9
2013
Empty Vessels
An article by Stephen Pritchard
I was a part of a group of tutors debating the pre-requisites for a UKcc L1 Assistant Badminton Coach. There were some strong and mixed views. There were arguments that a good level of playing ability should be required; and arguments that it is not necessary. There were arguments that they need to be able to umpire/score doubles matches, and suggestions that this was not important.
Where do I sit?
I’m not sure it matters! If there are pre-requisites then we must be able to enforce them – maybe they need to be linked to the course assessment criteria.
It depends on what we see as the role of our L1 Assistant Coaches. If it is a supervisory role of groups of players how important is playing ability? If it is a feeding and demonstrating role, how important is scoring and umpiring?
I wonder if we are getting too caught up in what candidates have when they arrive. One of the major views was that the time frame we as tutors have with trainee coaches is prohibitive in trying to meet the varied needs of a cohort. Our relationship is in reality a temporary one – two days. In a dream world it would be ongoing and we may yet achieve this over time.
Is it realistically possible in 2 days to gather a group of vessels full to varying levels of different contents and send them off all full with everything they need?
Is it more or less realistic to help a group of individuals identify what they need in order to set them on a journey to become what they want to be?
Perhaps it is a philosophy change that will enable us to have a greater impact. It is probably inevitable that there will be “certificate” seekers on L1 courses looking to build up a CV or tick a box. As a sport we would be arrogant to turn these folks away. It’s not as if the current demand for courses outstrips the current provision anyway! If we look to enthuse all candidates and use the limited contact time we have to whet their appetite so that they leave us curious and self aware, then we just might convert some of these into the coaches of the future…
