The Performance Coach certification is for coaches who are responsible for coaching athletes who are competing at the national level in the junior or senior categories, and aspiring to international competition. 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, train to win
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)
- Manage a Sport Program (required for training)
