Coaches in Canadian sport
Sport plays an important role in the lives of many Canadians. Quality coaching is key to a positive sport experience for participants. Sport, government, and business leaders recommend that all coaches become trained and certified in the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) to ensure that the sport experience of every participant is a good one.
The NCCP is a collaborative program of the Government of Canada, the provincial/territorial governments, the national/provincial/territorial sport federations, and the Coaching Association of Canada.
What is the NCCP? The NCCP is a training and certification program for coaches, offered across Canada in more than 60 sports. The program was designed to meet the needs of a wide range of coaches - from those who introduce youngsters to sport to those who work with Canada's high performance athletes. Since its inception, more than 875,000 coaches have taken part in NCCP activities that have helped them to develop the skills, knowledge, and attitudes required to coach effectively. The NCCP prepares coaches to:
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The NCCP Model
The NCCP model is made up of two streams and a total of six contexts, each with its own coaching requirements. Each sport is responsible for identifying how many of the eight contexts are relevant to their sport. The table below shows which contexts have been identified by BASEBALL.
Stream 1 – Community SportCoaches in the Community Sport stream typically become involved on a voluntary (and often short-term) basis because their children participate in a sport. They tend to work with participants of all ages who are new to the sport.
Stream 2 – Competition Introduction
Coaches in the Competition stream usually have previous coaching experience or are former athletes in the sport. They tend to work with athletes over the long term to improve performance, often in preparation for provincial, national, and international competitions.
Training and Certification
A coach is described as:
- In Training – when a coach has completed some of the required training for a context;
- Trained – when a coach has completed all required training for a context;
- Certified – when a coach has completed all evaluation requirements for a context.
The NCCP model distinguishes between training and certification. Coaches can participate in training opportunities to acquire or refine the skills and knowledge required for a particular coaching context as defined by the sport. To be certified in a coaching context, coaches are evaluated on their demonstrated ability to perform within that context in areas such as program design, practice planning, performance analysis, program management, ethical coaching, support to participants during training, and support to participants in competition.
Certified coaches enjoy the credibility of the sporting community and of the athletes they coach because they have been observed and evaluated “doing” what is required of them as a competent coach in their sport. They are recognized as meeting or exceeding the high standards embraced by more than 60 national sport organizations in Canada. Fostering confidence at all levels of sport, certification is a benefit shared by parents, athletes, sport organizations, and our communities.
To check your certification status, please visit the Coaching Association of Canada website at www.coach.ca.
Competition – Introduction context: 13U, 15U or 16+ coach
In April of 2004, the Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) and its partners launched Competition – Introduction and the first series of multi-sport coach training modules of the new competency-based NCCP model. Some sports are integrating these multi-sport modules into their sport-specific training. BASEBALL has chosen to integrate these modules.
The goals of the Competition – Introduction context are fun, fitness, fundamentals, and performance at various age levels competitions as well as the consolidation of basic skills of the sport.
Fundamentals, My First Pitch, Teaching and learning, Planning, Absolutes, Pitching & Catching and Strategies workshops are offered through Baseball Canada. For upcoming workshops and information, please visit nccp.baseball.ca.
Following completion of all training, a coach can choose to become certified in the Competition – Introduction context through an evaluation process managed and coordinated by his or her National Sport Organizations (NSO). For details on becoming trained or certified in Competition – Introduction, please see: www.baseball.ca or contact us at coach@baseball.ca.
Community Sport – Rally Cap/Initiation, Fundamentals and Ongoing Participation and 11U context
Recognizing the value that Canada’s 1.2 million volunteer coaches bring to our communities, CAC and its partners announced the launch of the NCCP Community Sport – Initiation context in October 2004. Often the parents of participants, volunteer coaches usually hold down full-time jobs, so they have limited time for training. The program focuses on essentials over one or two days, placing emphasis on safety, fun, ethics, teamwork, and values beyond the game. Training helps volunteers foster love of the sport, promote participation and teach basic skills to beginners of all ages through a variety of activities. To sign-up for a Community Sport – Rally Cap/Initiation, Fundamentals and Ongoing Participation and 11U workshop, please visit nccp.baseball.ca.
For more information
For more information about the NCCP, please contact your Provincial/Territorial Coaching Coordinator, your provincial/territorial sport organization, or your national sport federation.
For a NCCP Program Overview, click here.
For a Coach Development Model, click here.
For a Player Development Model, click here.
Links for Athletes with Disability, click here.