to the back teeth of our qualification culture. What I dislike most is that people seem to be able to get qualifications perfectly legally going through all the proper channels without knowing the subject matter properly.
The problem is the compensation culture today in the UK and of course there is a few bob to be made out of all this stuff. Within my line of work as a H&S advisor, we are always asking contractors for competency records training certs etc, so its not just Aikido. I think that having to hold several governing body awards if you teach various martial arts is a big rip off. Other than the technical difference teaching Aikido is tha same as teaching judo.
That's what insurance is for. The only issue I had getting insurance when I considered opening a club was getting a venue first. All the reputable well known insurers insisted I had a venue booked before they would insure me, my club or my students. Which is understandable. That became a problem when my chosen venue insisted on me having insurance before they would let the hall to me. Nobody even asked if I had any sort of teaching credentials.
Thanks guys I always been against MA insurance,never yet heard of a justified reason for it yet in the UK or anyone who has been able to get a claim. I only see it as useful for seminars as everyone else has it and demands it. But im going with a very open mind and hope to get something out of it.
Steff.. Understand that you can obtain suitable martial arts insurance for both you and your students without BAB involvement and, obtain coaching qualifications again without the BAB. It all depends upon how much interaction you want for yourself and students to have with the BAB and their membership So much is being placed on the apparent need for a Governing Body to be issuing both these aspects. Thus far I've found that not to be the case. I've taught in both sport centers and privately owned premisis and did so legally and with all the appropriate measures in place. This isn't me on a downer with the BAB - although I can't suggest my experiences with them directly have been anything short of down right incompetent - they are after all just my experiences of them however, you always have alternatives.
If you are teaching take the view that all this stuff is a backside covering exercise. It would be sod's law that you were not insured and a claim is made, unless you have the income of Alan Sugar you could be in the ***** so to say. What a coach qualification does prove is that you have been trained in teaching practises and satisfies local authorities. My one big criticism of all this, is that some really bad Aikido can be taught well. I know of a coach tutor who has not got a clue about the system of Aikido he is teaching. I know that Judging what is good Aikido and bad Aikido is very subjective to personal preferences, surely one of the main systems must have influenced all Aikido practised in the UK at some time.
Course done and dusted, it was combo of interesting and not so lol. But very glad I did it, The health and safety issue was good for avoiding injuries on mat and they presented a pretty good way to conduct a class. Nothing to do with style just teaching methods. It was interesting that we all had to write up a lesson plan for 12 weeks and pick 1 class and teach it condensed into 20 mins. There was a few young guys there and they did well. 2 Iwama guys and 4 Ki society, dont think you could have seen to more different ways of doing things lol.
Glad to hear that you got something out of the BAB coach education course. As you say it does open your eyes at what is taught in the UK.
