Canoe Lloyd Langford Expedition Training

BCAB Paddlesport Instructor

13th September 2022, 8:36pm by Chris Lloyd

British Canoeing’s Paddlesport Instructor course is an entry point qualification and for many the first in an individual’s outdoor career. Based within a very sheltered water environment, the course is keenly sought by outdoor activity centres and clubs to support their delivery in providing on water activities.

This two-day course provides the aspirant instructor with the practical skills to get a group prepped, afloat and familiarised with their environment through activities, games and supported learning alongside mini journeys to support learning, inspire adventure and exploration.

The Paddlesport Instructor qualification is designed for aspirant instructors looking to run paddlesport taster / starter sessions within the safety management systems of clubs, outdoor activity centres and other organisations in both very sheltered environments and craft deemed suitable for a first-time experience. Individuals attending this course also have the freedom to choose which craft they feel most comfortable presenting in, this includes kayak, canoe, sit-on-top craft, and stand-up paddleboards.

Our providers aim to have you leave the course essentially ‘primed and ready’ in your first paddlesport instructing role, having developed and progressed your own paddling skills and met like-minded people, ready to take people out on the water providing safe and enjoyable learning for all!

Course Content:

Areas covered on this course may include but aren’t limited to:

How to effectively prepare a group for an activity (e.g. providing equipment / getting afloat)
Using ‘play’ and a range of activities to engage a group such as games, tasks and journeys
Exploring a range of motivating activities and games that support foundation learning
Using mini journeys to inspire adventure and exploration whilst embedding learning
Develop ideas that allow you to help participants learn basic skills
Top tips and quick fixes for common challenges to accelerate learning
Investigate how to select suitable equipment for participants
Explore methods of maintaining participant safety and developing your understanding of deployment matters

Price Per Person:

£195.00 per person, discounts available for group bookings.

Price Includes:

Professional coaching and instruction
Individual use of chosen venue
Use of external equipment where applicable (including alternative crafts)
Certification where applicable

What to Bring:

Equipment suitable for sheltered water environments and cold conditions
Your personal chosen craft (e.g. kayak, canoe, sit-on-top craft or stand-up paddleboard)
Appropriate footwear for uneven and wet surfaces
Notepad and pen
Lunch for the day

Registration

Registration to National Association:

Anybody wishing to pursue a Paddlesport Instructor qualification is required to centrally register with the appropriate National Association, in the case of candidates residing / working in England this is British Canoeing. For those who live outside of England, the other National Associations for the UK are Canoe Wales, The Scottish Canoe Association, and The Canoe Association of Northern Ireland respectively.

Once complete, you need to register for the award with your chosen National Association. This is an online process through your British Canoeing membership portal and is currently set at £45.oo.

When to Register:

We recommend that you register for the Paddlesport Instructor as early in your development journey as possible to access all of the support and learning resources. As a bare minimum and to support your learning we would recommend registering at least two weeks before starting your course. It is worth noting that as a course provider, we will need to see evidence of registration two weeks prior to attending.

Prerequisites

To be suitably equipped to attend a Paddlesport Instructor course you need to meet two requirements outside of the formal registration processes outlined above.

Personal Paddling Ability:

As a practical, water-based course you need to be able to paddle your personal craft, either a canoe, kayak, stand-up paddleboard (SUP) or sit on top independently on flat water in a sheltered environment to adequately meet the personal paddling skills assessment criteria. We find that paddlers that have completed the Paddle Discover/Explore Award, meet the old 2/3* standard or with around 70 hours of personal paddling experience can focus on the training and get the most out of their course.

Recognised Safety and Rescue Training:

Candidates upon registering for the Paddlesport Instructor course must have previously completed and have certification for attendance on either a Foundation Safety and Rescue Training (FSRT) or the new Paddlesport Safety and Rescue Course (PSRC).

Candidates with evidence of previously completing a Foundation Safety and Rescue Training course will still meet the prerequisites and do not need to attend a PSRT course unless compelled to do so in aid of the development of their own personal safety and rescue skills.

If you don’t currently hold either of these qualifications we run a number of PSRC courses throughout the year, however British Canoeing advise a period of at least 6 weeks between both courses to consolidate your skills and build upon experience. If you would like to see the dates we have available, click here.

Pre Course E-Learning

Pre-Course E-Learning:

The British Canoeing eLearning package is designed to support both current instructors and aspirant instructors through varying topics of knowledge and skill. There are 9 topics to choose from, along with a knowledge audit which will help you understand areas you may need to develop further. The activities are free to access, can be accessed in any order and each has a statement of participation that can be downloaded upon completion.

Simply choose the package you want to study and then open the link to access the eLearning.

Topics Include:

If you would like to access the eLearning package in question, please click here.

Assessment

Assessment:

Our course tutors will inspire and promote learning through a wide range of practical activities, with the specific assessments for the course woven into and part of the overall learning, therefore, you can put your mind at ease and focus on enjoying the course.

By the end of the course you will have to demonstrate knowledge and skills in the following three areas:

Profesional Standards
Personal Paddling Skills
Rescue Skills

You will know when, where and how you’re going to be assessed and have plenty of chances to shape those decisions. Upon successful completion of each of these tasks, the tutor will recommend you for certification. Certificates will be emailed to you with the craft stated on your certificate.

Please note, you do not need to repeat the BCAB Paddlesport Instructor course to have a certificate for every craft. It will be up to you where you work or volunteer to decide what you need to allow you to work in other craft, this could be by undertaking a Personal Performance Award or a competency check performed by your deployer.

If you’re nervous about your personal skills and want to make sure you’re ready for your course we suggest you drop us a message or give us a call. We’ll be able to talk through your worries, discuss the skills checklist in the course guide and where appropriate, support you in gaining your Paddle Explore to check that you’re ready.

Notes:

This course will run at a number of suitable venues throughout the year and is available upon request to groups by simply contacting us beforehand.

Lloyd Langford Expedition Training Limited provide all attendees with public liability insurance and accidental injury cover up to £5,000,000 during the course, however, the risks associated with paddlesport and outdoor activities are your own and through booking and accepting our terms and conditions you take responsibility for these risks.

For more information on the course we recommend reading the associated documents and resources by British Canoeing. You can find these here.

We currently have no upcoming dates for this course, however if you are interested in requesting this course as a group please get in touch to discuss this:

Enquire Now

Paddle Safer

13th September 2022, 1:19pm by Alexander Bennell

British Canoeing’s Paddle Safer course is a fun and relaxed course based within a sheltered water environment, focusing on a range of simple and incredibly effective solutions to the most common flat-water problems.

The course is ideal for new and relatively novice paddlers looking to gain knowledge and raise their awareness of paddling safety. The course gives you the opportunity to discuss safety and environmental considerations for planning paddling activities, explore and implement a range of effective strategies and look at simple rescue scenarios from your chosen craft.

Our courses are run in small groups of up to 8, however, they can be extended appropriately for larger groups with additional staffing. Our providers aim to have you leave the course with a heightened understanding of up-to-date rescue techniques, improved confidence in your own abilities and hopefully having learnt something new!