We aim to provide the best fly fishing for beginners courses we can, and an important part of that commitment is to develop our coaching skills. We Fly Fish attended a very successful Angling Trust Coaching Conference in March 2019 which brought together some 50 coaches from around the country to share experience, and contribute to the development of training programmes for the next generation of angling coaches. Coaches from across the sport, covering coarse, sea and game angling disciplines attended and learned from examples of best practice.
Coaches could choose between presentations and discussions on a range of technical and professional topics. Amongst these it was inspiring to hear Charles Jardine talk about the transformational work that https://www.countryside-alliance.org/charity/fishing-for-schools does. Fishing for Schools introduces the sport to youngsters in England and Wales and gives them the chance to enjoy outdoor activity and all the benefits that angling provides.
New Continuing Professional Development (CPD) modules were introduced. These modules will enable coaches to enhance their personal skills and proficiency throughout their careers. Pictured are Karl Humphries AAPGAI (Angling Trust Coach Educator) and Danny Williams (Angling Trust Development Officer) during the Casting Principles and Video Analysis module. Karl led the module which covered how to combine technology, observation and analysis.
Video analysis is a very useful tool when coaching fly fishing for beginners and improvers, giving coaches the ability to record casting technique and suggest improvements. Video recording allows anglers to see what is happening to their hand, rod and line during the cast. We can watch the cast at full speed or slow down playback and pause at key points. We Fly Fish will be continuing to develop our use of video technology as it has already proven to be helpful in our fly fishing for beginners courses. Find out more about our fly fishing coaching here.
