Coaches can obtain certification at three levels. To be a fully certified coach at any particular level, the coach needs to be NCAP Theory and NCAP Technical certified at that level. For example, a coach is considered a Level 1 Coach only when he or she has both NCAP Theory Level 1 and NCAP Technical Level 1 certifications.
To obtain NCAP certification, the coach can either be accredited or he or she can attend the courses organised by the SSC (for NCAP Theory) and the various NSAs (for NCAP Technical).
The Level 1 coach understands the various approaches to coaching. He or she will be able to design safe, enjoyable and challenging practices to introduce basic skills to his/her athletes.
The Level 2 coach is able to prepare his/her athletes for competition. He or she will be able to develop training programmes to prepare athletes in the physical, psychological, technical and tactical domains.
The Level 3 coach is able to apply the principles of planning an annual training and competition programme for elite or high performing athletes and teams. He or she will be able to utilise knowledge in the various sports sciences to help the athletes achieve their potential.
Coaches are required to achieve NCAP Theory certification before proceeding on to the NCAP Technical course at that level. This will allow them to gain a broad overview of the general coaching principles and sport science knowledge before moving on to develop sport specific coaching skills during the NCAP Technical courses.
As NCAP is progressive, certification at the lower level is pre-requisite for certification at the next level, i.e. coaches will need to achieve their Level 1 Theory or Technical certification before they can move on to Level 2 Theory or Technical certification respectively.
