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Help< > Trainings
Coach Trainers train and certify new IKO Coaches. To be eligible to become a Coach Trainer you must be a certified Coach Level 2, run at least 4 Evolution Clinics with a minimum of 20 participants or have certified 40 Level 5 students. You must also be at least 24 years old and have been validated for all the skills of all the Evolution categories.
IKO Coaches provide both live coaching and video coaching. Live coaching takes place on the spot where you provide feedback to students immediately after they perform tricks. Video coaching is when you record your student doing tricks and then review the footage with your student to give them feedback and tips. A smartphone or camera is therefore necessary to be an IKO Coach.
You need a smartphone (with a video stabilization app) or a waterproof video camera with 8x to 20x zoom (Go Pros aren’t permitted), a monopod or tripod, a helmet, an impact vest, a kite and a board. You’ll use this equipment during your coach course and to coach students.
To get certified as a Coach Level 2, you must attend the course and pass an evaluation at an IKO Center which takes place over three days, depending on the weather.
Review the latest Assistant and Instructor Manuals and study each trick in the discipline you are certified as Coach Level 1 - Freeride, Freestyle, Wave Riding, Hydrofoil and Wing Foil. The tricks are listed in the Appendices of the Coach Level 1 Manual. Revisit your first aid and CPR course material. Study the Coach Level 2 Manual (which you will receive after enrolling in the course). Practice filming riders with your smartphone or your camera so that you can give students feedback. Ride as much as you can to improve your riding skills. A great Coach is a great rider.
School Team member at iko center | Number of students in evolution course or participants (independent kiter) on downwinder, boat trip and/or kite trip |
---|---|
Coach L1 alone | 4 |
Coach L1 + IKO Assistant | 6 |
Coach L1 + boat | 10 |
Coach L1 + IKO Assistant + boat | 12 |
Coach L2 alone | 6 |
Coach L2 + IKO Assistant | 8 |
Coach L2 + boat | 12 |
Coach L2 + IKO Assistant + boat | 14 |
Coach Trainer alone | 8 |
Coach Trainer + IKO Assistant | 10 |
Coach Trainer + boat | 14 |
Coach Trainer + IKO Assistant + boat | 16 |
Once you become a certified Coach Level 2, up to six students can attend your Evolution Clinic. If you have a certified IKO Assistant working with you, you can have up to eight students.
Both Evolution Courses and Clinics train riders in the Evolution disciplines - wing foil, hydrofoil, freestyle, freeride and wave riding.
Evolution Courses usually take place over several hours and are taught by Level 1 Coaches (only one student at a time) or Level 2 Coaches (more than one student at a time).
Evolution Clinics take place over five days at an IKO Center and can only be run by Level 2 Coaches.
As a Coach Level 2, you’ll be able to run Evolution Clinics, teach Evolution Courses with more than one student at a time and lead IKO Adventures with more participants.
The course includes 3 days of training at an IKO Center (or more depending on the weather), the Coach Level 2 Manual and a Coach Level 2 Certificate after you pass the course.
If you failed the Pro course (ATC or ITC), it means that you did not meet the requirements to pass the course and that you are not ready to follow an internship yet. This decision is final and up to the Assistant Trainer's or Examiner's judgement with confirmation of the Training Department for special cases. Note that none of the fees are refundable.
If you wish to make a new attempt, first of all ensure that the reason of your failure allows you to do another ATC or ITC (if you are not sure, please directly ask to the IKO Office). You will then need to attend another event. To find a Pro course event, you can search on the Training Calendar. Once you find the course that you want to join, contact the IKO Office at [email protected] to book your course. Be aware that the IKO fees are only going to be $90 USD for your second attempt.
To become an Assistant you need to check the prerequisites for the course and then look for an ATC in the Training Calendar.
Candidates with internship have the option to continue their training alongside an Instructor Level 2 or higher until they reach a satisfactory level. Look for the Internship Guide in the files section of your profile.
All IKO ATC/ ITCs / IECs are listed on the Training Calendar. Check it regularly for future training dates and locations. The training calendar is updated as soon as new trainings are confirmed.
Go to the Training Calendar and book your course online you can also contact the ATC/ITC/IEC Organizer directly to sign up for a course. Contact details can be found on the Training Calendar. Candidates provide all required documents like CPR and Candidate waiver to the Organizer, not the IKO.
IKO Instructors have to log the students they have taught along with teaching hours.
To do so, login to your account ; go to the tab "My Students" and click on “Certification”.
Then click on the ‘+Kiteboarder’ and fill in your student’s details.
You can see how many students and hours you have logged by going to the tab “My Students” and clicking on “Feedback”, it will be displayed in the table at the top.
Once 35 students and at least 280 teaching hours are logged, Instructors can apply for the online Exam to become Level 2 Instructor.Find more information about Level 2 instructor and enroll for the course.
Candidates do not receive a diploma at the end of a training but a completion certificate. The diploma is available from the training section in the profile after the member receives the certification (i.e when internship hours and other requirements are completed).
Certification is an automatic process yet it might take a few days until the IKO receives the results of your training, which are necessary to validate your new qualification. You should receive a confirmation message in "My Message" section located in your account within a few days.In case a course or eCourse is still missing after a week, please send a message using the help topic "You Are a Member".
Training Hours can be earned through:
- eCourses (each course is worth up to 12 training hours upon completion)
- Training as an (Assistant) Instructor.
You can view your total training hours in your account in the section "My Trainings."If for some reason training hours don’t show in your account within a few days of completing a qualifying activity, please contact us by sending a message using the topic "You are a Member".
The IKO Instructor diploma is valid for one year. Instructors must renew membership annually to have a valid diploma again.
First aid/CPR training teaches essential life saving skills that are considered vital for all IKO Instructors.
Any live teaching, including hands on training with a CPR mannequin and drowning rescue is accepeted. The training should be attested by a diploma.
IKO usually offers MFA training courses before each ITC.
IKO will not accept Online MFA / CPR.
The MFA / CPR is considered valid when it has been completed within a period of 2 years.
This is not necessary. IKO Instructors must have mastered all IKO Kiteboarder Levels upto Level 4 kiteboarder so they are able to analyze problems of trainees then find and implement solutions.
You can follow a 3-day equivalency course or join the 5-day ITC course to qualify as an IKO Instructor. Check the prerequisites (level required) by clicking here, and also review the Training Calendar for ITC/IEC training dates and locations.
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Our office team is available from 12:00 p.m to 5:00 p.m and 6:00 p.m to 8:30 p.m UTC/GMT. +1(809) 5719530 |
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Email us |
Not found your answer from the FAQs? We experience high volume requests, however we will do our best to answer as soon as possible. |
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Contact IKO | |
![]() |
Call us |
Our office team is available from 12:00 p.m to 5:00 p.m and 6:00 p.m to 8:30 p.m UTC/GMT. +1(809) 5719530 |
|
![]() |
Email us |
Not found your answer from the FAQs? We experience high volume requests, however we will do our best to answer as soon as possible. |
|