Results of the Coach Education Survey - click here
BITA Survey Statistics - click here
Below is the letter sent to both the NISA Board of Directors and Skate Scotland
Ref: Coaching
The Committee of the British Ice Teachers Association has been concerned for some time now with the current NISA Coach Education Programme. A large number of coaches have expressed unrest and alarm at the increasing costs, but in particular the content of the programme.
The British Ice Teachers Association has recently commissioned an on-line survey of nearly 400 coaches. Over 33% responded and their comments are attached with this letter. Although a small number of coaches have vented their frustration with NISA there are a large number of very valid points which have been made and should be considered with a view to improving the current programme.
The British Ice Teachers Association was formed in 1936 and was called the Ice Teachers Guild. The Association is very proud of its history and success with both coaches and skaters. The Association’s members have produced numerous World, European and Olympic skating champions with the majority of British skaters having been trained by a BITA qualified coach. The Association’s President is Betty Callaway MBE, coach to Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean and a plethora of National, European, World and Olympic Champions.
In 1995 the British Ice Teachers Association agreed to transfer the coach education programme to NISA and in return NISA welcomed coaches for the first time into the Association as voting members with representation on the NISA Board of directors along with its own coaching committee. The new National Coach Education Programme, NCCP, was born and appeared to be moving coaching forwards in the right direction but has stalled and has remained, with some minor alterations, the same since 1995.
The biggest change has been the introduction of the NISA coach Licence scheme and it is with this that the problems start. Although a Licence to coach is certainly not something that the coaches are against, it is the costs of such a Licence and the annual renewal.
The Committee of BITA has researched many key UK NGB coach awards as well as Figure Skating NGB’s from around the world. The vast majority of renewals are on a three yearly cycle. This brings renewal into line with First Aid, CRB checks, Sports Coach UK workshops, which with different names are similar around the World. Interestingly Licence fees are much lower through other sporting NGBs.
A number of joint NISA / BITA meetings assured BITA that the introduction of a Licence fee would guarantee that Licence fees would be ring fenced for coaching and coach education.
The ring fencing of fees for coach education has not happened and a simple calculation shows that in excess of £200,000.00 has been generated for the Association from the Licence scheme.
Where is this money? Why has it not been reinvested in coaching?
The Licence fee appears to have been diverted to simply generate funds for the Association.
In addition to the Licence fee coaches are obliged to attend a range of seminars to maintain their Licence. IJS and Field Move seminars are two of the key seminars that appear to generate income for NISA. It is of course recognised that there are costs involved with such seminars however it should not be that the coaches cover all of the costs involved.
Where is the real coach education for coaches? When will coaches receive education on improving coaching skills and techniques which can be put into practice on a daily basis? For over 8 years there have been no NISA organised coaching seminars to help support coaches, particularly for those at Levels 1 & 2. Coach education is for coaches NOT for judges.
Other skating countries deliver IJS and test information as part of a combined coach education programme with the essential components of the programme being the core coaching skills. When will NISA take the core coaching skills seriously? A generation of coaches have missed out completely on learning the basics of good coaching.
Coaches appear to be treated with disdain. The annual renewal system makes no allowance for everyday life. Marriage, pregnancy, young children, injury, illness, family holidays to mention but a few things that go on outside of skating. No consideration is given to the additional expenses involved in attending seminars. Travel, accommodation, child care, lost earnings mean anything up to £750 of costs over and above NISA fees can easily be incurred. So much so that some of our most promising coaches are seriously considering giving up altogether, others are moving abroad and the remainder are demoralised and utterly de-motivated.
NISA appear to forget that the only individuals who generate revenue for NISA are the coaches.
- NISA Membership income is generated solely by coaches.
- NISA Test income is generated solely by coaches.
- NISA Coaching income is generated solely by coaches.
- NISA IJS and Field move seminar income is solely generated by coaches.
- NISA IJS and Championship income is generated solely by coaches
Coaches receive nothing in return for their efforts in generating the majority of NISA core income as listed above. They are treated as a soft touch to hit with exorbitant fees which provide neither education nor Continuing Professional Development. Why?
NISA must reinvest in coaches and coaching.
A strong coach education programme will comprise of a balance between on-ice technical education, off-ice core knowledge education and information on the test structure, IJS changes and information – other leading skating nations do not impose costly Field Moves and IJS seminars on their coaches as stand alone seminars. Most, if not all, are using material online. This is charged for by the NGB and Coaches are quite willing to pay providing they are getting proper education and value for money.
All major skating nations focus predominately on the core skating skills and educating coaches to coach. Without a drastic change of direction in terms of coach education the standards of British skating will continue the current downward trend into total mediocrity.
Our view is that NISA should:
- Adopt a philosophy that promotes and supports skater-centred coaching and coach-centred education and professional development.
- Identify, develop and evaluate coaching competencies at all levels of coaching.
- Deliver coach education in a manner that will enable coaches to apply underpinning theory to their coaching practice and to meet the needs of their skaters
- Enable coaches to access and communicate with the evolving body of coaching knowledge and best practice around the world in a manner that will foster and support continuous learning and development.
- Develop systems that will encourage and support the continuous learning and professional development of coaches based on identifying and responding to the needs of the individual.
- Develop coach education systems that support open learning and allow coaches to study at a time, place and frequency of their own
At the present time we do not feel that any one of these 6 points is reflected within the coach education system.
The Committee of the British Ice Teachers Association its members and coaches generally are very concerned that this is not the case. However, we would like to offer our help and co-operation in developing a Coach Education Scheme that satisfies these aspirations and, in time enables our skaters to once again take their place in the World’s top 10.
The BITA Committee
