Everyone deserves a great coach

Beyond developing skills and optimizing performance, coaches are responsible for creating a safe and positive environment that supports the social, emotional and cognitive development of every athlete. These are complex challenges in changing times. Triathlon Canada’s NCCP will raise the skill and stature of Canada’s coaches by ensuring:

• Better checks and balances for the safety of all
• Enhanced leadership, knowledge and skills
• Commitment to the highest ethical standards
• A vibrant and connected coaching community
• Increased credibility and confidence for coaches
• More skilled, confident coaches building our sport
• More athletes realizing more of their potential

Overview

Exceptional coaches are part of the backbone of our sport. Athletes of all levels, whether in the age group or high performance stream, rely on coaching guidance and support throughout the year, and on all-important race days. Coaching makes all the difference to age-group personal bests and high performance results.

Coach development is supported by the CAC and the sport specific NCCP training. The Community Coach is responsible for age group athletes – whether they identify as participants or competitors vying for age group championships – while coaches in the Competition context are responsible for our high performance athletes that are on the podium pathway and aspiring to Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Coaching in either the age group or high performance streams is influenced by the Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) model which supports the development of athletic skill through the right stages at the right time.

Click here for more information on Triathlon Canada athletes and teams.
Click here for Triathlon Canada’s LTAD model.
Download the Triathlon Canada NCCP Coach Pathway infographic here.

Coaching for Age Group

Age group coaches require at a minimum, Community Coach training through the Community coaching workshop, in order to coach at the club level. For further training, the previous status of Competition Introduction Certification is being replaced by the Community Certification status.

Coaching for High Performance

Coaches who wish to work in the high performance environment with athletes on the podium pathway, must apply to the Competition Coach context. Competition coach training is practicum and mentorship focused while the coach learns best practices in the high performance environment.

Triathlon Canada NCCP Training and Certification

As a Triathlon Canada Trained or Certified Coach, you are part of a respected system of coaching and coaching development that benefits and strengthens the Canadian triathlon community. Triathlon Canada, the NCCP and the CAC have partnered to deliver courses that are the highest standards in the sport of triathlon. This program will make you a better coach, a valuable member of the Triathlon Canada family, and will help you build your coaching practice, club or business through developing proper skills, education, training and certification.

NCCP Certification requires a coach to be observed and evaluated in action and means they can demonstrate safety and competence across measurable criteria. Certification requires commitment to best practices and ongoing education; it fosters confidence among parents, athletes, sport organizations and communities.

NCCP Status Overview

NCCP coaches are described as follows:

• In Training – when they have completed some of the required training for a context
• Trained – when they have completed all required training for a context
• Certified – when they have successfully 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 and be considered “trained“.

To become “certified” in a coaching context, coaches must be 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.

For more detailed training definitions please click here.

Triathlon Canada’s National Triathlon Registration System (NTRS) has been developed to create a more professional and protected community in the sport. This is the official starting point of coaching membership and education. All coaches must register before they begin their training. Basic registration includes 5 steps, all of which can be completed within the Coaching Portal:

Steps to Registration

Step 1: Create a Triathlon Canada Coaching Account and obtain an NCCP number
Step 2: Complete an Enhanced Police Information Check (E-PIC)
Step 3: Complete Respect in Sport training – “Respect for Activity Leaders”
Step 4: Complete NCCP Making Ethical Decisions (MED) workshop
Step 5: Complete Introduction to Triathlon Competition Rules

• Enhanced Police Information Check (E-PIC) (renewed every 2 years)
• Respect in Sport: Respect for Activity Leaders (renewed every 4 years)
• Introduction to Triathlon Competition Rules (refreshed annually)
• NCCP Making Ethical Decisions (MED) Workshop

As a coach moves through the NCCP, level of training will also update and show in the Registry. This will allow athletes and parents to find local coaches that match their training and performance goals.

Click here for the Triathlon Canada Coaching Registry!

Click here for our current Information and FAQ document.
Click here for Portal FAQ document

Community coaches are key to the success of the Triathlon Canada NCCP, as they have the first contact with almost all athletes who are entering the sport. Coaches are involved in building a safe, positive and solid foundation for athlete experience and skill acquisition in the sport and therefore strengthening our programs in Canada.

The Community coach wants to help new athletes and support age group club athletes by teaching basic triathlon skills and introduction to events. The community coach is focused on safe participation, teaching skills, and fun. This context is designed for coaches of athletes moving from FUNdamentals (youth) to Learn-to-Train and Train-to-Train stages of LTAD.

Triathlon Canada has worked closely with the NCCP to revise and update the Community Coach Workshop and reference materials, to increase the education that assists coaches in leading, technical skill teaching and assessment, safety, and how to coach athletes to events.

Steps to Certification in Community Coaching:

Step 1: Basic Registration
Step 2: Take a Triathlon Canada NCCP Community Coaching Workshop (Youth or Adult)

NCCP Status: “In Training”

Step 3: Take 5 CAC Modules

1. NCCP Teaching and Learning
2. NCCP Sport Nutrition
3. NCCP Basic Mental Skills
4. NCCP Planning a Practice
5. NCCP Design a Basic Sport Program

NCCP Status: “Trained”

Step 4: Submit Portfolio and have Observation by a Coach Evaluator

NCCP Status: “Certified” Community coach

Competition coaches are coaches working with our high performance athletes in the podium pathway.  High performance athletes are those athletes who:

• are following a path to, or are already in, the High Performance program;
• are identified as High Performance through the National Training Centers;
• aspire for excellence at Olympic and Paralympic Games; or
• aspire for excellence at the Professional/elite international level in ITU Long Distance or Ironman competition.

The Competition coach focuses on refining skills, techniques, physical training, sport psychology and all aspect of the daily training environment in order to develop strong practice and competition skills. This context is designed for coaches of athletes in the Train-to-Train, Train-to-Compete and Train-to-Win stages of LTAD.

Triathlon Canada has revised the NCCP Competition Pathway in order to increase the training, mentorship opportunities and overall quality of the High Performance Program.

Steps to Certification in Competition Coaching:

Step 1: Basic Registration including MED online evaluation
Step 2: Register to Competition Certification through PSO and NSO
Step 3: Initial Assessment of coaching portfolio and IPP/YTP tool

NCCP Status “In Training”

Step 4: Complete 8 Multi-sport modules

1. NCCP Plan a Practice
2. NCCP Design a Basic Sports Program
3. NCCP Coaching and Leading Effectively
4. NCCP Developing Athletic Abilities
5. NCCP Prevention and Recovery
6. NCCP Psychology of Performance
7. NCCP Managing Conflict (and online evaluation)
8. NCCP Leading Drug-free Sport (and online evaluation)

Step 5: Complete one NCCP sport specific training in swim, bike or run

• Swimming Canada: Swimming 101
• Athletics Canada: Club Coach (Endurance)
• Cycling Canada: Skills and Tactics (Road)

NCCP Status: “Trained”

Step 6: Complete Portfolio
Step 7: Complete observation and evaluation by Coach Evaluator

NCCP Status: “Certified Competition Coach”

This program is currently under development

All prior NCCP training and certifications will be recognized and credited in the new pathway. In order to transfer training and certification, coaches have conditionally approved options for entry into the new pathways as shown in the table below.

Coaches who achieved Comp Intro ‘trained’ status in the old system will become ‘trained’ Community coaches; if they are Comp Intro certified they will automatically become Community certified.  Only Comp Intro coaches who have been continuing their training with high performance athletes will have the option of registering for certification in the Competition pathway.

Download the Triathlon Canada Grandfather Program infographic here.

Triathlon Canada and the Coaching Association of Canada recognize the value of having certified NCCP coaches that are engaged in Professional Development programs which reinforce best practice and the values of lifelong learning and sharing among the coaching community. Professional Development activities and points are tracked through your transcript within the NTRS and the CAC Locker. As part of your ongoing commitment to coaching, all certified coaches will be required to maintain their certification by accumulating PD points over a set time frame. Click here for more information on maintenance of certification.