What qualifications should someone have in order to become a barefoot running instructor?

Warren Dickey wrote:"The only

Warren Dickey said:
"The only issue you will run into is when you have people learning from someone who doesn't really know what they are doing which will frustrate those that do because in the end it's the whole that will get the bad wrap not just the individual." The quote above from Jimmy is what scares me most about not having some type of certifying or vetting criteria to ensure people aren't getting hurt and are having the best BFR experience they can. There are charlatans and ignoramuses in practically every endeavor but in BFR people can actually get hurt and turn away from something that could provide them many years of pain-free healthy movement.



What would the curriculum/training be and what is to say that that is correct way? There is a lot of wiggle room for interpretation as well. For example I personally would recommend a very liberal transition plan, I would also recommend living barefoot. Angie has a different idea about it? Neither is wrong, or maybe both are?
 
Across the depth/breadth of

Across the depth/breadth of barefoot, minimalist, natural, or whatever-you-want-to-call-it running style there IS a lot of wiggle-room but there are some physiological realities that exist for a beginner. I'm not sure what you mean by a "liberal transition" but most people can't take their mainstream running shoes off then go 5-10 miles barefoot without incurring some injury at least some incredible soreness. Being able to coach/instruct/mentor someone through the transition that best works for them would be one example of a principle that is fairly standard I believe. Obviously people are different based on athletic ability, age, weight, body-style, genetics and so on but transitioning is transitioning. I do have some ideas of what a syllabus could look like for something like this but I don't have the time at the moment to lay it all down right now. I do believe there are probably some pretty sound principles one could base coaching/instruction on. Most of the material is already laid down in many of the books out right now. It's what I've drawn on to conduct the few clinics I have. That and my own personal experience.
 
I do think there is room for

I do think there is room for a teaching curriculum, one that teaches people how to teach barefoot running. A coaches' coach, if you will. In order to pull that off, there would be a lot of work to be done.
 
So, who wants to start

So, who wants to start building this map? It will include:

Picture

Name

Location

How long running barefoot?

Link to any pending clinics they will be teaching

Listing of any relevant certifications

Free form for sharing whatever they wish

Rating link (back to another form attendees can fill out after they have taken one of their clinics)



What else should we add here?
 
Abide, I take it back. I

Abide, I take it back. I just realized that when I talk with people about barefoot running I always suggest they spend as much of their time barefoot as possible. I was taking for granted that I have already put in so much time barefoot that I forget I suppose. I am always barefoot at home and drive barefoot. I wear flip flops most of the time because they are so easy to kick off.

One of the things I loved about my coaching class with Lee Saxby was that he taught us how to coach. We had to coach each other every day of the class and it was an intense class. it wasn't just a how to run barefoot and why but how to teach other people. Lots of psychology thrown in.
 
on a more serious note than

on a more serious note than my previous post. they should have coaching experience, not just bf running experience. i saw Michael Sandler tonight and he picked me apart just looking at how i stand. i did a quick little run for him and he saw how it translates to how i run. he gave some advice about laying off running and doing some cross training for a few weeks. then do some slow, short distance running to build back up so i can run and live pain free.



i run a lot with the group here and everyone tells me i have perfect form, but i know better. if i had perfect form i wouldn't have a sore left calve, pf, and a callus or blister on my left toe. no one noticed these small imperfections but Michael Sandler saw them right away. the person i believe if they are experienced can learn bf form quickly and know how to help people fix their form. to me form is everything which i'm sure is why i will reluctantly take his advice and back off for a bit and build some strength and try and work out my issues.



Mike
 
A coach has to accurately

A coach has to accurately analyze their subject's actions and effectively suggest changes that lead to results. If a coach can do this well it supercedes if they themselves can do the actual activity they are coaching well or have EVER done the actual activity at all.

So for me a qualifing standard would have nothing to do with an indidual's bf running accomplishments, but instead be about the learning of a basic body of knowledge about bf mechanics (including effects of surfaces), followed by a how to analysize form lesson, followed by a how to teach lesson. Then a test on all of it. Could be video as part of the test. Then if you pass the test you are on your own. You might be a good bf coah or a bad one, just like in any other activity or sport, but you passed a test that shows you have the basic fundamentals of bf running.

Who makes this test up? Whoever wants to start a certification program, can convince others that they know best, and get a following. There could be different schools and certifications that pop up like West Coast BF, East Coast BF, etc. "I'm certified ECBF", etc. Each might have a different underlying philosophy, or not.

Personally I think people should keep doing what they've been doing, read about BF running and coach themselves and let one thing in the world not be pinned down by a specific title or have to go through an "expert", but that's just me and I know it's not realistic. It's natural for people to want teachers.
 
Good stuff there, 800.  We're

Good stuff there, 800. We're just hashing this out really.

My opinion...

There's something so very basic, yet so very intimate about barefoot running that just can't be described to others who haven't practiced it. It goes way deeper than book smarts or being able to cite this or cite that. It's primal. It's animalistic. It's life changing to so many. You have to experience it to understand it and appreciate it. An instructor, coach, teacher, or whatever other classification standing in front of me wearing a pair of shoes isn't going to be able to relate to me where I am standing or what I am standing on.
 
Hey all...been away from BRS

Hey all...been away from BRS for a bit (finishing an MA which has been very time consuming...) Anyway, this is a great thread/idea...

I think there are a couple of avenues that coaches can take to become great. And I do not think that either one is necessarily better than the other.

First type: an athlete with loads of experience that becomes a coach. Right now, my boys are training with baseball coaches that are ex-ballplayers themselves. All of the coaches made it to some level professionally and spent the greater part of their lives playing the sport. The effect on my kids' skills has been tremendous. I was their coach before that, and although I have a good understanding of swing mechanics, etc., these guys are incredible. They see stuff and know how to fix it. Their experience is enough for me.

Second type: someone who is interested in the sport, probably has some (though maybe limited) experience engaged in the sport, but who has studied the different aspects and concepts needed to be successful in the sport. This is where a BF Instructor's Course might be helpful. This type of coach would basically be like me (and probably most of us) but have some extra knowledge. A key ingredient for the course, for me, would be the practice of analyzing running form, on tape or in person, and the ability to give corrective/helpful tips. Also very important would be transitioning "programs", which is probably going to be the stage of the bulk of runners seeking a BF coach.

For both types: the only way I know to become great at anything is to practice it. Coaching is no different. I will almost always prefer an experienced coach (not necessarily an experienced runner) over one that is not.

I like the idea of bios for potential trainers, that is how I think most coaches/trainers advertise themselves. Then they start slowly building a client base and go from there. I know a lot of trainers offer free or discounted introductory lessons in the hopes of establishing clients too.
 
migangelo wrote:eek:n a more

migangelo said:
on a more serious note than my previous post. they should have coaching experience, not just bf running experience. i saw Michael Sandler tonight and he picked me apart just looking at how i stand. i did a quick little run for him and he saw how it translates to how i run. he gave some advice about laying off running and doing some cross training for a few weeks. then do some slow, short distance running to build back up so i can run and live pain free.



i run a lot with the group here and everyone tells me i have perfect form, but i know better. if i had perfect form i wouldn't have a sore left calve, pf, and a callus or blister on my left toe. no one noticed these small imperfections but Michael Sandler saw them right away. the person i believe if they are experienced can learn bf form quickly and know how to help people fix their form. to me form is everything which i'm sure is why i will reluctantly take his advice and back off for a bit and build some strength and try and work out my issues.



Mike

Is there more to the story? What were you doing right? What is not running going to teach you about running? When I coached, we used the "Build - Break - Build" method. Give them 2 posatives that you want them to keep doing for every tweak or correction. I never "tore anyone apart".

-Jonny
 
I agree TJ that there's way

I agree TJ that there's way more to barefoot running than learning about it in a classroom. Big time. I myself could probably never take a coach seriously who did not participate in the activity they were coaching, especially something like bf running which by its nature is basically open to anyone. However I believe this aspect of their resume is seperate from a certification.

Like I said, for me the certification should really be about testing their understanding of theory, knowledge about form, analysis skills, and teaching ability. Those are the qualities that distinguish a goof bf coach, from a good bf runner.

The second part of any coach's resume would be their experience with the activity. It's what usually makes them credible, often more so than anything else. It's what usually brings people in. It's essentially part of the marketing of the coach, especially at the beginning of their career. I think it would be very very hard to realistically get anyone to give you a coaching position if you never did the activity that you are claiming to be able to coach.

Unfortunately in my mind there is no direct correlation between being a good current or former participant in an activity and being a good coach of that activity.

So a certification should just be a stamp that says this person has the body of knowledge, the consumer should have to judge their acheivements and decided whether to listen to them or not.

As a side note: I believe there was a professional football coach, think it was Kansas City a few years back who had NEVER played football in his life on any level anywhere. I don't think he turned out to be a good pro coach, don't know the details, but he did make it to the highest level. I think it caused a stir though when people found out. Too bad. Also I know there are high level pro soccer coaches who have never played. Not many, but it's possible. When I used to play organized sports I think it may have bothered me, but now thinking about it I can see that it's not that important because the coach doesn't play the games.
 
aw Jonny, i think now i'm

aw Jonny, i think now i'm understanding your question. i guess i just use some very descriptive words. he didn't "tear me apart". what he did was look at me and point out some problems i have. then he watched me run and saw exactly what i was complaining about. i land flat on my left foot and it contributes to pain in my calf. i was fully dressed as it said the talk was not going for a run. he recommended i do some cross training as well as get some body work done to work out my problems with strength and old injuries. once i get that going start running short, slow distances.

it was free advice given in the short amount of time we had. i'm going to take it. i've done pilates like he suggested for my core and oh man that was some tough work. i was laughing in class towards the end because of the pain. it was fun.

i hope that helped.



Mike
 
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The Barefoot Running

The Barefoot Running Instructors Map has been created. Please see the thread stickied to the top of this forum named Barefoot Running Instructors Map (http://www.barefootrunners.org/forum-topic/barefoot-running-instructors-map ).



Since no one stepped up to organize this data, we're going to let this project go on auto-pilot.
wink.png
Please do not alter anyone else's information. (In the future, we may handle this differently, but for now...)

If you would like to be added to this map, please follow this format when entering your information (so basically, just copy this text and insert it into your map marker, and add your own info.). I have an example on the map. If I am missing any fields we should add, please let me know. If there is anyone you know of who coaches/instructs and would like to be added to the map, please forward them this email.
Name:Business Name: Location:Address: Email:Site:Calendar:phone 1:phone 2:Fee:Experience:More Info: