[DaMunk]

In the last year, I've renewed my love affair with soccer through coaching. I was thinking about taking the USSF D course this summer, but I've got a few questions I hope you can help me answer:
Is an 'E' license necessary? I've read elsewhere that the 'D' course begins with a primer that pretty much covers the 'E' material. I understand there's a pregression of the materials, but will I be at a disadvantage having not taken the 'E' course?
All suggestions, experiences, etc. would be helpful.

[schmuckatelli]

The age of the people you are coaching should at least influence which course you take. The "E" course is geared toward coaching younger players (say, U-12 to U-14), whereas the "D" course prepares you to coach high school aged players. I took both, and I'd really recommend it to you as well. While there is a little overlap, every coach/teacher you meet can give you something to take to your team, and that can only benefit them.

Best of luck!

[TeeDub]

They offer good coaching courses as well....

More info can be found here...

http://www.nscaa.com/courses/index.html

[Richie]

U6/U8 or U8/U10 Youth Module Time 4-8 hours
Cost Generally Free

These courses have replaced the G and F courses.These courses are designed to be age specific and are the initial training courses offered to a new or just getting started parent/coach. This is primarily a classroom course.

This module is critical to ensure a positive and developmentally appropriate soccer experience for players of this age. This course addresses this by providing the most current and advanced information on the cognitive, psycho-motor and social development of the adolescent player.

This course takes a Games and Activities approach to teaching and learning. The coach serves as a facilitator creating a fun learning environment of games and activities.
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E Certificate (General Certificate of 11-A-Side Soccer) Time 15-20 hours
Cost $50-$100

This course focuses on the development of the player as an individual and also as part of a team. This development takes a player from being technically oriented to refining those techniques and applying them to game situations.

This course has both classroom and field sessions where the coach is taught the proper techniques of soccer, the progression for teaching technique, how to recognize and correct technical breakdown, the principle of attack and defense, care and prevention of injuries and team management.

Some testing may occur and be used as a learning experience.
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D Certificate (The Consolidation of Techniques & Tactics) Time 30-40 hours
Cost $100-$150

The curriculum focus is to provide a framework and understanding of practical coaching tools to improve the player's technique and to expand the tactical awareness of the players function within the team, by improving the coaches ability to create game like situations in practice that challenge and improve the individual and the team.

The successful candidate should be able to devise a training session to develop and correct technique through proper teaching progression, have an understanding of the principles of attack and defense and be able to identify technical and tacticalbreakdowns within the course of play and set training sessions to correct them.

Testing covers the area of methods, tactics, laws, team management and practical coaching. The candidate is required to plan and conduct a training session in the practical environment.

This course is designed for coaches who are working with U12 to U14 teams.
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[GKbenji]

I think the E is a prerequisite for taking the D, but that requirement can be waived fairly easily if you have some experience. Talk to the Director of Coaching at your club and have them write a letter to your State DoC for a waiver, or contact the State association directly to see what they would require.

[JohnW]

Originally posted by DaMunk
I've got a few questions I hope you can help me answer:
Is an 'E' license necessary? I've read elsewhere that the 'D' course begins with a primer that pretty much covers the 'E' material. I understand there's a pregression of the materials, but will I be at a disadvantage having not taken the 'E' course?

The E and D licenses are administrated through the state office, while the C, B and A licenses are administrated through the national office. Thus, the quality of instruction and follow-up for E and D varies from state to state.

In any state, though, you should be able to apply for a waiver of the E provided you have certain levels of playing and coaching experience.

Some states, like Minnesota, do as others have indicated and use the first part of the D license as "review" of the E material. Thus, you often have some coaches taking parts of the E along with the D license candidates and then splitting off or finishing.

It is hard to tell if you will be at a disadvantage, because I don't know how much playing and/or coaching experience you have.

The main thing that you will get in either course is an introduction into the principles of coaching and planning as supported by the USSF. Those include an emphasis on using a progression of drills to isolate individual skills or game situations and building to a game situation; freezing a player/s to correct or praise that player/s' actions; and keeping as many players involved as possible (eliminating lines, sitting).

None of this is rocket science, nevertheless, I think it's worth the time and the money.

Final note on personal experience: My observation when I took the courses (they were offered jointly) was that the E course had more of the soccer moms and dads who wanted to learn how to coach their kids better and the D course had more former players/coaches of competitive teams.

This, of course, meant that the E participants were intimidated and reluctant to take part in the drills. So the two groups separated pretty quickly. This was a couple of years ago, so maybe they don't offer them jointly anymore.

But if there's a bias I've heard about the USSF courses (especially C and above), it's that they tend to be dominated by former players.

Hope this helps. If you have a decent knowledge of the game and you're anything more than ambulatory, I encourage you to take the D course. I think it's worth it.

jgw

[CG]

I took the 'D' course and the 'E' was waived since I had so much previous experience. Have yet to take the 'C' due to the cost of it. The main thing the course helped me with was organizing a practice.