Athletics Alberta is pleased to announce that Alberta will hosting Performance Coach Training April 2019. The workshop training will take place in Calgary April 25, 26, 27, & 28th in a number of locations.
Specializations offered will be Sprints & Hurdles(Alex Gardiner), (Jumps (Les Gramantik), Endurance(Mike Van Tighem), and Throws(Larry Steinke).
In the Old NCCP coaches worked their way through different levels. The perception with the old program was that the higher the level, the better the coach. That is no longer the case. The New NCCP program is focused on preparing coaches to be an expert in their specific context or coaching environment. To determine where you should begin review the context descriptions below; the one that describes your coaching environment is the course you should begin with.
The Athletics Canada Coaching Education program is designed to prepare coaches to coach in specific contexts or settings. Once a coach completes the formal program, they will have the opportunity to continue to enhance their expertise within their context by engaging in professional development opportunities. Some coaches may choose to move with their athletes from context to context, while others will focus on one context, becoming an expert coach in that area. It is important to note that no context is superior to another. The development of a sustainable and successful athlete development continuum depends on competent, experienced and enthusiastic coaches in each context. Athletics Canada values the contribution of coaches at every level of the sport.
Sport Coach is targeted at coaches who work with athletes 4 to 10 weeks a year and/or 2-3 sessions a week. This course is for coaches who are introducing athletes to Athletics and Athletics competitions (regional and provincial). Planning a practice is a key skill that is introduced in this workshop and coaches are exposed to all event groups through their training.
At Sport Coach, coaches are introduced to the events usually contested in the Junior High environment. At this time there is no para specific course being offered at the Sport Coach level, however coaches currently working with an athlete with a disability in this age/ability range are to attend the Sport Coach workshop as the coaching and technical concepts carry over regardless of whether the coach works within the Olympic or Paralympic context.
Athletes ages: Girls 8 to 11 years, Boys 9 to 12 years
LTAD Stage: Train to train
Prepare coaches to coach: Athletics in an introductory competitive environment
Status upon successful completion: In-Training Sport Coach
Description: The modules are designed to meet the needs of coaches who are working with athletes in a school program or coaches who are new to the club system. The Sport Coach Workshop participants will be introduced to sprints, hurdles, relays, long jump, triple jump, high jump, shot put, discus and javelin. Some Branches may choose to offer additional events based on the junior high and high school track and field programs in their province.
One multi-sport module is also recommended for coaches seeking certification:
- Making Ethical Decisions (required for training, online evaluation required for certification)
Club Coach is for coaches who are coaching 12-24 weeks a year and/or 3-5 sessions a week. The athletes Club Coaches work with have a foundation in Athletics or come from a multisport environment. The focus of this course is to prepare the coach to develop an athlete’s skills in one event group area. Seasonal planning is a key skill that is introduced in this course.
In Club Coach, coaches select an event group to specialize in and are introduced to all facets of that event group. Coaches are able to complete as many event group specializations as they like.
Coaches wanting to specialize in either wheelchair racing or throws are first required to attend a Club Coach workshop in either the throws, sprints or endurance event groups. Upon completion, they may then attend the one and a half day wheelchair specialization workshop.
Athletes ages: Girls 11 to 15 years, Boys 12 to 16 years
LTAD Stage: Train to train
Prepare coaches to coach: A specific event group in a club environment or coaches who are coaching in a school environment and wish to gain more knowledge in a specific event group.
Status upon successful completion: In-Training Club Coach
Description: The modules are designed to meet the needs of coaches who are working with athletes in a specific event group, in a club setting. In the Club Coach workshop, participants will select an event group to specialize in: Sprints/Relays/Hurdles; Throws, Jumps, Endurance or Wheelchair Racing.
One multi-sport module is also recommended for coaches seeking certification:
- Making Ethical Decisions (required for training, online evaluation required for certification)
The Performance Coach certification is for coaches who are coaching year round, 40 or more weeks a year and 5-10 sessions a week. The athletes they are responsible for are competing at the national level in the junior or senior categories. The training for this course is event group focused. The main focus of this course is annual planning and periodization.
Athlete ages: Girls 16 years and up, Boys 17 years and up
LTAD Stage: Train to compete
Prepare coaches to coach: A specific event group in a club or post-secondary environment training for national or international competition.
Status upon successful completion: In-Training Performance Coach
Description: The following training modules are offered by Athletics Canada to assist coaches in preparing for evaluation. They are also highly recommended as professional development for Certified Club Coaches.
Coaches who wish to be trained in the Performance Coach context will need to complete an approximately 5h online training block, divided into modules focused on Physiology, Biomechanics, Nutrition, Planning, Strength, Injury Prevention and Recovery & Screening. They will also undertake approximately 2h of pre-course work doing an event audit and event modelling exercise.
The bulk of the 4 day in-class course will be divided between Technical sessions in event groups (12h) and Planning sessions, generally and in event groups (6h). There is also a review of the specific event model (6h) and a practical strength session (3h).
As a result of this workshop coaches will be able to:
- Perform a thorough analysis of the demands of the event group;
- Outline a program structure based on training and competition opportunities;
- Identify appropriate measures for promoting athlete development within program;
- Integrate yearly training priorities into program;
- Optimize and sequence training priorities and objectives on a weekly basis to optimize adaptations;
- Evaluate the ability of athletes to perform to their potential;
- Report on athlete progress through the program.
This workshop is event group specific and is offered for the following event groups:
- Endurance
- Sprints and Hurdles
- Jumps
- Throws
- Wheelchair Racing
- Combined Events
A series of multi-sport modules are also recommended for coaches seeking certification:
- Making Ethical Decisions (required for training, online evaluation required for certification)
- Leading Drug Free Sport (required for training, online evaluation required for certification)
- Managing Conflict (required for training, online evaluation required for certification)
- Psychology of Performance (required for training)
- Coaching and Leading Effectively (required for training)
