Qualities of a good coach: Patience, a sense of humor, a cooperative approach, communication, organization, and participant feedback will assist the beginner surfer in developing the skills they need to enjoy their surfing experience safely.
COMMUNICATION
The coach must:
- Be confident, clear, and concise in their instructions.
- Be able to be assertive when delivering simple but meaningful instructions.
- Show flexible, creative, and genuine concern for surfers’ constructive feedback.
- Use verbal commands, hand signals, and a whistle to move surfers to safety.
ORGANIZATION
The coach must:
- Make suitable lesson plans
- Give tasks to the Beach Manager, Water Safety Crew (WSC), and parents/guardians.
- Adapt the lesson to suit individual needs and cater to changing surf conditions.
- Keep documents to evaluate the effectiveness and professionalism of the lesson and provide ongoing feedback to make future improvements.
PARTICIPANT FEEDBACK
The coach must:
- Seek feedback from participants during and after the lesson.
- Respond to feedback promptly, politely, and sensitively.
COACHING TIP
- Encourage and maintain the “stoke” of surfing.
- Adjust rules to guarantee all surfers take part
- Add comedy and wit into fun and challenging games
- Develop games and challenges that help with safe surfing progression
- Repeat safety guidelines and rules