Consequence of the previous article where I indicated the costs of archery is to ask ourselves the question: is it enough to hypothesize a price without an adequate organizational system that also analyzes the service provided and above all the quality of those appointed to provide this service? In my opinion the answer to this question also concerns the future of our sport.
From today in fact I will dedicate myself, through the format of short articles, to understanding what to do to allow archery to have a look at the future, a look that goes beyond who we are today and also addresses the theme of professionalism. and professionalism. To do this, however, we must begin by taking note of a fact. Today in sport in general and in archery specifically the average age of the participants has risen. The age of management and technicians is also very high. Obviously I do not say this in a negative sense, but only to indicate the real difficulties we will have to face in order to implement the right generational change that will guarantee the future of this sport.
The matter is complex and articulated, let’s try to find an initial item. Anyone who approaches this sport enters into a relationship with a coach, while progressing in his sporting path he is in relationship with a coach, if he goes through difficult times he talks about it with his coach; therefore the figure of the technician, the instructor, the coach is of great importance and has a prominent place in the “vision” of archery.
This “professional” figure today is ready for the challenges of the future, has the adequate tools, is it in this form that it is preparing to progress, does the current type of volunteering still make sense, can we start to hypothesize a professional and professional path?
Do we currently have an organized sports system to be able to start thinking about professionalism? Will the eventual professional coach be an employee or a freelancer? Let’s start by reviewing together what a coach’s job is by borrowing the words of Alberto Madella. He coaches plans and manages individual and group training programs aimed at maintaining and improving physical fitness or learning a specific sporting activity. Programs can have educational, adaptive, playful or sporting purposes. Furthermore, for one’s own professional enrichment, it is essential that, in addition to technical knowledge and skills, it is essential to acquire the ability to stimulate and motivate the group and individuals to constantly engage in training and achieving individual and team goals, never losing sight of the sense of sportsmanship and the importance of teamwork.
These prerogatives of the work of the instructor, coach, technician etc. for the sake of brevity, coaches, they outline the field of work of a freelancer, as no employee is left with such a high degree of freedom of action. So today, is the archery system able to have freelancers who can support themselves with their work?
For this question, yes or no are not enough. Because before we can answer we should be able to have an economic system of reference, some call it the market.
A system that provides adequate services, which is able to generate questions to be answered not only technically, but also by providing different experiences.
