Pickleball in Canada has been growing by leaps and bounds over the last few years. As the sport continues to attract new players, the need for high-quality instructors and coaches also grows. That’s why Pickleball Canada joined forces with Tennis Canada’s Tennis Professionals Association to develop and deliver Canada‘s first ever National Coach Education Program for Pickleball.
This comprehensive program offers courses, resources and professional development opportunities for people who not only love playing pickleball, but who want to help others enter the sport and learn how to play or how to play better. This includes local ambassadors committed to growing the game, instructors and coaches tasked with refining skills, and even club managers who need to plan and deliver great pickleball programming.
The Coaching Association of Canada‘s National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP), offers instructor/coach certification courses across Canada in order to benefit pickleball communities in every province and territory. By investing time, effort and resources into coach education, this program actively contributes to the growth of the sport on a national scale while also following important safeguarding best practices as established by the Coaching Association of Canada.
For a listing of NCCP for pickleball certified coaches in Canada, click here.
Click here to access the Pickleball Coach Education Webpage.
COACHING PATHWAY
Instructor 1: Introducing Pickleball. This 1.5-day course is focused on preparing instructors so that they can ensure that a new player’s first experience with pickleball is safe, inclusive and incredibly fun. Participants will learn to manage groups, organize play and focus on key fundamentals so that new players are set up for success and go home sharing a passion for pickleball.
- 8 hours (one day) on-court + 3 hour virtual training
- NCCP MED training included
- Pre-course preparation required
- In-course evaluations
- $289 + applicable taxes
Instructor 2: Developing Recreational Players is focused on supporting instructors who can help existing pickleball players to play the game better. With an increased focus on intermediate tactics and technique, this multi-day course prepares instructors to develop in their players a wide range of key skills that they will need as they advance.
- Must be Level 1 Certified
- Must hold a Tournament Rating of 3.5 or higher according to pickleballbrackets.com or submit a Playing Skill demonstration video. Example found here.
- 16 hours (two days) of on-court course time
- Online pre-course work required to be completed before on-court dates
- In-course evaluations
- $399 + applicable taxes
Club Pro 1: Introduction to Coaching Competitive Players – COMING SOON
The rollout of the NCCP for pickleball has begun. Interested in signing up for a course? Register here.
Taken as a whole, this first-of-its-kind program for pickleball in Canada provides meaningful opportunities and resources for anyone who is interested in the coaching side of the sport. Whether it is as an instructor who is welcoming new players to the sport, a club professional giving group and private lessons, or a coach who is focused on high-performance competition, our coach education program has something for you.
Public information sessions were held in November 2021 to learn more about the program. The recording of this session will be available shortly.
For more information, please send an email to coaching@pickleballcanada.org