BCAB Coaching Podcast

S4 Ep.11 RERUN - Adventure Sports Coaching with Loel Collins

Dr. Loel Collins, former director of Learning and Development in Plas y Brenin speaks to Pete Catterall about the main differences between coaching adventure sports and mainstream competitive sport. Loel defines the adventure sport context and then discusses how the blend of coaching skills differs in a more dynamic adventure sport context. They also discuss the additional skills and characteristics of an adventure sports coach and how these coaches can develop their coaching craft so they can apply it to an adventure sport context. Although the focus is on adventure skills coaching, Loel and Pete touch on coaching fundamentals, which apply to all coaching contexts.

A transcript for the episode is available here.

S4 Ep.10 TALENT Performance Anxiety with Laura Sugar, Zofia Campbell and Lewis Fletcher

Daniel Thompson, Talent Operations Coordinator at British Canoeing is joined by British Canoeing's Performance Wellbeing Coach, Zofia Campbell, and senior athletes Laura Sugar (Paracanoe) and Lewis Fletcher (Canoe Sprint) to discuss performance anxiety.  They discuss the symptoms athletes have when experiencing performance anxiety and some techniques that can be used to help control it. 

A transcript for the episode is available here.

S4 Ep.9 RERUN - Mental Health with Darren Clarkson

In this rerun episode from 2021, Ben Woodruff speaks to Darren Clarkson, a seasoned paddler who also works in mental health social services. They discuss strategies coaches, leaders and instructors can use help people alleviate anxiety, stress and other mental health issues, and look after their own mental health. Recorded just after the COVID lockdowns in 2021, Darren’s points are still pertinent today. 

This episode coincides with Mental Health Awareness Week and is a perfect introduction to our next episode from the Talent Team about performance anxiety.

A transcript for the episode is available here.

S4 Ep.8 Nutrition of a Senior Athlete with Lewis Fletcher

Daniel Thompson, Talent Operations Coordinator at British Canoeing is joined by Lewis Fletcher (Canoe Sprint athlete) to discuss his daily nutrition habits, the nutritional choices he faces over competition, including any strategies and recovery snacks that he takes. They also discuss supplements and the importance of hydration.

 

Additional content on the topic of Nutrition can also be found on the Talent Parent Programme Webinars and Video Resources and the additional resources webpages.

 

A transcript for the episode is available here.

S4 Ep.7 Decision Making (Part 2) with Georgina Maxwell & Dan Wilkinson

This is the second part of a conversation between Lee Pooley, Director of Coaching and Qualifications at British Canoeing, and two members of the British Canoeing White Water Technical Group: Georgina Maxwell and Dan Wilkinson. 

Georgina and Dan give practical examples from their own experience of some of the decision making concepts covered in Part 1. They reflect on the learning points from these experiences and highlight some of the pitfalls to avoid when making decisions.

You don’t need to have listened to Part 1 to understand and enjoy this episode. However, Part 1 is also well worth a listen, and is available here if you would like to do that.

A transcript for the episode is available here.

S4 Ep.6 Neurodiversity in Sport with Helena Russo, Caragh McMurtry and Nerys Hall

Following on from Neurodiversity Celebration Week earlier this month, this fascinating and important episode explores neurodiversity in sport. This is a must-listen for anyone who wants to develop their understanding of neurodivergence, or to start or continue a conversation with a coach or athlete about this.

Helena Russo, the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead at British Canoeing discusses this topic with:

• Nerys Hall, who is in her final junior year of marathon and sprint racing
• Caragh McMurtry, who is a former Olympic rower and founder of Neurodiverse Sport

Nerys and Caragh have been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and high functioning autism, respectively. Together, they discuss their sporting achievements, what their diagnosis means, and how it has affected their sporting lives.

They go on to explore the barriers they have faced and the strategies they put in place to improve performance. The main part of the episode involves Caragh and Nerys giving top tips to coaches so that they consider neurodivergence and adapt their coaching practice accordingly. Importantly, they explain the need to change the narrative from neurodiverse sportspeople being a problem to one about creating a supportive and understanding environment in which neurodiverse sportspeople can perform at their best and make best use of their superpowers.

Feel free to add a comment about this episode. We'd love to know your thoughts about it.

A transcript for the episode is available here.

 

S4 Ep.5 RERUN - Introduction to Equality, Diversity and Diversity with Helena Russo

The second episode of our "from the vaults" rerun mini-series, is a conversation with Helena Russo, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Lead at British Canoeing in 2021.  Helena will be delving deeper into the subject of Equality, Diversity and Diversity (EDI), with an episode focusing on Neurodiversity in Sport coming soon.

In this re-released introductory episode Helena explains why we need to consider Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and how to embed that into our coaching practice. She gives examples of some barriers to participation in paddlesport as well as explains how we can develop our understanding of EDI and overcome the barriers we may have to providing truly inclusive coaching. Download a transcript of the episode here.

S4 Ep.4 COACHING - Entrapment and Coach Burnout with Ben Woodruff

In a follow-up conversation, Lee Pooley, Director of Coaching and Qualifications at British Canoeing, talks to Ben Woodruff about his further research study into the role of entrapment in coach burnout. 

In this episode Lee and Ben discuss what entrapment is, the different ways entrapment impacts coach burnout, what to look out for as a coach and how also deployers can best support coaches to mitigate the risk of burnout. 

 

You can find Ben's research paper here

 

A transcript for this episode is available here

 

If you or anyone you know is struggling with their mental health, please seek help:

• Mind
• Calm
• NHS or see your GP
• Samaritans
• Mental Health Foundation
• Counselling

 

S4 Ep. 3 TALENT - S&C Miniseries - Adding S&C into Training Programmes

This episode is the third and final episode of a three-part Strength & Conditioning Series, in this part we talk about how coaches and paddlers can incorporate strength and conditioning into a training programme and what principles should be followed.

To discuss this topic area Daniel Thompson, British Canoeing Talent Operations Coordinator, is joined by Ben Lewis, British Canoeing Pathway Strength and Conditioning Coordinator.   

Download a transcript of the episode here.

S4 Ep. 2 - RERUN - Burnout in Coaches with Ben Woodruff

The first episode of our "from the vaults" rerun mini-series, is a conversation on Coach Burnout between Lee Pooley, Director of Coaching and Qualifications at British Canoeing, and Ben Woodruff, recorded in 2021 during Ben's time in the Coaching Team.  Another part of this conversation will be coming soon, following Ben's further research on the topic.

 

This episode covers Ben's original research into the personal and situational stressors that lead to burnout in sports coaches, as well as how to spot burnout, and how to prevent yourself or others burning out.

Before you listen, please be aware that this podcast covers some sensitive subjects around mental health, with some content that may be triggering for those with mental health conditions. It’s an important conversation, but please only listen if you can.

 

You can find the research conducted by Ben here.

 

You can download the episode transcript here.

 

Struggling with mental health?

If you or anyone you know is struggling with their mental health, please seek help:

• Mind
• Calm
• NHS or see your GP
• Samaritans
• Mental Health Foundation
• Counselling

Want to learn more?

Want to learn more about how to support the paddlers you coach or those around you with their mental health? Visit the below:

• Open University
• Mind
• BBC
• NHS
• Mental Health Foundation

Supporting paddlers

 

As part of our continual commitment to support paddlers we are offering a service for anyone who has witnessed, been involved or has been affected by a paddlesport incident. Please use the contact details on the British Canoeing Safety page if you would like to talk to one of our trained TRIM Practitioners who can offer support and signpost to an appropriate agency.