UKC

I am having difficulty working out the exact remit of am SPA instructor.Do you need a qualification to coach climbing? If I hold the SPA can I coach climbers who are already leading?

I have heard that it is possible to teach people to lead as a friend (without charge) and then once they are competent you could charge for some coaching lessons.

Any thoughts would be appretiated.

In reply to kays: Hi Kays. The SPA syllabus does not cover coaching climbing. For details see: http://www.mltuk.org/spa.php (especially Intro para, section 1.2 and all of section 2). The award is a supervisory one covering the safe mamangement of groups at single pitch crags (see syllabus for difinition) and or walls. It also doesn't cover the teaching or supervising of lead climbing (site specific training, CWLA or higher award for that one). Now having said that since many SPA provoders are also CWA providers they input some of the coaching information they use at CWA into the SPA Training but it isn't in the syllabus or a requirement at training or assessment.
This is my understanding of how it works. There is nothing to stop anyone setting themself up as a climbing 'coach' and if you feel you are competent to do so (whether or not you hold an SPA) you could take out Professional Liability Insurance and go ahead. IF you do hold an SPA and were only coaching students otherwise within the remit of the award (top or bottom roping or bouldering, at appropriate venues) it might get you a better deal on your insurance. The supervision of the groups activities (belaying, bouldering safety, tying on etc.) would be within the remit of the award but any coaching advice delivered would not be specifically covered by your SPA.
If you are an SPA holder then joining a body like the MLTA can help with your insurance costs. Also contacting the people at MLT, MLTE, MLTA would be productive- they are helpful and knowledgeable when it come to dealing with this sort of query.
There are big plans afoot to create a scheme of training and/ assessment for coaching in climbing and there should be increasing amounts of news about this in the next year.
Hope that is of help. PM me if you want more,
Al

In reply to kays:

What Al said above plus if you did a BMC Fundamentals course this would kind of fill in the coaching gap between CWA and SPA. It won't increase you remit but would be helpful.

In reply to kays: Thank you for the information. I do hold the SPA and am going on the fundamentals courses next week. I believe the insurance available from the MLTA only covers you when you are working under remit of your quals so this would be no good for coaching then.

In reply to kays: Whilst the SPA syllabus does not explicitly cover 'coaching', elements of basic coaching are included implicitly. After all, when you rig a climb for students it is assumed they you will be in a position to offer some advice (however basic) to them about how to climb it.

As an SPA with MLTA insurance you will have absolutely no problem with delivering 'coaching' provided that the methods that you use are within your remit and you do not cover subjects that are 'technical skills' clearly outside the SPA.

- You can coach using traversing or bouldering, indoors or outside.
- You can coach using top-roping or bottom-roping in any form inside or outside.
- You can coach with your students seconding inside or outside.

What you absolutely cannot do within the terms of your insurance is any 'coaching' that involves a student lead climbing indoors or outside.

Since bouldering is the best medium for coaching movement whether you happen to be an SPA, an MIA or a professional coach like Neil Gresham you are not at any great disadvantage compared to anyone else.

When it comes to defining what technical skills are within remit, that is a far more difficult issue.

In reply to kays: So what defines someone like Neil Gresham as a professional coach? What qualifications does someone like this hold?

I agree that probably the best place to coach movement is at the boulder wall, but some skills can only be learnt when on the lead.

In reply to kays:
"So what defines someone like Neil Gresham as a professional coach? What qualifications does someone like this hold?"

He is paid (a surprisingly large amount of money) to coach people.
James

In reply to kays:

As far as I know Neil has no Climbing / instructor qualifications, I attended a Coaching Masterclass course earlier this year and would highly recommend. He is probably the best climbing coach in the UK.....

Don't get caught up with what's in remit and what's not, as legally there is no requirement to be qualified to teach anything in the outdoors (with the exception of Caving / Mining due to the mines and quarries act which is Law)

I would agree that being insured is sensible, but other than that just crack on and coach bouldering , leading whatever....

In reply to Sl@te Head:
As far as I know Neil has no Climbing / instructor qualifications, I attended a Coaching Masterclass course earlier this year and would highly recommend. He is probably the best climbing coach in the UK.....

I asked him this several years ago and I asked him about how he became a climbing coach.
IIRC (it was a good while ago) he replied with:
he has no formal coaching qualifications;
he learnt to climb hard first;
he then read up a lot about physiology, psychology etc.
I don't know if he said anything else. If so I can't remember what it was!
James