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BMX: Club Coaching Explained

Posted September 8 2010
Words And Photography By Luke Webber

BMX: Road To 2012 
British Cycling's Performance Programmes Explained
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Jeremy Hayes - British Cycling's BMX Olympic Development Programme coach - is travelling across Britain, supporting the regions in their development of club coaches using the BMX Level 2 resource.

Led by the Olympic BMX programme and modelled on the Talent Programme's Regional Schools of Racing for road, track and mountain biking, each session aims to encourage the clubs to realise the importance of coaching to develop their clubs and riders.

Club coaches are being invited to take a pro-active part in the sessions, sharing ideas and delivering best practice techniques for nationwide consistency throughout all British Cycling affiliated BMX coaching sessions.
Each session will continue to focus on back to basics skills - as profiled within the British Cycling Development Programmes.

This approach is necessary, since it has been identified that today's younger riders have forgotten how to play on their bike, and lack basic skills which are the foundation of new skills - essential to help them progress in the future.

Each session is on flat pedals, starting in a car park to illustrate effective coaching - and most importantly practice -can take place anywhere. A focus on wheelies, manuals and standing starts are then taken to the track where they can be applied to the race environment.

As riders progress over winter, rider workshops will cover, nutrition, training programs, planning, bike maintenance/set-up and other aspects of lifestyle as delivered to the Talent Team.

The regional riders will also have the opportunity to train alongside Talent and ODP riders who will be attending the sessions within their regions.

The aim - alongside developing skilled BMX riders - is to empower club coaches by giving them the confidence and skills to be respected within their region, creating a knowledge source for that area.

HOW THE SESSIONS WORK
Already, regional contacts have been sourced to co-ordinate the sessions, communicating with the clubs, coaches and helping to organize the facility.

The coaches are responsible for nominating the riders who attend the regional sessions; ideally these riders will attend their club coaching sessions so they can continue to develop the skills and knowledge they have gained on the regional session.

This is NOT a regional squad, riders are nominated to attend at each session, and just because they've attended one doesn't guarantee them being invited back. Riders have to earn their place by attending there club sessions and impressing their coach.

The riders are expected to take responsibility for themselves on the sessions, making sure they have their food, water, tools and equipment needed for the day. No running back to Mum or Dad!

For full details, contact your local BMX club, which can be reached through British Cycling's Club Finder.

Contact Your Region

South West:
Paula Hallett
paulahallett@live.com

East Anglia:
Rich Townsend
Richtcomp@aol.com

Midlands Region
Phil Grey-Blest
phil.gray-blest@ntlworld.com

North Region:
Lisa Clarke
midlancsbmxclub@hotmail.com