We shall be offering a BKA Kendo Coaching Course for Levels 1 and 2 in Cambridge on Sunday 20th October.
For a full description of the BKA Coaching Program and the requirements for each level, please refer to this document:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Wa8DkjOxqVipHSZ5z5wRbZqd_hTBXORf/view?usp=sharing

“Course” is perhaps a slight misnomer (maybe “assessment session” would be a better description) because the event runs as follows. You FIRST prepare yourself for being a coach at the required level, by studying the documents that will be provided to you on application and by practicing coaching under the guidance of a more senior coach (typically your dojo leader for L1). You THEN submit a portfolio of completed work in order to be admitted to the session. At the session you won’t be “taught how to be a coach” from zero: you will be expected to have already studied and practiced that. Instead, we shall interactively review all the duties and responsibilities of a coach, highlighting aspects where the essays of the attendees show incomplete awareness or understanding. There will be a chance to ask questions about things that didn’t work for you and discuss various scenarios. It is expected that the participants who submit a complete portfolio by the deadline and demonstrate readiness and maturity at the session will be handed their coaching certificate on the day.

Here is the process in detail. Please note the deadlines.

1) Please apply by filling in the following online form. You need one BKA coach to propose you and another to second you. Submit this form early because the sooner you do, the sooner the Regional Coach will give you access to a wealth of useful study material. It’s OK not to upload your coaching portfolio just yet (see points 2 and 3 below), but please complete all the rest of the form to get access to the study materials. Once you submit the form, you get an email with a link that allows you to revisit and update it later.

https://forms.gle/LhscjPHkTQZZPRze9

2) Do some coaching under supervision, if you haven’t already, and have a BKA coach observe you and write a statement about your coaching, according to these guidelines:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/wxvxrvtft3tl3s0/Kendo%20Bu%20Guidance%20for%20Coach%20Observation.docx?dl=0

2a) For Level 1, it’s OK to submit just one observation statement, from a BKA coach of any level (typically your dojo leader).

2b) For Level 2, it’s OK to submit just one observation statement, but it must be from a Level 3 or 4 coach. A list of BKA Level 3 and 4 coaches is here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/mrg8xr1b1hkm0hf/Kendo%20Bu%20Coach%20Assessors.docx?dl=0

3) Once you have your observation statement, complete the rest of your portfolio, including any required essays, and upload it to the questionnaire you filled in during step 1. Please ensure that your submission is completed in all its parts by Monday 23rd September.

As a summary, you will need:
– a proposer
– a seconder
– at least one observer statement (typically from one of the two people above)
– a signed coaching portfolio, comprising
– applicant’s statement
– observer statement
– health and safety essay
– children and vulnerable adults essay
– running a club essay (only for L2)
– a signed code of conduct
– a signed coaching program

Templates for all the above are available from within the form at step 1, and in any case here:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=16Eox0nZ5E0i88cazNQxoluuDEBNfkKk5

By Monday 7th October the Regional Coach will check your submitted portfolio and tell you whether it is complete. If it is not, you will get one brief chance to resubmit the missing parts, by Thursday 10th October. Applicants whose portfolio is still incomplete by then will not be admitted to the session in Cambridge. The session will be cancelled and rescheduled if there are fewer than 6 applicants with a complete portfolio by then.

The course will be Kendo-centric but Iaido and Jo practitioners are also welcome. Please come in loose clothes (your Gi if you wish, but a tracksuit is also fine) and bring a pen, a notepad, a bokuto, your BKA licence booklet and a packed lunch.

Any questions, please email the Kendo Events Officer or the Regional Coach as appropriate.

Location:
The Pavilion, Girton Recreation Ground, Cambridge Road, Girton, Cambridge, CB3 0FH (parking available)
Times: 11:00 – 17:00 on Sunday 20th October

Instructor:
Frank Stajano
BKA Regional Coach Level 3
Dojo leader of Tsurugi Bashi (University of Cambridge)
frank.stajano–kendocoach@cst.cam.ac.uk