mtb leader

this weekend i did my m.i.a.s mtb leader course 🙂

get in

what level? I did my level 3 a few years ago so I could take the sprogs from school around the local woods. Might be fun to have the level 4. With a ML (mountain leader) cert as well you can lead in nice places too!

level 2.

i’ve done the level 2 as well, who’d you do it with?

i did level 1 and 2 with mtb yorkshire in osmotherley

How long does it take, and how much does it cost?

Oh and congrats! 🙂

cost 250 and took 2 days

i did it with mtb instruction of bolton, good course i enjoyed it. what are you going to do with yours?

i want to offer mtb skills coaching.
am also doing ctc skills qualification and national standards award.

Hi Jedi – pleased to see you’ve gone for the CTC quali. Where are you doing the course?

I’d like to get involved with something similar? but maybe act as a second leader as i can’t commit to every weekend just yet beacause of my job (yawn).

dunno yet. spoke to ian warby.he put me down for course in sept but am meeting him to discuss other things as i have trail building skills etc…so he wants to meet up

Are there trail building couorses per se? I’d be interesting in putting a course around the school grounds but know how to make it last must be a skillful task.

I’m sure you’ll get on with Ian – be warned, he sure can talk!

Our paths may well cross – the instructor courses for the south are often run down here in Surrey Hills. Good luck with your venture.

Convert – one way of achieving that would be to get someone like Ian as a consultant. He can give you a general grounding and point you in the right direction on lots of stuff like insurance, funding etc.

meeting ian at herts shore to discuss things in a few weekss time

I was trail building with Richard (allbikedup.com) last night – the September instructor course is penciled-in for Llandegla apparently. I think Richard is running it with Bob (Llandegla).

the skills instructor course?

Yes, skills instructor course. Its the one that I’ve done (as have all the other instructor/guides that work for us) – Richard ran one recently down here in Surrey Hills, and apparently he is traveling up to Llandegla to do the September one with Bob (who is also highly experienced).

When I did mine it was run at Llandegla, as was the REC First Aid course. Top blokes up there and the centre is a very good facility for this kind of thing.

glen – say hi to Richard and tell him to get himself out here! 8)

Hi Steve – are you the place Richard went snowboarding to this season just gone?

Sounded fab, and we have discussed several times trying to get out and have ourselves some fun. Bloody year is flying by though, and the mountain biking is super busy. Richard’s wife has also had baby since then – God knows how he managed to get away with going skiing!

Hi Glen,

Yeah, that’s me! Tell him congrats on the baby. Still got some space left for late summer, so give me a shout if you can pull things together.

Stevo

Hmm – was just reading your September details. I’m doing an evening ride with him this week – maybe we can do some planning.

does anyone know anyone who wants some help with skills coaching/leading? i’m based in the north west and would like to volunteer my time? can’t do every weekend obviously but i’d like to get some experience when it suited both parties?

what does the skills instructor course involve?basic skills instructing?

glenp, do you have any details for the instructor course based at the Surrey Hills? I’ve been thinking about doing something like that for some time, and that’s practically on my doorstep. 🙂

No doubt Ian will expound at length, but just to give you some of the important points.

It isn’t basic as such, because the same skills instruction system could be (and is) used for total novice and world cup downhiller alike. Actually, when some very well know world cup riders have donw the course they learn it in exactly the same way. The system breaks riding down into component physical parts (eg looking (massive subject), footwork, body position etc.) plus psychological factors such as commitment and control and so-on. Also, the system takes into account personal and equipment factors such as bike set-up. Anyhow – one early thing to tackle is for you to understand how this all works, and how you can see your own riding in that context.

What you’ll work on is how to draw-out just a few elements at a time to build up a rider’s core riding posture (for example). Then you’ll be thinking about progression – how to take that static position and make it dynamic – this is when you’ll be thinking about exactly how the energy moves around to best/smoothest effect.

As the course progresses you will be encouraged to start devising your own session-plans to teach particular techniques.

Then you’ve got all the rest of it, to do with thinking about your rider’s level, caring for them and loads more besides. It will be quite a full two days.

I know you yourself ride to a high standard, but it would surprise me if getting into the system didn’t make you re-visit some elements of your own riding.

i constantly try to evolve my riding so know what you mean.

Woodsman. Have a word with Ian Warby to find out when the next one down here is.

Or, give Richard at allbikedup.com a call or email. He’ll be able to fill you in.

If you’re close-by why not come down for a skills session? You’ll get an introduction to the system and more out of your riding.

Hey Jedi,

It’s been ages since I last saw you – not been riding any shore in the past couple of years but it was fun to see your patch way back.

I’m just about to go do the CTC Trail Leader course this weekend, and I’m planning to do the skills in September, so I might see you there.

When you say National Standards, do you mean the road-safety course, Bikeability? If you do, I can give you a bunch of contacts in Herts/N London.

yes mate. im down for bikeability in sept with hazel from herts council

Bikeability is what I do now, and I plan to end up doing a mix of that (regular money since TFL have lots to dish out) and MTB skills/guiding. Feel free to email me if you want some names/numbers/opinions on who to work for in Bikeability.

yeah man
tony1jedi at gmail.com

Next week i will be adding some NHS stuff to my current portfolio.

Just wish redundancy would come along, we seem to be drifting atm…

Most of what I do is voluntary but reckon next year there could be more work available, just need the time to do it but it would`nt pay me what I currently earn unfortunately.