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.
The first step along the coach education pathway is the program called 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.
Instructor 2: Developing Recreational Players is focussed 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.
Club Pro 1: Introduction to Coaching Competitive Players is a multi-day course focussed on further developing players who are interested in competition. In addition to understanding more advanced tactics and technical skills, attention is also paid to the specific needs of competitive players in both a doubles and singles context. Beyond these on-court competencies, participants will also develop important skills related to player and program management.
Club Pro 2 increases the focus on the management side of pickleball. Well-suited for professionals who are, or who aspire to be, involved in the planning, development and execution of a multi-faceted pickleball program, this course provides an extensive look into the elements that contribute to successful, high-quality programs for a wide range of players.
Coach 1: Coaching Competitive Players takes a detailed look at advanced coaching principles related to player performance. Participants will use this multi-day course to plan, deliver and refine an extended training program for competitive athletes.
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.
The rollout of the NCCP for pickleball has begun. Interested in signing up for a course? Register here.
For more information, please send an email to coaching@pickleballcanada.org