Level I Coach Certification
The UPA Level I Coach Certification Program was designed by Joe Bisignano, Tiina Booth, Michael Baccarini, Barbara Denison, John Sandahl, and Kyle Weisbrod during 2003.
The Level I Coach Certification focuses on the basics of Ultimate Coaching and is ideal for anybody interested in or already coaching Ultimate at any level including the following groups:
- Former or current Ultimate players with any level of experience
- PE Teachers
- Parents
- After School Coordinators
- Recreational Center Coordinators
- College open or women's coach
- College open or women's captain
- Introductory level Adult league captain
And, although you must be 21 in order to receive certification, high school captains are welcome to attend the clinic and will find the program useful.
The UPA's Level I Coach Certification Program is standardized and the following topics and more will be covered in the clinic that you attend:
- How to promote the sport and get new players hooked
- How to teach the game and basic skills to new players
- How to behave professionally while coaching
- Fitness and Conditioning
- How to run a practice
- Liability and Insurance
- How to teach Spirit of the Game
- Ethics and Fairness in Coaching
- How to Utilize Parents
Clinic attendees will also receive the UPA's Coaching Manual, that covers all of these topics and more, a UPA Coaching Corps disc, the Ultimate 101: Laying Out the Game DVD, the Ultimate Fitness DVD, a Five Ultimate Ambient Jersey, Five Ultimate Coach Bag and a copy of the UPA's Coaching Ethics Code as well as discounts from our sponsor
Five Ultimate.
Level I Certification is good for 2 years.
Coaches and volunteers who seek certification from the UPA must consent to a background check at the time of their application. The background check is conducted by a third party, Intellicorp Records, Inc. using the “Criminal SuperSearch” search. The results of the search are provided to the UPA for screening purposes only. The UPA reserves the right to deny certification to coaches or volunteers when the background check or other information indicates felonies, any crimes involving children, any violent crimes, any crimes of a sexual nature or any other conduct or information causing the UPA to deny certification.
The UPA Coach Certification is a statement only that the coach has successfully completed a program that teaches skills, tactics, strategy, rules and the Spirit of the Game. The UPA is not in any way certifying the moral character of any coach or volunteer. The background check performed for the UPA should not be relied on or used as a replacement for purposes of your own background check or investigation and/or complying with any requirement that might be imposed by a school district, sports league, etc. The UPA's background check is current as of the time the coach or volunteer applies for certification.
Level I Coach Clinic Reviews:
"The level of understanding and experience about coaching Ultimate that Michael brought to the clinic was simply amazing. He must be the ultimate Ultimate coach's coach! I learned what is important about teaching Ultimate to beginners, spirit of the game aspects, conditioning techniques and making practices fun, profssionalism in dealing with young players, etc. Michael brought tremendous integrity and a wealth of experience to the clinic and I can't imagine a better experience for people wanting to learn to teach Ultimate"
"The instruction was outstanding. I went into the clinic wanting to learn more but not really sure that coaching Ultimate was something I wanted to do. As a result of the clinic, I am inspired to be an Ultimate coach! And, becuase of the class exercises and discussion and material provided in the clinic, I feel competent and capable of teaching Ultimate to beginners."
"I learned exactly what I wanted to learn"
