With UK Coaching Week having taken place earlier in June, we hear from Barry Davis, a coach at Salisbury Triathlon Club, who has immersed himself in online coaching which has lasted the lockdowns and is still helping people to connect and train.
“I had such a positive and encouraging experience from all the coaches at Salisbury Tri Club when I joined, that I wanted to give something back to the club when the opportunity came up,” Davis commented.
“I wanted to give all the newbies that came through our Intro To Tri course the same experience that I had.”
British Triathlon run a coaching pathway that provides coaches and aspiring coaches with the skills and opportunities to learn, develop and grow their coaching ability to support triathletes.
The first step on the pathway is Level 1 which allows the coach to lead and deliver sessions within a club environment and has been developed to teach the fundamentals of sport coaching. You can find out more about Level 1 coaching qualification by clicking here.
“At the start it was just to give back to such a great club,” Davis added. “Now, I enjoy watching the members grow in confidence and becoming better athletes. I want to see people overcome, grow and succeed in this great sport that we all love.”
When England first entered lockdown in 2020, Davis and Salisbury adapted like many other clubs by switching their focus to online sessions to help their members keep training and keep connecting, something which has meant the club camaraderie has stayed strong for now that they can resume in-person training.
“Coaching during the pandemic has been interesting and rewarding at the same time,” Davis commented. “Setting up the Zoom turbo sessions and then seeing people in the first lockdown was great.
“Just keeping in contact with the members and making sure that they were all okay was good. It definitely gave me a sense of purpose. It's just great to be able to connect with people in person again. Seeing people again, training in groups, the banter. It's all good.”
Even though physical training sessions have resumed, Davis and the club have continued with the online sessions to provide the extra opportunity for those who cannot or don’t yet feel able to attend in person.
Speaking about the impact of Davis’ sessions over the past year, Salisbury Triathlon Club Chair, Alan Bayliss, said: “They have had a massive beneficial impact in maintaining engagement with our members and reminding them that we’re still here and working to help them.
“Also from a mental health perspective, during the various lockdowns where just being able to chat to clubmates was a significant positive, members turned up for a chat and the banter as much as for the workouts.
“As a club, we think that being able to provide structured training and guidance about what and how much training to do is key to being able to progress as an individual and as a competitor. With some it’s just as much preventing overtraining as encouraging them to do more.
“We’re lucky to have a fantastic club coaching team from British Triathlon qualified Level 1 Assistant Coaches to a Level 3 Head Coach who all provide their services voluntarily. Their dedication and enthusiasm helps give the club and athletes direction and provides a core binding element for our club.”
To find out more about coaching in triathlon and how you can get involved or further your skills, check out the coaching section of the British Triathlon website by clicking on the button below.
