Continuing development
Mentoring
Every certified ARCI coach is assigned a mentor. Mentoring continues at every qualification level.
Mentoring
Mentoring is a defining element of the ARCI model. It provides professional continuity through the competitive season, applied to the situations a coach meets in daily training and on race day.
In most coach-education systems the relationship between the institution and the coach concludes at assessment. The qualification is issued and the coach returns to work.
ARCI education continues after certification. Every certified coach is assigned a named mentor for the season, matched to the environment that coach works in: the age group, the level of athlete, the terrain and the competitive calendar.
Race coaching decisions are specific to an athlete, a day and a set of conditions. The curriculum establishes the method of diagnosis; the mentoring relationship applies that method to the athletes the coach is responsible for, across a full season of training and competition. It is also the route by which international coaching practice reaches a coach working at club or national level, in the environment where they work rather than in a classroom.
Mentoring runs at every qualification level — Race Coach, Advanced Race Coach and Elite Race Coach — and continues for as long as the coach holds Current ARCI Status.
The five elements of ARCI mentoring
01
Assigned Mentor
Every certified coach has a named mentor for the season, matched to the environment the coach works in.
02
Periodic Development Contact
Structured conversations across the season covering athlete progress, training design and coaching decisions.
03
ARCI Coach Desk
Coaches submit technical and coaching questions supported by video, race footage, timing, course information, snow conditions, equipment changes and athlete feedback.
04
Specialist Network
Technical coaching, speed, equipment, mental performance, physical preparation, physiology and performance analysis.
05
ARCI Coaching Community
Continuing exchange with ARCI coaches, mentors and Course Leaders internationally.
Coaching Questions Worked Through With a Mentor
The athlete is much faster on the third run than on the first two. What should I investigate?
The transitions — Phase 1 — are very slow. Where does the problem begin?
The athlete skis strongly in soft snow and loses significant time on injected surfaces. Which factors should I analyze?
The athlete changed equipment and the line has become very low. What should I investigate?
The athlete loses time in SL on flat sections. Which areas should I examine?
The athlete appears over-activated before the first run and considerably calmer later. How should this be analyzed?
The athlete has strong long-term ambitions and unclear daily training goals. How should the goal structure be organized?
Education Method
Learn
Professional education delivered online and in person, covering technique, biomechanics, tactics, line interpretation, physiology, physical performance, mental performance, equipment and planning.
Observe
Reading turn shape, coordinated movements and line interpretation in Technical free skiing and gate training.
Practice
Corridor sets and course setting, technical diagnosis, and intervention through an external focus of attention, under supervision.
Work with real teams
Practical exposure to active race programs and athletes throughout the days on snow.
Learn from experience
Faculty with World Cup, Olympic and international high-performance experience deliver the education directly.
Be mentored
Season-long access to experienced coaches and the ARCI professional community.