Waw, interesting thread! I only drop in now, because I was away coaching
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I guess I'm a bit of an exception here, I've come across 10 different coaching, and I regret none of them. It just becomes harder to find coaches who can step up your game, unless you're lucky to find the right coach at once. But then again, you learn from every instructor, so passing by a few of them is a good thing!
Now, I should mention first that I'm at the conservative side of paddling. So I like to be all over the place before I step it up, being able to controll a rapid under any circumstances, not just controlling a line down. So I spend lots of time giving myself a hard line on easy whitewater. (and to be honest, I probably don't spend enough time on harder whitewater, due to long distances and having a hard time finding the right rivers and the right company).
The harder the whitewater is you paddle, the harder it is to receive instruction. But don't be mistaken, there are plenty of class III/IV/V paddlers who can still learn a thing or 2 on class II. Not everything of course, there is a lot more to it, but technique and tactics wise there is an awefull lot you can train on class II. So I think it's not smart to look down at any class II venue where instruction is organized. Given the right location and the right instructor, you can learn a lot.
As mentioned before, practice makes perfect. But practicing bad techniques, makes them perfect. So I think it's worth investing in solid foundation skills, both timewise and training wise.
And that's exactly what we did in Norway in the past 2 weeks. These guys were having good times on rivers that were actually too hard for them, paddling skills and rescue skills wise. We've spend a lot of time on the lake, training the foundations, giving each other feedback to go for a good understanding of what should be done. We've increased the "stress" every time bit by bit, by moving to a bit of river, back to the lake but in harder boats, ... . By the time we ended up at class II, it blended all together and new paddlers were born. Enjoying easy rivers because all of a sudden new lines and moves appeared. New training venues for both paddling technique and rescue.
We've spend a lot of time on the lake, because I considered it important to get these foundations up to a certain level, and I wanted them to be able to coach themselves up to a certain point. They have no easy access to coaches up there in Norway, unfortunately. They're up for some good paddling times, but in a safer way now. And we've already started planning for e next trip, pushing the technique, tactics and level of whitewater a bit further. But first they need practice now, and I'm conident they'll do that and have a good time while doing that.
I do realize I probably have a somewhat different approach than other coaches here. I guess that's because I don't have to make a living out of coaching. As an instructor, you don't know everything there is to know, so you might learn from an absolute beginner. And with the right approach, you can progress any paddler at the right pace, and have him/her accept that pace.
Crash down and take the beating is also part of learning. That's how you become a more confident paddler in the easier environments, so you can paddle more technical and clean. Every paddler should find that balance, enough technique training in easier environments and stepping it up to boost your confidence and mental peace. And I think many paddlers could benefit from instruction, as long as it's the right venue and the right coach. And personally, I haven't been doing a coaching session yet, where we did not go back to the lake for some foundation skills.
Cheers