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[quote=Anonymous][quote=RantingSoccerDad][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
The A and B require continuing education. [/quote]

I don't think they do.[/quote]

Yes, they 100% do. I've got a 'C' and I'll never go higher because of all the upkeep necessary. [/quote]

And the travel to get a B can be difficult, and getting an A often requires a couple of expensive trips.

As to the original question -- if your parent coach has a D and your "professional" coach does not, it's worth asking what makes that coach "professional." When I did my D license (I didn't finish because I couldn't get to Fredericksburg), I was stunned that I had a couple of club coaches in my class, including someone who ran an "academy."

So it's understandable if a coach doesn't have a B or an A. I'd only do that if I wanted a DA job, where it would be necessary, or a high school job, where it would help. But if a coach doesn't have at least a D, that's a warning sign for these reasons:

1. Why is this person not willing to put in the time?

2. Is this coach completely set in his or her ways and not even willing to listen to others? A license doesn't tell you that you HAVE to do things a certain way down to the letter, but it gives you an opportunity to at least learn coaching methodology and the reasons behind it. And it's an opportunity to share ideas with / steal ideas from other coaches.

3. USSF is making concussion awareness and other safety issues part of the training. Dump on the licenses' training plans all you want, but this is important stuff.

Incidentally, if you want to check a database on coaches, you might want to check out SafeSport to see if this coach has been suspended for some reason. I doubt a major club is going to hire someone without checking this, but if you want to be sure: https://uscenterforsafesport.org/response-and-resolution/disciplinary-database/ [/quote]

Amen.

The license doesn't make the coach for sure, but what there is to learn in those courses (and in continuing ed) is there for the taking.

I've met a lot of coaches who refuse to get their licenses because they think they know it all and have been coaching successful teams since the 80s and 90s. Run away from those per the above. The person who thinks they know it all is the person you don't want your kids anywhere near... By definition, that person has a ceiling to their knowledge, and is driven by personal arrogance. These are the "coaches" that are the problem with US Soccer player development. They are the drill sergeants or the imposter Pep wannabes. They have no imagination or creativity themselves because they're not curious at all to know what's really in those courses... Or they're flat out too dumb to realize that having the licenses at least opens up more opportunity for them even if they never take a single piece of advice.

I went to the A, but before the new format. And in both the A and the B, learned 10x more from playing with, observing, and being coached by, the other coaches in the courses than from the coaching instructors themselves. The stuff you need to pass at all the levels except the A is like an open book test. It's literally more of a test of the coach-ability and intelligence of the coach themselves than of the soccer specifics. Both the B and A have been revamped a lot, with at least the A now requiring many months of work and site visits to be evaluated with your own club in your own environment.

The REAL licenses to look for if you're trying to judge on paper is UEFA "A", and even "B". And more specifically if they're from England, Holland, France, Spain, or Germany. Be wary of ones earned elsewhere. Those 5 countries are no BS, real deal, "need to know your s#$@ licenses you can't fake period. But you can also pretty much buy them from other countries with smaller GDPs, historical corruption, or no top pro leagues, so be wary of others.

In the end, it should matter more to a parent if their chosen coach avoids staring every sentence with "I...", is curious and actively seeking to learn, and respected by their kid (meaning the kid is always a little bit nervous about practice. Not out of fear, but because they have a clear idea what the coach wants and that they want to prove themselves). No license level matters if the coaches don't have those things first.

I'd rather have a coach with those qualities who failed the A 4 times and keeps on trying than one who is "too good" to bother starting at the bottom with all the other peons. [/quote]

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