Coaching fundamentals class
Last weekend I had the privilege of assisting on a Body Boat Blade fundamentals class on Orcas Island! For this course, FUN is fundamental: because learning is fun and we learn better when we’re having fun. And things you do which don’t seem remotely related to kayaking (like jumping off bridges) actually have all sorts of related benefits.
Now, we spent plenty of time in our boats, on top of our boats, and in the water next to our boats. This was a two-day class which assumed no previous experience and focused on the foundational (think the foundation of a house) skills which sets people up for success on their future paddling journey.
The company name Body, Boat, Blade is more than just a catchy phrase — it’s the way they approach skill development and paddling in general. The place you start is ‘what is your body doing?’ That approach lines up well with the first of The Four Fundamentals in the British Canoe Union (BCU) scheme. If you don’t already know, can you guess? It’s posture! So we work a lot in the fundamentals class about starting to understand and feel the connection between the body and boat — and using your whole body, at that, to transfer power to the blade (there, I got all four).
And the other thing we do a lot are games! This is one of my favorite things, i.e. ‘games with aims’ (purpose). I’ve compiled a list of every game (on and off the water) that I can remember doing over the last two years. And I’ve read books to borrow more great ideas. Games are a great way to have fun, build confidence, and practice/apply a skill that was just introduced.
My role in this course was to both coach and learn. As a BCU-certified Coach Level 1, I’m working with more senior coaches to learn how to be a better coach. Seth Albanese was the lead coach on this course. I’ve known Seth now for a couple years. We went through some BCU training and certifications together, and you’ll probably see pictures on my Facebook of us canoeing and rafting them together to use canoes as sails etc. Anyway, Seth is a great coach and I learned a lot from watching how he runs a class. During this class I got to run a couple different sessions, led several games (including making one up on the spot!), and do one-on-one observation and coaching during practice sessions. Felt good!
Don, John, Leslie, me and Seth after an assessment in 2013
All in all, a good time was had by all! It’s such a pleasure to see students succeed and have a great time doing it. It’s amazing the transformation that can take place in just a couple days. And I even knew one of the students through my connection with Discovery Sea Kayaks in Friday Harbor!
One last thing: I camped at Moran State Park while there. Had great weather. While I love the spots along the water by the boat launch, those are super popular and you have to reserve them well in advance. This time I camped at a spot on the Northend Sites, and from there is a great hike up towards Mount Constitution called the Cold Springs Trail (#3 on map). It’s about 4 miles and ~2000 ft. elevation gain. So the first night I set up camp, grilled myself a steak, and squeezed in the hike before dark! Good times.
