Teaching - coaching / First aid for instructors

Gordy, Here in the UK there has been a drive for coaching excellence as preparations are under way for the 2012 Olympics.

Angling is now regarded as a "sport" (whether it appears in the Olympics is neither here or there) - but competition wise it has many gold medal winners and World Champions. Through the Olympic legacy system there is a drive to have more people (especially juniors, teenagers and young adults) involved in sport (healthy lifestyle and an interest with goals to take them away from inappropriate social behaviour and crime).

Of course angling is one attractive area - hence the recognition at Government level. Funding has been identified and ring-fenced. What follows is to have an excellent coaching infrastructure in place. My organisation - GAIA : Game Angling Instructors Association - is very involved with the coaching bodies to develop angling further. There is a specific qualification, properly validated, for coaching angling; the main body of which is generic coaching skills required by all sports. GAIA has now a multi-level, vocational angling qualification that is soon to be launched and available to schools, higher education institutions, and other community organisations - very attractive to those people (adults and juniors) who may not have a bent for academia but nonetheless can achieve a valid qualification and set them on a learning pathway - with important milestones of achievement.

Much of your debate is enshrined in the coaching qualification and GAIAs philosophy for moving game angling forward not only in developing underpinning knowledge (including social and environmental issues) and skill in angling but also that of coaching people towards personal achievement- whereas in the past it mainly centered on "teaching people to go fishing". Our current awards of the GAIC and APGAI are integral in this coaching programme.

Good coaching can have a profound effect on people's lives.

Jim - UK Game Angling Instructors Association.

(GAIC - Game Angling Instructors Certificate; APGAi - Advanced Game Angling Instructor)

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Ally's list reminds me of the tailgate meetings I have with clients setting up their rods. One stumbling block I have found too often is assembling a multi piece rod with sections from another rod. In one instance, I had a husband wife team start to rig up a few multi piece Winston rods, and between his 6 weight and her 5 weight, it turned into a Rubic's Cube of a debacle.

I do like how Rick Pope at TFO has cured this potential by labeling each section with a particular color alignment dot (red means 5 wt. as example, where yellow means 7wt.). Nail polish can be added to any rod to create this identification.

I enjoy teaching students how to set the rod up, and take it down before and after the casting lesson, respectively. It reduces the potential for error, and makes students feel immediately good about a hands-on project that is easy to accomplish when done supervised. Conversely, if I start removing their line from the guides, and rearranging their reel on the rod, it sends an immediate message: "You are already making mistakes."

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Rick Pope's solution really makes sense.

This happened as I was giving a workshop at the Conclave one afternoon when a thunderstorm loomed. Several of the participants broke down their tackle. As the storm struck, a helpful "cheerful Charlie" picked up the rod segments and raced for cover. It took at least 20 minutes to unscramble the mess. Now, I have the students take no time to break down outfits, because these storms can be unpredictable and dangerous as they approach. We lay the outfits down, and go quickly to cover in the interest of safety ..... and we don't mix up rod parts.

I ran across that problem when doing some "rod testing" of G. Loomis salt water rod prototypes with Steve Rajeff a several years ago.

Steve had brought a cornucopia various tip and mid sections to match with one another and with different butt sections. The idea was to cast each on-the-spot creation in a real World situation in the salt water, wind and all. By using the same designation and design of fly line, we tried to come to conclusions as to the best "mix and match" combinations.

A little while into the switcheroos, I became confused .... until Steve pointed out that each rod segment was labelled with an easy to understand number code. For classes, however, I think the colored dot method is simpler and positive.

Steve went on to do this with several well known salt water fly fishers before returning to his company with an analysis of these opinions.

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From Pete Greenan:

From Pete Greenan - Sarasota, Fl

Most of my multiple student classes are novice & intermediate in nature. Six is the max. for one instructor. Four is better but you don't earn as much money that way. I run four or five hour classes.

I always get to the location early, set up a casting course with start markers and targets, drink my coffee and think about procedures. Never be late! When the students arrive I talk to them about their experience and goals making mental, and sometimes written notes. I supply 6 wt. & 8 wt rods with orange lines. I also give them a packet that includes line & rod catalogues, SA knot booklet, FFF application, my brochure and a copy of "An Introduction to Fly Fishing - Tackle, Techniques and Tactics", a class text book that I authored many years ago.

With the introductions and conversations out of the way I address casting theory and demonstrate simple straight line casts for them to visualise, both in pantomime and actual. Then I have them rig their rods, take out about 25 feet of line. We then proceed to cast. Three cast in a row, stop. Another demonstration. Three more cast in a row, stop. Now I explain what is happening when they cast. Again, they begin to cast. I give them 15 minutes while I touch base with each one, correcting as I go. Stop, ask for questions, and move on to the next step. Steps include using both hands, shooting line, trajectory, etc. Another demonstration concentrating on the relaxed, smooth stroke, easy stance and grip, tracking. Another 15 minutes of casting while I touch base with each again.

I then announce we will be taking a break in ten minutes and tell them this is self discovery time. I let them cast un-interrupted until the break.

After the break, I work with each student for a few minutes while the others cast. I work on line control, shooting, hauling etc., as I see the comprehension in their actions. Before we stop, I demonstrate some of the specialised casts they will need to catch fish and give them time to work on them. I spend as much time as they need with each until I feel confident they have acquired the basics and can recognise good casts and bad casts. The last thing I teach is how to practice.

As you might expect there will be questions about what flies to use, where to go, and more advanced techniques. These are often interspersed throughout the lesson, but I don't let it interrupt the flow of information for very long.

I've been using this program for over 20 years and it seems to work. I hope it helps.

Pete Greenan

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Pete ... By controlling the number of students as you do, you apparently don't need the assistance of CCI's. G.

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From Jerry Puckett :

Gordy,

If one is teaching a good distance from medical help I would suggest getting certified in Wilderness First Aid!

Took a week of Wilderness Training at 9000 feet in the Wind River Mountain of Wyoming,

The first aid was very complete based on the fact one may be miles from help, invaluable training!

Jerry Puckett

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The RED CROSS used to give courses in first aid. Not specifically with wilderness in mind, but good basic training. The Boy Scout's first aid merit badge course gave essentially the same information. I think these programs are still available.

Wilderness first aid differs, not in principle, but in the teaching of handling injuries when professional help is a long way off. This includes training in transport methods and the use of materials supplied by the natural surroundings.

Each year, our fishing club devotes one evening meeting to teaching basic first aid. This targets injuries and mishaps which sometimes occur in remote areas while fishing remote salt water areas in the tropics where we live. Several of the physicians in our club contribute. Things are covered which are not usually thought of in standard first aid courses.... such as how to use your outboard motor to treat stingray injuries, Man-O-War stings, near drownings, dehydration problems, finger ring entrapments due to insect bites, propeller injuries, safe removal of hooks, etc., etc.

In many communities, CPR programs are available in the USA at a nominal cost. Certification in CPR is a very good idea for all intructors who host classes and direct or own schools.

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