Becoming an OFA Community Fencing Instructor or Beginner Coach
Congratulations on your decision to become a Community Fencing Instructor or Instructor Beginner Fencing Coach! What’s next? Here are some steps you can take, at any time, to acquire general and sport specific coaching knowledge and skills. These links are a great resource for developing coaches as well as experienced coaches. Good luck!
Four simple steps for becoming a Fencing Instructor and/or Beginner Coach
1/ Register online to get an NCCP Number – you will need this number for all the training and certifications that you pursue. Records of your work will be stored and updated in “The Locker”
2/ Sign up for the next Multi-Sport Theory module offered by the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) This is necessary general sport theory knowledge for all coaches. www.coach.ca
3/ Sign up for the next NCCP sport specific LTAD Fencing Coaching Course through the OFA. This course will give you the foundation knowledge you need in sport specific knowledge (foil, epee or sabre) to become a certified coach.
4/ Complete the Coach Portfolio requirements, which can be found in the checklists below.
Additional Documents
LTAD Sports and Physical Activity Resource: English / French
OFA Coaching Development Strategy
OFA Coaching Reimbursement Form
CFF Guide Evaluation for Certification: OFA Checklist
Instructor Beginner
Community Instructor
Competition Introduction
Resources for all Fencing Coaches
Online Resources – Check out both the Coaches Association of Ontario (CAO) and the Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) websites. They are regularly updated, full of pertinent, current info, a great way to build some of your coaching education and competencies, and a terrific way to connect and stay connected with other developing coaches just like you. It’s also a great way to build your coaching network! Build the habit of checking in once a week to CAO & CAC.
Coaches Association of Ontario (CAO) https://www.coachesontario.ca
Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) https://www.coach.ca
National Sport Organization (NSO) NCCP Sport Specific Training in Fencing (foil, epee, sabre)
The Canadian Fencing Federation (CFF) is the National Sport governing body that oversees the Coaching Development pathway in Canada and the sport specific training and equivalencies for Fencing Coach education. Visit www.fencing.ca or contact the CFF Coaching Development Coordinator at coaching@fencing.ca
Provincial Sport Organization (PSO) is the Ontario Fencing Association (OFA). The PSO will deliver the instructional courses for developing coaches. The PSO has a standing Coaching Development Committee, made up of experienced coaching members within the sport community, that support the education, development and retention of fencing coaching in Ontario. For more info contact fencing.on.ca or info@fencingontario.ca
Get connected and join the OFA Facebook Group HERE.
National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) Multi-sport theory training – NCCP is a program of general sport theory training, for all coaches, in all sports. Info is available through both CAO and CAC. Get your NCCP number and get started! Here you can learn more about Making Ethical Decisions, Concussion Awareness, EAPs, andThe Locker, etc.
Emergency Action Plan – an EAP is a basic requirement for coaching certification and part of your Coaching Portfolio. Learn more through CAO at https://coachesontario.ca/c2ceaps/
Making Ethical Decisions – online at Coaches Association of Ontario www.coachesontario.ca
Responsible Coaching Movement – coach.ca
Next Steps: Further education and coaching competencies
Police Records Check – A Criminal Records Check is very important to assure parents and sport organizations that you are a safe person in sport. This check must be done everything 2-3 years depending on your club or institution’s policies. It is easy to do, and not that expensive, but definitely necessary for peace of mind and coaching professionalism. This is mandatory if you are coaching any athletes under the age of 18. https://www.sterlingtalentsolutions.ca/landing-pages/c/cac_ace/
First Aid, CPR & AED Training– All coaches should have First Aid Training. It is available through several organizations and may also be available through your own organization or institution.
First Aid 4 You www.firstaid4u.ca St. John’s Ambulance www.sja.ca Red Cross www.redcross.ca
Concussion Awareness and Training for Coaches – online at Coaches Association of Ontario
Mental Health First Aid – all coaches should have some form of mental health first aid training
Mental Health Commission of Canada www.mentalhealthfirstaid.ca offers courses that can help give you the skills for mental health first aid when working with youth.
St. Johns Ambulance – “One in three Canadians will experience a mental health problem at some point during their life. The earlier a problem is detected and treated, the better the outcome. Mental Health First Aid gives people the skills they need to provide that early help they need that is so important in recovery.” www.sja.ca
Coaching Athletes with a Disability – Regardless of whether athletes with a disability currently train at your club, “Para Ready” means clubs are prepared to support athletes experiencing disability in some way, by either providing programming or connecting to those that do. Para Ready clubs have proactively planned, prepared, and can be explicit about the ways they can and cannot support all athletes, rather than reacting when contacted by an athlete experiencing disability.
The Becoming Para Ready resource was developed as an introductory guide to provide coaches and club administrators with knowledge, confidence and tools to be more proactive – or “ready” – for integration, and to introduce the ways integration can be implemented. https://www.ualberta.ca/steadward-centre/resources/becoming-para-ready.html
Since 2020, the Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) and Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) have collaborated on new resources targeting the development of Para sport coaches. These can be found at this link: https://coach.ca/coaching-athletes-disability
Specific to wheelchair fencing coaching, IWAS (the governing body for wheelchair fencing) has published the following coaching videos as resources: https://wheelchair-fencing.org/development/wheelchair-fencing-coaching-videos/
Special Events
Ontario Coaches Conference – www.coachesontario.ca/conference/
“Held annually in Ontario this is a great opportunity to get together with other sport coaches in Ontario, to network, learn, and expand your knowledge and experience. The Ontario Coaches Conference guides sport leaders to learn and understand All the Right Moves to ensure positive long-term athlete success. Whether that is in your next class, practice or competition, the moves you make today set the table for future success in sport and in life.”
Ontario Coaches Week – is about inspiring new community leaders to take up coaching. The week long celebration is funded by Sport Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion and Sport.” Check it out at www.coachesontario.ca
Keeping Sport Clean
Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) – this is the go-to site for all information regarding doping and keeping sport clean. No matter what level you are coaching, this is a great resource for all coaches to be familiar with as part of their coaching education. www.cces.ca
TrueSport – “The True Sport Foundation is a national charitable organization that is dedicated to the advancing and supporting of values-based and principle-driven sport in communities throughout Canada. The True Sport Foundation embraces and promotes the seven True Sport Principles as a means to instilling character in our children, strengthening Canadian communities and increasing our opportunities for excellence.” www.truesportpur.ca
Additional Organizations
Canadian Association for the Advancement for Women in Sport and Physical Activity www.caaws.ca
CAAWS is a great resource for all coaches. CAAWS is “dedicated to creating an equitable and inclusive Canadian sport and physical activity system that empowers girls and women – as active participants and leaders- within and through sport. With a focus on systemic change, we partner with governments, organizations and leaders to challenge the status quo and to advance solutions that result in measurable change.” Everyone should check out CAAWS for info on workshops, grants, programs, gender equity, leadership and publications.
Sport for Life – educates and informs sectors leaders to enable them to better understand and deliver LTAD Quality sport and physical literacy programming. www.sportforlife.ca
New ideas or links – if you have other ideas, resources or links that would be valuable to our Coaching Community please send them to info@fencing.ca and we can add them to this list
FAQ
1/ I have never coached before but I am interested in starting to coach fencing. What do I do?
Follow the four steps above and start by acquiring an NCCP number.
2/ I am already helping out and instructing fencing at my community club. Should I get any formal training or certification?
Absolutely, it is very important that there is quality control and the safe delivery of fencing instruction. All fencing clubs in Ontario should have trained, qualified fencing instructors to deliver safe fun programs in fencing. There is a lot you can do on your own to increase your knowledge. See the links above for more direction.
3/ I’ve heard that the CFF has changed their coaching education system. What is the new NCCP?
Go to coach.ca to find out all the answers on the new NCCP, which is now a competency-based theory, sport specific (foil, epee or sabre) and practical education system for all coaches.
4/ How can I take fencing coaching courses through Ontario?
Stay connected to the Ontario Fencing Association (OFA) through the website, Facebook, and our new Coaches Group to receive all the up to date info on upcoming coaching development courses. You can also go to http://www.fencing.ca to find out what is happening across Canada, and at the National level, through the Canadian Fencing Federation.
5/ I took a Community Instructor Course in fencing five years ago. Am I still certified?
In 2014 the Coaches Association of Canada started to transfer over coaching credentials to The Locker. https://thelocker.coach.ca In The Locker all your coaching credits and courses are maintained, basically showing a resume, of all the work you have done. If you need to update your information in The Locker or have further questions, please contact the CFF Coaching Development Coordinator Maître Ildemaro Sanchez for more information at coaching@fencing.ca
6/ I have taken the Instructor Beginner in one weapon. How to do I acquire the second or third weapon coaching experience and certification?
Once you have completed the Instructor Beginner Course in one weapon, then you can focus on only the weapon specific portions of the other weapons, you do not have to take the full course over again. As well, since the new system is competency based, you can also challenge for the other weapons by submitting your weapon specific video (collective and individual) for review and evaluation.
7/ I trained in another country as a Fencing Coach. How do I receive credit or certification for the work I have already done?
Please download the steps here in the CFF Coaching Evaluation International Document.
Specific questions and personal cases should be directed to the CFF Coaching Development Coordinator at coaching@fencing.ca
8/ Is it possible to receive funding for coaching education and coaching experience?
All the key resources above (CAC, CAO, OFA, CAAWS etc) have funding options online that Coaches can apply for including special programs like Quest for Gold.
More questions? please send them to the OFA at info@fencingontario.ca
