In order to become a UKSCA Accredited Strength and Conditioning Coach (ASCC), members are required to demonstrate that they meet all criteria outlined in the UKSCA’s Competency Document. In order to do this, they will be required to:
a. Multiple choice examination
b. Weight lifting practical assessment
c. Plyometric/ballistic & speed/agility practical coaching assessment
a. Two signed letters of support for your application
b. A copy of the normal operating procedure and emergency action plan you are working under
c. A copy of a valid first aid certificate
The above is the preferred order but the steps can be completed in any order. For the up-to-date list of available assessment days, locations and Zoom call appointments, please see UKSCA’s website at https://www.uksca.org.uk/assessments or contact the office on 0345 300 8078.
Assessment fees
Members will be charged £300 for the assessment process. Candidates who are unsuccessful in any part of the above process will be liable for additional re-assessment charges at £75 per element.
The UKSCA assessment day
The Case Study assessment
You will present your work with a real-life athlete/participant over a Zoom call with an assessor. It is a one-on-one presentation with you and the assessor where the assessor will look for you to demonstrate a range of competencies. Please cross reference against the Competency Document for full details.
Learning and/or physical disabilities
The UKSCA is an inclusive organisation. Please inform the office as far in advance and at least 7 days before your assessment, if any special provision is required to cater for your needs. You should also inform the Lead Assessor on the day.
Weight lifting – 20 minute Assessment
1. You will present one-on-one to a UKSCA Assessor, who is assessing both your ability to communicate knowledge of the key coaching points of the lifts, as well as your ability to demonstrate to a reasonable level
2. A Quality Assurance/Lead assessor may also be present, but he/she is there to observe the assessor, not the candidates
3. The assessment is split into 2, approximately 10 minute sections: - 1st lift, the compulsory lift – “Full back squat, high bar position” - 2nd lift, one of the following, randomly chosen – “Clean & Jerk” or “Snatch”
4. You will be given limited opportunity to warm-up during your assessment time so should do so fully beforehand. You will then be asked to set up your demonstration for the back squat
5. You will be expected to verbally detail the technical points of each phase of the lift, accompanied by physical demonstrations showing the postures and positions, consistent with your verbal description
6. You will then be required to perform 3 silent demonstrations of the full lift, showing the fluency of movement
7. You will then repeat the above steps for the 2nd lift which will be selected at random on the day
8. During the assessment, the assessor will ask questions for clarification and also to enable you to address any points you may have omitted
9. A lifting platform, squat stands, barbell, safety clips, technique discs, broomstick or light bar, and a range of discs will be provided. The candidate is required to set up for their assessment using the equipment provided. 10. The assessor is not expecting a perfect demonstration, but a competent reflection of the technical model. If you are unable to demonstrate the lifts due to injury, you are advised to postpone your assessment until you are fit enough to fully demonstrate your knowledge and ability. 11. If you have a permanent disability that prevents you from performing all phases of the lift, please contact the office on booking with full details. Alternative arrangements for your assessment on the day may be made and you may be asked to provide additional evidence such as confirmation from a medical professional.
Plyometrics/ballistic and speed/agility – 20 minute Assessment
1. You will be expected to prepare and deliver a coaching session to another candidate (20 minutes) and will in turn act as an athlete for their assessment (20 minutes)
2. A Quality Assurance/Lead assessor may also be present, but he/she is there to observe the assessor, not the candidates
3. The UKSCA Assessor is assessing your application knowledge and coaching skills (not your skills as the athlete), observing your ability to effectively coach throughout the assessment
4. Assessors are looking for candidates to demonstrate strategies to improve the performance of the athlete infront of them and you will be expected to demonstrate, observe, provide correct technical information and use a questioning and involving style throughout the assessment
5. You will be expected to manage the time of your session but the assessor will provide a time prompt at 10 minutes and will ask questions to clarify your understanding of the activity and progression of the athlete
6. A selection of standard equipment will be provided such as; speed ladder; micro hurdles; plyo boxes; medicine balls; cones; tennis ball
7. The 20 minute assessment will be split into 4 sections:
PLANNING (~2mins) You will be given a scenario and allocated 2 exercises, one plyometric/ballistic and one speed/agility from the range of exercises associated with the scenario. You have 2 minutes to plan and set up for this.
WARM UP (~4-5mins) You should verbally screen for experience and injuries, and then coach the athlete through a dynamic warmup, specific to the scenario and activities that have been assigned
PLYOMETRIC/BALLISTIC EXERCISE (~4-5mins) You should carry out an assessment of the athlete’s competence in the allocated exercise before selecting appropriate progressions for the athlete’s plyometric/ballistic activities. You should coach and enhance the athlete’s movement ability showing progression, regression or intensification as required. - You should be able to identify and differentiate between short and long stretch-shorten-cycle (SSC) activities.
SPEED AND AGILITY (~4-5mins) You should carry out an assessment of the athlete competence in the allocated exercise before effectively coaching and enhancing the technique being executed. You will be expected to be able to progress, regress & intensify the exercise as required.
8. The assessment will conclude with the assessor asking questions on how you have worked with your athlete to achieve the session objective.
9. If, due to injury, you are unable to act as the athlete for another candidate’s assessment, please inform the office in good time (at least 21 days) ahead of your assessment so alternative arrangements can be made for the assessment.
10. Please prepare for all scenarios, you will be allocated one scenario on the day and two exercises. You will be required to coach one of the plyometric/ballistic exercise and one of the speed/agility exercises associated with your allocated scenario
11. The scenarios are only in place to give you a context in which to visualise the activity. You should warm up for both allocated activities.
Case Study Presentation – 20 minute Assessment
1. You will be expected to present the Case study, one-on-one to a UKSCA Assessor via a Zoom call. You will be given 10 minutes to complete the presentation which will be followed by up to 10 minutes of questioning. A Quality Assurance/Lead assessor may also be present but he/she is there to observe the assessor, not the candidate
2. The case study should outline your delivery of Strength and Conditioning support for an athlete. It has to reflect your own work with the athlete (ie not working to someone else’s programme) and has to present work that has been done, (ie not planned work/projected results)
3. This should be an oral presentation using appropriate supporting resources (eg MS PowerPoint), which should be submitted in electronic format to the office at least 3 days beforehand. Please note, while the version you submit to the office will be made available to the assessor prior to your assessment, you are responsible for bringing a version of your file that can be played on your own, or the assessor’s laptop. MS PowerPoint or Adobe pdf are the preferred formats
4. You are not required to, but may also bring additional documentation/evidence that supports your main presentation eg actual session plans, which can be shown to support any questions the assessor may ask
5. Appropriate case studies subjects:
- performance sport/activity
- recreational sport/activity
- return to play after injury, including appropriate progressions for performance
6. You should present your case study in a logical, clear structure that should cover, as a minimum, all of the competency points listed below:
A NEEDS ANALYSIS OF THE SPORT AND THE ATHLETE
- Evidence of an assessment and an understanding of the sport/activity. This would typically include, but not limited to, a kinesiological, metabolic and injury risk analysis of the sport, a critical review of the established literature relating to the sport/activity and an objective assessment of the competitive level / demands for the athlete
- Objective assessment of the athlete and an interpretation of this assessment to provide an evaluation of the individual’s training status in relation to the demands of the sport, the competitive and training requirements of the athlete. - Evidence of collaboration with a technical coach and/or other support staff.
PROGRAMME RATIONALE AND PROGRAMME DESIGN
- Present the programme rationale as a justification of the programme design based on the needs analysis
- Present an overview of a macro cycle (or longitudinal training plan) with more specific detail and evidence from a minimum of a 3 month window that has been carried out
- Illustrate how the programme is integrated with the technical aims, technical training programme and the competition schedule and/or performance outcomes as appropriate
- Evidence of underlying scientific principles.
SESSION EXAMPLES AND CONTENT
- Demonstrate how the sessions and the strength and conditioning content fit into the overall programme plan
- Present session examples for all the appropriate elements of training as they occur within the case study, which may include; endurance; Speed; Agility; Strength; Power
EVALUATION AND MONITORING
- Objective and subjective measures of progress and an interpretation of these measures
- Evidence of feedback to the athlete, coaches and/or other members of the support team
