High School Baseball Coaching Certification

Different states have different requirements for certifying high school baseball coaches.

High school sports are governed by individual state organizations, with some national entities providing support but without governing authority. Therefore, the state in which you coach will determine the requirements for certification as a high school baseball coach. In some states it is enough to be certified as a teacher, while other states require training specific to the coaching part of the job. The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) is the main national group that tries to set standards for high school coaches.

Identification

According to a 2007 study by the U.S. Sports Academy, 15 states required no coaching-specific education certification component for their baseball coaches and an additional seven states recommended that component without requiring it. The key components that are commonly needed for baseball coaches are a secondary education teaching credential, some sort of coaching education certification, and first aid and CPR training. Each state high school sports organization requires those components in some combination to certify its high school baseball coaches. While playing and coaching experience in the sport is desired, decisions in that area are left up to individual school districts.

Teaching Credential

The same U.S. Sports Academy study revealed that just 30 states mandate that their high school baseball coaches be credentialed secondary education teachers. A small number of others recommend that their coaches be teachers but do not require it. California, Virginia and Ohio are among the states that do not require that coaches be teachers. In those states and the others like them, many schools rely on off-campus coaches to help run their athletic departments.

First Aid/CPR

Just 15 states have a requirement that their baseball coaches be trained in first aid and CPR before taking on coaching assignments. In California and in Washington, D.C., first aid and CPR are the only mandated certifications for coaches.

Coaching Education

The NFHS and the American Sport Education Program (ASEP) are two organizations that have developed a coaching certification curriculum that is available on a national level to certify coaches. In 2005, those two organizations created the National Standards for Sport Coaches, an outline of certification expectations for coaches of all sports. As of 2007, 40 states either required or recommended that their baseball coaches be certified through the educational offerings of NFHS or ASEP. Courses include general overviews of coaching in general, physical fitness courses and baseball-specific coaching courses.

Considerations

As of 2007, there was just one state, Wyoming, that required baseball coaches to be credentialed teachers, certified in first aid and CPR and certified through NFHS or ASEP. New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Washington required the first aid/CPR and the coaching certification components. Four states--Montana, Michigan, Iowa, Hawaii--did not mandate that baseball coaches meet any of the four criteria.

References

• American Sport Education Program: Course Catalog
• The Sport Journal: A State Analysis of High School Coaching Certification Requirements for Head Baseball Coaches
• NFHS: Learning Center