How to Become a Certified Basketball Coach

How to Become a Certified Basketball Coach

Do you like sports, and working with a group of people to achieve a common goal? If you do, you might like the idea of becoming a basketball coach.

This post provides detailed information about getting into basketball coaching career, including the training and certification requirements.
Enjoy it!

Who is a Basketball Coach?

A basketball coach is an individual trained to strategize the behavior of a basketball team and individual players, and is usually much more than applying expertise in improving individuals and team offensive and defensive abilities.

Coaching in basketball is usually performed by a single individual often with one or more assistants.

A typical basketball coach should show much more understanding of the game, and be able to generate success even if he/she does not have the best players.

Educational Requirements and Training

To become a basketball coach, a bachelor’s degree may be required with likely options in Physical Education, although most institutions may offer degree programs that specialize in coaching; training the individuals on how to work with athletes, and developing game plans, and designing and executing player development programs.

In some cases, the individual may be required to have a coaching experience; therefore, volunteering for a college basketball coaching position, or working alongside a coach may be of benefit when pursuing a career as a basketball coach.

In other to become a basketball coach, you may be required to cover courses in basketball coaching as well as teaching skills, and basic medical procedures.

Basketball Coach Certifications

To obtain certification in basketball coaching and become certified, the prospective coach is required to complete courses in coaching, CPR, first aid, as well as pass examinations.

A number of institutions offer trainings that could qualify you to become a coach with certificates, with courses that encourage knowledge of both the officiating and the management aspects of the sport, as well as the psychology of the game.

Most states may require that basketball coaches in public institutions earn certifications as a mandatory requirement before attempting to coach, although in some cases, an associate degree can find you work as a coach, especially in colleges where the coach may also be a teaching staff.

Institutions offering Basketball Coaching Training

A number of institutions and schools provide training that can put you on course towards a career as a basketball coach.

Youth Basketball Coaches Association (YBCA) provides a three level certification process for interested persons; level one being a full online program, with level two including an on-court course, and level three providing coaching clinic in addition to a project.

The coaching Association of Canada also provides training in coaching for basketball through an NCCP workshop.

The USA Basketball Coaching Licensing program also focuses on educating coaches, and also offers a license with an annual registration fee of $35.00 after you have met certain criteria; which include completion of two courses, and passing a background check.

Roles, Duties, and Responsibilities for Basketball Coach

Basketball coaches may perform the following duties and responsibilities:

• Analyzing the opposing teams, and developing strategies to defeat them as much as possible. In a basketball team, the coach chooses the five best players to start a game and make sure to prepare adequate substitutes to replace any when it becomes necessary.
• The coach must be able to manage certain administrative expectations of the job; like hiring new players, preparing them for games, motivating and encouraging them; teaching them about the best ways to play the game, and finally creating a solid team
• In addition, he/she must help individual players develop their dribbling, passing, catching, shooting, rebounding and defensive skills, which are critical to his/her team’s success in any game
• He/she must understand the goals of the team or that of the board managing the team, and recruit professionals to attend to various needs of the team
• Aside coaching, he/she serves as the face of the team. He/she must help to achieve the public relations goals of the organization, majorly to improve recruiting as no player prefers a team without a good image to protect
• As the case may be, the coach may be required to market and promote the interest of the team.

Basketball Coach Skills

Basketball coaches teach their players about the game and how to become a team, and so require the following skills to be able to achieve their goals:

• Appropriate communication skills
• Leadership skills
• The ability to make decisions quickly. This will be required on the field in the case of changing circumstances
• Attention to details
• A thorough knowledge of the game of basketball, including all its rules.

Career Opportunities in Basketball Coaching

A basketball coach with the relevant qualification can coach any team, from high school, college, to even professional teams.

Salary Expectations for Basketball Coaches

The median salary as at 2014 by the US bureau of Labor Statistics puts the average salary of a basketball coach as $39,950, although this may be different among coaches, depending on the level of professionalism the coach may be exposed to, and the location of his/her area of coaching. The BLS also projects a job growth of about 15%.