Advanced slalom Coach Programme
Summer - Autumn 2026
Huw Swetnam and Jonathan Males
This highly practical programme helps slalom coaches to develop their skills as deeply and intentionally as athletes do, improving the quality of coaching and increasing positive impact on paddlers and their performances. It is ideal for experienced coaches seeking to go beyond the basics. The programme provides CPD points and dovetails with the Performance Coach pathway as a “Coach Developer Touchpoint.”
Approach
Cohort based
You will work within a cohort of 6 – 8 coaches to learn from each other in practical sessions and discussion groups.
Slalom Specific Development Workshop
The core is a 2-day practical Development Workshop. This combines discussion, practical coaching with observation and feedback and reflection, to explore not only technical and tactical aspects of coaching, but also the psychological, emotional, and interpersonal skills that define great coaches.
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Deep dive into modern slalom technique – upstreams and staggers
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Two whitewater coaching sessions with feedback
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One flatwater coaching session with feedback
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One ‘virtual coaching session’ – observing and critiquing a videoed training session from Lee Valley.
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Build self-awareness and understand your stress drivers
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Feedback and communication to unlock performance
Webinars
A series of four webinars introduce additional content and support you to apply what you have learned from the weekend workshop. They are recorded so you can catch up if needed.
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Race day as a coach
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Managing athlete’s emotions and coaching anxious athletes
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Coaching the ‘less obvious’ – working with groups, values, attitudes and culture.
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Consolidation and review
Ongoing mentoring and coach development
Following on from the programme we can provide you with support within the Performance Coach pathway:
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Direct support on the riverbank, via “Coach Developer Touchpoints”
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Personalised mentoring sessions
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Other coach developers can provide specific input as identified through the mentoring process.
Delivery Team
Huw Swetnam
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Raced in Prem since 1996
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3 x National champion
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National team 2004 - 2016
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Sweden Olympic Coach –Tokyo 2020, K1 finalist
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Coached Canada, Sweden, Scotland, Wales, and England teams
Jonathan Males PhD
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Coached Australian Olympic team 1992
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GB Men’s kayak coach 1993
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GB sport psych through 3 Olympic cycles to 2005.
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Sport psych with Canoe Wales, Ireland, GB, Australian paddlers.
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Author of In the Flow
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Competitive in international masters racing
Testimonials
“Really enjoyable course which underpins a lot of what is missing from some of the courses earlier in the coaching pathway”
“After nearly 3 decades of working in paddle sport this has been one of the most impactful courses I have ever participated in. Jonathan and Huw curated a wonderful open learning environment, whilst skilfully sharing their passions for canoe slalom coaching. It’s been a really valuable experience, challenging, thought-provoking, and directly relevant to the demands of coaching in a performance environment. It has already made a lasting impact on how I coach from day to day.”
“The Advanced Coaching Program is something to be engaged with, I learnt so much over the two days and it also updated me on current techniques, it has a great practical element which provides feedback you can reflect on. The webinar series brings to life some theory to practice along with practical applications to take away, lots of interactions with peers within the breakout sessions. This is one program not to be missed.”
Eligibility
This is designed for active and experienced coaches who have already covered the basics of coach education, for example the Core Coach and the Coach Award.
Dates
We are proposing two dates for the Development workshop at HPP.
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22- 23 August
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10 – 11 October
There is a minimum group size of 6 coaches, and we will run either or both weekends depending on demand. If two groups are viable, we will combine them for the webinars to maximise community building.
Cost
The full programme (two-day development workshop, 4 x 1.5-hour webinars) costs £450 per coach. The England Slalom Committee will provide a £75 contribution towards your travel and accommodation.
To Register your place
Register online here no later than 31 July 2026. We will send you an invoice for £50 to secure your place after you register. If we do not have a minimum of 6 coaches 2 weeks before the workshop, we will refund this. If we have 6 coaches registered 2 weeks prior to the workshop, we will ask you to pay the balance (£400) at this time.