Coach Rating

[ozzy13 0]

I am thinking of taking the coach rating class this spring. I just want to learn as much as I can I am not sure if I want to make a career out of it.I just want to learn all areas of skydiving. Maybe someone can help go in the right direction

Never give the gates up and always trust your rears!

[skybeergodd 0]

Call USPA and get a coach kit(it's a SIM and IRM).Read thru the IRM(the pink pages) and start working with coaches and instructors. Just watch them to see how they interact with students.
There are alot of rating holders out there who do not get paid or paid very little to exercise the privileges of their ratings. They do it out of love for the sport and because they like helping out the up and comers. The better our student retention is the more successful the DZ is.
Plus I fully think that people who actively work with students tend to be more heads up and safe. They are constantly teaching the BSR's and the basics and answering all the questions students tend to throw at you helps you think and that thinking things thru process can be the difference between life and death when you experience an emergency.
Thats just my 2 cents.....Good Luck with the rating.

[JustChuteMeNow 0]

Hey Ozzy,

I agree with studying the IRM and learning that material. Half the class is showing that you know how to teach. Also if you can get some tunnel time prior to your course that can sure help get you ready in regards to your belly skills that will be needed.

Last but not least do some jumps with people and try and practice your ability to remember what they did and didn't do on the jump ie timing, count, body position, etc

Think of how stupid the average person is and realize that statistically half of them are stupider than that.

[ozzy13 0]

Thanks I do have some tunnel time. It just so far away ( New Hamp. and I live on LI) I have a SIMs. I didnt know about the other one thought I really just want to get more skills.

Never give the gates up and always trust your rears!

[BIGUN 1,042]

In addition to the IRM:
1. Watch the FJC being taught till you can recite it verbatim.
2. If you're DZ is an AFF predominate; watch and learn how to teach every one of the categories.
3. Go to another DZ whether by boogie or intent; ask to sit in on their class to see how they do it (steal, steal, steal).
4. Finally, ask your DZ to allow you to AI on blocks of instruction until they feel you can handle an entire block of instruction on your own.

Course, I'm old school so there are those that will give you the abbreviated version.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[FrenchyDiver 0]

You have been given good advise. A coach is also expected to be able remember what happened during the freefall and being able to provide the relevant feedback to the student. It means that the coach is expected to focus more on the student than on his/her own flying skills. A good way to achieve this flying skills is by doing simple two way dives with people that just got their A license. It will force you to work out more to fly your slot.

Also, talk to the instructors and coaches at your DZ. I am sure they will gladly give you excellent advise about what you should work on to get a coach rating. They know your abilities and will definitely work with you to get you ready.

As for the IRM you can purchase one through the USPA website.

Teaching is very rewarding. The smile on the student's face after a sucessful exercise is woth a million.

Hispas Brothers President
HISPA #2,

[ozzy13 0]

Thank you .

Never give the gates up and always trust your rears!

[timuuu 0]

http://www.uspa.org/news/courses.htm

Just in case you're looking for a place to get the rating. The information you learn in the course helps teach you how to become a better skydiver. If you can teach it, you can really do it! Get the rating!

[AdD 1]

The coach course should teach you how to learn new skills even quicker and more thoroughly by being an active participant in the experience. It is valuable even if you never deal with a single novice I think. Teaching someone to track and then having them leave you in the dust wondering what just happened is a strange yet rewarding experience!

Life is ez
On the dz
Every jumper's dream
3 rigs and an airstream

[HardCorr 0]

One of the best things I took away from my coach course was opening my eyes to what was happening on the jump. The ability to observe and recall what your student is doing in the air as well as on the ground is one of the key points in improving your skills as a coach and more importantly, their skills as a beginning skydiver.

If you have the opportunity to do a course with Jay Stokes, his teaching style is very interesting and he'll ensure you have the knowledge and ability to begin your coaching career before you even get up in the air.

Good luck with your pursuits!!!

The key to being a good teacher, is to be a good listener...

[milehighpres 0]

i just finished yesterday with my coach course (passed). i took the course with Randy Schroder, he was awesome. i did the course at X-keys, the amount of time that we took on just learning how to be a good coach and how to present all the information correctly to the student was great.

the jumps on the other hand were just hard if it was your first time working with a student. having to do three gear checks and the student (evaluator) messing things up. having to almost babysit them onto the airplane and until jump time.

the two jumps that you will do is the CAT. G and H. H was actually fun.

OZZY im sure you will have fun in the course

"the sky is not the limit....the ground is"

[tdog 0]

Quote

One of the best things I took away from my coach course was opening my eyes to what was happening on the jump. The ability to observe and recall what your student is doing in the air as well as on the ground is one of the key points in improving your skills as a coach and more importantly, their skills as a beginning skydiver.

For me - it is communication...

Example. There was a guy with 15 jumps on the plane last weekend. I was going to do a solo freefly - but anything in a group is more fun...

So I asked him what altitude he wanted to track away, and what altitude he wanted to pull... I then said, "dive out, do a few flips maybe, and once you see me, lets do docks... Just remember to stay altitude aware..."

In freefall I was able to tell him the rest. "Come here". "Altitude". "Hold On" (and I spun us and let go so he would get separation and had to redock).

When I first started out coaching - I think I spent too much time prepping on the ground and not enough communication in the sky.

I am just scratching the surface of my abilities right now in communicating in freefall, but when I evaluated a coach candidate a few weekends ago I really critiqued him hard on communicating in freefall... He saw what I did wrong, told me on the ground, but did not tell me in the sky...

[ozzy13 0]

I took the coach course this weekend . Dual rating (USPA and Skydive U ) It was great. Like everyone here it opened my eyes to so much . I really wanted to take it to improve my skydiving and if I can help someone else thats great . There is so much info on teaching for just three days . I am really glad I took the course .

I have a question, What is the difference in courses from USPA and Skydive U ? The reason I ask is I took a dual rating course and it was more of a skydive U perspective . It was really geared towards teaching fundamentals of skydiving basic body flight . Is there a difference in the courses and is something in the works so everyone will have to get the dual rating ?

Never give the gates up and always trust your rears!

[ozzy13 0]

nobody knows the difference with the class or are they the same and nobody knows if they (USPA) are changing there rating to meet skydive U's standards

Never give the gates up and always trust your rears!

[JustChuteMeNow 0]

Hey Ozzy13,

The Skydive U coaches course has higher standards than the USPA course. The Skydive U course requires video of certain manuvers in freefall ie so many points of a specified sequence in order to show proficiency. Off the top of my head I seem to remember 10-15 required skydives. Many USPA coaches would not be able to meet those requirements. Of course there are many USPA coaches that could meet the same requirement. All of the requirements are in the Skydive U packet that you should have.

Jim

Think of how stupid the average person is and realize that statistically half of them are stupider than that.

[Kimsdu 0]

Hey Kim from Skydive university here.
The SDU coach course is more in depth than the USPA course it focuses alot on how to teach and uses proven teaching methods on students. using isometric and kinosthesic methods needed to build muscle memory.
There are actually only 2 evaluation skydives on the three day course, however we find that we will do a few more with the candidates before they are meeting the skill level required. Its more about training than a simple pass or fail.
i have evaluated many courses over the last 8 years and all of the candidates praised the course.
Rob laidlaw really knows his stuff and when you leave an Sdu course you leave with much more than just a coach rating.
When you take the sdu course you also get your USPA rating but not vice versa.

[ozzy13 0]

Hi Kim

I just took the course last weekend with Rich at SDLI and its was great. He opened my eyes so much. I love the teaching methods skydive U uses . The question I have is USPA going to raise their standards ?

Never give the gates up and always trust your rears!

[zuluguy 0]

yes I completed it a year ago, definitely recommend to any one who is planning on taking it.