Becoming an accredited coach

[wflaschka]

I'm looking into becoming an accredited fencing instructor.

I know that some of the best coaches don't have diplomas and aren't recognized by the FIE... but having paper might be useful for landing gigs at universities or clubs. Also, the accreditation protocol looks fun and challenging.

Is there anybody who is on this track to becoming a maestro? Is all the work worthwhile? Or, are there non-accredited coaches out there who have made a good career? Has anybody gone this route?

[DHCJr]

Coaches College gives you a basis and you're right some Colleges and Universities require credentials and even a Masters Degree. Most High Schools require a degree and a teaching credential.

[Sildar]

Originally posted by wflaschka
I'm looking into becoming an accredited fencing instructor.

I know that some of the best coaches don't have diplomas and aren't recognized by the FIE... but having paper might be useful for landing gigs at universities or clubs. Also, the accreditation protocol looks fun and challenging.

Is there anybody who is on this track to becoming a maestro? Is all the work worthwhile? Or, are there non-accredited coaches out there who have made a good career? Has anybody gone this route?

I'm currently coaching at a University and getting by; I'm also working towards earning some teaching credentials through my Maestro. I think the best way to train for teaching is to find a teacher who teaches and fences in a manner that you would like to emulate, and apprentice with them as much as your resources permit. It's worth traveling to get the input of someone who's been teaching professionally for a decade or two, as their advice is often better than anything you'll find in any book or come up with yourself anytime soon.

Also, keep in mind that there are several avenues toward getting acredited as an instructor, and some diplomas mean more than others. I'd recommend looking at several programs before you decide which one to pursue. And of course, your skills and abilities will always speak for themselves more than a piece of paper ever could, so make your choice based on what you want to learn, rather than what you think will make your resumé look good.

Best of luck!

[oiuyt]

The main problem with the USFCA is that they DON'T teach, they merely award credentials. Yeah, they talk about regional clinics, but they don't hold them very many places. Vinnie Bradford and PAFA (San Antonio) holds 4 weekend clinics a year which I've heard really good things about. The clinics are repeated at Redlands (Oklahoma City) about a month later. There have been a couple at Halberstad (SF?) and I think 1 in SC. There's the annual meeting each of the past 2 years. And that's it. In theory each of the 5 regions should be sponsoring regular clinics. In practice it looks like only the South region actually does. Certainly I haven't heard of any in the Northeast, and that includes during the year I was a member of the USFCA.

If the PAFA clinics are available, great. If they're not, the USFCA has little to offer other than the testing IMO. Of course official diplomas and titles can have significant value even if the training needs to be obtained seperately and individually.

USFA Coaches College is completely seperate and offers its own testing/certification program. Held each year in three, week-long, sessions at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs during the summer. Granted, as with the PAFA clinics you need to be able to get there, but going for 2 1/2 weeks (for 2 sessions) instead of 2 days (for a clinic) seems a much better use of airfare.

There are various clubs/coaches/academies that offer their own certifications. Might help beefing up a resume, but realistically should have very little value. The training that goes along with such programs might be very good and make you a good coach, the certification, which no one else can possibly know the value of, therefore ends up being meaningless.

And of course one of the credentials that means the most is the results of students.

-B :)

[wflaschka]

Originally posted by oiuyt
The main problem with the USFCA is that they DON'T teach, they merely award credentials.

Truth be told, that's one of the attractive things for me. I have to be able to complete a written and practical test (and I can bring my own students for the lessons). Total time invested: 1 day, plus preparation time. The exams will (hopefully) confirm that I know what I think I know, and then I can figure out what I need to be taught. (I expect the examiners will also give feedback after they witness a lesson.)

and apprentice with them as much as your resources permit

That's a good suggestion, Slidar. There's nobody nearby, though... I'll probably look up my old teacher the next time I'm in New York. That's a conversation I look forward to having with him -- how to best teach fencing.