Coaching

Coaches and coaching structures are integral to an athlete’s success.

From beginner to elite levels, it is the coaches with the correct technical knowledge and the ability to teach the sport who ensure that archery is practised in a fun, safe and positive environment while helping archers reach their competitive potential.

Many national archery federations offer their own coaching accreditation systems based on standardised archery coaching techniques.

World Archery runs coaching courses and coach trainer courses, which are targeted at federations without their own system, and offers a resident coach programme.

Coaching courses

World Archery’s coaching courses are run at the World Archery Excellence Centre in Lausanne, Switzerland, other regional development hubs, or at national and regional venues on request.

The schedule of courses is announced seasonally, and registration to courses is only available through national archery federations.

Level 1: The entry-level coaching certification issued by World Archery, teaching the ability to coach athletes to intermediate level. Completion of an online module is required prior to participation.

Level 2: A course covering intermediate coaching skills, including advanced technique training, equipment study and tuning, and the theory of biomechanics and psychology in archery. Participants receive a diploma of attendance but no certification. Completion of the level 1 course is required prior to participation.

Coach trainer: Teaches participants how to run a level 1 coaching course.

Resident coach programme

The resident coach programme is a three-month intensive education placement at the World Archery Excellence Centre in Lausanne, Switzerland. It includes theory lessons and offers the chance to practise new skills on location with athletes training toward elite status. Graduates of this course can create and manage high-level performance programmes.

Participants must have a national or international coaching certification, a minimum of two years experience and be fluent in English. Registration is only possible through a national archery federation, and funding may be available from each applicant’s National Olympic Committee.

Coaching conference and resources

The World Archery Coaching Conference takes place every two years, bringing together international coaches from around the world to share best practices, discuss the latest training methods and discuss new developments in archery.

Other resources are available in World Archery’s online file library and at archery.wiki.