Robin Nelson is one of the more “serious” new coaches on the scene. . . .

For every time I’ve had a student express their fears and then watched them escape that black pit, I’ve leaned further into the realm of play as a teaching tool. Play as I mentioned in the last post is a stealth learning technique. It helps me bypass fear without addressing it directly. Of course it’s not only fear that you can bypass but preconceptions as well. Each year as my experience grows, so it seems do those little successes that make it all worthwhile. Those moments are my inspiration.

Along the never ending path of developing my own teaching style I’ve stolen from every coach along the way like a drug store poet! A line here, a game there. . . I’m not all that wise but I do pay attention. Coaches I’ve often mentioned here before have found all sorts of ways to guide students to a learning point with the sort of magic and subtle trickery needed to overcome pre-formed notions. Kelly Blades patented “Kayak Play” class and Shawna Frankin an Leon Somme’s ingenious techniques are just some of the inspiration that so influenced my perceptions of coaching. At the same time I have not forgotten the serious lessons either; Brent Reitz’s amazing clarity of the forward stroke, Rowland Woolven’s no-nonsense approach to rough water. . (ah, well. . maybe a little nonsense!), John Browning’s meticulous approach to navigation, Justine Curgenven’s advice on slaloming through waves, and on and on. Somewhere in that jumble of remarkable information I, like all coaches, work to find my own place.

My introductory classes are sort of a mix and match. In initial meetings I try to get a feel for the personality of the group. Usually a group of students tends to lean in one direction or another. In there you have some overview of where you will be going. Inside that radius is each individual student and their learning styles and personal needs. Then of course is your time limitation and necessary skills that you must cover in time allotted. Often I teach classes quite differently depending on the group. This can be interesting when student A recommends your class to student B then when they attend you do things completely different because the class’s personality is different. Still though much of what you do class to class is structured and no one walks away empty handed. Intro classes of course require that you fit a lot in, boat design, boat fit, wet exits, strokes, rescues, safety and such. Each of these things are of course the foundations of kayaking. They are important and need to be taught well and with clarity. Thing is, you often have very little time to address individuals hesitations and fears. Yet if you let them slide all the rest will go out the window. You can’t learn a solid low brace for instance if you are afraid to fall in. So I feel I have to add two additional bits to my outline; Comfort & Inspiration.

Comfort is about being sure the student moves past the hesitations and fears that limit their ability to learn. As an example, I talked to an individual while in Door County that had been taking classes all weekend. Sunday afternoon on the last day of the symposium, he had some questions for JB about boat fit and I tagged along. Well, the main issue this guy had was actually that he felt unstable in his kayak. We all know the simple answer, “butt in boat time”. Thing is why would someone go through 3 solid days of classes and still feel wobbly in his boat!? There could be a special circumstance of course. Chances are however, that he just never really had an opportunity to get to know is boat and how it reacted to him under different circumstances. Each class taught skills but never addressed his comfort. So, is it fair to ask how well he was able to focus on skill work while all the while being distracted by a feeling of instability? If you are not comfortable, you are not at your highest learning capacity. Being uncomfortable whether cold or hungry or feeling unstable are limitations and need to be addressed by the coach. Just saying “did you bring food” does not cover it. The intro to kayaking class is the perfect time in my experience to deal with fears and discomfort.

The second point is Inspiration. It’s not really about being “inspirational”, although some coaches are certainly that. But it’s really about feeding the monster that got the students into the class in the first place. . . (that suddenly fills me with the image of giving a cheeseburger to someone’s spouse. . .). You want to show them how fun kayaking can be. . not just with groups but also on their own. If you expect them to practice and move forward they need to be inspired to do so. Otherwise their kayak will just languish in the shed.

All this brings me back to “Play”. I won’t go back over my last post. Only to say that the silliness that seems to run rampant in mine and others classes are by design and not happen stance or screwing off. Each little escapade is often aimed at an individual issue or the group as a whole with a very clear quantifiable result in mind. Tennis balls and Frisbees are about boat control, crawling about on your deck is about balance and comfort. Splashing is overcoming fears. Laughter is about inspiration. The payoff is the person who paddled solidly  in wind and waves with new found confidence and a smile pasted on from ear to ear. From a coaches perspective, when you see that you can’t help but feel you did something right.

Related Posts:

1. 2007 Colman Fun 94
2. all about fun
3. Propaganda of Fun
4. Fun in the Bedroom
5. Fun & Safety