Chris Curtis Web Site

I took the British Orienteering Federation’s level I orienteering coach course about a year ago, and have enjoyed working with students in and around the school grounds and taking them to events. I was quick and keen to sign up when I saw a (fairly) local course for the level 2 coaching qualification advertised last November. Despite the booking form being lost in the post back then, I went along today and joined 12 others for the course.

The level I qualification is aimed at people who want to share a “taste” of orienteering with beginners, within the grounds of a school or youth centre. Level II is aimed at people who want to “instruct” orienteering up to technical level 3 – or “orange” courses. This is ideal for me with the age range of students at my school. The qualification also supports you in organising and planning coaching in “small woodlands with good access” again ideal for the students I work with.

We started with a brief reprise of parts of the level I course, then came a mixture of new things: access, registering activities with BOF and the like. Then we worked in groups using a local map to plan coaching exercises for particular purposes. I was with a group that was given the job of preparing a course that would coach recognising and using attack points. The discussion was great, with group members pitching in as we identified possible controls and attack points that went with them. Then we ambled down to the area, about five minutes away, and walked the course. At this point, the planning evaporated. Our first control and its attack points were fine, as was the second, but the lovely clear lines into the third turned out to be full of gorse bushes and a gully on the map was hardly visible on the ground. Our best control was basically invisible, and the lovely attack point turned out to be vague and unconvincing. The hasty replacement was not great. What was a classic and well thought-out exercise on paper, was OK but not great on the ground – a powerful piece of learning.

Each group then tried the other groups’ exercises, which showed that they had struggled as we had, with some really good controls to illustrate the learning points (“route choice” and “aiming off”) and some very dubious ones. This was another powerful piece of learning – how particular terrain favours particular techniques. With some pacing and bearing exercises thrown in, three and a half hours flew by.

After lunch, we worked on some coaching situations, looked at how to plan coaching exercises and did some work actually planning. I spent a happy half hour trying to plan white and yellow courses on a variety of unfamiliar maps. What was fascinating and challenging was the business of planning things appropriate to the level, even thinking about what might be visible from a child’s height compared with an adult’s.

In many ways, the real work now begins. To qualify, we have to do “internal assessment”, completing a written test paper, and other exercises as well as submitting plans for several sessions and courses. Once we are through that, we have to do an “external assessment”, which means running a coaching session while being observed.

I thoroughly enjoyed the day and felt I learnt. I had wondered whether I was being a little arrogant thinking that I can coach the sport, given my fairly limited achievements so far, but trying to explain things to others is a very good way to learn, and I already know that there is a desperate need for our kids to be encouraged to get out of doors and do challenging and interesting things. I think I can help them to do that while I carry on learning. I do want to continue and will be aiming to do the work to gain the qualification. More importantly, this will be a spur to plan and deliver more orienteering for youngsters.