BCAB Coaching Podcast

Lee Pooley, Director of Coaching and Qualifications at British Canoeing, is in conversation with Tony Smith, Chair of Teignbridge Canoe Club, about how they treat learning development in the club.  Tony gives a brief overview of the club, the expectations of its members and its vision (along with the benefits this can bring). He explains how this philosophy drives the culture of the club and under...

Dr. Loel Collins, former director of Learning and Development in Plas y Brenin speaks to Pete Catterall about the main differences between coaching adventure sports and mainstream competitive sport. Loel defines the adventure sport context and then discusses how the blend of coaching skills differs in a more dynamic adventure sport context. They also discuss the additional skills and characteristi...

Daniel Thompson, Talent Operations Coordinator at British Canoeing is joined by British Canoeing's Performance Wellbeing Coach, Zofia Campbell, and senior athletes Laura Sugar (Paracanoe) and Lewis Fletcher (Canoe Sprint) to discuss performance anxiety.  They discuss the symptoms athletes have when experiencing performance anxiety and some techniques that can be used to help control it.  A transcr...

In this rerun episode from 2021, Ben Woodruff speaks to Darren Clarkson, a seasoned paddler who also works in mental health social services. They discuss strategies coaches, leaders and instructors can use help people alleviate anxiety, stress and other mental health issues, and look after their own mental health. Recorded just after the COVID lockdowns in 2021, Darren’s points are still pertinent...

Daniel Thompson, Talent Operations Coordinator at British Canoeing is joined by Lewis Fletcher (Canoe Sprint athlete) to discuss his daily nutrition habits, the nutritional choices he faces over competition, including any strategies and recovery snacks that he takes. They also discuss supplements and the importance of hydration.   Additional content on the topic of Nutrition can also be found on t...

This is the second part of a conversation between Lee Pooley, Director of Coaching and Qualifications at British Canoeing, and two members of the British Canoeing White Water Technical Group: Georgina Maxwell and Dan Wilkinson.  Georgina and Dan give practical examples from their own experience of some of the decision making concepts covered in Part 1. They reflect on the learning points from thes...

Following on from Neurodiversity Celebration Week earlier this month, this fascinating and important episode explores neurodiversity in sport. This is a must-listen for anyone who wants to develop their understanding of neurodivergence, or to start or continue a conversation with a coach or athlete about this. Helena Russo, the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead at British Canoeing discusses t...

The second episode of our "from the vaults" rerun mini-series, is a conversation with Helena Russo, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Lead at British Canoeing in 2021.  Helena will be delving deeper into the subject of Equality, Diversity and Diversity (EDI), with an episode focusing on Neurodiversity in Sport coming soon. In this re-released introductory episode Helena explains why we need to consi...

In a follow-up conversation, Lee Pooley, Director of Coaching and Qualifications at British Canoeing, talks to Ben Woodruff about his further research study into the role of entrapment in coach burnout.  In this episode Lee and Ben discuss what entrapment is, the different ways entrapment impacts coach burnout, what to look out for as a coach and how also deployers can best support coaches to miti...

This episode is the third and final episode of a three-part Strength & Conditioning Series, in this part we talk about how coaches and paddlers can incorporate strength and conditioning into a training programme and what principles should be followed. To discuss this topic area Daniel Thompson, British Canoeing Talent Operations Coordinator, is joined by Ben Lewis, British Canoeing Pathway Strengt...

The first episode of our "from the vaults" rerun mini-series, is a conversation on Coach Burnout between Lee Pooley, Director of Coaching and Qualifications at British Canoeing, and Ben Woodruff, recorded in 2021 during Ben's time in the Coaching Team.  Another part of this conversation will be coming soon, following Ben's further research on the topic.   This episode covers Ben's original researc...

The Coaching Podcast is back for season 4 with a conversation about Coaching from the Bank. Lee Pooley, Director of Coaching and Qualifications at British Canoeing, is joined again by Scott Hynds, Sprint Coach Developer in the Talent Programme, for today's episode.  Scott and Lee discuss topics including how to best prepare for coaching paddlers from a pushbike, what to consider depending on the s...

For the final episode of 2022, Lee Pooley, British Canoeing Director of Coaching and Qualifications, and Sid Sinfield, Performance Coach Developer, are looking back at the year in conversation with Debbie Thompson, Digital Learning Designer.  Lee and Sid share their highlights from the podcast, as well as paddling experiences both professional and personal. We also look forward to what's coming in...

Decision Making is the focus of today's conversation between Lee Pooley, Director of Coaching and Qualifications at British Canoeing, and two members of the British Canoeing White Water Technical Group: Georgina Maxwell and Dan Wilkinson.  Georgina and Dan share insight from their wide paddling experience on different types of decision making and the impact our decisions can have, as well as givin...

This episode is the second of a three-part Strength & Conditioning series from the England Talent Programme. In this part we talk about the purpose of Strength and Conditioning, address some concerns people might have around S&C, as well as highlighting the benefits. Finally, we begin to look at how S&C can be structured in a training programme.  To discuss this topic area Daniel Thompson, British...

Touring in Winter is the topic of conversation in this episode today between Lee Pooley, Director of Coaching and Qualifications at British Canoeing, and Pia Philbey, from the British Canoeing Touring Technical Group.  Pia shares tips on all aspects of preparation for touring during the winter months, including clothes, kit and planning. Lee and Pia also cover adapting to challenging conditions an...

How to train smarter, whatever the discipline, is the topic of conversation today between Lee Pooley, Director of Coaching and Qualifications at British Canoeing, and Ian Wynne, performance consultant, coach and Olympic bronze medallist. Lee and Ian discuss the importance of data and benchmarking, overcoming coach and athlete reluctance to benchmarking, and tips for coaches on using data, as well...

This episode is the first of a three-part Strength & Condition Series from the England Talent Programme. In this part we talk about Sport Sampling, covering what sport sampling is and how it can be useful for developing athletes. To discuss this topic area, Daniel Thompson, British Canoeing Talent Operations Coordinator, is joined by Ben Lewis, British Canoeing Pathway Strength and Conditioning Co...

Walter Nowlan (British Canoeing Digital Learning Specialist) introduces Helena Russo (British Canoeing Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Lead) in conversation with Lina Patel (Paddlesport and Outdoor instructor and former #ShePaddles Ambassador for Wales) and Dave Hunt (who delivers Outdoor Degree courses at Leeds Beckett University).    Our guests have a lively discussion about their philosophy of...

Lee Pooley, Director of Coaching and Qualifications at British Canoeing, chats to Scott Hynds, British Canoeing Sprint Coach Developer, around portaging. The conversation covers the importance of portaging, ways to ensure safe and efficient portaging as well as how coaches can integrate portaging within an athlete’s development plan.

Lee Pooley, Director of Coaching and Qualifications at British Canoeing, talks to Tom Sibbald about his time in paddlesport, canoeing and the use of trad skills. Both discuss the meaning of trad skills, why they are important to a canoeist as well as providing examples of their use in context and some top tips to improve.   Please note that there are no podcast episodes over August. Our next episo...

Kristen Wright, the Lead Performance Analyst for the Canoe Slalom programme at the English Institute of Sport, talks to Sid Sinfield about her professional journey into her role and her involvement before, during and after competitions. She goes on to explain how she works with coaches and athletes to help them understand the performance data she collects. Kristen also explains best practices for...

Building on the Parenting at Events podcast episode, we are joined by Ian Raspin (Canoe Slalom England National Talent Coach) and Steve Pearson (Parent of a former England Slalom Talent Programme athlete) who discuss how a parent can help their child when they are preparing for an important race, such as selection. We also hear first-hand an account from a parent of the journey they have had with...

In this episode Imogen Collins talks to Lee Pooley (Director of Coaching and Qualifications) about her new role with British Canoeing as the Pathway Development Coach and how she will be working with clubs and athletes. Imogen also gives an insight into her life and baking skills.

This episode is the third and final episode of a three-part Mental Health Series, in this part we talk about Clinical Mental Health conditions when it might be important to get professional help, and what that might look like. Joining these discussions are Imogen Collins (Canoe Sprint Talent Pathway Coach) and Zofia Campbell (Performance Wellbeing Coach).