Becoming a Barefoot Running Coach

Hi all,

I've been running barefoot/minimalist for a few years now and have been thinking lately about becoming a coach and showing others how to do it.

How would I go about doing this? Does one need a qualification, or is experience enough?

Thanks!

A few years? Yeah, thats about enough time.
I assume you could just teach. Simple as that.
Get a group and teach.

PS: Make sure that they actually WANT to learn to run barefoot.

Thanks Yeah the 'want' bit is pretty important!

Here's what Jason has to say about this. Click...wait for it...HERE

I'm not anti-coach, just anti-certification. If I were to give a recommendation for a would-be coach, I'd recommend in this order:

• Read John Wooden's "Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations..."
• Read "Tread Lightly" by Pete Larson and Bill Katovsky
• Read Ken Bob's barefoot book
• Find my book online, download for free
• Start reading every new post here: https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!forum/huaraches
• Read the first ChiRunning book
• Read the first Pose book
• Read "The Art of Non-Conformity" by Chris Guillebeau
• Take a Good Form running clinic
• Watch the Evolution Running DVD
• Read Elliot Aronson's "Social Animal"
• Observe your two favorite teachers, one from middle school and one from high school, ask how they manage to reach all their students. Mimic that.

Keep in mind- this is my opinion of how one could become a pretty well-rounded barefoot coach. I don't like the idea of having any sort of barriers to entering the teaching realm. Your experience is more than enough to get started.

Thanks so much for finding that for me! I knew I had read it before but couldn't track it down this morning.

TJ: Looks like there are no coaches nearby so I might corner the market If I take the plunge I'll add myself. I don't suppose you found a way to add in coach ratings as per Jason's article? I love that idea!

Wow thanks Jason. Looks like I'm on the right track. I've read nearly all those running books (Tread Lightly is on order). I'll add the others to my reading list.

Thanks for the advice!

Jeez, yet another barefoot forum? Oh wait, it's mostly about shoes, what a relief.
It would be great if everyone would just concentrate their energies here at the BRS, but I suppose the plurality of forums is good for barefoot democracy . . .
Nice list bytheway Jason. You're right on top of things, as usual.

TJ- I assumed Dawsy was already reading BRS. Note I didn't include the "other' forum, though. It was intentional.

The Google group tends to discuss the science behind barefoot running, shoes, diet, and training methodology. The BRS members tend to talk about the practical application of each of these. Both modalities are important to understand as a potential coach. I can't stress the human factor enough, though. Understanding the individual needs of any potential client is critical, as is the ability to recommend a wide range of techniques using terminology they can actually understand. Most coaches that fail do so because THEY understand the ideas but cannot effectively relay the information to the client. It's the same reason many college professors tend to be crappy teachers.

Cool, sounds like a good clearinghouse, I'll have to start checking it out.

Just have some free time and an Internet connection.

The Google format is maddening, but the regular posters are insightful and inherently skeptical. It's a fertile ground for hashing out controversial ideas due to their intolerance for dogma.

I've been trying to wind down my barefoot running site/blog/forum obsession, and now you introduce another one. I guess as long as I keep learning it's time well-spent.

That's five years ago, right after our first kid was born. She's turning five in a week, so I was feeling nostalgic. I also miss my tropical tan. All clothes need to be ironed there because there's a insect that lays eggs in the clothes when they're drying on the line, and the hot iron kills them. Otherwise the larvae burrow into the skin. Still, some got by, and we had to squeeze a few of the white, maggot-like critters out of her back when she was six months old.

Holy cow! I've heard of stuff like that but how horrible that your baby got them! Where was this at Lee?

In Mozambique. It wasn't so bad. First it's a red spot, then you see the little hole, then you squeeze them out. They could get pretty big on our dog though. We wouldn't see them at first because of the fur. I do remember feeling violently mad at the little vermin though. My first full-fledged defend-the-family fatherly feelings I suppose.