Coaching section?

[keith]

Originally Posted by Poulet

I'm pretty sure the vBulletin permissions could be set to allow anyone to create a new thread with only members of a certain group being allowed to reply. Doesn't sound like the best of solutions, though...

Well it's a perfect solution - maybe not for a coaching forum, but would solve alot of the problems on the rules questions.

Anyone could post a rules question, only refs/armourers with a high enough rating/experience could respond.

As to the coaching - a separate forum like the armoury would probably help since it would stop the threads disappearing under the weight of other matters.

[jBirch]

Keith,

But then you'd only get the canned "official" answers and no innovation. The great thing about both stupid questions and stupid replies is that they make you think about the issue.

edit: Plus, how would you get newbies to the board but experts in fencing to post useful advice?

James.

[keith]

Originally Posted by jBirch

Keith,

But then you'd only get the canned "official" answers and no innovation. The great thing about both stupid questions and stupid replies is that they make you think about the issue.

edit: Plus, how would you get newbies to the board but experts in fencing to post useful advice?

James.

No we could still have our fun packed refing discussions on the main board. For fencers who may not have access to many rated refs an ask and receive answers forum would be useful and cut out the dross of what exactly IMHO counstitutes the attack in foil.

So while there may be a history of innovation in the interpretation of the FIE's official rules that probably hasn't been driven by this particular community.

[GGK]

Originally Posted by keith

Anyone could post a rules question, only refs/armourers with a high enough rating/experience could respond.

Stopping someone from replying but allowing asking would just cause huge numbers of repetitive threads to be started. Possibly even debates starting across multiple "new" threads. Furthermore, limiting posters but allowing everyone access would mean debates moving into Fencing Discussion and Watercooler areas.
Perhaps a moderator assigned reputation to distinguish “more valid” sources.

G

[hpfencing]

maybe this can be tied in to the archeiving that Craig is talking about in another thread.....

[keith]

Originally Posted by GGK

Stopping someone from replying but allowing asking would just cause huge numbers of repetitive threads to be started.
G

Indeed and moderators could delete and move them.

Hopefully you would end up with a folder that had all the standard questions plus half a dozen answers from refs whose opinions are more than hot air. There are, I think, a few people who do actually ask reffing/rules questions and want a useful answer(s) that define the bounds of current practice. Having an answers only folder would just make this easier to achieve - and wouldn't stop the rest of us having fun but useless arguements elsewhere in the fora.

Anyway only a suggestion.

[grotto]

I think a section related to coaching and questions on technique etc would be good. Coaches and people who just teach fencing could use this sort of tool. I know I would benefit being able to ask a hypothetical and know the answers will be coming from others that actually teach fencing. Methodology, whether they teach static, or dynamic drills, new theory on bladework all is very interesting to a coach, but not to a competitive fencer who is happy with their training. I know what I know, which isn't everthing, and that was learned from a coach that fenced in the 80's who learned from a coach who learned in the 50's. new Ideas in teaching move slowly, mainly because the one or two "students" of a coach that end up teaching transfer it. a forum to swap ideas etc sounds great!

[mrbiggs]

Originally Posted by jjefferies

How would you propose to handle this practically? Have people with questions but not write access post their questions to a moderator? Could be a lot of work for someone.

Yep. It would be alot of work.


It would be, I think, most effecient if there was a member type ("coach" or something) that would allow posting replies in that forum; everyone else can only post threads. Each thread would get probably 1 or 2 replies, but they would be correct replies--in other words, simple question and answer. I don't know how many qualified people would be willing to become the resident experts of that forum.

I don't know if this is possible. It's just a suggestion of an ideal.

[mrbiggs]

Originally Posted by jBirch

But then you'd only get the canned "official" answers and no innovation. The great thing about both stupid questions and stupid replies is that they make you think about the issue.

We'd still have the main forums. Sometimes, people really want the official answers, especially coaches.

[Frater_Frag]

The idea with an official coaches section sounds good. One question though, how will you ID a coach? After all, not all of us are on the US roaster!

[Adler]

The only problem with a coaching section is that its incredibly difficult to give advice on coaching/fencing techniques with out being able to demonstrate it in person, for example, how do you explain the timing and the body movements needed for a coach to draw a fleche with a pris de fer? or the coaches timing for iniating a counter time action by the pupil?

However a coaching secion would be very useful to me if it was used to announce international coach training camps or coaching related studies.

[Mr Epee]

Originally Posted by Frater_Frag

The idea with an official coaches section sounds good. One question though, how will you ID a coach? After all, not all of us are on the US roaster!

Good advice is fairly easy to recognize... regardless of the source.

[Neil]

One complaint was that there is lots of useful coaching info spread throughout General Discussion, but it's hard to find. Maybe you could flag threads as "coaching", but still keeping them in GD? That way everyone still gets to participate, but you can easily find coaching threads. Qualified, moderator types could rate threads as coaching or not. This seems less work than moderating a new section.

[sabreur]

Originally Posted by Mr Epee

Good advice is fairly easy to recognize... regardless of the source.

I think this is the crux of the matter.

There are a number of people here who say smart technical things about sabre--I don't think most of them are coaches.

If you have a rules question that you want an answer to (as opposed to merely wanting to air out your particular opinion on how a rule should be interpreted), there are FOC members who (at least in my experience) reply very quickly to a PM'ed question.

Being a sabre fencer means that I don't particularly worry about armoring issues, but there are at least three hard-core armorers who post here.

There are a couple of people who post general stuff (Gladius) that is very interesting.

There are some people who represent themselves as experts that post what I consider utter drivel.

Bottom line: I don't know that a coaches corner would necessarily capture the comments of many of the people whose posts I read, and, as Peach has pointed out before, setting up a cadre of experts on a board often amounts to opening the season for flames. I think the nature of bulletin board discourse means that you will always have to winnow a lot of chaff to get a few grains of intelligence.

MR

[Grasshopper]

Craig,

I think it is a good idea to have a section devoted to coaching, strategy, technique, timing - the real meat and potatoes of fencing.

The current topics on the Fencing Discussion board are 90% "when is the next NAC", "who will win the next NAC div III", "my butt hurts please help me", "should I scream or not". In other words, nothing to do with the real action of fencing. Plus since your site is probably the place to go not just for Americans, but for most nation's English speaking fencers, it would be nice to have a place to just talk about "fencing" and not all the US club/org politics and that goes along with it.

My thoughts.

[sabreur]

Originally Posted by Grasshopper

Craig,

I think it is a good idea to have a section devoted to coaching, strategy, technique, timing - the real meat and potatoes of fencing.

The current topics on the Fencing Discussion board are 90% "when is the next NAC", "who will win the next NAC div III", "my butt hurts please help me", "should I scream or not". In other words, nothing to do with the real action of fencing. Plus since your site is probably the place to go not just for Americans, but for most nation's English speaking fencers, it would be nice to have a place to just talk about "fencing" and not all the US club/org politics and that goes along with it.

My thoughts.

I second this.

MR

[jBirch]

Originally Posted by Grasshopper

Craig,

I think it is a good idea to have a section devoted to coaching, strategy, technique, timing - the real meat and potatoes of fencing.

The current topics on the Fencing Discussion board are 90% "when is the next NAC", "who will win the next NAC div III", "my butt hurts please help me", "should I scream or not". In other words, nothing to do with the real action of fencing. Plus since your site is probably the place to go not just for Americans, but for most nation's English speaking fencers, it would be nice to have a place to just talk about "fencing" and not all the US club/org politics and that goes along with it.

My thoughts.

I third this.

James.

[D+F+P=Hadouken!]

I fourth this, and I'll also fith it, and sixth it, if I must. I'll seventh it if enough people beg.

[goralt]

In my opinion forum for coach is good idea!
there is many "tips" in this job that is good to know this,

about one of question,

Im from poland, so, if you wanna be a coach you have two ways

one -- start study on academy of physical educations (5 years), so then you can choose some special courses and be came a coach...
instruktor course 1year, coach course 1,5 year during the time of study, expirience is needed

second -- on that same academy you can sign up for course, on start after high school -- instruktor, then after 2-3 years expirience you can sign up for cach course,


in this two opitions after exams (not only fencing) you are coach of 2class,

if you will work as a coach for next 3 years and you have some results with your student you can sign up for the 1class coach,


after next 5 years since you pas 1class, if you have great results you can sign up for master class coaching course...


our federations give also special degree "fencing master" its a some price like "sir" if you work hard with results by many years..

[goralt]

ps. Ive just finish study on AofPE with a coach degree
from march I work as a main coach in stockholm (SWE)