![Skip Navigation [Alt+1]](/images/asep3/clear.png){kind=small}
American Sport eEducation Program: A Division of Human Kinetics
Sign In
For the volunteer coach, the ASEP Volunteer Education Program provides beginning and intermediate education for coaches of athletes 13 years of age and younger, plus courses and resources for parents, officials, and sport administrators working with this age group. The Volunteer Education Program is designed for use by youth sport programs in park and recreation departments, national youth sport organizations (such as Little League Baseball, YMCAs, Boys and Girls Clubs), junior high schools, military and faith-based sport teams, and nonaffiliated local sport clubs.
ASEP's Professional Education Program provides comprehensive courses and resources for those who seek to become coaches, officials, or administrators in high school, college and university, Olympic, and competitive club-sport programs for athletes 14 years of age and older. The ASEP Professional Education Program is composed of three levels-Bronze, Silver, and Gold.
The Bronze Level offers coaches of athletes 14 years of age and older a three-course credentialing program geared toward educating the entire coach. Bronze Level courses include Coaching Principles, Sport First Aid, and Coaching [Sport] Technical and Tactical Skills. To receive the Bronze Level credential, coaches must complete these courses and also be certified in CPR.
The Bronze Level is especially appropriate for coaches at the high school, college, Olympic, and serious club-sport levels. In fact, 35 state high school associations, 200 colleges and universities, and 13 national governing bodies currently use, require, or recommend the Bronze Level in whole or in part to meet coaching education requirements for their organizations. The Bronze Level sets the standard for coaching education and offers coaches the opportunity to enhance their on-field experience and professional development.
Coaching Principles and Sport First Aid are offered as classroom courses taught by certified instructors and as online courses. The Coaching Principles Classroom course consists of an eight-hour course followed by self-study of the course text, Successful Coaching, Third Edition, and a test. The Sport First Aid Classroom course follows the same format, with the exception that it begins with a four-hour course.
Coaches may also complete the online versions of Coaching Principles and Sport First Aid. These online courses provide a convenient way for coaches to learn at their own pace and on a schedule that's right for them. Each online course includes a copy of the text-either Successful Coaching, Third Edition, or Sport First Aid, Third Edition-and a course CD-ROM containing video clips. In this interactive environment, coaches read sections of the book, view video clips, and participate in virtual exercises that simulate classroom learning and put the coach in practice and game-day situations. Coaches can even take the course test online and receive immediate results.
Coaching [Sport] Technical and Tactical Skills courses are sport-specific, "Xs and Os" courses that will be offered exclusively online. These courses will provide coaches with technical and tactical skills, as well as two options for how to teach them: the traditional approach and the games approach. Courses for baseball, basketball, football, and soccer are currently in development, with the first (football) scheduled for summer 2006 release, followed by baseball, winter 2006. Additional courses are planned for wresting, cheerleading, ice hockey, softball, swimming, track and field, volleyball, field hockey, golf, gymnastics, lacrosse and tennis.
For coaches who have completed the Bronze Level and would like to continue their professional development, ASEP Silver Level courses will be the next step. The Silver Level curriculum will consist of advanced courses-delivered online-dealing with sport-specific techniques and tactics based on the best practices of experienced coaches, the sport sciences, and advanced courses in sport physiology, sport psychology, mechanics of sport, and teaching sport skills. These courses are currently in the planning stages and will be released on the heels of the Bronze Level technical and tactical skills courses.
Looking further into the future, ASEP Gold Level courses will continue the education of coaches in the sport sciences and provide advanced knowledge of conditioning and instructional methods specific to each sport, plus advanced courses in sport nutrition, risk management, and social issues in coaching. Watch the ASEP Web site for availability of the Bronze Level technical and tactical skills courses, as well as Silver and Gold Level courses.
ASEP has plans to develop a curriculum specific to the needs of officials of youth sports. Watch the ASEP Web site for future updates on program development.
Developed in conjunction with the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), the NFHS Officials Education Program provides officials high-quality instruction with the convenience of online delivery. Bronze Level officials courses include NFHS Officiating Principles and Officiating [Sport] Methods courses (baseball, basketball, football, soccer, softball, and wrestling initially), all of which will be delivered online. Officials who complete both the NFHS Officiating Principles course and the Officiating [Sport] Methods course for their sport will receive the designation of ASEP Professional Official.
ASEP has excellent resources to help you stay organized and continue your professional development. Our new e-course, Directing Youth Sports Programs, is designed specifically for park and recreation directors and youth sport administrators. It contains more than 50 downloadable and customizable forms, checklists, and practice exercises, as well as a Sport Event Planner, an indispensable tool for planning youth sport contests. Additional resources include Organizing Successful Tournaments, More Fantastic Fundraisers for Sport and Recreation, and Risk Management in Sport and Recreation.