Latest Revision: January 2024

The CBTF Technical Association consists of the following members who purchase a Type T1 (Technical members with voting privileges) or T2 (Technical members under 18 with no voting privileges) membership annually.

• SDP Adjudicators
• Coaches
• Judges
• Course Conductors (see COURSE CONDUCTOR SELECTION PROCEDURES)

COACHING CERTIFICATION

COACH-IN-TRAINING (CIT) COURSE

The course and CIT Handbook are no charge to the applicant and available through the CBTF Education Portal.

The pre-requisites for taking the Coach-In-Training Course are:

• You must be 13 years of age
• You must be registered with a club and hold any type of athlete membership or Type D (full member) in your provincial association
• You must have a Mentor Coach in place

The CIT Course is an optional two-year course, that will provide you with valuable learning and experience leading up to taking the Baton Twirling Foundations course when you are 15 years of age.

• Part 1 (Year 1) is made up of THEORY content. This is an online course. There are lessons and quizzes that you may do at your own pace. You can stop and start as needed, and when you return to the online course, you will continue where you left off.
• In order to receive a certificate in CIT Part 1, you will be required to also complete 15-20 hours of in-gym coaching time with your Mentor Coach, along with 2-3 hours of community development. There are no NCCP requirements at this level, and there is no formal evaluation. However, you will receive feedback from your Mentor Coach throughout the year, and you will be required to maintain a log confirming that you have fulfilled your practical requirements.
• Part 2 (Year 2) is purely PRACTICAL content. You will be required to complete another 15-20 hours of in-gym coaching time with your Mentor Coach, 5-7 hours of officiating and/or administrative tasks, and 2-3 hours of community development in order to receive your certificate in CIT Part 2.

BATON TWIRLING FOUNDATIONS (BTF) COURSE

This course is available for purchase from the CBTF Education Portal.

The pre-requisites to taking the Baton Twirling Foundations Course are:

• You must be 15 years of age to apply for the THEORY portion of the course.
• You must have general knowledge of and ability to demonstrate the skills in the SDP White through Bronze Pin.
• You must have general knowledge of and ability to demonstrate the Pre-Competitive Level I & II standard routines.
• You must have a Mentor Coach in place.
• You must hold a Technical Association membership within your province.

Note that the SDP written descriptions and demonstration videos are available on the CBTF app “CanTwirl”. Please download the CanTwirl app and subscribe to the SDP to access the materials. The Pre-Competitive Level I & II standard routine written descriptions and videos are available on the CBTF website using your login access, and they are also included as lessons within this online course.

The CBTF Coaching Courses have been designed to be completed in stages. There are four stages to becoming fully certified at each coaching level:

BTF STAGE ONE – THEORY CONTENT
This is an online course. There are lessons and quizzes that you may do at your own pace. You can stop and start as needed, and when you return to the online course, you will continue where you left off. You must complete all of the theory content (lessons and quizzes) BEFORE you attend the in-person PRACTICAL portion of the course.

While you are in the process of completing the THEORY content for this level, you are considered a "Foundations In-Training" coach.

BTF STAGE TWO – PRACTICAL CONTENT
This is a one-day, in-class course instructed by a Course Conductor. Here, you will delve deeper into some of the lessons that you studied online. You will also spend time "hands-on" with batons - learning how to teach contact material. There will also be a portion of the day spent teaching students the elements from the Skills Development Program and the Pre-Competitive Standard Routines (Level I & II). At this level, you must be able to demonstrate that you can execute the skills as well as effectively teach the skills.

Once you successfully complete the PRACTICAL portion of the course, you are considered a "Foundations Trained" coach. At this point, you are eligible to begin teaching classes, keeping in touch with and seeking advice from your Mentor Coach.

Over the following year (or longer as needed), the “Foundations Trained” coaches should complete their NCCP requirements and build their coaching portfolio in preparation for their formal evaluation. “Foundations Trained” coaches will be working with Recreational Athletes as well as athletes in the Pre-Competitive Program Levels I & II (although it’s likely that their focus will be on Level I).

BTF STAGE THREE - NATIONAL COACHING CERTIFICATION PROGRAM
NCCP training is the third stage in becoming fully certified at the Baton Twirling Foundations level. If your province offers the NCCP Courses as a ‘bundle’, you must obtain “NCCP Part A”. If your province offers the NCCP Course as individual sessions, you must obtain “Making Ethical Decisions (MED)”, “Planning a Practice”, and “Nutrition”.

BTF STAGE FOUR - EVALUATION
In the year after you have become Foundations Trained, you will begin to build your Coaching Portfolio. Your coaching portfolio will include:

• Coach Profile (template will be provided)
• Program Description (template will be provided)
• Lesson Plans (template will be provided)
• Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Activities (template will be provided)

Once your coaching portfolio is submitted, an on-site visit will be scheduled. A Coaching Evaluator will attend one of your classes to evaluate your coaching skills. It may also be possible to submit a video of you coaching your class (instructions to be developed).

A coach who has successfully completed the NCCP requirements and passed the Evaluation Content is considered "Foundations Certified".

COACHES – COMPETITION 1 (C1) COURSE

The pre-requisites to taking the Competition 1 course are:

• You must be 16 years of age to apply for the THEORY portion of the course.
• You must be fully certified at the Baton Twirling Foundations level to take the PRACTICAL portion of the Competition 1 Coaching Course.
• You must have general knowledge of the skills in the SDP Bronze Pin through Silver Pin.
• You must have good knowledge of the Pre-Competitive Level II standard routines.
• You must hold a Technical Association membership within your province.

C1 STAGE ONE - THEORY
This is an online course. There are lessons and quizzes that you may do at your own pace. You can stop and start as needed, and when you return to the online course, you will continue where you left off. You must complete all of the theory content (lessons and quizzes) BEFORE you attend the in-person PRACTICAL portion of the course.

While you are in the process of completing the THEORY content for this level, you are considered a "Competition 1 (C1) In-Training" coach.

C1 STAGE TWO - PRACTICAL
This is a one-day, in-class course instructed by a Course Conductor. Here, you will delve deeper into some of the lessons that you studied online. You will also spend time "hands-on" with batons. There will also be a portion of the day spent teaching students the elements from the Skills Development Program and the Pre-Competitive Standard Routines (Level II). At this level, you must be able to demonstrate that you can effectively teach the skills as well as show how you will build upon the standard routines to develop competitive routines for your athletes.

Once you successfully complete the PRACTICAL portion of the course, you are considered a "Competition 1 (C1) Trained" coach.

Over the following year (or longer as needed), the “Competition 1 Trained” coach should complete their NCCP requirements and build their coaching portfolio in preparation for their formal evaluation. “Competition 1 Trained” coaches will be working with athletes in the Pre-Competitive Program Level II, as well as Level C and BN athletes.

C1 STAGE THREE - NATIONAL COACHING CERTIFICATION PROGRAM
Continuation of your NCCP training is the third stage in becoming fully certified at the Competition 1 level. If your province offers the NCCP Courses as a ‘bundle’, you must obtain “NCCP Part B”. If your province offers the NCCP Course as individual sessions, you must obtain “Basic Mental Skills”, “Design a Basic Sport Program”, and “Teaching and Learning”.

C1 STAGE FOUR - EVALUATION
In the year after you have become TRAINED, you will begin to build your Coaching Portfolio. Your coaching portfolio will include:

• Coach Profile (template will be provided)
• Program Description (template will be provided)
• Lesson Plans (template will be provided)
• Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Activities (template will be provided)

Once your coaching portfolio is submitted, an on-site visit will be scheduled. A Coaching Evaluator will attend one of your classes to evaluate your coaching skills. It may also be possible to submit a video of you coaching your class (instructions to be developed).

A coach who has successfully completed the NCCP requirements and passed the Evaluation content is considered "Competition 1 Certified".