Mark Garland Personal Climbing Coaching Experience
This is a resume of experience based on 25 years of climbing instruction and coaching. Due to the extensive detail I have not logged many my coaching hours for the past 10+ years.
I have personally directed and delivered 275 Mountain Training courses. All climbing related courses have each included a minimum 2-4 hours of direct climbing coaching.
I have run over 100 specific NICAS sessions with candidates operating at levels 1 to level 5. A large amount of these sessions have been mixed abilities with mixed levels1 and 2, and sessions with level 3-5.
I have coached the Rock and Rapid youth squad on a once to twice a week basis for two years. This has included fitness, techniques, styles and competition preparation. Some of this squad represented the South West in the Nationals and came 2nd overall.
I managed a College squad from 2011-2014 who won the South West Colleges final in 2011 and were runners up in 2012 and 2013. This included training plans and techniques and specifics for the Speed climbing, Bouldering, Top roping and Leading events.
I also currently deliver BMC FUNdamentals courses for levels 1, 2 and 3 and have assisted in the delivery of BMC Coaching Children, Physical Training and Route Setting courses. I have personally attended all of the levels as a participant.
I have coached movement in a variety of settings and discaplines. Sport climbing coaching including 10 trips to Spain, numerous trips to France and throughout the UK. Bouldering coaching on 6 trips to fontainblue, France, visits to Spain and the UK as well and 25 years of trad coaching.
Below I have listed personal and instruction/coaching experience.
I started climbing at the age of 13 and have been instructing full time for 25 years. First completing a County Council climbing award in 1992 and then SPA in 1994. MIA followed 2005. I currently have a finger tendon injury but climb 6b+ indoors and up to E3 outdoors.
I have a broad range of experience from across the climbing spectrum that include,
• Many Bouldering trips to font through to new sea cliff boulder problems and in the Peaks
• Sport climbing from the Pyrenees, Costa Blanca, Bavaria, to UK crags like Portland and Llanberis slate
• 25 years of trad experience including approx 70 new routes in South West and North Wales
• Mountaineering trips to the Alps, Pyrenees, America and Australia
• Leading many trekking peaks and Via feratta
• Winter climbing experience and am comfortable on Scottish IV/V. Two Alpine North Faces.
• Many years of indoor climbing as training.
I have a wide range of climbing experience as stated above and have attended many CPD events for both technical and coaching skills over the years and remain current in these fields. I have attended FUNdamentals courses to gain knowledge and see skills delivered in different ways.
I have experience in teaching all aspects of climbing and understand different styles of learning and skills acquisition. I have a patient approach and can listen to individuals needs to get the best from them. I have delivered CWA and SPA for a few years and more recently the CWLA which has given me a good understanding of the variety of skills, styles and approaches to climbing.
I have been coaching movement informally since learning to climb myself, but I have formally been coaching movement for about ten years. This is on a weekly basis and range from 8 years to 40+ adults
I have been involved in climbing sessions and the coaching of climbing for many years with a variety of ages, abilities and motivations.
I have coached a college team and the individuals in it. Some of these students are now climbing to a very high standard. I have coached individuals through various levels of the NICAS scheme and worked on climbing related fitness for conditioning. I have coach the ABC’s but also worked to develop route reading, visualisation and breathing as tools.
I am a level 3 surf kayak coach, level 4 surfing coach and a mountain bike coach. Some of this has been to a basic level but in kayaking coaching up to 3 star and board surfing some developmental skills. As a level 4 I am qualified to coach up to national squad level.
I have attended a number of CPD coaching workshops including coaching movement and dry tooling. I have coached a college climbing squad that won the South West Colleges final in 2011 and were runners up in 2012 and 13 and am currently secretary of the National Colleges Climbing Association. Also more recently I have been working with the youth squad from Rock and Rapid who are working on their NICAS levels, 9 of the squad represented the South West in the nationals and were runners up.
Many years of experience and the enthusiasm to help and develop individuals at all levels. I love seeing little fixes helping develop confidence and ability.
I lectured at a College for 12 years and was a programme manager and personal tutor to at one stage 48 students, and survived 3 ofsted inspections. Lecturers were traditional whiteboard sessions, PowerPoint and practical sessions. I am a MT provider for CWA, SPA, CWLA, LWLA, HML and ML and deliver training to centres as technical advisor for climbing activities. I have also worked on a number of MT courses with a number of providers and Moderated courses for MTE.
I have spent over 12 years teaching formal education. This includes lesson plans, schemes of work, records of work, presenting on whiteboards, flipcharts and via computers, groupwork sessions and using IT.
I have stood up in front of many groups to deliver speeches, introductions and presented whilst delivering conferences and academic training.
• I hold 7307 1&2 City and Guilds (Adult teaching)
• I hold a Cert Ed (Plymouth Uni)
• Post Grad Cert in Development Training (Lancaster Uni) Including counselling, psychology, reflexive practice
• Diploma in Sports Psychology
Hopefully I have shown from the above that I have many years of experience of presenting and have some qualifications to support this. I can forward an academic reference and have included MT references via DLog.
An enthusiastic approach to delivery that focuses on clients needs and aspirations and the ability to deliver in different styles based on understanding and ability. This can be put across with a depth of experience to enhance learning and answer questions with confidence. I have worked and researched on the delivery of learning styles and student retention.
I am currently a provider for CWA, CWAA, CWLA and SPA for climbing and LWLA, HML and Ml for walking.
I have worked with many different providers on all MTE awards.
I have delivered 1 and 2 star kayak/canoe training and assessment courses and deliver FSRT training and assessment.
I have had involvement in some South West based IOL seminars and have provided climbing workshops at AMI AGM’s.
My work at a climbing centre was to support and develop other coaches and instructors and ensure delivery is appropriate to the clients, especially with the youth squad and any NICAS coaching. I also act as a technical advisor for some centres and do oversee delivery, this is mostly from a technical point of view, but coaching and development is discussed.
• I am a moderator for NCFE, a large academic awarding body in the fields of sports coaching, exercise studies, personal training and am Chief moderator for all of their outdoor awards. I attend many colleges and training providers to sample work and assessments to ensure quality in assessment and learning.
• I Moderator for NICAS to check the quality of coaching and assessment.
• I Moderate for MTE for all of their current awards.
• I have for many years assessed students practically for various NVQ awards at levels 1-3, and am a qualified assessor and verifier.
• I have assessed candidates on many MT award courses as provider/director and as a member of staff.
I hold relevant qualifications and experience and am confident in the delivery of climbing movement skills, I have also received very good feedback form my delivery of CWA and CWLA from a coaching perspective.
I am current with good practice on coaching and injury prevention, by reading current ideas and material and attending 4 coaching movement workshops in the last 3 years and NICAS level 5 training.
I currently hold a MIA, WML and IML
Candidate ref no 22759 Provider no 954
• I am a BCU level 3 Kayak coach and coach 1-3 star awards.
• I also hold a British Surfing Association Level 4 coach award the level required to coach the National Squad.
• I am a Mountain bike instructor and spend time coaching biking skills as part of sessions.
• I compete in triathlon, and although I have no formal qualifications I assist in the coaching of the three elements, mostly the swim.
I have attended a number of Safeguarding training courses and hold a current certificate. I am also in the process of writing an outdoor specific safeguarding award with an awarding body. Areas include,
• Legalities
• Types of abuse
• Signs of abuse
• Responsibility and Reporting
• Protection from allegation
• Practical element of fitting harnesses, wetsuits and sanitation on the hill etc.
I am fully up to date with climbing and mountaineering and am active. I am involved in various clubs, associations and groups in order to stay current.
I am a member of the BMC, and secretary of the National Colleges Climbing Association.
I am a member of MTA, AMI and BAIML and currently sit on the committee of the AMI.
I have attended many CPD events in the last three years that include coaching, leadership, dry tooling and standardisation. All certificates are available on request. I have deliberately not uploaded them on to the CMS to ensure I receive emails from AMI reminding me to do so. My AMI committee role is CPD co-ordinator.
Certificate in Education (Plymouth Uni)
Post Graduate Certificate in Development Training (Lancaster Uni)
Diploma in Sport Psychology (Newcastle College)
I have been involved in the development of courses in the last few years for various awarding bodies and organisations. This has helped with breaking down and planning structure. I have taken courses in Equality and Diversity, Data protection, sports coaching, nutrition for sport and exercise studies.
I have a passion for coaching and development, and thrive from seeing others progress and gain motivation from their success and improvements. I ensure each course is delivered conscientiously to give all attendees the maximum benefit from the experience.
I act in an impartial and fair way when assessing but also see an assessment as a learning opportunity for all including the assessor. I have developed good feedback skills and can assess at the required standard.
I am very enthusiastic about coaching development and the ongoing progression for our sport. The participation is now fantastic and there are new walls popping up all the time which is testament to this. The level of skill and ability in some of our young climbers is phenomenal. Climbing is also a great way to gain confidence and with more coaching people will only get better and better increasing this confidence. My commitment to the solid delivery of coaching is embedded.
