The future direction for coaches education and changes with the National Coaches Education Program    The mission of USA Wrestling, as the National Governing Body for wrestling in the United States, is to responsibly advocate, promote, coordinate, and provide opportunities for amateur wrestlers to achieve their full human and athletic potential.      To successfully fulfill this mission, USA Wrestling must possess a powerful and effective coaches education program.  The National Coaches Education Program (NCEP), as developed by USA Wrestling, is a steering mechanism to inform, educate, and assist coaches to enhance their coaching skills and successfully meet the mission of USA Wrestling.      The NCEP has been a major part of USA Wrestling's success for more than a decade.  Thousands of coaches nationally have participated in the certification process.  As USA Wrestling further develops on the national level, the National Coaches Education Program has increasingly become more important to the wrestling community.  The NCEP currently is in the process of updating curriculum and developing an alternative method for coaches to advance beyond their Bronze Certification.      Please become certified with the National Coaches Education Program.  If you are interested, take the time to read the following material so that you can fully understand the future of the National Coaches Education Program.      Background Information: The NCEP is a four-tiered certification process that certifies over 2,000 coaches annually.  The first level of certification is the Copper Level.  The Copper Level is not required for coaches to become Bronze Certified.  Upon achieving Bronze Certification, coaches are then encouraged to pursue their Silver and Gold Certification.      Because coaching is an important profession that can impact youth nationally, and there is a constant change in the knowledge and skills required to be a successful coach, USA Wrestling enacted the NCEP.      The NCEP serves many important functions including educating coaches on innovations in the field of coaching, developing professionalism among coaches at all levels, and reducing liability through risk management education.  Wrestling is a sport at risk, and coaches and parents must be educated so that the sport is available for youth for generations to come.    When is Certification required?      NCEP Certification is required for coaches at all sanctioned USA Wrestling events.  In most cases, this means that a minimum Copper Certification plus a current USA Wrestling Coach Membership Card must be held by the coach at registration.  (USA Wrestling membership expires on the last day of August; new cards are available in the beginning of September of each year.   List of USA Wrestling State Chairpersons     The Junior Olympic Committee of USA Wrestling has voted that beginning in 2004 coaches must be Bronze Certified to serve as coaches at the Cadet Duals, the Junior Duals, and the Cadet and Junior National Championships.  These are the only national tournaments that require Bronze Certification.      Copper Certification: Copper Certification is aimed at coaches and parents whom primarily deal with wrestlers at the youth level.  The certification focuses on basic coaching principles and beginning technical skills such as the Seven Basic Skills of Wrestling.      The Copper Course is designed to last 3-5 hours and requires coaches to complete a short multiple-choice test.  Upon completion coaches receive their Certification Card, and a Copper Certificate.      The course is now available through two different means of delivery.  Coaches can attend a Copper Course locally in their area or they can now sign up and complete the course on-line through the American Sport Education Program at www.asep.com.  The classroom course costs $25 in total and on-line course is $40 in total.      Clubs and coaches that would like to certify parents or additional coaches are encouraged to host a Copper Course on their own by contacting USA Wrestling's NCEP Manager at twitulski@usawrestling.org.  To instruct the course coaches are not required to be certified instructors.  Remember this is a basic certification aimed youth level coaches.  For more information on how to organize and instruct a Copper Course, click here:  Organizing and instructing a Copper Course     Bronze Certification: The Bronze Course is the second level of the NCEP.  Again, coaches are not required to have taken the Copper Course to get certified at the Bronze Level.      The Bronze Course is aimed at coaches wishing to advance their knowledge and work with developing wrestlers at the Cadet, Junior, and Senior levels.  The course covers in detail topics such as philosophy of coaching, program development, nutrition and weight training, and risk management.      The Bronze Course is only available in a classroom setting and costs $60.  The classroom portion of the Bronze Level will take between 4-6 hours.  To earn their Bronze Certification, participants then complete a 50-question open book multiple-choice test.    Additionally, some states may require coaches to have "technical certification" to coach mat-side at USA Wrestling sanctioned events.  Technical certification is achieved by attending a USA Wrestling sanctioned technical certification clinic.  Not all Bronze Courses offer technical certification as the part of the course.  Coaches that complete technical certification will also have a Bronze "T" sticker applied to their Bronze card.      When coaches successfully complete Bronze Certification, they receive as awards a Bronze card and certificate, and Bronze Certified coaches shirt.      Coaches and clubs that want to get their wrestling staff certified are encouraged to contact their state association or the NCEP Manager at twitulski@usawrestling.org.      In order to teach the course, instructors must be pre-approved by the NCEP department.  To learn how to bring a Bronze Certification course to your local area click here.  Organizing and instructing a Bronze Course     Silver Certification: Silver Certification is an advanced level of certification.  Coaches who achieve Silver Certification are eligible to apply for USA Wrestling's Coaches Pool for USA Wrestling international trips.  Coaches that achieve Silver Certification demonstrate advanced understanding of the sport of wrestling.     Upon completion of the Silver Level, coaches receive their Silver Level Card and Certificate and Silver Certified wristwatch.       To earn Silver Certification, coaches must complete three separate parts of the Silver Level.      First, coaches must attend a USA Wrestling-sanctioned Coaches College.  The Silver Level College is an intensive five-day study of the sport of wrestling.  Often, Silver Colleges are held prior to major wrestling events such as the World and Olympic Trials.  The USA Wrestling fee for the Silver College is $225.  There are additional costs for housing and meals associated with being a resident participant at a coaches college.      Second, coaches must successfully teach a Bronze Course to 10 or more participants.  USA Wrestling's NCEP Department will provide assistance in organizing and preparing for the course.  Please click here for more information on organizing a Bronze Course.   More information on the Bronze Course      Third, to achieve Silver Certification coaches must complete eight tasks from the "Silver and Gold Task" curriculum.  In past years, the task curriculum was entirely research based.  To reward coaches who actively work to promote and develop the sport through work with USA Wrestling, tasks 21 through 25 have been added.  These tasks are weighted and encourage coaches to work within the USA Wrestlin