The International Functional Fitness Federation has announced that the Professional Youth Coach Certification (PYCC) will serve as the official Youth Coaching Education course for the iF3.
With one of the iF3’s top priorities for this year being to develop a competition structure for youth athletes that prioritizes long term athlete development, the need for a coach education platform was obvious. The PYCC was developed and is run by Jeff and Mikki Martin of the Brand X Method and James Fitzgerald of Opex Fitness, who are industry leaders when it comes to youth coaching education in the fitness space. The comprehensive nature of the course is unparalleled, and there is alignment of principles and values between the Brand X organization, their course content, and the iF3.
The PYCC will be a mandatory course for any coach coaching athletes under the age of 18 to be allowed into the warm up area at any iF3 internationally sanctioned events. The iF3 is looking to launch its first youth events in late 2019.
iF3 President Gretchen Kittelberger commented, “Youth athletes are the future of our sport and a critical focus of our organization, and we take the development of youth programs within our sport very seriously. Our Youth Committee has spent numerous hours looking at how best to integrate youth athletes into functional fitness competition. However, before that can occur it is a priority to make sure that coaches understand the long term vision we have for these kids as athletes for life, as well as the care and safety that need to be considered when it comes to training children. The Brand X Method understands, supports, and aligns with our vision and we are very fortunate to be able to utilize their PYCC as our official youth education course. This course will empower coaches to develop their athletes in a fun, safe, and age appropriate way and allow the iF3 to make sure that the coaches at our youth events are adequately prepared for the responsibility of coaching youth athletes in a competitive environment.”
Jeff and Mikki Martin of the Brand X Method stated, “We believe that the best coaches in the world should be those working with kids because they have a profound opportunity to impact children’s lives. By allowing kids to experience the joy of movement, coaches help them become confident, competent, and motivated to move through their lives with freedom and fearlessness. We envision a world where every child can be trained by a professional Brand X Youth Coach with the knowledge, training, and ability to positively change the course of children lives .”
To learn more about the PYCC please visit https://coaching.thebrandxmethod.com/pycc-launch-page25988527
Sign up for the PYCC here https://coaching.thebrandxmethod.com/pycc-if3-presale-order-1