CERTIFICATION I, II, III
COURTESY OF STEPHEN HELFENBEIN ΖV FHUWLfiFDWLRQ LQ \RXU SODQV IRU WKLV VHDVRQ" <RXU SUHS DSSURDFK LV NH\
TO ACHIEVE CERTIFICATION SUCCESS, TEACH LIKE A COACH, TRAIN LIKE AN ATHLETE
By Stephen Helfenbein I
f you’re pursuing PSIA-AASI certification, you’re operating in two different snowsports environments. Te first is the instructing environment, where you are the instructor developing and assessing the skiing or riding of your students.
Te other is a training environment, where another trainer is developing and assessing
your skiing or riding. Tis can be challenging because it requires you to change between
two learning environments. In one you’re the coach, leader, host, and mentor. In the other you are the student and athlete. Most instructors I work with spend far
more time in an instructing environment than in a training one. Have you ever thought about how spending so much time teaching snowsports lessons effects your performance in the certification process? I believe time spent in the instructor/guest environment can end
TAKE THESE MATERIALS ON YOUR CERT JOURNEY... SOME ARE FREE!
If you’re looking to boost your overall teaching skills; pursue Level I, II, or III FHUWLfiFDWLRQ RU JHW FHUWLfiHG LQ D VHFRQG or third discipline, consult the 2016- 17 $FFHVVRULHV &DWDORJ (available at 7KH6QRZ3URV RUJ WR fiQG RXW ZKLFK 36Ζ$ AASI education materials will put you on the path to success. Some are free… and the technical manuals, handbooks, and 7LS RI WKH 'D\ &DUGV feature video that help the teaching tactics come to life. (See page 24 for more information.)
82 | 32 DEGREES • FALL 2016
up hindering performance in the certification process if it’s not counterbalanced. I’ve seen many different types of snow
pros engage in the certification process, and I’ve gained some insight into why some succeed and some fail. I believe it all boils down to the environments instructors create for themselves.
ENVIRONMENT PLAYS BIG ROLE When preparing for certification, our training effectiveness will be impacted by the environment in which we spend the most time. Your experiences, personality, emotional state, trainer, and peers are just some of the important components of your learning environment. Your teaching style, types of activities, and the students you teach are influential factors in your certification training environment as well. Our backgrounds also play a role in our success with training. I have observed significant differences between instructors with competitive athletic backgrounds and those without significant athletic or competitive experience. Te former encounter more challenges, such as identifying specific achievable goals, receiving feedback, and creating effective practice. Te latter have an advantage, because preparing for a competition is similar to how you might prepare for a certification assessment.
VIEW VIDEO
tiny.cc/94dtey
Get valuable advice to apply on the path WR FHUWLfiFDWLRQ LQ WKLV /HYHOLQJ 8S YLGHR
ADOPT COMPETITIVE TRAITS So, how can instructors increase their chances for success in certification and performance situations? Dan Tripps, an expert in exercise science and coach of world-class athletes tells us that high performers possess the following personality traits, or exhibit the following behaviors, which instructors can practice
bringing into their skiing or riding. Q Risk-taking behavior: Embrace challenge Q Competitiveness: Focus on achieving success
Q Confidence: Believe in your personal ability to succeed
QAttentiveness: Attend to cues in an effective manner
QMental toughness: Sustain high performance under pressure
Q Self-control: Remain calm in tense and stressful situations
When you’re training for certification, regularly put yourself in an environment that helps you develop the traits specified above. When
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124