The
Coach
Masterclass
For beginning, intermediate and advanced skydive coaches, teachers and organisers who want to grow and further educate themselves.
The next edition:
The Coach Masterclass Level I
23 – 29 March 2025
SkyTime Castellon, Spain
Mission
The mission of The Coach Masterclass is to educate the current and next generation of skydive coaches, teachers and organisers.
Due to easy access to flight progression through wind tunnels and general growth of the sport of bodyflying, there are many skilled athletes on the scene, keen to teach and organise jumps. They might not have several thousand jumps of practical experience and many years of witnessing all that can happen at a dropzone. However, they do often have the right attitude towards learning. It is in part they who have asked us to create this workshop.
In a week of high intensity practical and theoretical teaching by some of the most experienced coaches and load organisers in our sport, we aim to deliver extremely high value for participants. The goal is for them to boost their progression by directly tapping into the source of decades of experience.
The reason why it’s called a masterclass, rather than a course or a license, is because being a good coach or load organiser consists of many different qualities and after a one-week course, we can’t guarantee that a participant is a good coach or teacher.
The masterclass certificate is proof that a participant has successfully completed the class, which gives him or her a broad knowledge base and a good judgement of their own abilities and what experience they might lack. With this certificate in hand, they know themselves if they are ready to continue or start gaining experience as a coach or load organiser and can do so with much more insight.
Can I join?
It’s a common misunderstanding that this masterclass is only meant for people who are just beginning to coach. If you have already been coaching or load organising for a while and you want to invest in your career by furthering your knowledge, this is your chance. People with no coaching or LO experience are also welcome. We do have minimum flying skill requirements: you need to be proficient in head up, head down and belly angle flying. You should easily be able to find your way around the sky in these positions. You’ll be focussing on others, safety, navigation and teaching in free fall, so your own flying should go without too much thinking. If you have doubts about your level, let us know and we’ll have a chat about it.
The class
The masterclass consists of five days of intensive learning in a group with 2 or 3 of your peers, guided by top-level professional coaches who have decades of experience. The days are divided in practical learning at the dropzone while skydiving and theoretical lessons in a class room in which we cover all of the essentials that make up the safe practice of coaching and load organising. In 2020 we launched Level II module of the masterclass, accessible to anyone who has completed Level I.
Details Level I
Entry requirements
Able to come and take a grip in head up and head down
Able to stay in your slot (+/- 2m) in all belly angles
Objectives
In this class we study all areas of coaching and load-organising with intermediate freefly students and groups in basic HU, HD, tracking and angle jumps.
Subjects
The role of a coach/LO
General knowledge and behaviour
DZ ground procedures
– Aircraft behaviour
– Freefall
– Canopy piloting
– Equipment
The general theory of sport education
Structuring a (de-)briefing
Planning jumps
– Head up jumps
– Head down jumps
– Tracking jumps
– Angle flying
– Navigation
– Medium big ways
Break off procedures
Exit order
Jumpruns
Winds
Making mistakes
Details Level II
Entry requirements
Successfully completed Level I of The Coach Masterclass (no exceptions)
Objectives
In this class we study coaching beginner groups, 1-on-1 coaching, advanced coaching, working with incompatible groups, students who have a higher skill level than the coach, challenging students.
Subjects
Flying techniques
Teaching beginners & 1-on-1 coaching
Advanced navigation
Planning jumps
– Dynamic lines
– Flips ’n shit
– Big ways
– Planning progress through multiple jumps
– Working with non-matching skill levels, differentiation
The general theory of sport education – part 2
Canopy flight
Dropzone operations
Emergency situations
Meteorology
Details Level III
to be scheduled
Entry requirements
Successfully completed Level II of The Coach Masterclass.
Objectives
In this class we study leading highly skilled flyers, working at high profile events, how to become a desired coach/LO, creating your own events, organising formation records, becoming a Masterclass Leader, working with sponsors, and more.
What, where, when?
23 – 29 March 2025 in Castellon, Spain.
The price
Standard package price – tba
The standard package includes:
- 5 full school days
- 15 jumps and packjobs
- 7 nights in a 4 star hotel
- pickup from airport or train station
- 3 meals a day and wine with dinner
- Life as a Pro conference attendance
The week consists of five intensive days of learning and one day off in the middle to relax or skydive. Accommodation and food is included for 7 nights in the standard package. You can choose to book without accommodation, lunch & dinner. Breakfast will still be included because we start each day with a breakfast meeting. Additional lunch or dinner at the hotel is 25€. You can choose to arrive 1-2 days early for some warm up jumps with your class mates. Extra jumps and extra hotel nights will be charged afterwards.
Who is teaching?
Our 2025 class leaders: tba
Certification
After successful completion of The Coach Masterclass you will get a certificate to prove it. We are working to increase the international recognition of this certificate. You can view all previous participants and their completed levels here.
Accommodation
The standard package includes a shared 2-person room and three meals a day. When you sign up you have the option to upgrade to a single room. The brand new RH | Silene **** Hotel & Spa is right next to the dropzone so that we don’t have to use our time and energy on shopping, cooking or transport. If you are on a budget, you can choose to book without accommodation and arrange your own place to stay. You will still have breakfast with us at the hotel because that’s when our busy day starts.
Travel
Arrival day is Sunday (we usually have a general first meeting on Sunday afternoon). We finish Saturday with the Life as a Pro conference and the Paradise party. The hotel is right next to the dropzone so you don’t need a car in Castellon. Travel by train works very well in Spain. We will invite you to a Signal group chat where you can find people to carpool with. If you choose to fly, Valencia (VLC) is the closest airport (1h drive). From there you can get a metro/train to Castellon or we can help you find someone to share a taxi (±100€) or rental car with. You can also fly into Barcelona and take a train or rent a car (2,5h drive).
Payment
You will be asked to pay a 750€ deposit to secure your slot. The deposit is non-refundable. The remaining amount should be paid latest one week before the start of the event.
To reserve your slot you need to agree to our general booking conditions.
Questions
If you have any questions about the masterclass, don’t hesitate to ask them per email or via our contact form.
Classes of 2019 – 2024:
