ISPAL introduces Indoor Rowing courses for professionals

 

ISPAL, in partnership with the ARA, have hosted the first ever Level 1 Qualification in Coaching Indoor Rowing.  The course ran on the 10th-11th November at the Rivers Health Club in Reading and proved to be a great success. 

As many rowers know the technique seen in gyms often leaves you looking on in despair. These Level 1 and 2 courses aim to ensure that gym and fitness centre staff are fully trained in using rowing machines correctly so that this can be passed on to the more than 4 million people that use rowing machines on a regular basis.

Sarah Beevers, ISPAL’s Development Officer and Coach Educator, who ran the course said: ‘I was very pleased with how the first course was received by the delegates. The feedback showed that they particularly enjoyed the practical element of the course which forms a large part of the 2 days.

‘It was great to see some of the candidates develop a great enthusiasm for rowing within just a few hours and leave on the second day planning to introduce indoor rowing into their studio programme and setting up their first indoor rowing classes’.

One delegate from the course commented: ‘We are now going to run indoor rowing classes for our gym members to make sure that they are using the machines properly.  I can’t wait to get on the level 2 course so that we can start running crew classes.’ Rather like ‘spinning’, crew rowing is a group class done to music with an instructor.

The success of this course will stimulate the succession of Indoor Rowing courses by ISPAL country-wide, including a more advanced Level 2 qualification.  They are aimed specifically at those working in gyms and fitness centres.

If you would like more information on the Indoor rowing courses that ISPAL are running, please visit:  www.ispal.org.uk/education.cfm?page=rowing.