Coaches and Licensing/Certifications

Since its kinda slow during the summer....here are some more questions for everyone...

Coaches and Licensing/Certifications
1.  Do they matter?
2.  Does a resume worth of playing trump the licensing?
3.  Should a coach have both the resume of play and licensing (I do realize that sometimes a player does not equate to a good coach)
4.  At what level or age group do they begin to matter?
5.  How much does a coach's record/reputation trump Licensing?

There are:
USSF A
USSF B
USSF C
USSF D
USSF E (beginner)
USSF  Goalkeeping

Im sure there are more...but it appears these are the more prevalient ones.

Licensing does not necessarily make a good coach. There are coaches who don't have their "A" license who win consistently and do a great job teaching the game. What is does provide is proof that the coach has made a commitment to better themselves and continue to learn. Just like playing, coaching is an on-going learning process. As a coach, you want to show that you have the same commitment to the game that you ask of your players, so it does carry some importance.

There is also the NSCAA Coaching Courses. I much prefer NSCAA but I do have my USSF D license.

NSCAA Levels II, III, IV, V, and VI

These three similar to USSF C, B, and A
NSCAA National
NSCAA Advanced National
NSCAA Premier
NSCAA Goalkeeping Levels 1, 2, 3, and Advanced National

Yes, In a way the certifications do matter. To move up to higher levels of youth soccer you normally have to have higher certifications in most cases. Example to do ODP at least in some states they want you to have at least a USSF C license. Sometimes good pro players are automatically given higher levels of coaching certification when sometimes coaches are not good at turning playing experiences into coaching experiences. There I coaches I know who never played soccer or only played up to high school who were refused moving up in USSF because they were not top players, despite their coaching ability. There are coaches I have played for that have D license that are better coaches then some I played for with A license. I think coaches should educate them. I know I always want to learn and grow to become better to better serve the players I work with.

I actually much prefer the NSCAA courses to be honest

A spotless reputation trumps all these things.  (Ironically though, nobody talks about the good coaches, we only talk about the controversial coaches.)

Coaches licensing is scaled for different ages.  It used to be the "G" license for the youngest possible age but that is now the "F".  The “G” only took about 2 hours to get.  "E" is for the 9-11 year old range.  You needed a minimum of a "D" to coach select.  If you have an "A" you're probably considered a topmost coach.

Do they matter?  The courses themselves don't make life-changing differences to the coaches but I do think it's a good indication of how seriously they take their jobs.  If a coach has a "D" and stopped there 10 years ago in his education, I'd be suspicious.  That tells me he doesn't want new ideas, he did only the minimum that was required of him, and he might be in it just to make money.  (That doesn't apply to a young coach obviously)  I do expect a coach that I'll be trusting with my kids' development to have a better license than I have.  Attaining these licenses is time consuming but I do expect a coach to invest in his own education.

IMO a decent playing background is nice but I don't put much stock in it.  Being the leading goal scorer for the University of Delware in 1998 doesn’t mean you have good communication skills with young kids.  The Van Gundy's can't dunk but they sure do know how to coach NBA teams.  Wayne Gretzky was a phenomenal hockey player but I've heard his elite skills made it hard for him to be a coach of players whose skills weren't as natural.  I've heard Michael Jordan isn't a very good coach.

ekkeeper1 wrote:There is also the NSCAA Coaching Courses. I much prefer NSCAA but I do have my USSF D license.

NSCAA Levels II, III, IV, V, and VI

These three similar to USSF C, B, and A
NSCAA National
NSCAA Advanced National
NSCAA Premier
NSCAA Goalkeeping Levels 1, 2, 3, and Advanced National

Yes, In a way the certifications do matter.  To move up to higher levels of youth soccer you normally have to have higher certifications in most cases. Example to do ODP at least in some states they want you to have at least a USSF C license.  Sometimes good pro players are automatically given higher levels of coaching certification when sometimes coaches are not good at turning playing experiences into coaching experiences. There I coaches I know who never played soccer or only played up to  high school who were refused moving up in USSF because they were not top players, despite their coaching ability.  There are coaches I have played for that have D license that are better coaches then some I played for with A license. I think coaches should educate them.  I know I always want to learn and grow to become better to better serve the players I work with.

I actually much prefer the NSCAA courses to be honest

Im not educated on this stuff but what is a : National “D” License? Is it the same as anyone of the above NSCAA or USSF?

silly rabbit! licenses, schmicenses, this is ntx,all that matters to the parents is that the coach wins most of their games at u7....

PDub wrote:

ekkeeper1 wrote:There is also the NSCAA Coaching Courses. I much prefer NSCAA but I do have my USSF D license.

NSCAA Levels II, III, IV, V, and VI

These three similar to USSF C, B, and A
NSCAA National
NSCAA Advanced National
NSCAA Premier
NSCAA Goalkeeping Levels 1, 2, 3, and Advanced National

Yes, In a way the certifications do matter.  To move up to higher levels of youth soccer you normally have to have higher certifications in most cases. Example to do ODP at least in some states they want you to have at least a USSF C license.  Sometimes good pro players are automatically given higher levels of coaching certification when sometimes coaches are not good at turning playing experiences into coaching experiences. There I coaches I know who never played soccer or only played up to  high school who were refused moving up in USSF because they were not top players, despite their coaching ability.  There are coaches I have played for that have D license that are better coaches then some I played for with A license. I think coaches should educate them.  I know I always want to learn and grow to become better to better serve the players I work with.

I actually much prefer the NSCAA courses to be honest

Im not educated on this stuff but what is a :  National “D” License?  Is it the same as anyone of the above NSCAA or USSF?

A National D means they are considered better to move on to a C license than a coach who has a state D. A State has to retake his D exam to obtain a National D before moving on to the C.

Thanks everyone for your inputs.....

I agree with the notion that the higher a license, the more invested that Coach is with their job. However, this does not necessarily make them a good Coach. It is a matter of being able to articulate what is in their head to the players. A paper resume is useless when a Coach cannot relate to the player or succumbs to parental/political pressure.

For those who have never had any educational background in child development, age appropriate training sessions, teaching in progressions, first aid procedures, learning the rules of the game, the difference between technical and tactical development, and much more, licensing courses can be eye openers for many.  From the C" to the "A," candidates are graded on a written exam, graded on an assigned coaching topic on the field, and in oral exams before the course clinicians.  It is true that a good player doesn't always make for a good coach and a good coach doesn't make for a good player.  In licensing courses, coaches are exposed to new drills and activities to take back to add to their teaching arsenal.  Certainly it shows a person's interest in becoming a better teacher with furthering their own soccer education.

It's interesting to see posters say a good player doesn't always make a good coach and I totally agree but you cannot take your A license unless you pass your USSF B. On the B you have to play a game and unless you can play you don't pass!

Indy28 wrote:For those who have never had any educational background in child development, age appropriate training sessions, teaching in progressions, first aid procedures, learning the rules of the game, the difference between technical and tactical development, and much more, licensing courses can be eye openers for many.  From the C" to the "A," candidates are graded on a written exam, graded on an assigned coaching topic on the field, and in oral exams before the course clinicians.  It is true that a good player doesn't always make for a good coach and a good coach doesn't make for a good player.  In licensing courses, coaches are exposed to new drills and activities to take back to add to their teaching arsenal.  Certainly it shows a person's interest in becoming a better teacher with furthering their own soccer education.

The wriitten topic for your research paper is given prior to the class start date. My topic was training methodology at different altitudes. Above sea level , at sea level , and below sea level.

Triumph FC wrote:It's interesting to see posters say a good player doesn't always make a good coach and I totally agree but you cannot take your A license unless you pass your USSF B. On the B you have to play a game and unless you can play you don't pass!

I found the "B" course to be the more demanding course physically or maybe I was just getting older.

Indy28 wrote:For those who have never had any educational background in child development, age appropriate training sessions, teaching in progressions, first aid procedures, learning the rules of the game, the difference between technical and tactical development, and much more, licensing courses can be eye openers for many.  From the C" to the "A," candidates are graded on a written exam, graded on an assigned coaching topic on the field, and in oral exams before the course clinicians.  It is true that a good player doesn't always make for a good coach and a good coach doesn't make for a good player.  In licensing courses, coaches are exposed to new drills and activities to take back to add to their teaching arsenal.  Certainly it shows a person's interest in becoming a better teacher with furthering their own soccer education.

The IMG boys out of Florida were the instructors for my "A" certification.