The Coaching Award Scheme is designed to develop the coaching skills of those working in indoor climbing walls, sport climbing and bouldering, but the scheme should also be of great interest and value for volunteer and professional leaders, Instructors and Guides who want to apply their greater coaching knowledge wherever they work.
There are three award levels: Foundation, Development and Performance Coach. Each level brings together three important strands of a coach’s personal and supervisory experience of climbing: a technical understanding of What to Coach; the Safe Supervision of activity and a greater knowledge of How to Coach more effectively. Here’s how it works:
Mountain Training has been working in partnership with the Mountaineering Councils to use the excellent FUNdamentals of Climbing and Physical Training workshops to create an integrated series of modules that can be used as evidence of a technical understanding of climbing.
The coaching qualifications are offered in parallel to the existing rock climbing qualifications, so some coaches may wish to attend the training as part of their continuing personal development, while for others this may be their first engagement with Mountain Training. We intend to retain this flexibility while at the same time offer a clear and transparent qualification pathway. Coaches are also required to attend a Safeguarding and Protecting Children in Sport workshop.
The Coaching Award Scheme aims to empower coaches by equipping them with the skills and knowledge to help climbers enjoy their activity by climbing more efficiently and effectively at whatever level they climb at or aspire to.
Climbers will find it easier to access good quality coaching, and should be reassured that a registered coach is competent i.e. that they have undertaken training and assessment in coaching skills and have an awareness of developing individual climbers, as well as technical competencies such as teaching rope-work.
There is a single registration for the whole scheme, and candidates wishing to register must:
Have a genuine interest in climbing and the coaching of groups on climbing walls.
Have at least six months experience of climbing on a variety of climbing walls.
Be not less than sixteen years of age at the date of registration.
Be an individual or club member (of an affiliated club) of a Mountaineering Council.