DURHAM, N.C. - USA Baseball announced today it will expand its offering of online Community Clinics through the month of April in an effort to support coaches and parents currently enrolled in its Coaches Certification pathway. The free clinics will take place on Wednesday, April 15, Saturday, April 25, and Wednesday, April 29, from 12-3 p.m. ET. Registration for each clinic is now open with limited spots available on CoachClinics.org.
USA Baseball launched its first two online Community Clinics earlier this month and reached over 1,400 unique users and 150,000 total minutes consumed over the two sessions.
The Coaches Certification pathway is a free three-tiered program consisting of ascending levels: "A" Certification, "B" Certification and "C" Certification. All of the levels contain a series of courses that cover topics such as health and safety, creating a positive team environment, recognizing and responding to misconduct, practice planning, game management and skill-specific development.
This program requires the participation in a Community or Regional Clinic in order to obtain a "C" Certification. The clinics are typically held year-round at facilities nationwide in partnership with the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association and GameChanger, but will be hosted online for the first time ever in 2020. The clinics are run by veteran coaches from all levels of baseball in order to proliferate a culture of continuing education, development and mentorship.
Committed to co-host the online clinics are six coaches affiliated with MLB Clubs. Additionally, coaches from Campbell University, Duke University, Georgia Gwinnett College, Paris Junior College, Swarthmore College and the University of Central Florida will also participate in the clinic.
Upon completion of the certification, coaches simultaneously satisfy the training requirements set forth by Senate Bill 534 (SB 534) and also begin the process of becoming Pure Baseball compliant. In November 2018, USA Baseball announced Pure Baseball, a zero-tolerance policy regarding abuse constructed in cooperation with SB 534 and the policies created by the U.S. Center for SafeSport. To concurrently become Pure Baseball compliant, coaches need only submit to and pass an annual background check, which can be done at USABDevelops.com through USA Baseball's service provider, JD Palatine.
For more information on the Coaches Certification program and to begin the courses required to complete certification, visit CoachClinics.org. In addition to this new program, all courses and resources for players, coaches, parents and umpires on USABDevelops.com are available at no cost to users and aim to provide a positive baseball experience for all.