COACH CERTIFICATION & EDUCATION
As coaches, we know our athletes come first. From health and well-being to performance, everything we do is to help them succeed.
Staying on-top of our game is crucial for that success because our athletes deserve our best. Expectations couldn't be any higher.
COACH EDUCATION PATHWAY
Great coaching education is holistic. It focuses on developing the athlete on-and-off the field and making a positive impact on their lives.
The principles behind the Football Development Model (FDM) help coaches become better teachers to keep the game simpler, safer and more fun. USA Football’s coach curriculum, based on the model, helps coaches develop the whole athlete. It starts with certification, but offers so much more. Starting in 2023, USA Football now offers more ways to learn through our membership program as well.
WHY GET CERTIFIED?
By earning your youth coach certification, you're meeting the expectations of the players, parents and fellow coaches in your community.
You'll also get bonus resources like full access into our Coach Planner App, our Contact Manual and Player Progression Guide with hundreds of drills and step-by-step skill progressions, plus webinars on tactics and videos on ways to coach the age you're teaching.
“The biggest thing for me, the impact of USA Football on the youth level, is allowing parents to say, 'You know what? My children are being taught by someone who knows what they are doing.' The coach has been certified. He knows how to teach the game, so the kids can play the game the right way - a safer way.”
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
Coaching the whole athlete is a pillar of the model. USA Football’s Youth Coach Certification embraces an age and game-type approach to learning football skills, athletic movements and abilities like thinking, feeling and behaving.
MORE THAN JUST A COURSE
From educational videos to unlockable resources with drills and skills, youth coach certification makes sure you're equipped to coach the whole athlete both on and off the field.
HEALTH & SAFETY: HEAD, HEART, HEAT
Keeping kids playing and keeping kids healthy is important in any sport, not just football. The updated Health and Safety elements of the certification build off of the Heads Up Football® health and safety programs and ensure coaches receive targeted instruction on concussion awareness, injury prevention, hydration and procedures for cardiac events.
ABUSE PREVENTION
Protecting the well-being of our athletes is the most important thing we can do as coaches. This year’s certification will help you identify the signs of abuse and learn process and procedures for reporting it.
GAME TYPE SPECIFIC COURSES
Flag and Tackle coaches have unique options to choose that will provide them with the technical information they need to coach their specific game type. For Flag, that means courses on injury prevention and some basic skills. For tackle, you learn the basics of blocking, defeating blocks, tackling and proper equipment fitting.
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