The required text for that course?
The USA Football Coaches Handbook - the same book received by all 10,000 participants to USA Football's 40 coaching schools in 2008.
Dr. Dan Ziatz, Ph.D, an associate professor at West Virginia University, is the course's instructor. Ziatz adopted the USA Football Coaching Course as compulsory curriculum for his class.
Ziatz and graduate student Dane Moreland consider the USA Football Handbook and usafootball.com course important tools to teach students who plan futures in coaching, physical education and education fields. And it all starts with learning the basics.
"The course is an excellent resource for teaching the fundamentals and techniques of coaching," Ziatz said. "As Vince Lombardi said: ‘It all comes down to blocking and tackling.' Techniques and fundamentals are basics that any football coach cannot ignore."
Ziatz and Moreland were introduced to the program at a coaching convention presentation conducted by Nick Inzerello, USA Football director of football development. They were impressed with the curriculum's content, structure and relevance. After considering other study guides, the professor selected USA Football's detailed coursework and its exciting state-of-the-art presentation as the best resources for his students.
"It's so current," Moreland said. "The content is up-to-date with the latest techniques and schemes. And it's presented in an interesting way. The diagrams are easy to understand and follow. It's a very effective tool for teaching individual skills and team concepts."
USA Football's office, located near Washington, D.C., was pleased to hear of West Virginia's reliance on its resources.
"It's flattering, to say the least, for any sport's national governing body to have its training program be part of a college curriculum," said USA Football Executive Director Scott Hallenbeck. "Having our coaches handbook serve as the required text for a college course is a proud testament to the quality of what we offer to help make this sport even greater. Coaching is about teaching - every coach will tell you that. But in this case, at West Virginia University, it's also about learning."
WVU joins other nationally-renown organizations that integrate USA Football's education resources into their teaching programs. The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) also gives the independent non-profit high marks.
"We were very impressed with the quality of the USA Football program," NFHS President Bob Gardner said. "It's a natural fit for high school coaches. That's why we encourage our coaches to complete it."
Ziatz sees the program as a valuable investment for his students who want to be the best coach they can be at any level of football.
"By taking my course and studying the USA Football content, my students are making an investment in their futures," Ziatz said. "You can only be as effective as your tools. If they want to be a good coach, they must have a solid foundation and knowledge of the game. This program is as good as it gets."
You don't have to travel to Morgantown, W.Va., to delve into USA Football's coaching course. In fact, you don't have to leave your chair. Visit usafootball.com and click the "Membership" button to fortify your teaching skills and gain an edge for your players' benefit.