There is only one statewide high school association in the United States that has designed its own coaches education program and delivers it directly, face to face, to middle and high school head coaches across the state.

The MHSAA’s Coaches Advancement Program (CAP) is a constantly evolving, six-level research-based yet practical program developed by the MHSAA with input from coaches, administrators, students and MSU’s Institute for the Study of Youth Sports; and it is presented in a highly interactive environment.

We make the investment because we know that, just as the teacher is the critical ingredient in classroom learning, so is the coach key to learning in interscholastic athletics.  Coaches can sometimes ruin the best decisions of others involved in school sports, and coaches can often redeem the bad decisions made by players, parents and administrators.

We feel so strongly about this and the need to provide coaches continuing education opportunities that MHSAA staff and our trained facilitators will travel anywhere to present CAP at any time a school, district or league assembles at least 20 coaches.

 For an outline of course content and registration materials, click here.

An additional resource is the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports at Michigan State University.

Also see the article, “Coaches Can Shape Young Athletes’ Definition of Success,” at sciencedaily.com.