Feature
No.40
January 2004
 
    

Professional Issue of Training – Case Study
The International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) Coaches Education and Certification System
Harald Müller, Germany



1. Introduction
It has been suggested that sport in general and athletics in particular make important contributions to the development of successful, modern societies in the so called developing countries of the world. They can play a positive role in a number of areas including augmenting formal and informal education, changing social behaviour and attitudes, promoting the modernisation of structures and increasing understanding of how modern societies function (DIGEL 1996).
Despite an array of general social and economic difficulties, sports cultures have developed in many countries. Athletics, often central to school physical education and sports programmes, is popular throughout the developing world and in many cases it is one of the main national sports. Interestingly, even though the infrastructure and training conditions are generally of much lower quality than in most of the industrialised world, the developing countries have produced an increasing number of high level performers in recent years - even if this success is limited to certain events (the sprints, middle and long distances, and some jumping events) and the general level of their domestic athletics remains quite low.
As the world governing body for the sport, the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) is committed by the Objects of its Constitution to “foster the world-wide development of athletics” (WANGEMANN / GLAD 1989). It has operated a Development Programme since the 1970s, and since 1987 this programme has been systematically planned and well funded. According to the IAAF's own literature, the programme aims to “create the conditions under which each country, given its resources, is able to express its potential in competition” (IAAF 1995). The strategy for the programme identifies seven, interconnected problem areas:
  • Administration
  • Facilities and Equipment
  • Coaching
  • Scientific and Medical Support
  • Officiating
  • Athletics Culture
  • Competition Opportunities
As with most international sport development programmes, the area of coaching received emphasis from the very beginning. This early focus reflected both the very obviously important role that coaches play in the development of individual athletes and the almost total lack of qualified coaches in the countries in question. Long before the production of its strategy, the IAAF was sending coaches from the athletically successful countries of Europe and North America on an ad hoc basis to impart their knowledge, in whatever way they saw fit, to “coaches” and athletes in developing countries (WANGEMANN / GLAD 1988).
In the process of formulating its overall development strategy the IAAF was concerned about the quality of the various coach education measures as well as the lack of co-ordination in the field. It reviewed the existing programmes of other agencies and conducted a few small pilot studies to evaluate the measures it had taken itself to that point. These investigations indicated many weaknesses with the measures themselves and many more areas of uncertainty with regard to their effects. In particular, no link between the measures and the success of the emerging top level performers or with the general development of the sport could be demonstrated (WANGEMANN / GLAD 1989). This situation would seem consistent with the experience of other organisations working in athletics and in other sports -though it has to be said that, surprisingly, there appears to be no analytical quantitative and qualitative studies of development measures in sport by international federations or other international institutions.
In 1991, after three years of planning and development, the IAAF launched an ambitious effort to systematically train coaches in the developing countries, the IAAF Coaches Education and Certification System (CECS).

2. CECS Overview
The CECS is a coaching programme with two levels (Level I and Level II). After a successful completion of the Level II, the IAAF awards the IAAF Diploma in Coaching. The two levels are oriented towards different development needs and target groups. At each level of the system, participants follow a standard syllabus taught by specially trained lecturers using standard teaching and learning materials. Procedures for the evaluation of participants, including examinations, are also standardised.
Beyond the Level II qualification the IAAF offers education in specialist areas like Elite Coaches or Technical Directors.

2.1 CECS Level I
Objectives
The Level I course is primarily intended to help meet the need in most countries for a large corps of qualified coaches to work at the grass roots of athletics. Its aim is to give the participants the basic knowledge required to coach children, young people and beginners in school or club athletics settings competently and safely. To keep costs low and make it possible to reach a maximum number of participants the course is designed to be delivered in the respective countries of the IAAF Member Federations .

Course Organisation Procedure
Courses can be financed from a variety of sources. The most common means is through the International Olympic Committee's Olympic Solidarity Programme. The role of the Member Federation is usually to apply for, organise and run the course following guidelines set down by the IAAF.

Candidate Pre-Requisites
The choice of Level I participants is left to the Member Federation hosting the course. The IAAF's only requirements are that participants have a minimum age of 18 years, have a basic educational background and the ability to speak and read the course language, be physically fit and able to learn and demonstrate all athletic events and an interest in athletics. Level I courses are limited to a maximum of 24 participants.

Course Content
The Level I syllabus consists of 66 units which are flexible with regard to the time it allowed to cover the contents of each unit. The minimum time recommended for units varies from 45 to 90 minutes. There is a recommended 14 day timetable.
The Level I syllabus includes practical and theoretical aspects of the following events:
  • Sprints,
  • Middle and Long Distance,
  • Walks,
  • Jumps,
  • Throws.
Also included are introductions to the following coaching theory subjects:
  • 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.
A Level I certified coach would be expected to be able to introduce the “rough” form of each event covered on the course to athletes and will also be expected to apply the concept of long term planning of training and be able to plan and implement a training session.

Course Languages
The standard teaching materials for the Level I course include several high quality books for use as a resource on the course and for later reference. Most of these have been specifically written for the IAAF and are published in seven languages (Arabic, English, French, Indonesian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish).
The IAAF has also encouraged Member Federations to translate the materials into their own official languages by providing grants to subsidise the work. Other standard materials used on the course include videos, overhead projection transparencies and posters.

Course Lecturers
For successful participants to be recognised by the IAAF, a Level I course must be taught by at least one IAAF accredited Lecturer, though non-accredited lecturers may assist on courses with the approval on the IAAF Member Services Department. In contrast to previous times when assignments to international coaching measures were largely made on personal recommendations, lecturer accreditation in the CECS is standardised and candidates are specially prepared for their task. To achieve accreditation, potential lecturers must be active coaches, preferably with some teaching experience, and have the support of their national federation. They attend a special course, the so-called ”Lecturer Seminar”, where they experience all units of the Level I syllabus, are given instruction on teaching techniques and are tested in the theoretical and practical aspects taught on the Level I course. Candidates are also required to teach at least one course in tandem with an experienced accredited lecturer.

Candidate Assessment
The assessment of Level I participants is made through a written examination (90-minute, open book-type which is designed to test also the ability to find required information from other sources) and practical presentations
through evaluation of the practical coaching of the participants to coach local athletes in 20 to 30 minutes practical presentations.

Pass Mark
Examination marks are calculated using a grade system (on a 1 to 4 points scale):
  • 4 - very good

  • 3 - good

  • 2 - satisfactory

  • 1 - unsatisfactory
For each part of the participant profile specific marks are required:
  Level I Pass Eligible for Level II
Written Examination 2 3
Practical Presentation 2 4

The Course Director must comment on the participant’s potential.

Eligibility for Level II
The participants choose one event group for Level II. There are additional entry requirements to CECS Level II (see below “Candidate Pre-requisites Level II). The required marks in both parts of the profile must be achieved to become eligible for Level II.

Equivalency
If coaches have attended coaches courses in other educational systems, the IAAF may recognise their qualifications as “equivalent” to the CECS Level I. A recognition needs an application from a Member Federation (not an individual coach) and is followed by a comparative analysis of the curriculum that was actually followed and the IAAF CECS Level I syllabus. If Level I equivalency is granted, it is required to pass all standard Level I evaluation procedures, administered by IAAF lecturers, to become eligible for Level II.

2.2 CECS Level II
Objectives
The CECS Level II course is intended to educate those participants who have performed well at Level I and will specialise in one of the following event groups:
  • Sprints & Hurdles
  • Middle, and Long Distance Running
  • Jumps
  • Throws
  • Combined Events (to be confirmed)
  • Race Walks (to be confirmed)
The participants’ specialisation should meet their country’s need for higher educated coaches. From a successful participant of a CECS Level II course it is expected to be able to identify and coach the basic competition model for each event within an event group and be able to plan and implement a training cycle within the context of a long-term training plan.

Course Organisation Procedures
The selection of participants for CECS Level II courses is very much depending on the active involvement of the candidates in practical coaching after Level I and before Level II. Therefore the IAAF Member Services Department, together with the Directors of the Regional Development Centres and the National Federations are evaluating the candidates activities in coaching. After the evaluation process the course participants will be selected and invited to the course. A maximum of 3 participants per country is allowed, the maximum total number of participants in one course is 15.

Candidate Pre-requisites
Entry requirements for Level II include:
  • A specified profile of achievement at Level I. Minimum Level I mark: 3 for theory and 4 for practical

  • Proof of coaching experience
  • Special entry through coaching merit by:
    Consistently producing high level athletes measured on a regional scale, or
    Coaching athletes who have met World Championship qualifying standards
  • Each coach must submit a three-month extract of an athlete’s training diary to the RDC by a specific date prior to the start of the course.” (IAAF 2002, 9)
Course Contents
The Level II syllabus consists of 70 units (plus evaluation) which are flexible with regard to the time it allowed to cover the contents of each unit. The minimum time recommended for units varies from 45 to 90 minutes. There is a recommended 14 day timetable
The Level I syllabus includes practical and theoretical aspects of the following events:
  • Sprints & Hurdles

  • Middle, Long Distance & Race Walking

  • Jumps

  • Throws

  • Race Walking (in the future)

  • Combined Events (in the future)
Also included are introductions to various coaching theory subjects.
The units shall always integrate practical coaching / observation (event-specific contents) and Lectures / workshops (coaching theory contents).
Level II courses will be conducted only at the RDC’s. The number of candidates ranges from 15 (minimum) to 20 (maximum).
Level II course languages are those of the corresponding RDC, to be spoken by Lecturers and participants.
Course lecturers are appointed by the Member Services Department in conjunction with the corresponding RDC Director.

Course Assessment
The CECS Level II assessment comprises a written examination (90 minutes, as multiple choice exam), a practical assessment, a microcycle plan (120 minutes to produce a single 1-week Microcycle for an appropriate athlete) and an oral examination.
Examination marks are calculated using a grade system (on a 1 to 4 points scale):
4 - very good
3 - good
2 - satisfactory
1 - unsatisfactory
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

IAAF Diploma in Coaching
After a successful completion of the Level II course the participants will receive the Level II Certificate.
The award of the IAAF Diploma in Coaching is bounded on to requirements
1. the Level II Certificate and
2. the active involvement in coaching (being proofed by the delivery of a coaching diary, which will be evaluated by an expert panel) for at least two consecutive years after the successful completion of the Level II course.

3. Master Coach
Beyond the coaches education, which formally meets in the award of the IAAF Diploma in Coaching, there are two types of specialisation:
(1) Elite Coach (coaching and sports science)
(2) Technical Director / Performance Director / National Head Coach

3.1 Elite Coach (Coaching and Sports Science)
For individuals that work both areas sport sciences and practical coaching this education offers the opportunity to improve in both areas. In this high level course those candidates can take part who participated successfully in the Level II courses, who demonstrated their expertise, leadership and their involvement in athletics.
The Entry requirements include:
  • 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 Interna- tional pre-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. To demonstrate sufficient knowledge in Sports Sciences to be capable to understand, analyse and apply current and new scientific knowledge into a practical application.
    4. Be able to identify coaching and sports science related needs and to be able to articulate and promote these to researchers, resulting in collaborative outcomes.” (IAAF 2002, 13)
The course will have duration of seven days, will be conducted by elite coaches and international recognised scientists in International Athletics
The course assessment consists of the writing a series of articles on contents of the CECS syllabus followed by a disputation with the course lecturers and an oral exam.

3.2 Technical Director / Performance Director / National Head Coach
For individuals who have been identified by their national federations for the positions of a Technical Director, Performance Director or National Head Coach this seven days course will be staged annually and conducted by handpicked experts in the specific fields.
The candidate eligibility requires the following pre-requisites:
  • Candidates must be proposed by their National Federations.
  • National Federations may propose a maximum of two candidates at any one time.
  • Consideration and priority will be given to Member Federation’s who have not currently a Technical Director / Performance Director / National Head Coach, but are actively considering an appointment to this position.
  • Preference will be given to coaches who have Level II Certification.” (IAAF 2002, 14)
The course contents are oriented on the skills the various positions require:
  • preparation for major championships,
  • development strategies,
  • understanding of, contribution to, and co-operation with National and International Athletics and other Sports Federations,
  • identifying and accessing relevant support services and setting up support networks,
  • leadership,
  • management,
  • coaching,
  • performance related areas.
For the assessment candidates have to draft performance strategy plans and defend them in discussions with the course lecturers. An additional oral exam completes the assessments.

4. CECS Evaluation
When the IAAF Development Department was planning the creation of the CECS in 1989, the question of evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of the system and specific measures arose. Until that point, evaluation of athletics-specific educational measures seems to have been treated with an incomprehensible indifference
However, the IAAF had already committed itself in 1988 to bring a "new emphasis of quality and effectiveness to its development efforts" (WANGEMANN / GLAD 1988) and that year, led by its Development Director Björn WANGEMANN, it made a first attempt to evaluate one of its measures from these points of view. This consisted of a follow-up study of the participants on the first IAAF/Olympic Solidarity Diploma Coaching Course, held at the Regional Development Centre in Patiala, India two years earlier. Its aim was to determine the effect the course had on their careers, professional standing and their daily work (WANGEMANN / GLAD 1989). A more academic study, completed by KEMPER of the University of Bayreuth, Germany looked at the second IAAF/Olympic Solidarity Diploma course held at the IAAF Regional Development Centre in Jakarta, Indonesia in 1989. It focused on the conduct of the course, the content of the syllabus and their effects on the participants (KEMPER 1990). Based largely on the findings of these two studies, the Diploma course was replaced by the three level CECS and the two studies, of course, became redundant.
As part of the design process of the Level I syllabus, the IAAF commissioned a second academic study. This investigation, conducted by KOSLOWSKI, looked at a Level I pilot course held in Malta in 1990 and provided information on the course's effects on the participants (KOSLOWSKI 1991).
The results of this work, which were published in 1991, together with information from additional pilot courses, were taken into consideration by the IAAF and its advisors in 1991 when the definitive Level I format was produced.
In 1994 a research group from the Technical University of Darmstadt/Germany (DIGEL/MÜLLER 1997) was commissioned by the International Athletic Foundation to carry out a study of the Level I programme as implemented to that point on behalf of the IAAF.
In the project brief the IAAF requested that the results help determine both how well the Level I course served the participants and the sport on a world-wide basis, and how useful and valid it was in the specific situations it was staged in throughout the world (in other words, is it appropriate to use the same syllabus for groups of vastly different people in vastly different circumstances?).
It is to be expected that the application of an extensive standardised syllabus in the variety of conditions found in the 150 countries served by the CECS will lead to some difficulties and criticism. Indeed, a range of problems—some important, some trivial—were identified from the feedback opening up discussion on possible ways to develop and improve the course.
In general, the feedback from the various groups involved was remarkably positive on almost all aspects of the Level I course - including the syllabus, organisation, lecturers, media, examinations and also the feedback on the effects of the course on the development of athletics, through the coaching and other activities of the participants.
The IAAF’s CECS nowadays is more than 13 years in operation. The number of participants in Level I courses has passed 8000, from which more than 6000 have passed the course and more than 1000 became eligible for CECS Level II.

5. References
DIGEL, H. (1996): Sports and Athletics as Means of Modernisation in Developing Countries. In: IAF: Sports and Athletics for all – IAF Development Congress, Official Proceedings, Monaco.
DIGEL, H. / MÜLLER, H. (1997): IAF CECS Level I Research Project: The IAAF Coaches Education and Certification System – a scientific evaluation analysis on Education Level I, Final Report, Monaco (Internal report).
IAAF (1991): IAAF Development Cooperation: A Situation Analysis and a Strategy for the World-wide development of Athletics. IAAF, London.
IAAF (1995): IAAF Handbook 1996-1997. IAAF, Monaco.
IAAF (1995). CECS Level I Syllabus. IAAF, Monaco.
IAAF (2002): Coaches Education and Certification System (CECS) - Procedural Guidelines, Monaco.
KEMPER, G. (1990): Entwicklung und Anwendung eines Evaluierungsinstruments für einen IAAF / Olympic Solidarity Diploma Coaching Course (Development and application of an evaluation tool for an IAAF/Olympic Solidarity Diploma Coaching Course). Diploma Thesis at University Bayreuth/Germany.
KOSLOWSKI, A. (1991): Untersuchung zur Effektivität eines Leichtathletik-Curriculums der IAAF in einem Entwicklungsland (Research on the efficiency of an IAAF-athletics curriculum in a developing country). Diploma Thesis at German Sport University Cologne.
WANGEMANN, B./ GLAD, B. (1988): IAAF development co-operation: a situation analysis. In: New Studies in Athletics, 3 (4), 7-18.
WANGEMANN, B./ GLAD, B. (1989): Follow-up Survey - The first IAAF Diploma Course, RDC Patiala. In: IAAF: 1987/88 IAAF Development Yearbook: 38-40, London.

Harald Müller (1961- ) is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Athletics at the German Sport University at Cologne. He has worked with the IAAF Coaches Education and Certification System since 1989, contributing to the curriculum design and elaboration process, lecturing on various courses and seminars and producing CECS teaching material. He conducted research on the implementation of the CECS Level I, on the operation of the IAAF’s Regional Development Centres and acted as project co-ordinator and analyst for the IAF Biomechanical Research Project carried out at the IAAF World Championships in Athens. Since 1999 he has served as Managing Editor of the IAAF technical quarterly “New Studies in Athletics”.

Harald Müller
Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln
Institut für Sportsoziologie
Carl-Diem-Weg 6
50933 Köln
Germany
Email: H.Mueller@dshs-koeln.de




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