Qualified BCU Level 5 Coaches are recognised as a cadre of competent, experienced, motivated paddlesport coaches with a depth and wealth of knowledge, who can be relied upon to provide practical coaching, advice and guidance up to the highest level. The qualification is available in Open Canoe, Sea, Surf, and Whitewater Kayaking.
The Level 5 award is not an end goal in itself. It is the setting out point and one should not feel that it is an elite award intended only for “high flyers”, as this is far from the truth. There are Coaches, Experienced Coaches, and Very Experienced Coaches, who are all worthy of the Level 5 Award, whom by keeping an open mind are continuing to learn and develop ideas, methods, and approaches.
Click here for the Registration Form.
Click here for the Registration prerequisites.
What kind of experience should Coaches have to get the most out of the Level 5 Training Course?
The BCU Coach Level 5 training course is the start of a coach education program for experienced, recreational paddle-sport coaches with over 3 years of experience ‘in the field’. Candidates benefit most from this course if they are practicing coaches, have attended a BCU coaching processes course, (within 2 years of the training course) and have been applying those coaching skills regularly in an advanced setting for a minimum 6 month period prior to the course.
Candidates are also required to take an up-to-date coaching and paddling logbook to their training course.
Level 5 Training:
Discontinued.
Assessment:
The Assessment is a full two-day event starting on the first evening with a briefing from the Assessment Director to set the scene. On the first day of assessment the Candidate will be working with 2 or 3 students unknown to them. The aim of this day is to assess the Candidate’s ability to coach students with whom they have no coaching relationship. On the second day Candidates will work with their own long-term students. The ethos of this day is seeing the Candidate working with students with whom they have an established coaching relationship. The day’s coaching is assessed in context of their prior experience with their long-term students.
Download BCU Level 5 Assessment Protocol V1-3 for more information.
Home Nation Assessment Coordinators:
Each Home Nation has an Assessment Coordinator who is responsible for arranging assessment dates and can provide further clarity on the assessment process if required:
WCA: Sid Sinfield [email protected]
SCA: Gordon Brown [email protected]
CANI: Oisin Hallissey [email protected]
Canoe England: Lara Cooper [email protected]
What about UKCC developments?
The BCU are planning to develop a new Level 4 Award for the recreational disciplines after candidates coming through UKCC Level 3 are ready to progress. The new Level 4 Award will aim to develop advanced coaching skills for use in advanced environments, in much the same way that the current Level 5 Coach Award does. Developments in this area are not likely to impact on our Coaches for the next couple of years, with the new Level 4 Award unlikely to surpass the current Level 5 for many years yet.
Coaches who are working in an advanced environment and wish to progress their coaching skills/qualification before the end of 2010 should look to the current Level 5 scheme for suitability.