Coaching and Officiating
Almost all work Burton Athletic Club does is reliant on voluntary effort. Volunteers do everything from – The coaches at the Club, The club Committee, track and field officials, the running of the burton 10, collecting money on the sign in desk, organizing membership, managing/entering teams, updating the club website, updating our social media platforms and arranging our presentation evening…. that is just a few of the roles filled by volunteers at the club. We are incredibly grateful that so many people give up their time and energy.
Quite simply – without all these volunteers our club would not exist. There would be no open events, no measurements/timings, no England Athletics affiliation, no coaching and no team entries.
As a club we always need new volunteers, coaches and officials to keep the smooth running of the club. Whether it be coaching or officiating its quite easy to get involved with Burton ac.
How do i become a coach or a leader at the club?
Quite easy, there are various coaching qualification levels for all ages and abilities. most courses take place within the midlands area and club will finance anyone looking to take any of the qualifications below should you wish to embark on a coaching path. once qualified you will be assigned a mentor at the club to help you gain additional experience.
Leading Athletics
Who is it for?
Leading Athletics is a leadership workshop for those aged 14 years and above looking to lead athletics activities for young athletes. Packed full of useful tips and ideas, this three hour workshop is supported by a Workbook, Support Resource and a series of Game Cards which aid delivery. All content comes in an interactive App (the resource is also available in book format if required).
The Resources:
Supported by a series of interactive resources, Leading Athletics is perfect for anyone wishing to lead an athletics session. A must for those new to the sport, the resources include information on the roles and responsibilities of a leader, how to lead a fun and inclusive athletics session, and further information on how to develop your leadership skills. Crammed with ‘Top Tips’ for effective delivery, the Support Resource also explores the key principles of running, jumping and throwing events whilst providing technical information which support these principles.
The Game Cards:
The progressive Game Cards included in the full support resource demonstrate how to set up fun and engaging activates all designed to help introduce young athletes to the fundamentals of running, jumping and throwing.
The App
The Leading Athletics App complements the Leading Athletics Workshop and allows users to interactively deliver activities and seamlessly link to other support resources.
Leading Athletics Coaching Assistant
Who should go on this course?
Anyone aged 16 or over, who is interested in taking the first step into a coaching pathway and wants to understand the fundamental technical principles of coaching.
How many days will it take?
Two days (normally delivered over the course of one weekend) with no assessment.
What will I learn?
The technical coaching knowledge to underpin running, jumping and throwing activities. You’ll then learn how to apply these principles into a number of fun and exciting practical examples.
Topics covered include: Understanding fundamental movement skills, introduction to Athletics 365, delivering warm up and cool downs, coaching through fun, safe and enjoyable games, delivering speed work and endurance based activities, understanding the mechanics of jumping and throwing and the principles of session planning.
What will I be able to do?
By attending the Coaching Assistant course, you’ll have the knowledge and skills to deliver effective and engaging club sessions using task cards and session plans. Coaching Assistants will be insured to assist in the delivery of all aspects of a session whilst being supervised by a qualified Coach at the same venue.
Athletics Coach
Who should go on this course?
Anyone who is 18 or over and has completed the Coaching Assistant or Level 1 Assistant Coach and feels ready to take the next step to managing their own coaching groups. Currently qualified UKA Coaches looking to broaden their technical skills can also choose to attend as part of their continued education.
How many days will it take?
There are four contact days, but the course should be viewed as a development programme and you will be required to engage in pre-course work, supported practice and assessment preparation as well. Coaches will need to book on to an Athletics Coach Day 1 and 2 and then choose what event group they want to focus on for Day 3 & 4 (Endurance, Jumps, Speed or Throws).
What will I learn?
How to apply the fundamental principles of running, jumping and throwing and applying this knowledge over a series of sessions to help technically develop groups of athletes. You will learn how to coach running, jumping and throwing activities and observe correct technical aspects.
Topics covered on Day 1 & 2 include: Physical Preparation, Running (for Speed, Over Obstacles, Endurance), Jumping (for height and distance), Throwing (Pull & Push) and Coaching Process
Topics covered on your chosen event group Day 3:
Endurance – more technical aspects of Race Walking, Steeplechase, Middle Distance Running, Wheelchair Racing, Planning and Coaching Process
Jumps – more technical aspects of Long Jump, Triple Jump, High Jump, Pole Vault, Planning and Coaching Process
Speed – more technical aspects of Starts, Acceleration, Maximum Velocity, Hurdles, Relay, Wheelchair racing, Planning and Coaching Process
Throws – more technical aspects of Hammer, Discus, Javelin, Shot, Seated Throw, Planning, Coaching Process
Day 4 will be your coaching assessment and planning assessment (focus on the Event Group).
What will I be able to do?
Candidates will be able to plan a progressive training programme for athletes coaching a range of activities to prepare the developing athlete to run, jump and throw. When qualified you will be insured to coach without supervision, working with Coaching Assistants and Athletics Leaders to support you in delivering the sessions.
Athletics Coach Add on modules
Qualified Athletics Coach and Level 2 (or higher) coaches are given access to the online Athletics Coach Add on Modules are offered as an online learning resource so that eligible coaches can progress their own development.
The Athletics Coach Add on Modules cover Triple Jump, Pole Vault, Hammer, Discus, Race Walking and Wheel Chair Racing. These modules are currently available free of charge. Pole Vault, hammer and discus will also require a practical assessment.
Event Group Coach
The Event Group Coach (EGC) programme is designed to provide licenced athletics coaches with a greater understanding and awareness of the issues involved with coaching athletes at the Event Group Development stage of the athlete development pathway. This course can only be taken by coaches who already hold an Athletics Coach Awards or are already qualified at Level 2 or above under the old UKA ‘Levels’ system, and are licensed to coach without supervision.
The Event Group Coach qualifications comprise mostly of online learning, with a single integration day to complete the qualification.
LIRF: Leadership In Running Fitness
Who should go on this course?
Anyone who is 18 years and above and has an interest in running for fitness and would like to lead a group, then this is the course for you.
How many days will it take?
One day, with no assessment.
What will I learn?
The course will focus on the safe organisation of achievable and progressive running activity and how to lead a group of runners of varying ability.
Topics covered include: The barriers that stop people from taking up running, and how a leader can make a difference for them. How to plan sessions and deliver a safe and fun warm up and a cool down. Demonstration and supervision of effective stretching. The different types of activity that can make running varied and enjoyable. Helping runners to set and achieve SMARTER goals
What will I be able to do?
The course is designed to prepare you to provide a safe and enjoyable running experience for young people over 12 years of age and adults of any ability, size or shape. You may lead a group for your club and register with RunTogether to deliver to new runners. Your qualification will provide you with insurance to lead a group within the limits of the course content. Leadership in Running Fitness will be accepted as a prerequisite course for the Coach in Running Fitness qualification.
CIRF: Coach In Running Fitness
Who should go on this course?
Coaches who are 18 or over and primarily working with runners up to and including event group development stage. Applicants must be active leaders or coaches who have completed as a minimum a Level 1, Fitness in Running & Walking, LiRF or Coaching Assistant qualifications. CiRF has a broad application to non track based endurance running rather than specific events or distances. It is not designed for coaches working primarily with track-based runners.
How many days will it take?
There are four contact days, but the course should be viewed as a development programme and you will be required to engage in pre-course work, supported practice and assessment preparation as well.
What will I learn?
How to apply the fundamental principles of running over a series of sessions to help technically develop groups of athletes and how to coach endurance running on a variety of surfaces. Topics covered include: Fundamental running skills and drills. Skill development. Energy systems and endurance running. Physical preparation & Nutrition. Injury prevention and management. Flexibility. Understanding of planning and delivery. The core coaching skills. Integrated Coaching. Athlete Development & Profiling.
What will I be able to do?
Plan a progressive training programme to help runners towards their specific goals. When qualified you will be insured to coach without supervision, working with support from Coaching Assistants and Leaders in Running Fitness.
Officiating
OFFICIALS – WHO NEEDS THEM?
WE DO!! Just about anyone who is trying to run an athletics club or organise an athletics meeting needs officials.
Those who become involved with athletics, other than competing, are usually parents or family members whose children have joined a local club. Invariably parents get asked to help out at club meetings by officiating on the track or on the field.
There can never be too many officials at an athletics meeting. The duties are varied. You may think that you know very little about officiating, or that you must sit an exam before you are let loose near athletes but that is not true. Every qualified official had to start somewhere, usually by offering their services at a League or Open meeting. You would not be expected to work alone, but as part of a team. Experienced officials are only too willing to give encouragement and advice to newcomers.
Whether it’s working on the field, judging track races, being a timekeeper or a starter/marksman why not come along to a meeting and ‘give officiating a go’.There is nothing to stop you trying all the different areas of officiating to see which you enjoy the most.
Once you have decided which coaching course you would like to take or what area of officiating you’d like to get qualified in, the next step will be to find a location for a course near you. They both can be found using the following link:
https://www.englandathletics.org/courses-and-bookings
Once you have found the course and the location it is now time to complete you application and hand this in to the club for us to process and pay for the course and get you booked on. Once booked you will receive a confirmation email with a link to the course materials you will need.
FOR OTHER AREAS YOU CAN VOLUNTEER TO HELP AT PLEASE VISIT THE VOLUNTEERS PAGE