Had my second session with the Hua Yi group yesterday. Stanley was replaced by Bernard.
It was interesting to see the 2 extremes in coaching techniques. On one hand, Bernard was like an army CSM shouting commands while uncle Lau was just sitting around pretty much letting the kids run amok.
Uncle Lau speaks very slowly and calmly while Bernard rattles off like a machine gun. Could see uncle Lau was annoyed by him.
I still need to work on being calm and controlled. Find myself speaking too fast when I get nervous. After coaching more than 20 sessions I am still having this problem, will really need to work on this.
In the end, I need to be less anti-social and more compassionate at the same time. Gaining more confidence would be a good thing both for real life situations and in coaching.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Allowance increase!
Water-Venture is increasing the trainers' allowance by $10! Yay!
Realised something quite weird though. You get the same allowance irregardless of whether you coach for a full day or half day.
So, coaching half day sessions at Water-Venture is actually very worth it!
Realised something quite weird though. You get the same allowance irregardless of whether you coach for a full day or half day.
So, coaching half day sessions at Water-Venture is actually very worth it!
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Lack of practice
After a month without practicing my skills, I have lost the ability to do a hand roll on my left side.
However, I discovered something interesting when I went to practice yesterday. I managed to do a one hand roll very slowly.
I ended up in a semi balance brace position, which I feel is essential for doing the strait jacket roll. I'll be testing it out farther the next time I go down to practice and hopefully discover the secret of the strait jacket roll soon.
However, I still need to work on the flexibility of my left side. When I lean out into a balance brace position on my right side, the coaming is pressing below my pelvic bone, around the hip. But on the left side the coaming is pressing at my waist.
However, I discovered something interesting when I went to practice yesterday. I managed to do a one hand roll very slowly.
I ended up in a semi balance brace position, which I feel is essential for doing the strait jacket roll. I'll be testing it out farther the next time I go down to practice and hopefully discover the secret of the strait jacket roll soon.
However, I still need to work on the flexibility of my left side. When I lean out into a balance brace position on my right side, the coaming is pressing below my pelvic bone, around the hip. But on the left side the coaming is pressing at my waist.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
School...
I have lectures in school on Saturdays from 0930hrs to 1230hrs. This means I cannot coach on Saturdays anymore! Argh... And I thought I could coach at Water-Venture more often after starting school.
Since most 1 Star courses are held on the Saturday and Sunday over one weekend, its gonna be hard for me to clock my 6 sessions per year.
This also means lesser opportunities for coaching till I graduate because my timetable is gonna be like this for the next 15 months!
BLEH ):
Since most 1 Star courses are held on the Saturday and Sunday over one weekend, its gonna be hard for me to clock my 6 sessions per year.
This also means lesser opportunities for coaching till I graduate because my timetable is gonna be like this for the next 15 months!
BLEH ):
Sunday, March 30, 2008
A coach's dilemma
Coaches taking a 1 Star course face a few problems, one of the most frustrating is deciding whether to fail or pass a student.
If we were to fail the student, there is no way they can rent a kayak to practice their skills, but on the other hand, passing them might not be an option. Especially for those in ODAC or other outdoor society where the chances of them going for more advanced kayaking is higher.
So we end up defering those that may pass if given another chance. Yet getting them to come down for one session and trying to assess them will be unfair to the student because there is no chance for them to practice.
The best option for them is to come down for another 2 sessions. Practice and revision on the first session and assessment on the next session.
If we were to fail the student, there is no way they can rent a kayak to practice their skills, but on the other hand, passing them might not be an option. Especially for those in ODAC or other outdoor society where the chances of them going for more advanced kayaking is higher.
So we end up defering those that may pass if given another chance. Yet getting them to come down for one session and trying to assess them will be unfair to the student because there is no chance for them to practice.
The best option for them is to come down for another 2 sessions. Practice and revision on the first session and assessment on the next session.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Coaching Technique
I realised today that I am no longer as nervous as I was in the past when conducting courses. Noticed myself speaking slowly instead of talking really quickly.
Woohoo! Slowly getting rid of the nervousness and gaining confidence.
Woohoo! Slowly getting rid of the nervousness and gaining confidence.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Towline
My homemade tow line was put to the test during its first day out on the water.
The rig I set up is a simple one made with:
Some might notice that the list above does not include a bungee cord for shock absorbing. I did buy a length of heavy duty bungee cord (the NS men will refer to it as "bicycle hook"). But I did not attach it.
I did not feel any significant jerking force on the 2 occasions that required me to use the towline.
The first was when I had a swimmer holding on to my bow while i towed a fully swamped kayak, on the second occasion I towed 2 fiberglass slaloms with the paddlers still inside. They were 2 small sized girls, with a combined weight of approximately 70kg. No jerking was felt on both occasions.
So I reckon my towline can be used to tow a paddler of 70kg in a fiberglass slalom.
The only thing left for me to do is sew on some D-rings at the side of the belt to hang my carabiner. This would allow me to reach for it easily when I need to tow.
The rig I set up is a simple one made with:
- Diving weight belt
- Nylon pouch from Beach Rd
- 7.5m of 5mm utility cord
- Aluminum carabiner
- 1 army small rubberband
- 6 inch fishing net float
Some might notice that the list above does not include a bungee cord for shock absorbing. I did buy a length of heavy duty bungee cord (the NS men will refer to it as "bicycle hook"). But I did not attach it.
I did not feel any significant jerking force on the 2 occasions that required me to use the towline.
The first was when I had a swimmer holding on to my bow while i towed a fully swamped kayak, on the second occasion I towed 2 fiberglass slaloms with the paddlers still inside. They were 2 small sized girls, with a combined weight of approximately 70kg. No jerking was felt on both occasions.
So I reckon my towline can be used to tow a paddler of 70kg in a fiberglass slalom.
The only thing left for me to do is sew on some D-rings at the side of the belt to hang my carabiner. This would allow me to reach for it easily when I need to tow.
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