In Canada we have a mandatory 4 stage coach education system imposed by the Coaching Association of Canada:
Level 1 = Recreational
Level 2 = Competitive Basics
Level 3 = National Competitive
Level 4 = International Competitive
The Level 4 in Artistic Gymnastics is a 4-week program running over 2-years. Coaches must qualify to be invited. It costs money and time out of the gym.
Despite minor flaws, I much prefer what we have in Canada as compared with the hodge-podge of coaching education options in the USA.
Here’s the basic curriculum:
Required Courses:
Diploma Practicum
NCI coaches work within the high performance stream with athletes on a regular basis.Energy Systems
Physical Preparation
Nutrition
Recovery and Regeneration
Mental Preparation for Coaches
Mental Preparation for Athletes
Program Design
The systematic integration and sequencing of training and competition activities within a comprehensive sport program; planning and periodization models; major and minor peaks to produce optimal athletic performance; volume and intensity of training; recovery.Athlete Long-Term Development
Leadership and Ethics
Course work is also required in the following areas:
* Coach Effectiveness
* Coaching Philosophy
* New TechnologiesOptional Courses
Sport-Specific Performance Factors
Environmental Factors and Performance
Biomechanical Analysis of Advanced Skills
The Business of Coaching
Canadian Sport System
Develop an understanding of the Canadian sport system and the role of the coach within that system.
2 comments ↓
Despite our self touted “superior” coaching education the Americans continue to kick our butt. I personally find the American system very open and the Canadian system very closed in terms if disseminating information. I find that with virtually any top level American coach there is an extreme willingness to share with others their techniques and progressions, regardless of whether you’re just a lower level coach or an elite coach. Such openness seems to be sadly lacking in Canada except for a few noteworthy exceptions.
I think that is the one single thing makes the American far system superior to ours. Perhaps Canadians are made to feel that the Coaching Association should have that responsibility. In any case, as long as the Level 4 system is by invitation only that closed shop policy will continue to perpetuate. And you already know my thoughts on the other Achilles’ heel of the of the Canadian level system, teaching without mesures (other than perhaps Seneca)
All good points.
As always with socialist systems, a minimum level of “excellence” is established — similar to the Canadian schools, or Canadian Health Care, for examples — and enforced by government decree.
The worst (clubs, schools, medical care plans) are thus better in Canada than the USA — but the best are not nearly as good.
The freedom of the American model results in the best and worst of everything. If you want to find something NEW, INNOVATIVE, WORLD SHAKING … don’t look in a totalitarian or socialist state, look in the free market economies like the USA.
Still, as I’ve often said, the “average” coach in Canada is still better educated than the average coach in the USA in 2007. It may take another 5-10 years before the advantages of the freer market system in the States changes that.
The US Congress has over 2000 coaches spending money to improve themselves. Where’s the Canadian Coaching Congress?
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