Coaching & Training

coachingOur club offers a variety of training and coaching throughout the year, catering for beginners through to more experienced paddlers. We are ideally situated at Tyne green, allowing members calm flat water to build skills and knowledge as well as the opportunity to practice on moving water.

We have a fleet of over 25 modern kayaks ranging from play to creek boats, 10 canoes and 7 SUP, along with 5 sea kayaks, all of these are all available for use during coaching sessions. We regularly run British Canoeing endorsed paddle awards, white water awards and foundation safety and rescue training and have a selection of coaches specialising in slalom training, contact us for more details. Keep an eye out for our free come and try sessions or pop along any Saturday afternoon to have a look.

coachingWe regularly run British Canoe Union (BCU) endorsed one, two and three star awards, they are the foundation qualifications of any canoeist and our coaches will guide you through both the written and practical elements. Four and five start tests and coaching awards can also be arranged.

The BCU One Star is a flat water award that demonstrates an individual has basic boat control and foundation skills. The one star can be taken in any kind of paddlesport craft (e.g. sit-on-top, slalom C2, polo boat, sea kayak, racing canoe etc.)

The BCU Two Star is an improvement award that helps paddlers develop fundamental paddlesport skills while on flat water. The emphasis is on gaining a breadth of experience, creating the desired movement of the boat and developing an understanding into how the paddle, boat and water interact.

Successful performance at BCU Three Star level indicates that a candidate can consider themselves an intermediate paddler rather than a beginner. Recently updated, the new award is discipline specific and available in Sea Kayak, Surf, Open Canoe, White Water Kayak, Flat Water Kayak and some of the competitive disciplines. The three star paddler will be a competent performer in sheltered to moderate water environments and have the ability to paddle unsupervised, with similar standard paddlers on sheltered water.

coachingThe club will also arrange safety or first aid courses to suit the needs of its members. To become a qualified canoeing coach there is a need to gain qualifications in this area, our club is committed to developing more coaching members so please do speak with the relevant members of the committee for further information.

Training trips are run throughout the year offering the opportunity for members to improve their white water, rescue, canoe and surf skills. For those interested in becoming coaches, the club may, on a case by case basis, provide part sponsorship of coaching qualification costs.

Commonly run course at this club are:
1,2,3 Star Kayaking
1,2,3 Star Canoeing
Foundation Safety and Rescue Training
Level 1,2 Coaching Development