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Technical Mountain Bike Leader Award (combined training and assessment)

Technical Mountain Bike Leader

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Course summary

The Technical Mountain Bike Leader Award (previously the Level 2 Leader Award), or the Technical Leader for short, is for anyone interested in taking groups of mountain bikers out on single day trips in technical mountain bike terrain .

This course builds on the detailed leader skills developed during your Trail Leader Award course. It works in a similar way to the Trail Leader course in that it combines training and assessment to provide the fastest way that those with experience and comprehension of best practice in mountain bike leading (i.e. qualified Trail Leaders) can become qualified to lead in technical terrain.

This combined course utilises the best modern integrated teaching and assessment opportunities available, through OTC's highly experienced and qualified tutors. It continues the ethos of the Trail Leader Award, capitalising on the fact that everyone attending already has this knowledge and practiced capability, and taking you on to the higher understanding and application required by the Technical Leader Award. And of course, the course is provided in such a way that you both encounter great riding, and enjoy the course itself throughout.

Why attend this course?
There are significant advantages to going through the new OTC leader development process of the Trail Leader course followed by this combined Technical Leader course:

You learn all elements of leading, ensuring that you don't miss any important fundamentals at each stage
You remain qualified throughout the leader development process
You are able to provide the National Mountain Bike Skill Awards
You will learn a great deal about developing riders skills as well as extending your knowledge and abilities in managing groups in the technical environment
The additional hard skills of riding skills; maintenance and navigation are thoroughly extended

Course Content
This course focuses on best practice in leading in technical terrain and taking those skills generated through your Trail Leader Award further. It includes elements extending your knowledge in the following areas:

Ride preparation for the technical environment
Risk Assessment of technical terrain
Building and developing of group members riding skills to suit technical terrain
Group management, safety and responsibility in technical terrain
Additional emergency management appropriate to technical environments
Further trailside maintenance skills including brake and gear adjustment; bearing adjustments; ensuring bikes suitability to the environment
Significantly extended navigational skills using map, compass and speedometer to develop route development and precise location finding at any point in technical terrain
Provision of the National Mountain Bike Skill Awards which only Skill Instructors and those attending this course can provide

This course is over a similar duration to the Trail Leader courses (Friday evening though to late Sunday afternoon, or similar timescale midweek); an intense 25 hours of learning, support, formative and summative assessment processes.

As with all OTC courses it's primary aim is to provide you with the skills, techniques and learning opportunities to become a competent and professional mountain bike leader, through an unparralleled support and enjoyment mechanism.

Course Pre-requistes
Clearly our aim is to enable those attending to attain the Technical Leader Award. However leading in this environment, as is also the case in trail terrain, it is crucial that Technical Leaders are entirely competent at the skills required. In order for such an indepth course to combine training and assessment, the pre-requistes required to attend, although are therefore attainable but significant (this course continues to provide Leaders of the highest quality, understanding, knowledge and application).

You will need to have completed the Trail Leader Award, and have a log or personal and led rides showing that you have appropriate experience to take into the course. It is also advisable that you have practised and developed your navigational and trailside maintenance skills to a higher level. See full details of the combined Technical Leader Award course pre-requistes.

Where can I book on?
Courses can be accessed through places on open courses or as a Special Course for your group at your suitable venue.

Useful links:

Trail Leader Award
Technical Leader Award course pre-requistes.
Technical Leader Award terrain.
First Aid certificate requirements.
See how we cater for you if you have a disability.
Data protection policy.

Not sure if this is the right course for you? See our guide to choosing the correct course.

 

 

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