There are sport coaches across the United States dedicated to improving the lives and sporting experiences of their athletes. These coaches put in long hours creating development activities and support systems for others but often do not have opportunities for their own professional development. Pacific Lutheran University and the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) have created a partnership to help address this gap.

The Positive Coaching program through Continuing Education and the Department of Kinesiology at PLU provides an opportunity for those with professional interests in coaching to improve their expertise. It is a unique flexible, online program that takes PCA's online courses and builds upon them with additional activities, theory, and skill development frameworks to dive even deeper into the principles of effective coaching.

Completion of each PLU Positive Coaching course requires successful completion of the associated PCA online course. Access to that course is included in the cost and details will be provided upon registration.

Details (Per Course)

• Cost: $165.00
• Format: Online
• Length: Complete within six weeks
• Credits: 1 graduate-level continuing education credit (900-level)
  • 900-level credit is not applicable to a degree program at PLU but may be accepted by other institutions for elective credit to satisfy admissions requirements for graduate, nursing, or other professional programs or by employers to satisfy continuing education requirements. Please check with your program or employer about this before registering for any classes.

Current Courses

Positive Coaching I: Coaching for Winning and Life Lessons (KINS 904)
March 1 – April 15, 2020
April 15 – May 30, 2020
June 15 – July 30, 2020
August 15 – Sept. 30, 2020
October 15 – Nov. 30, 2020
February 1 – March 15, 2021
April 15 – May 30, 2021

This course deepens and extends the principles of Positive Coaching Alliance's (PCA's) Double Goal Coach®. Positive coaching will be defined and the effect on athlete's participation, persistence, effort, performance and sport experience will be explained. Specifically, this course will focus on the following PCA principles: filling emotional tanks, ELM tree of mastery, and honoring the game. In addition, data and research supporting the purpose and efficacy of implementing positive coaching techniques will be explored.  

Positive Coaching II: Culture, Practice, and Games (KINS 905)
March 15 – April 30, 2020
June 1 – July 15, 2020
August 1 – Sept. 15, 2020
February 15 – March 30, 2021

This course deepens and extends the principles of PCA's Double Goal Coach®: Culture, Practice and Games. This course will help develop skills tocreate a team culture of excellence. Creating dynamic practices and using research-driven strategies for motivating athletes before, during and after practice will be a specific focus. Coaches who complete the course are equipped to build a team culture that provides an environment for athletes to thrive, love their experience with sports, and channel their energy into reaching their potential.  

Positive Coaching III: Developing Triple Impact Competitors (KINS 906)
July 1 – August 15, 2020
April 1 – May 15, 2021

This course deepens and extends the principles of PCA's Double Goal Coach®: Triple Impact Competitor course. Helping coaches work with athletes to implement the Triple Impact Competitor mindset will be a particular focus. Special attention will be given to theories and applications associated with personal mastery and leadership development in athletes. The PCA principle of Honoring the Game will also be explored.

Positive Coaching IV: Working Well with Parents (KINS 907)
June 1 – July 15, 2020
Oct. 15 – Nov. 30, 2020

This course deepens and extends the principles presented in PCA's Second Goal Parent: Developing Winners in Life Through Sport. Special attention is paid to the knowledge and skills coaches need to develop effective and productive parent-coach relationships. An examination of critical socio-cultural factors that influence youth sport will be a particular focus. In addition, specific PCA tools will also be covered including effective and developmentally appropriate communication strategies for parents to use with their athlete, and techniques to maximize appropriate parental behavior in order to provide a positive game day experience for athletes.

Positive Coaching V: Working Well with Officials (KINS 908)
TBA

This course deepens and extends the principles presented in PCA's Honoring the Game: The Official’s Role in Creating a Positive Youth Sport Culture. Specific focus will be paid to how coaches can work effectively with officials to develop a mastery mindset and to build a strong culture of sportspersonship on and off the field. The course examines the research and theories behind the best practices of officials from across the country and from a wide variety of sports.

Who Should Enroll

Coaches, teachers, and other professionals seeking to enhance their coaching knowledge and skills and to learn more about the psychological principles and applications that are part of the Positive Coaching Alliance message and mission.

Registration Information

Classes currently open for registration will appear below with a gold “Add to Cart” button. If the class you are looking for doesn’t have the “Add to Cart” button, check back closer to the start date or submit a “Request for Information” to be notified when registration opens.

Refund Policies

This course operates by the General CE Refund Policies.

Our Partnership with the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA)

The Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) is a national organizational dedicated to ensuring a positive sporting experience for athletes of all levels by developing coaches who can use evidence-based psychological principles effectively.  Our Positive Coaching courses are offered in partnership with the Positive Coaching Alliance and include the parallel/indicated PCA online course.

For more information, click the Request Information button above.