EDUCATION NEWS IAAF Coaches Education and Certification System (CECS) Procedural Guidelines

by Bjrn Wangemann
1. CECS Course Overview ver the 10 years since the implementation of the CECS there have been numerous changes to the sport and to the nature of coaching. Thousands of coaches have received the Level I Certificate and hundreds hold the Level II Certificate. Some of these coaches, although holding certification, are not currently practically involved in coaching. The CECS structure has been redefined in order to recognise the ongoing contribution that practicing coaches make to the sport. It is also important that the structure takes into account the need to educate the appropriate number of coaches for the needs within their country. The changing nature of coaching has resulted in a broader and more diverse role for the coach. There is still the need for the coach at a basic level and these coaches should be afforded every opportunity to be up-skilled whenever possible. Recent developments in the professionalisation and employment of coaches, particularly at National Federation level have impacted upon the need to formalise and recognise their new role. The role of Technical Directors / Performance Directors / Head Coaches has moved from a predominant practical coaching involvement to one that is based on management, strategic planning, and financial acumen. Similarly, the impact that sports science is having on performance improvement, necessitates recognition being given to the coach who has acquired the sports science knowledge and wants to apply it within a practical coaching situation. 1.1 CECS Structure

by IAAF 16:4; 6572, 2001

The CECS is basically a two-level programme (Level I and Level II) that leads through the recognition of continued practical coaching involvement, to the IAAF Diploma in Coaching. A higher Level qualification will be reserved as Specialist Seminars for a limited number of highly specialised coaching personnel. These will be for Elite Coaches, or Technical Directors or others as needed by Member Federations.

2. CECS Level I Course 2.1 Objectives

The objective of the Level I course is to train as many coaches as possible for effective work with youth and beginner athletes. The Level I course puts a strong emphasis on the practical aspects of coaching. The course also covers other topics including general coaching theory and coaching ethics. Coaches who successfully complete the Level I course will be equipped to begin working safely and effectively. They will also have a base coaching knowledge on which to build through their experiences, or through further education within the IAAF system. Further objectives include:
Making the most of cooperative relation-

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ships with other bodies such as Olympic Solidarity, Governments and National Federations regarding the financial and organisational arrangements for the course.
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Ensuring that the coaches are prepared in

such a way as to fill a position of leadership, as one who works with young people and as one whose enthusiasm and knowledge help to build the culture of athletics. Ensuring that coaches understand the value and importance of the opportunity that the Level I course provides. It is vital that they continue to make use of their training and experience by remaining active in the sport. It is also vital that a strong bond of continuing cooperation be built up between the Level I coach and the Member Federation. Through the channels of cooperation with the Member Federations and membership in coaches associations, Level I coaches will be able to communicate with the IAAF and its RDCs to provide feedback which could make their own work more effective and improve the training of future Level I coaches.

Member Federations are also free to arrange funding for courses from alternative sources as appropriate. Once funding has been approved, the Member Federations should submit a Course Application Form to the IAAF Headquarters, When a Course Application Form has been received and approved by the IAAF, a Course Preparation Form and Level I Equipment Check-list will be sent to the Course Organising Secretary. These must be completed by the Course Organising Secretary and returned to the IAAF.

2.3 Candidate Pre-Requisites

The Member Federation organising the course normally extends invitations to attend a Level I course, with the provision that candidates meet the following criteria: Be a minimum of 18 years old Have completed primary school education Have an interest in Athletics Be physically fit and able to learn and demonstrate all athletic events Be willing to actively involve themselves as qualified coaches and to assist their IAAF Member Federation in the development of Athletics Be able to read and speak the course language

2.2 Course Organisation Procedure

Level I courses are funded in one of the following three ways: By the IAAF By Olympic Solidarity By another source or combination of sources The most common source of funding is through Olympic Solidarity. The Member Federation through its National Olympic Committee should make a request to Olympic Solidarity. When Olympic Solidarity has approved a request for a Level I course it will inform both the National Olympic Committee and the IAAF. At this time the Member Federation should submit a Course Application Form to the Development Department at the IAAF Headquarters. Member Federations that are unable to obtain funding from Olympic Solidarity may request assistance from their Area Representative or by submitting a Course Application Form to the IAAF Headquarters.
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2.4 Course Content

Level I courses follow a standard syllabus, which contains a total of 66 units. The amount of time required for each unit is flexible according to the topic and the needs of the course participants. The minimum time recommended for units varies from 45 to 90 minutes. For each event there are three units, normally presented on successive days to enhance and reinforce learning. The first unit is a practical, learn by doing session where the participants are introduced to and perform the recommended teaching progressions. The improvisation of appropriate equipment is also covered at this point. The second unit is an event specific theory unit.

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The third unit is a practical coaching unit in which the course participants coach each other through the teaching progressions introduced in the first unit. The remainder of the course is made up of lectures, workshops and discussions. Candidates are expected to take part in all units of the course. They will also be required to perform demonstrations of the rough technical form of each event The topics covered in the Level I syllabus include the practical and theoretical aspects of the: Sprints Middle and Long Distance Walks Jumps Throws Also included are introductions to.

specified requirements are met, can be adapted to local conditions.

2.6 Number of Participants The minimum number of participants for a course is 10. The maximum number of participants is normally 24. 2.7 Course Length The course contains a total of 66 units plus evaluation. The course is held over 14 days. Preferably courses should start on a Sunday and terminate on a Saturday. 2.8 Course Languages Course materials for Level I courses have been produced by the IAAF in the following languages: Arabic, English, French, Indonesian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. The IAAF also encourages and assists Member Federations to translate the syllabus and materials into other languages. Where course materials and IAAF qualified lecturers are available, the Level I course may be delivered in other languages as required. 2.9 Course Lecturers To ensure a consistant quality of delivery, all Level I courses must be taught by at least one accredited IAAF Lecturer. Lecturers who have not yet received their IAAF accreditation may assist the IAAF Lecturer. To obtain IAAF accreditation lecturers must meet the folowing criteria: Have the appropriate coaches education qualifications and coaching experience Have satisfactorily completed an IAAF Level I Lecturers Seminar Have lectured on at least one IAAF Level I course in tandem with an IAAF accredited Lecturer and received a satisfactory report Be in good standing with their IAAF Member Federation Lecturers will be expected to maintain their accreditation through regular work on IAAF courses and/or through attendance on seminars staged at the IAAF Regional Development Centres.

Philosophy, Anatomy and Physiology, Biomechanics, Growth and Development Training Theory, Skills Teaching, Sport Psychology, Nutrition, Injuries and First Aid, The Coach and Development The concept of improvisation On completion of the course, the Level I certified coach would be expected to be able to introduce athletes to the rough form of each event covered on the course. The Level I certificated coach will also be expected to understand the concept of long term planning of training and be able to plan and implement a training session.

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2.5 Course Location

To make the most efficient use of resources, Level I courses are conducted at locations in the countries of Member Federations, using IAAF accredited lecturers and standardised course materials. The course structure and timetable for Level I courses are flexible, and provided certain

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After consulting with the Member Federations organising a Level I course, the IAAF will appoint the accredited IAAF Lecturer who will be the Course Director. Normally 1 additional lecturer will be appointed according to the specific circumstances and requirements of the course. Factors which will be considered when making lecturer appointments will include the availability of lecturers, the cost of transport to the course location and desirability of cross-fertilising ideas and experiences by using lecturers from outside the region where the course is being staged.

Marks required for each part of the participant profile are as follows:
Level I Pass Eligible for Level II

Written Examination Practical Presentation

2 2

3 4

2.10 Course Assessment

The assessment of Level I participants is made through a two-part profile which includes: Written Examination, A 90-minute open book examination, which is designed not only to test the knowledge of the participants but also their ability to find required information from other sources Practical Presentation, An evaluation of the practical coaching ability of the participants to coach local athletes through a 20 to 30 minutes practical presentation in a randomly assigned event To ensure standardisation and preserve the integrity of the assessment, the forms for the written examination are supplied by the IAAF Member Services Department and, after correction by the course lecturers are returned to the IAAF. -Evaluation of the practical presentation and coaching behaviour are made on standard forms.

The Course Director must comment on the participants potential. Participants who achieve the required marks in both parts of the profile will be awarded the IAAF Level I Certificate. The profile is recorded on the reverse of the certificate. Participants who attend all units of the course but fail to meet the basic pass profile will be awarded an IAAF Attendance Certificate. At the discretion of the IAAF and/or the Member Federation participants may be allowed to repeat the Level I course in order to meet the basic pass profile or to become eligible for the Level II course

2.12 Eligibility for Level II The Course Director will verify the participants Level II choice of event group and ensure that only one event group is specified A full explanation of entry requirements to CECS Level II must be given to all participants To be eligible for Level II a participant must achieve the required marks in both parts of the profile. 2.13 Equivalency Normally, the IAAF will only award its Level I Certificate to coaches who have participated on the appropriate course and passed the required examinations. However, the IAAF may recognise attendance on courses in other systems as equivalent to attendance on the IAAF Level I course. Such recognition will only be made on application from a Member Federation (not individual coaches) and following comparative analysis of the curriculum that was actually followed and the

2.11 Pass Mark

All marks are on a 1-4 point scale. Examination marks are calculated using a grade system as follows: 4 very good 3 good 2 satisfactory 1 - unsatisfactory

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IAAF CECS Level I syllabus. If Level I equivalency is granted, candidates will be required to pass all standard Level I evaluation procedures, administered by IAAF accredited lecturers, in order to be eligible for Level II.

3. CECS Level II Course 3.1 Objectives

The Level II course is designed to bring coaches together who have performed well at Level I and have gained a level of specialisation in one of the following event groups: Sprints & hurdles Middle, Long Distance and Race Walking Jumps Throws With this specialisation they can begin to meet their countrys need for high- level coaches. On completion of a Level II course a coach will be expected to be able to identify and coach the basic competition model for each event within an event group. The coach will also be able to plan and implement a training cycle within the context of a long-term training plan.

3) The RDC Technical Feedback Group has two weeks to evaluate the diaries and confirm the candidates eligibility to the NF. The RDC must forward the final list of accepted and confirmed course participants to the Member Services Department within six weeks after reception of the Letter of Intent. A maximum of 3 participants per country is allowed. Any particular exception to this rule should be addressed to the Member Services Department in Monaco. If there are a sufficient number of participants (min.15) the Member Services Department informs the RDC of the CECS Level II Lecturers who will be conducting the course.

3.3 Candidate Pre-requisites

Entry requirements for Level II include: A specified profile of achievement at Level I. Minimum Level I mark: 3 for theory / 4 for practical Proof of coaching experience Special entry through coaching merit by: a) Consistently producing high level athletes measured on a regional scale, or b) Coaching athletes who have met World Championship qualifying standards Each coach must submit a three-month extract of an athletes training diary to the RDC by a specific date prior to the start of the course.

3.2 Course Organisation Procedures

1) Four months prior to a CECS Level II Course the Member Services Department sends a Letter of Intent to the relevant RDC Director. This letter encloses a list of eligible coaches drawn from the Member Services Database. RDCs are required to contact the relevant National Federations and check whether the listed coaches are still actively involved in coaching. 2) After feedback from the National Federations, the RDC compiles a complete list of candidates listed per NF. The RDC sends each candidate a Microcycle Sheet requesting they detail a one week training programme for one of the athletes they have coached over the last three months, and return it to the RDC for final evaluation within three weeks.

3.3 Course Contents

The Level II syllabus contains subjects related to coaching theory, which is common to all events, plus units specific to one of the following event groups: Sprints & Hurdles Middle, Long Distance & Race Walking Jumps Throws Race Walking (future) Combined Events (future) A total of 70 units are included in the course. These units are a mix of practical
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coaching / observation and lectures/workshops. The general theory components of the course are mainly lectures and workshops, whilst the event specific components are a blend of practical coaching/observation and lectures.

3.4 Course Location

Level II courses will be conducted at the RDCs

3.5 Number of Participants

The minimum number of candidates is 15. The maximum number is 20.

3.6 Course Length

The course contains a total of 70 formal units plus evaluation. The course is held over 14 days. Preferably courses should start on a Sunday and terminate on a Saturday.

fy participants who are not fully involved and draw them into mainstream activity. Final ratings are independent of those made whilst the course is in progress and are to be used in the final assessment. A Microcycle Plan This is a two-hour examination requiring each participant to produce a single 1-week Microcycle for an appropriate athlete. An Oral Examination The purpose of this informal oral examination is to give participants the opportunity to demonstrate their strengths. There is no formal examination on practice. All marks are given on a four-point scale, and the following marks are required for a pass: Written Exam 2 Oral Exam 2 Microcycle Exam 2 Practical Assessment 3

3.7 Course Lecturers

Level II courses will be conducted in the languages of the relevant RDC. To be eligible for a level II course a coach must be competent in the appropriate language.

3.10 Level II Certificate

The Level II Certificate will be awarded to coaches who have successfully completed the Level II course by meeting the basic pass profile.

3.8 Course Lecturers

Course lecturers will be appointed by the Member Services Department in conjunction with the relevant RDC Director. Normally, two lecturers will be appointed, one of who will be the Course Director.

3.11 IAAF Diploma in Coaching

The IAAF Diploma in Coaching will be awarded to coaches who have received the Level II Certificate and have been actively coaching for a minimum of three consecutive years after the successful completion of the Level II course. The procedure to obtain the IAAF Diploma in Coaching is: (a) Certification by their Member Federation of three years of active coaching after the successful completion of the Level II Certificate course. The Certification by the Member Federation will be by countersigning the Coachs personal Coaching Record Card. (b) Coaches must apply to the IAAF Member Services Department, together with a copy to the appropriate RDC, attaching the Level II Coaching Record Card listing details of their coaching record with ath-

3.9 Course Assessment

The CECS Level II assessment comprises:
A Written Examination

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Lasting one and a half-hour and comprising 40 questions on course theory, consisting of either open answers or multiple-choice questions (all based on the selection of 1 answer out of 4 possible choices). A Practical Assessment The lecturers must meet three times during the course to review each students coaching ability. These meetings are to take place midweek on the first week, on the rest day (day 8) and at the conclusion of the course. It gives the lecturer the opportunity to identi-

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letes they have coached in the previous three years. In addition Coaches must send to the IAAF Member Services Department the Coaching Diary of the athletes coached by them in the last year. (c) A panel of expert coaches will assess the submitted material. Once the material has been validated and verified to be of sufficient standard the panel will recommend the award of IAAF Diploma Coach. Once all of the above procedures have been complied with, the coach will, by merit, be awarded the title IAAF Diploma Coach.

4. Master Coach
There will be two streams of specialisation: (1) Elite Coach (Coaching and Sports Science) (2) Technical Director / Performance Director / National Head Coach

4.1 Elite Coach (Coaching and Sports Science) 4.1.1 Concept

The contribution that the sports sciences are making to coaching knowledge and thus to performance improvement is acknowledged and recognised. There are a number of individuals, either working as coaches or as sports scientists, who are combining their level of knowledge in each of these disciplines in a way that are complementary. There needs to be a formalisation of the integration of each of these disciplines to give either the coach the necessary sports science knowledge or to give the sports scientist the skills of applying their knowledge to a coaching situation. This is a high-level course in the IAAF CECS programme and candidates will be selected to participate in this course on the basis of their eligibility (CECS Level II), demonstrated expertise, leadership and practical involvement in the sport. This course should be run as a masterclass. The duration of the course will be 7 days. The IAAF will bring together some of the finest expertise coaches and sports scientists in International Athletics as lecturers.

4.1.2 Eligibility requirements: Level II Certificate holder Actively involved in athletics and contributing to the development of the sport at Member Federation level. This should be demonstrated by: (1) Publication of technical material in National and International peer-reviewed journals (e.g. RDC Bulletins, NSA, National and Internationally ranked journals). (2) Contribution and ability to present material to other coaches at National and International Conferences and Congresses (3) Demonstration of sufficient knowledge in Sports Sciences with the capability of understanding analysing and applying current and new scientific knowledge into a practical application. (4) Ability to identify coaching and sports science related needs and to be able to articulate and promote these to researchers, resulting in collaborative outcomes. 4.1.3 Content
The content of this course is based on the latest techniques, theories, research and studies in Athletics. The following Topics will be covered: Science Physiology Training Theory Training Planning Biomechanics Psychology In the following: Event Groups Sprint/Hurdles Middle/Long Distances Jumps Throws Race walking Combined events

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4.1.4 Candidate Assessment Assessment will require that the participants write a series of summary articles

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based upon the IAAF CECS syllabus and course content. Candidates will discuss each of their summary articles with the course lecturers. There will also be an oral examination based upon the contents of the course.

4.2 Technical Director / Performance Director / National Head Coach 4.2.1 Concept The course would be targeted towards those who are preparing to be, or identified by their National Federations as candidates for, the positions of Technical Director / Performance Director / National Head Coach. Certification of this stream will take the form of a 7 day course held annually. Staffing of the course will be by some of the most experienced and finest minds in International Athletics. 4.2.1 Candidate Eligibility (a) Candidates must be proposed by their National Federations. (b) National Federations may propose a maximum of two candidates at any one time. (c) Consideration and priority will be given to Member Federations who have not currently a Technical Director / Performance Director / National Head Coach, but are actively considering an appointment to this position. (d) Preference will be given to coaches who have Level II Certification 4.2.3 Content The content of the programme will target: Aspects relating to those professional operations expected of a Technical Director / Performance Director / National Head Coach. Aspects relating to personal and professional skills and development required of a Technical Director / Performance Director / National Head Coach, to deliver his/her role effectively. This will involve: Preparation for Major Championships E.g. 1 to 4 year plans

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4.2.4 Candidate Assessment Candidates will be required to discuss their performance strategy plans with the course lectures. There will also be an oral examination based upon the contents of the course.

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Venue specific preparation Selection strategies (athletes, coaches, managers, support) Preparation plans for training, competing and learning Development Strategies E.g. Performance and Development process management from 6 to 40+years, accommodating diversity strategies for age, gender, race, and functional / structural change. Understanding of, contribution to, and co-operation with National and International Athletics and other Sports Federations. E.g. Working with committee structures, values framework and ethical codes Identifying and accessing relevant support services and setting up support networks. E.g. Technical, Physiotherapy, Psychology, Conditioning, Physiology, Notational Analysis, Medical, Biomechanical, Lifestyle Management. Leadership E.g. Styles and Concepts Management E.g. People Relationships, dealing with difficult people, etc. Money Budgeting, etc. Time (personal and professional annual to weekly planning: goal setting and prioritising). Coaching E.g. Chief, team, personal coaching models, styles, systems, skills Performance Related Areas E.g. Technology Performance Sciences Training Theory and Practice Review and monotoring as part of the learning process.