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Browsing Posts in Goals, Aims and Objectives

Goal Setting For Paddlers

Setting Your Paddling Goals

Sea Kayaking in Alaska

Sea Kayaking in Alaska

Research shows that those who set goals have a greater chance of being successful in their pursuits.  Yet very few of us set personal goals about our canoeing and kayaking.  Here’s one way of doing this simply and easily – using the benefit of hindsight.

Find a quiet place where you can spend just a few moments going through this simple exercise.

Imagine that you have travelled forward in time. It is New Year’s Eve on 31st December 2011, the end of another year and you are in a reflective mood. It’s time to look back on all you have achieved and the progress you have made in the year just past.

As you look back over 2011 you might like to reflect and ask yourself:

  • What paddling, training and practice did I do in 2011?
  • What are my paddling achievements?
  • What have I learned?
  • What were the things I was willing to do to make this progress?
  • What did I find most important, useful and interesting this year?

Imagine you could go back to the beginning of 2011, what advice would you give yourself that will help you make the best of this coming year?

Come back to the present moment, the beginning of this New Year and consider everything you have to look forward to.

Open canoe, sea kayak and white water courses and coaching, 1:1 and group workshops, BCU Training and Assessments in Northumberland and the North East.

For more information please contact me at Kim@kimbull.co.uk.

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Continuing Professional Development

Excellence in Canoe and Kayak Coaching

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is becoming more important in all areas.  It even spills into many of our recreational activities such as kayaking and canoeing, where we have requirements to attend coach update days or find other ways of keeping up to date.

I’m a strong believer in keeping up to date and ensuring that my coaching is current and my skills effective.  I’m delighted to announce that in the last month I have updated my Advanced White Water Safety and Rescue training and also successfully passed my BCU Level 5 Sea Kayak Coach award.

I’m looking forward to developing my skills even more in the next year to ensure that the courses and coaching I deliver are among the very best available.

For details of canoe, kayak and sea kayak coaching, BCU training and assessment courses in Northumberland and the North East contact me at Kim@kimbull.co.uk

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Learn to Canoe and Kayak Using “Deliberate Practice”

Using ‘Deliberate Practice’ when Coaching Canoe and Kayak Skills

Research shows that you can learn to canoe and kayak more effectively by using “Deliberate Practice”.  There is nothing controversal about the idea that expertise will only be achieved through a great deal of practice, but “Deliberate Practice” has two key components.

  • time and energy from the learner
  • access to facilities and coaches

An important aspect of deliberate practice is attention and focus.  Some people use affirmations to great effect -

“My forward paddling is improving everyday”, is an example of one such affirmation.

Questions are tools coaches use to focus our attention, and we can use these to help with “deliberate practice”.  Correctly phased, “developing questions” can be far more effective than affirmations in focussing our attention on the intention of our practice as we work towards the goals and outcomes we have.

For the next month I invite you to ask yourself the following questions at the beginning of each practice session.

  1. What are three things I am gaining from my practice?
  2. How can I create new and different ways to move forward and create a real difference to my paddling?
  3. How can I be more receptive to notice new and different ways of thinking and perceiving my performance in a positive way?

Where appropriate you can formulate answers, or just let your unconscious mind work on them in it’s own time.

So ask yourself developing questions to ensure you are using deliberate practice to help you learn to canoe and kayak even more effectively.

For more information on coaching and courses please contact me at Kim@kimbull.co.uk

Open canoe, sea kayak and white water courses and coaching, 1:1 and group workshops, BCU Training and Assessments in Northumberland and the North East.

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Canoeing and Kayaking Leadership – is that all a group needs?

White Water Canoe and Kayak Leadership

I’ve taken part in numerous canoe and kayak training and assessment courses – skills courses, coaching courses, BCU courses, update courses – and all stress the importance of good leadership in outdoor adventurous activities. Leadership is the topic of articles and chapters in books – it almost seems that as long as we have a good leader in our group when we go out canoeing or kayaking then everything will be fine.

But leadership is only one end of a continuum.  At the other lies “followership”.  A good leader can do so much – and for the group to work really well together everyone else needs to demonstrate good followership behaviours.

So what is good followership?  Here is a list of some followership behaviours that are useful-

  • Follow instructions, particularly safety instructions
  • Observe and monitor other group members
  • Pass on signals and information efficiently
  • Contribute to plans, and follow the plan once it is agreed
  • To be open and honest about aims, objectives, limitations, experience and ability
  • Contribute to developing two way communication
  • Contribute actively to the pursuit of group objectives
  • Contribute to the creation of a positive environment that supports other members of the group

One interesting point is that as I observe successful groups, the group members often move backwards and forwards along the Leadership – Followership continuum.  Everyone has a role to play if the group is to be successful, and everyone has some responsibility.

If you would like further information on leadership or personal skills coaching, in kayaks or canoes, or for information about the range of BCU training and assessment courses running throughout the North of England (Northumberland, Cumbria, Newcastle, Yorkshire and Durham) or the borders of Scotland then please contact me.

Email – kim@kimbull.co.uk

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New Year Resolutions – What Are Your Goals?

New year is a time for resolutions, planning and deciding what it is you really want to achieve in your paddling next.  One of the best and proven methods of achieving this is to set goals and targets.  Many people are confused by goal setting – some people set SMART objectives, others decide on outcomes, while others set ‘Ego’ or ‘Task’ based achievement goals.
One easy way to do it is to set ‘Outcome’ and ‘Process’ goals.  An ‘Outcome’ is the achievement of a particular target such as running a new rapid, or learning to roll.  A ‘Process’ is what you need to achieve to reach your target, such as learning to cross into and out of the flow or how to capsize with confidence.
For example, I’m currently developing my canoe and kayak training courses and these distinct goals might be-

Outcome Goals - for the participants to become even better and able to skillfully utilise the latest modern and proven techniques in an appropriate environment, meeting the criteria (where set) by the BCU and the agreed wants and needs of each individual.  They will develop with confidence and a positive attitude.

Process Goals- I will identify and agree the individual needs of each person, provide a supportive learning environment, improve the performance of each person as they experience success, and help identify future learning needs.  This will be achieved through demonstration, guided discovery, multi sensory development, self awareness, attitude, experience and honest feedback.

So you can see that I have at least two distinct goal sets.  These are Outcome and Process.  An Outcome Goal is what my students will achieve.  A Process Goal is the manner in which they experience the training in order to achieve the Outcome Goal.

So as you plan your learning for this year, I invite you to consider what you want to achieve, and how you want to achieve it.

For details of canoe and kayak training, BCU courses and canoe coaching or kayak coaching contact Kim Bull.  Courses run throughout the North East, Cumbria and the borders of Scotland.

Email – kim@kimbull.co.uk

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