AN ASSESSEMENT OF COACHING CERTIFICATION IN NIGERIA WITHIN GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES BY ALLA, J. B. 1, AJIBUA, M. A 2., AND AMASIATU, A. 3 1. Department of Physical and Health Education, Obafemi Awolowo University, Osun State, Nigeria 2. Sports Centre, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria. 3. University of Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria * Correspondence Author: alayodeajibua@gmail.com. 1
Abstract The interest of Nigerians in sport is very great. This has led to increase in the number of people that want to actively participate in sporting activities. It has also resulted to the increase in the demand for Coaches in Nigeria. Coaching is central to stimulating participation in recreational sport and enhancing and optimizing performance in competitive sport. Coaches are expected to guide athletes improvement in physical, technical, mental and tactical skills as well as facilitating their personal and social development. Coaching is a dynamic and unique occupation that combines a multiplicity of roles. It is important therefore that trained coaches are employed to give required leadership in sports both at grassroot and elite levels. Though government established the National Institute for Sports to serve as springboard for coaching development, there is the need for more research work, quality equipment and personnel to bring coaching certification in line with the needs of coaches in the country and the direction set out in the International Sport Coaching Framework. This is because coaching is very critical to sports development. A situation where untrained individuals are saddled with the responsibility of handling teams at various stages of sport development is not good for its growth and development in Nigeria. The focus of this paper was therefore to appraise coaching certification in Nigeria in line with what operates globally. Keywords: Performance, Cognitive, Ex-international, generational change 2
Introduction Nigerians have strong passion for sport. Most times sport is referred to as religion, a spiritual entity and an instrument for community cohesion. Ajibua (2010) reported that 8 out of every 10 Nigerians are sport fans. As this number continues to increase so the demand for improved performance and more competitions. This has also led to an increase in the demand for coaches. At the heart of any sports programme is coaching. It is the lifeblood of sport programmes (United State Soccer Federation, 2001). Coaching is very critical to sport development. Other indices of sport development are by themselves passive. It is the action of the coach that can make them active. The effective utilization of other resources in sport is a function of the efficiency of the coach. For sports to continue to grow in Nigeria, the quality and quantity of coaches must be commensurate to the demand. As Nigerian government devotes increasing attention to sport as contributor to social and economic objectives, coaches have significant roles to play. They play crucial role in preventing injuries by effectively designing training contents, implement safety protocols and remaining aware of sport environment hazards (AAHPER, 2013). As a result of the significance of coaches, a situation where untrained individuals are recruited to coach teams at the grassroot and elite levels in Nigeria in various sports because such individuals have played for the country or are well-connected to people in authority is retrogressive and has become a thing of concern. Talent identification and development require coaching experience and expertise which can be gained through training and certification (Duffy, 2005). Coaching intelligence is the foundation for sport development. It involves central tenet of improving team or athlete performance which requires cognitive activity to make decisions upon a multitude of dynamic situation (Mesguita, Isidro and Rosado, 2010). To coach effectively requires a broad range of competence - competence relates to training and competition, competence relates to social and cultural issues and competence relates to cognitive background. International Counil for Coach Education (ICCE), ASOIF and LMU, (2013) strongly believe that coaches must be able to set vision and strategy, shape the environment, build relationship practices and prepare for competition, read and react to situations on the field as they come up and have capacity for learning and critical thinking. It is unfortunate, that coaching is seen as all-comer affairs in Nigeria. The intra-association conflict within Nigerian Coaches Association (NCA) is a set-back for the professionalization of coaching in Nigeria. Coaching is a profession (Bales, 2013). The need to focus more strongly on the position of sport coaching as a profession had been prompted internationally with the creation of the International Council for Coach Education (ICCE) in 1997 and the adoption of the Magglingen Declaration at a general assembly meeting involving twenty nine countries (ICCE, 2000). Duffy (2005) reported that there was a surge in the professionalization of coaching in Europe. According to him, this has reflected in the policies of several member countries. It will be advantageous if coaching in Nigeria is tailored towards being 3
professionalized. Frost (1975) described a profession as a calling or occupation that requires specialized knowledge, intense education, a philosophy of commitment and service and high standards of conduct and achievement. It is clear therefore that being an old athlete or graduate of physical Education is not enough to make one a coach (Umeasiegbu, 2002). Lapiano (1986) stated that possessing teaching credential is not a self-evident qualification to coach. Afterall, graduates of Accountancy and Banking from tertiary institutions are expected to pass Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria and Institute of Bankers of Nigeria Examinations respectively, before they are fully recognized as professionals. The would-be coach has to study the subjects that are related to coaching. It should be realized that coaching is an art as well as science. The training of the coach should meet these objectives. In support of this position, Oduyale (1994) opined that coaches must have minimum academic preparation in the following basic areas of sport science, namely; i. Basic biological sciences; ii. Growth and development and the effects of exercises on human being; iii. Anatomy and physiology and limitations and potential of the human body; iv. Personal health and Nutrition; v. First aid, athletic training and conditioning; vi. Principles and practice of Coaching; vii. Principles and administration group dynamics in sports; viii. Legal issues in sport; ix. Sport and its social values; and x. Effective communications. It has been shown that exposing prospective coaches to sport specific knowledge, core or generic knowledge and practical experiences that will give them the leverage to effectively inculcate skills and techniques that are needed to excel in various sports is very important (Mesquito, Isidro and Rosado, 2010). Coaches knowledge of his specific sport helps them to develop confidence on the job. Even though ex-athletes and Physical Education (P.E.) graduates may know the skills and techniques in their various sports and at times, may produce winning teams as coaches, they are often deficient in the knowledge of methods, training theories, principles of coaching, and how human body adapt to training regimen. Amusa (2000) commented that undergraduate curriculum in Physical Education in Nigeria Universities was not designed to make graduates proficient in coaching. He further remarked that if a coach does not have considerable expertise in science of coaching, he will always be handicapped. Okoro (2000) corroborated this statement by saying that those who study general Physical Education without specializing in any particular sport, who eventually take up appointments in schools only function as games masters/mistresses and not coaches. This is because the role of a coach include that of teacher, trainer, strategist, confidant, personnel manager, administrator, promoter, communication expert, diplomat, spokesperson, 4
psychologist, impartial judge, disciplinarian, caring friend, counselor, loco-parentis etcetera. (Chapman, Derse and Hansen, 1995). Regardless of whether they work in recreational or competitive sport, or receive remuneration for their endeavour, coaches encounter a wide range of demands that accompany their role within the sport sector. Not only do they have technical aspects of sports instruction to consider, they also must negotiate the increasing managerial and administrative duties associated with modern coaching. For those who operate at the higher levels of sport, the pressures typically manifest in a result-oriented culture that requires considerable investment, knowledge, time and resources in search of competitive edge (Fletcher and Scott, 2009). This article outlines the current position of coaching and coach certification in Nigeria, with preliminary comments on how this relates to emerging global trends. This is very important in order to bring about coherent, quality assured coach education and certification system that will provide tangible benefits. It is believed that through the development of coaching certification system, pathways for greater number of participants will be widened and enhanced. The consequent contributions to sporting systems will be immeasurable. Concept of Coaching According to Sahoo (2002) the term coaching is misinterpreted at all levels of coaching. At the basic level what is needed is sport teacher/educator to create sport spirit, culture and courageousness among the youth of 8 to 12 years of age. Trainers are required at the middle level or intermediate level to take the youth to the level of competition. Ogunmoyela (2002) described coaching as organized provision of assistance to an individual athlete in order to help them develop and improve teaching, training, instructing, motivating and discipline. It is not only about helping people to learn sports skills, improve performance and reach their potentials. It is also about recognizing, understanding and providing for the other needs of athletes. These needs are many and varied. They range from mental, social, moral and emotional. There are many people that claim to be coaches, but in actual sense of it, they are sports fans. According to Ajiduah (1998) there are ten (10) categories of coaches in Nigeria, namely: 1. Ex-athletes/players turned coaches but without formal training. 2. Ex-athletes/players who trained formally as coaches 3. Sports enthusiast with no formal training in coaching but are working as coaches. 4. Graduate of physical education who are also coaches but with no formal training in coaching. 5. Graduates of physical education who have training as coaches but with no strong sport background. 5
6. Volunteer teachers in secondary schools and colleges who also double as sports coaches but did not train as coach. 7. People who went to National Institute for Sports for Coaching course and obtained Diploma in Coaching particular sports. 8. Graduate of physical education who participated actively in sports and also trained as a coach at the National Institute for Sport 9. Ex- international athletes/players who trained as coaches and who have experienced coaching with both national team and foreign teams. 10. Ex-international athletes/players with good educational background, who trained as coaches and who have experience coaching both at the national and international levels. In his contribution, Amuchie (2005) classified Nigerian coaches into the following groups: 1. Foreign Coaches and Technical Advisers from foreign countries 2. Educated past champions who have turned out to become coaches without basic coaching training. 3. Educated past sport champions who have become coaches after attending coaching course(s) 4. Uneducated persons who did not participate actively in sports but developed interest in sports and got into coaching without formal training. 5. Uneducated former athletes who went into coaching after attending formal training in coaching 6. Graduates of Physical Education who went into coaching profession after attending coaching course. 7. Graduates in physical education who turned to coaching without attending coaching course. 8. National Certificate in Education, Diploma in Education, Higher Diploma Holders who train as coaches. 9. National Certificate in Education, Diploma in Education, Higher Diploma Holders who did not train as coaches. 10. Volunteer teachers in schools who did not train as coach or physical educators but who are propelled by interest to coach Coaching is process of guided improvement and development in a single sport and identifiable stages of athlete development. Coaching is strong catalyst for positive change in sports. Effective sports coaches guide children and athletes to follow their dreams, have fun and get to the pinnacle of their potentials. Of course, coaches play vital role in developing, sustaining and increasing participation in sports, as well assists in the attainment of sporting excellence (National Coaching Foundation, 2008). 6
From the above categories, people that are qualified to be seen as coaches are those with strong background in their games with degree in Physical Education/Sport Sciences and also train as a coach. Ajiduah (2003) claimed that this caliber of coaches are very few in Nigeria. In an attempt to foster coaching knowledge and expertise, there is need to attach more importance to coaching education. For instance, the United Kingdom has Coach Certification (UKCC) and Australia has the National Coaching Accreditation scheme (NCAS) to provide coaching education and certification at various levels. The results from these countries have shown great improvement in sport development (Mesquita, Isidro, Rosado, 2010). Thus, it is important that these individuals who are interested in going into coaching profession have appropriate competence and training taking into account the target group(s) they want to work with (International Council for Coach Education, 2010). It is through this preparation that coaches are empowered to positively contribute to the society at all levels- from youth development to improved national health and quality of life. According to this body, quality trained coaches in the 21 st century will be answering to the demand for them caused by; Generational change; Sport participation trends; and Shortage of quality coaches. It is only a well trained coach that can proffer answers to the issues raised above for the sake of bringing sport benefits to the people. According to Institute for Sport Coaching (2010) quality coaches will benefit the society in the following ways: Combating obesity and mortality among youths; Increase the pool that new coaches are recruited from; Delivering positive and safer sport experiences to Nigerian youths; Reducing legal liabilities associated with sports, Aside from the benefits mention above, other benefits were documented in the certification of coaches in the Australian National Coaches Accreditation Scheme (NCAS) programme. They include: a) Advances in technical knowledge; b) Improved communication techniques with players; c) A deeper understanding of sport specific fitness. To achieve these benefits, the standard for professional preparation in coaching must centre around five essential areas as identified by the American Alliance for Physical Education and Recreation Task Force on coaches and they are: Medical aspects or athletic conditioning; 7
Sociological and psychological aspect of coaching; Kinesiological and Biomechanical foundation of coaching; Physiological foundation of coaching. According to Duffy (2005) the National Coaching and Training Centre (NCTC), Ireland has identified six key capacity areas for coaches: 1. Knowledge of the sport and how to develop player/athlete capacities (technical, tactical, physical, mental, psychological) 2. Coaching style, value and ethics 3. Needs analysis and planning 4. Conduct effective practice for performance 5. Communication and teamwork 6. Review and evaluation For a coach to accomplish his tasks according to Okoro (2000) he must have full grip of the arts and science of coaching as enumerated below: 1) A coach must have a thorough knowledge of his sport, including of the advance skills and strategies, effective practice procedures, rules and interpretations, officiating techniques and practices. The lack of knowledge of the rules and practice in coaching has been the root cause of violence and lack of growth and development in sport in Nigeria in recent year. 2) As a professional, a coach must have the knowledge of kinesiology, mechanics of movements and exercise physiology in order to effectively evaluate competencies, elicit skill improvements and proper physical conditioning, and impact such information to players as well as make their practice and training effective and challenging. 3) Understanding psychology and sociology of sport is very important in order for the coach to understand himself as well as other people. He must understand that each athlete is unique and therefore should fashion out training programmes in such a way that it will meet the needs of individual athlete in his team. He must understand personality structure, motivation and the nature of group behaviour so as to be able to proffer answers to psychological and sociological questions that may arise from his job (IAAF, 2009). 4) A coach must have knowledge of organization and administration of sports. This will assist him to be thoroughly conversant with various sports governing bodies and procedural matters such as budgeting, schedules and travels. 5) He must have coaching philosophy. The key to developing coaching philosophy is knowledge. This knowledge will includes knowledge of yourself as a coach, knowledge 8
of what you want to achieve, your objective and knowledge of athletes. Most successful coaches have in addition to these, an intuitive knowledge (IAAF, 2009). Coaching education for all levels of competition is now being promoted throughout the world (Gilbert Trudel, 2004). NASPE, (2006), clearly provide educational benchmarks within a core of knowledge for the professional development of coaches. It outlined 8 domains for assessing coaches competency. Domain 1: Philosophy and Ethics: Coaches competency in the ability to provide an athlete-centered coaching philosophy and professional accountability for fair play by all. Domain 2: Safety and Injury Prevention: Coaches competency in the ability to provide safe conditions for athletes and act when emergency occur. Domain 3: Physical Condition: Coaches Competency in the understanding and ability to apply scientific concepts related to physiological training, body composition and weight management, nutrition education and over-training for safe and healthy athletic conditioning. Domain 4: Growth and Development: Coaches competency in establishing practice and competitions to promote the physical, social and emotional growth of athletes including an inclusive training environment for all. Domain 5: Communication: Coaches competency in fostering learning and enjoyment, as well as individualizing instruction, empowering communication skills and using practices. Domain 6: Sport skills and Tactics: Coaches competency in basic sport knowledge and the ability to apply that knowledge to the competitive situation with an emphasis on developmental progression that is age appropriate, sequential and progressive. Domain 8: Evaluation: Coaches competency in effective and appropriate assessment of all aspects of sport programme (personnel selection, practice effectiveness, game management) for continued programme development and growth. The National Council for Accreditation of Coaching Education in United State of America uses the above criteria for evaluating coaching education programme that provide instructional support for coaches at multiple levels. 9
Brief History of Coaching Certification in Nigeria In 1959, the Ashby Commission was set up in to design a new educational policy for postindependent Nigeria. This was as a result of the envisaged inadequacies in the country caused especially by the gap created by the colonialists who would be leaving in 1960. Political independence also created an accelerated demand for high level man-power for public sector management and socio-economic development. The Ashby Commission was therefore in addition, to the above was to survey Nigeria s needs in the area of post secondary school and higher education over the next 20 years. This was the first time in Nigeria s history that Nigerian s will examine higher education structure in terms of the needs of the country. It also afforded the Nigerian educationist to work together for the first time to develop a home grown educational content for the country. The Ashby Commission did make recommendations for the establishment of appropriate institutions for the purpose of periodic manpower review and programme formulation for effective human resources development. In response to this, many institutions were created to promote activities and actions leading to knowledge or manpower needs and how to meet them (Imanyi, 2000). It was in line with the report of the Ashby Commission that the National Institute for Sport was established 1972 in Lagos Nigeria to produce man-power for sport development in Nigeria. Thus, those who are interested in coaching are to proceed to the National Institute for Sports for training and accreditation. Kienka (1990) was of the opinion that the curriculum of the National Institute for Sport is of international standard. According to National Institute for Sport (2002) the coaching curriculum is divided into four categories. i. Basic Certificate ii. Advanced Certificate iii. Diploma Certificate and iv. Higher Diploma Certificate The entry requirements and curriculum contents for these categories are as follows: a) Basic Certificate in Coaching ( 3 months) i. Veteran athletes of not less than 30 years in age with First School Leaving Certificate and proven years of active participation as athletes in chosen sports. Course Content Use of English, Use of Library, Introduction to History of Sports, Basic First Aid, Principles and Practice of Coaching, Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology of Sports, 10
Introduction to Principle and Practice of Health, Introduction to Sports Psychology of Coaching, Specific Sports Theory Officiating 1, Introduction to fitness and Aerobics and Effective Sports 1. b) Advanced Certificate in Coaching (9 months) Admission Requirements i) NIS Basic Certificate in Coaching with minimum of merit plus 3 O/L credits and 3 years cognate experience in coaching. ii) Senior Secondary School Certificate/G.C.E O/L or Teacher Grade II Certificate with a minimum of 4 credits or 4 merits respectively obtained at a sitting with at least pass in English Language. iii) Senior Secondary School Certificate with a minimum of 5 credits or 5 merits respectively obtained at 2 sittings with at least a pass in English Language. iv) N.A.S.P.E Certificate or equivalents with a minimum of merit pass plus at least 3 credits O/L credits and 3 years cognate experience in coaching. v) City and Guilds with minimum of credits and with adequate skill and ability in chosen sports. Course Content Basic French (1) English, Use of Library, General Conditioning and Fitness, Anatomy and Physiology, Health Education, Basic Sport Nutrition, Introduction to General Theory of Training, Specific Sport Theory officiating (II), Skill Practice, History of Sport, Sport Psychology, First Aid and Sport Injuries, Skill Practice, Coaching and Teaching Internship and Specific Theory/Officiating. c) Diploma in Coaching (9 months) Admission Requirements i) NIS Advanced Coaching Certificate or its equivalents with minimum of merit pass pluss at least O/L Credit and 3 years cognate experience. ii) National Certificate in Education in Physical and Health Education with Merit pass with 2 years cognate experience in coaching. iii) Diploma in Sports Coaching/Physical and Health education from and recognized universities with a credit pass and 2 years cognate experience or merit with 4 years cognate experience in coaching. iv) A non-physical and Health Education Degree from and recognized university plus proven ability of candidate in chosen sports. Course Content French, English, Introduction to Computer, Conditioning Fitness and Massage, Organization and Administration of Sport, Strategic Planning in Coaching, Kinesiology, 11
Descriptive Statistics, Introduction to Research Methodology, Specific Theory and Officiating (V), Skill Practice, Elective Sports, Recreation Management, Introduction to Exercise Physiology, Sport Injuries, Legal Aspect of Sport and Coaching Internship. d) Higher Diploma in Coaching (9 months) Admission Requirements i) NIS Diploma in Coaching with minimum of credit plus 2 years post qualification experience/or Merit with 4 years cognate experience in coaching. ii) A Degree in Physical and Health Education with a minimum of second class honours lower division from any recognized University plus proven ability of candidate in chosen sports. Course Content Oral French, Advanced Conditioning and Fitness, Exercise Physiology, Inferential Statistics, Research Methodology, Sociology of Sports, Biomechanics, Advanced Theory of Training, Specific Theory and officiating (VI), Advanced Skill Practice (I), Advanced Organization and Administration of Sports, Specific Theory and officiating (VII), Fitness and Recreation Management, Advanced Skill Practice (II), Advanced Psychology of Coaching, Audio Visuals and Media Relations, Research Project, Sport Law and Coaching Internship (National Institute for Sports 2002). According to Kienka (1990) those who undertake the Higher Diploma courses in coaching from the National Institute for Sports in Nigeria are good enough to handle sportsmen and women at any level in their specialized sport. The training content of the National Institute for Sport tallies with the standard outlined by National Association of Sport and Physical Education (NASPE), United Kingdom Coaches Certification (UKCC), the Australian National Coaches Accreditation Scheme, the International Council for Coaches Education and American Alliance for Physical Education and Recreation Task Force. Thus, the National Sports Commission which is the sport policy making institution and the umbrella body for all sports federations in Nigeria should enact laws that will sever untrained individuals from coaching elite teams in Nigeria. 12
Conclusion Coaching is a profession that requires knowledge acquisition. An important quality of a true profession is that there must be some form of license or certification to support higher standard. The main idea behind the certification of coaches is for the profession to keep quacks and incompetent hands from the profession. A cursory look at what happen globally showed that many nations of the world are trying to propose a standard for coaching certification. This is good for the growth and development of sports. This line of action should be followed by other countries for sports to move forward. The assessment of coaching certification programme in Nigeria proves that it is of world class. However there is the need to professionalize coaching in Nigeria. 13
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