I'm not sure this counts as 'clickbait', but I expect that many of you reading this will be expecting me to list tips and tricks of how to overcome those sneaky IC performance requirements such as 40-50m Constant Weight or 90m Dynamic or the favourite, 5x 20m.
Well, no. These performance requirements are the minimum standard to just ATTEND the Instructor Course, so should already be ticked off and being ready for them should be a given. Unsurprisingly, as the name suggests, the freediving instructor course is about the Instructor Trainer (IT), teaching you, the candidate, how to teach others freediving.
There needs to be a mindset change (which may have happened to you, at least partially, on the AIDA4 Course as this is also Assistant Instructor level). This change needs to be mainly focussed on your new found responsibility for the safety and wellbeing of others under your care, your responsibility for teaching freediving correctly to a high standard and also maintaining the positive image of the sport for everyone.
In no particular order......
#1 Build a Base Knowledge:
There will be stuff you don't know. There will be stuff you know but not well enough to explain properly to others. Start working on this as students will have lots of questions. And it is sometimes ok to say that you don't know but will find out. So stay humble and keep a folder of topics you came across but didn't have time to read. Or subjects that you would like to understand better yourself for the future. Keep learning and look at ways teaching is conducted in other sports or areas of life and think what can transfer over successfully in to teaching freediving.
#2 Start Observing:
As an instructor you need to be observant and spot mistakes so you can correct them and even spot impending mistakes before they occur. Start watching your buddies and other freedivers at what they do differently to you. And remember, we do not need to always be critical with this. Often there is more than one way to do something well, so then question why you do what you do, the way you do it. Try new things out and evaluate the pros and cons and have alternative methods ready as a back up in your freediving 'tool box'.
#3 Consider Safety:
This is of paramount importance, but I think it only really dawns on people when they realise things can go wrong while undertaking theoretical course teaching on the instructor course (plus realising there is a whole chapter on 'risk'). The reality is that you are responsible for others during this outdoor activity that we all love. Question yourself; 'Is how I conduct myself safe?'. Think about what you allow others to do in your presence. Think about your equipment set up and your rescue and CPR training. Is it up to scratch or are you just hoping that nothing will go wrong?
Well, no. These performance requirements are the minimum standard to just ATTEND the Instructor Course, so should already be ticked off and being ready for them should be a given. Unsurprisingly, as the name suggests, the freediving instructor course is about the Instructor Trainer (IT), teaching you, the candidate, how to teach others freediving.
There needs to be a mindset change (which may have happened to you, at least partially, on the AIDA4 Course as this is also Assistant Instructor level). This change needs to be mainly focussed on your new found responsibility for the safety and wellbeing of others under your care, your responsibility for teaching freediving correctly to a high standard and also maintaining the positive image of the sport for everyone.
In no particular order......
#1 Build a Base Knowledge:
There will be stuff you don't know. There will be stuff you know but not well enough to explain properly to others. Start working on this as students will have lots of questions. And it is sometimes ok to say that you don't know but will find out. So stay humble and keep a folder of topics you came across but didn't have time to read. Or subjects that you would like to understand better yourself for the future. Keep learning and look at ways teaching is conducted in other sports or areas of life and think what can transfer over successfully in to teaching freediving.
#2 Start Observing:
As an instructor you need to be observant and spot mistakes so you can correct them and even spot impending mistakes before they occur. Start watching your buddies and other freedivers at what they do differently to you. And remember, we do not need to always be critical with this. Often there is more than one way to do something well, so then question why you do what you do, the way you do it. Try new things out and evaluate the pros and cons and have alternative methods ready as a back up in your freediving 'tool box'.
#3 Consider Safety:
This is of paramount importance, but I think it only really dawns on people when they realise things can go wrong while undertaking theoretical course teaching on the instructor course (plus realising there is a whole chapter on 'risk'). The reality is that you are responsible for others during this outdoor activity that we all love. Question yourself; 'Is how I conduct myself safe?'. Think about what you allow others to do in your presence. Think about your equipment set up and your rescue and CPR training. Is it up to scratch or are you just hoping that nothing will go wrong?
 Don't make it an uphill struggle... |
#4 Accept You Are Not Good At Everything (and work on these things!):
No one is perfect, or even good at everything. As humans we tend to stick with what we are good at or enjoy the most. But the things we need to work on most are generally the things we don't like so much. So spend time looking at the lesser aspects of our freediving self. Never been into DNF (Pool No-Fins)? Well give it a go and accept that the first tries will suck but then you will gradually improve. Never fully understood Dalton's law? Try explaining it in it's simplest form to someone who does not even dive. With practice you will become more comfortable and get better, if maybe never fully enjoying some things.
This brings us to.....
#5 Keep Improving The Basics:
It is easy to get lazy with the things we think we know or can do well already. Lets take the duck dive. How many of use got good at it at about AIDA3 level and then never thought much about it again? Quite a few I expect. This is called 'Unconscious Competent', when we can do something well without thinking too much about it. To be an instructor we need to teach these skills to someone at the other end of this spectrum ('Conscious INcompetent': who thinks hard about doing a skill, but still cannot get it right). So we need to be able to DEMONSTRATE skills to a high level for students of a much lower level, so things needs to be fluid, precise and correct in any demonstration we give. Start getting good now. Strive to make every aspect of your dives to the highest standard.
No one is perfect, or even good at everything. As humans we tend to stick with what we are good at or enjoy the most. But the things we need to work on most are generally the things we don't like so much. So spend time looking at the lesser aspects of our freediving self. Never been into DNF (Pool No-Fins)? Well give it a go and accept that the first tries will suck but then you will gradually improve. Never fully understood Dalton's law? Try explaining it in it's simplest form to someone who does not even dive. With practice you will become more comfortable and get better, if maybe never fully enjoying some things.
This brings us to.....
#5 Keep Improving The Basics:
It is easy to get lazy with the things we think we know or can do well already. Lets take the duck dive. How many of use got good at it at about AIDA3 level and then never thought much about it again? Quite a few I expect. This is called 'Unconscious Competent', when we can do something well without thinking too much about it. To be an instructor we need to teach these skills to someone at the other end of this spectrum ('Conscious INcompetent': who thinks hard about doing a skill, but still cannot get it right). So we need to be able to DEMONSTRATE skills to a high level for students of a much lower level, so things needs to be fluid, precise and correct in any demonstration we give. Start getting good now. Strive to make every aspect of your dives to the highest standard.
By David Watson, Owner, Founder & Head Instructor / AIDA Instructor Trainer at One Breath Freediving
