How to begin becoming a BASC Shotgun Coach

BASC offer a whole range of courses in just about every shooting discipline and a lot more. Their training courses help promote and protect shooting and related activities by establishing and maintaining high standards through training, education and best practice.

They say on their website “It is important to understand that BASC is absolutely opposed to compulsory testing as a condition of firearm or shotgun ownership. However people who are new to the sport must accept that the onus is on them to develop the knowledge and skill to use a shotgun or firearm safely, this could be through being ‘mentored’ by a more experienced shooter for a while to ‘show you the ropes’ or if this is not possible through a training course.” To which I agree whole heartedly.

To be honest it still amazes me how unsafe some people can be at shooting grounds or out rough shooting without ever realizing it.
Like I was told, it’s just as important to be seen being safe as it is to be safe. So even going along for a lesson with a coach can help just give you a heads up about gun safety, fit and shooting methods, all will improve your shooting even if you have been shooting for a long time.

It’s easy to keep doing what you have always done and just have the attitude that you 'miss some you hit some' but the reality can be more like you miss too many and you think the birds are learning!

So you end up in a guile suit with real tree HD camo coving you from head to toe laying in a bush with face paint on and your gun heavy with easy sight beads, camo paint and four types of choke stuffed in to the barrel and still shooting behind every CLAY.

Wow! Off on a little tangent there but in my short time being a enthusiastic shooter I have seen and heard just about all the excuse as to why they are missed and just about all the advice from the guy standing behind shouting random measurements of how much lead to give the next one.
After experiencing some lessons myself I felt empowered rather than embarrassed about asking for some pointers on how to improve.

I really enjoy teaching and passing on knowledge to others and to see them come to just to have a go for fun or with a problem and you help them understand the principals of this rewarding sport, how to hone the techniques to improve and be confident in any shooting situation is wonderful.

Most people in this sport I have found to be friendly and happy to offer advice but as a beginner a lot of advice from many sources can be just as baffling as it can be nurturing. So this is why I wanted my coaching accreditation to know that I can learn more about shooting and more importantly how to structure it to pass on this information in a safe, friendly and engaging manner.

So lets catch up to where I’ve got to..

To be a BASC coach you first have to be a BASC member. This is easily done on their website or my post or at a country show. At the time of writing this post it costs £66 and this membership offers excellent benefits such as insurance and many others things.
Once you are a member you can apply to be a coach. To become a coach you have to be mentored by a BASC coach mentor there is a list of mentors on the BASCsite where you can find one local to you. The deal you make with the mentor for cost of training is all down to you both. The only cost that is paid to BASC is £125 this includes all of the award administration costs, a coaching manual and a CRB check.

Your mentor will train you to the standard required to become a BASC Shotgun coach and once an awareness of the requirement is reached, your Mentor will recommend you for the ‘pre-assessment day’.

Where you will be assessed and marked to see if you are ready to go for your full assessment. At this point you are also handed a shooting log, which needs to be filled out and kept up to date as this goes towards your City & Guilds involvement in the Shotgun Coach Award. At the time of writing this the L12 City & Guilds involvement in the Shotgun Coach Award is currently under review and could change soon but I will keep you posted on this if this is the case.

Then a BASC Assessor will need to observe your coaching ability at live events. 

Make it through that and you will be good to go.

So register, get a mentor, do the pre-assessment day, and then you will need to give 3 lessons at a live event one to an adult male, one to an adult female and one to a young person either male or female. These all have to be passed consecutively or you go back to the beginning and have to do the 3 lessons again.

Currently I am a member of BASC, I have paid my coach training registration fee and I have Dave Brown as my mentor. I have filled out and sent my CRB check papers and I am currently helping and observing Dave at the shooting school while he takes clients through the process. I have also given a number of beginner lessons with Dave observing and taken groups of people for stag dos and parties.
Dave has other training coaches and we get together and go through giving volunteers lessons and analysing each other after, which gives good feedback and makes you notice a lot more about how gun fit is so important and how different people learn.

  

I go shooting as much as I can including clays and rough shooting and this year I am looking at getting a puppy to train too. I must think I have all the time in the world!

Next time I will talk about what’s involved in giving a formal lesson, important things to remember and how I got better at it.