Practice plan? Check.
Tackling dummy? Yep.
CCEP? ... CCEP? Will get it now.
Three things to always do: drive with a license, skydive with life insurance, and coach football after completing USA Football's Certified Coaching Education Program (CCEP) - an online course available to all 452,000 youth football coaches nationwide at usafootball.com for only $9.99 - that's less than a quarter-tank of gas these days.
"What a perfect tool to help take your team of coaches to the next level!" exclaims Robert Doyle, a new USA Football coaching member who coaches kids in Carmichael, Calif. (10 miles east of Sacramento). "When I began to take the USA Football Coaching Education Program, I found the course to be very informative and relevant. Level 1 is perfect as an introduction to coaching principles and techniques. Level 2 dives deeper into how to coach the lessons, principles and techniques.
"I will be using the lessons in this course to help me organize, plan and implement my football program this year."
In USA Football's CCEP, a usafootball.com course complete with video animation and audio, you cover everything from the Xs and Os to the most effective ways to communicate with parents.
A dynamic and fun curriculum to cover, you also learn practice organization as well as health and safety procedures. Every section within the course concludes with a quiz. With a cumulative score of 80 percent, you receive a certificate of completion from USA Football.
"I can use this information for reference anytime anywhere," adds Doyle. "Because it is so easy to use, I can use the information at coaches meetings or during team chalk talks.
"My coaches and I are reviewing this material to ensure we are consistent with our verbiage and instruction. I also like how you can use this Coaching Education Program as a tool to help certify our youth coaches."
So before you put on that whistle, Coach, click over to the CCEP ... ASAP.