Level 3 Performance Coach
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🏆 Level Up to Performance Coach Accreditation: Empower Your Coaching, Elevate Your Athletes, Achieve Excellence!
Please ensure that you are familiar with the course structure prior to registering.
Program Overview
The Level 3 Performance Coach accreditation empowers coaches to guide athletes aged 15+ through the Training II (Specific) stage of development, as outlined in Australian Athletics’ guidelines. This program equips coaches to prepare athletes for national and international success by mastering skills in biomechanics, recovery, nutrition, plyometrics, strength and conditioning, sport psychology, and periodisation.
With a focus on competition, the program also emphasises supporting athletes to balance the demands of training with their social, psychological, and cognitive development.
You're an ideal candidate for the Level 3 Performance Coach program if you work with senior athletes aged 15+ who are targeting national-level competitions and beyond. Whether you're a Senior Club Coach, leading a private squad, a Specialist HPE Teacher, or part of a Performance Support team, this program is designed for those passionate about taking their athletes to the top. If you’re committed to helping athletes achieve their best while navigating the challenges of training, competition, and life balance, this program is your next step in coaching excellence.
Program Curriculum
The Level 3 Performance Coach Accreditation is broken into 4 sections that can be completed in ANY order.
Performance Soft-Skills Masterclass: Equips coaches with the tools to enhance their effectiveness and build stronger relationships. It covers self-awareness, reflective practices, and developing a coaching philosophy, alongside strategies for effective communication, team dynamics, and athlete relationship-building. The final module focuses on fostering a positive team culture to optimise performance and collaboration.
Online Education Modules: Comprehensive online modules that you can complete at your own pace, across six key areas:
Sport Science: Build a foundation in biomechanics, the musculoskeletal system, nutrition, and sport psychology to enhance athlete performance.
Preparation and Planning: Master loading, recovery, and periodisation to optimise training cycles.
Strength and Conditioning: Explore strength training principles, plyometrics, Olympic lifts, and athlete testing for power and strength.
Performance Health: Focus on injury prevention, sleep, athlete wellbeing, and specialised topics like coaching female athletes and bone health.
Competition Skills: Develop expertise in mental performance, competition readiness, and managing international competitions.
Event-Specific Coaching: Tailor your expertise with in-depth modules on sprints, distance running, jumps, throws, or trail and ultra events.
Physical Conditioning Masterclass: The Physical Conditioning Masterclass is a dynamic one-day workshop that equips coaches with practical tools to enhance athlete performance and recovery. This hands-on course covers the essentials of strength training, water-based conditioning, and advanced recovery methods, all tailored to the unique demands of track and field athletes.
Blending theoretical insights with practical applications, this masterclass empowers you to integrate physical development strategies into annual training plans, elevating your coaching impact and supporting your athletes' long-term success.
Event-Specific Masterclass: The Event-Specific Masterclass provides in-depth expertise tailored to your chosen discipline, from sprints and relays to jumps, throws, or middle and long-distance events. Learn advanced training techniques and strategies to guide athletes to peak performance at the highest levels of competition.
Course Structure
The Level 3 Performance Coach accreditation consists of four components, which can be completed in any order. These components are listed below.
📅 Ready to get started? Enrol in Performance Coach components via the National Course Calendar.
1
Performance Soft-Skills Masterclass
Attend 3 x live, online webinars
2
Physical Conditioning Masterclass
Attend a 1-day face-to-face course
3
Online Education Modules
Complete online modules and assessment(s) across the following seven areas:
What it Takes to Win (1 module)
Sport Science Principles (4 modules)
Preparation and Planning (3 modules)
Strength and Conditioning (4 modules)
Performance Health (7 modules)
Competition Skills (4 modules)
Event-Specific Coaching (1 module in your chosen event group)
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Event-Specific Masterclass
Attend a 1-day face-to-face course in your chosen event group:
Sprints
Middle Distance
Long Distance
Jumps
Throws
Trail and Ultra
Frequently Asked Questions
Tap the tiles below for more detailed information about the accreditation program.
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Event-specific masterclasses, such as the Trail and Ultra Masterclass, can be taken as standalone workshops—no need to be working towards Level 3 accreditation!
Better yet, there are no prerequisites, so you can jump straight in and enhance your coaching skills.
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Register in upcoming Masterclasses through the National Coach Education Calendar.
Note: once you have enrolled into the course, you will be given access to the online modules and assessment tasks via the Athletics Learning Centre.
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To gain a Level 3 Performance Coach accreditation, a coach must meet the following criteria:
- Be 18 years or older.
- Hold one of the following accreditations:
- Level 2 Development Coach
- Advanced Recreational Running accreditation
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The cost of the program is determined by the State/Territory Athletics Association, so it may vary slightly depending on your location.
Generally, the course costs around $499, which includes masterclasses and online learning.
For more detailed pricing information, please contact your local Athletics State Association.
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All accreditation courses have an option for recognition of prior learning. You can find more information here.
Need Further Assistance?
Please contact us.