ASA/USA Softball is proud to introduce the ACE Coaching Certification Program. The ACE (Achieve, Certify, Educate) Coaching Certification Program is a brand new certification program, developed and designed to provide softball coaches of all levels – from beginning coaches to experienced veterans – an opportunity to certify as a coach with a national softball organization.

As the National Governing Body of Softball, it is the ASA’s responsibility to ensure that our coaches achieve a certain level of understanding of what their duties are as coach of a youth softball team. The ACE Certification videos and the ACE Certification Manual are practical guides to the everyday situations you will encounter as a youth softball coach. After obtaining your ACE certification, you will be well prepared to coach a youth softball team.

The guiding principles behind the ACE Coaching Certification Program are:

A-chieve: A certain level of knowledge.
C-ertify: To confirm that a coach has obtained a level of understanding over that which he/she has been tested on.
E-ducate: To assist with the gathering of knowledge and information.

There are now more ways to become an ACE Certified Coach. Certifying as an ACE Coach is a simple, straighforward process. You can attend an ACE Coach Certification Clinic, if your local association is hosting one, or you can now complete your ACE Coaching Certification online at www.registerasa.com. In each setting you will watch the ACE video that corresponds to your certification level and then be tested on the material in the video. The videos cover such topics as Principles of Coaching, Legal Issues in Sports, First Aid, Practice Organization, Coach/Umpire Relations, and Sport Specific Skills. Once you have passed the ACE Certification test you are an ACE Coach and receive full ACE Benefits. It is that easy! Please allow 2 weeks for processing.

Benefits of ACE membership:

Here is a quick run through of the ACE Coaching Certification program and how one would become certified and achieve the highest level of ACE Certification

The first step to complete for any coach who is attempting to become certified using the ACE Online System is a profile lookup. If you are an existing coach* who is coming to the site to complete another level of certification your profile should be located and you should be able to continue from the position that you left off. For example if John Doe has completed ACE Levels 1 and 2 in an ACE Clinic through its local association, when he looks up his profile the system will recognize this and make ACE Level 3 available for purchase and completion. For the system to properly find your coaches profile, you must enter your information (i.e. first name, last name, email address, zip code) exactly how you did when you registered. If you have moved since you last registered, enter the previous zip code under which you registered and then edit your information in the ACE Online System. If you are a previously registered coach and the system does not find your profile properly, DO NOT create a new profile which you will do in Step 2 on the ACE Online Program. Instead, contact the ACE Administrator at the ASA National Office. The administrator's contact information can be located on the ACE Website under the Contact Us tab.

If you are a first time ACE Coach or you have not certified through a local association in the last year, you will have to create a new profile and begin ACE Online Certification at Level 1.

Once your profile has been found or you have created a new profile here is what you will have to do to become an ACE Certified Coach:

ACE Level 1 Coach Certification
1. Register with the ACE Online program and purchase Level 1 Certification Video and test.
2. Successfully complete the Level 1 ACE certification exam (questions will be taken directly from the ACE Level 1 video)
4. That’s It!
Benefits: Insurance coverage, certificate and ID card

ACE Level 2 Coach Certification
After your first year of certification, you do not need to watch the ACE video again to re-certify. To stay an ACE certified coach for a second year you must:
1. Lon-on to the ACE Online Program, purchase the ACE Level 2 Video and certification exam.
2. Watch the ACE Level 2 Video and complete the ACE Level 2 Certification Exam as you watch the video.
3. That's It!
Benefits: Insurance coverage, certificate and ID Card 3

ACE Level 3 Coach Certification To be eligible for this level of certification a coach must have completed the ACE Level 2 Certification
1. Log-on to the ACE Online Program, purchase the ACE Level 3 Video and certification exam.
2. Watch the ACE Level 3 Video and complete the ACE Level 3 Certification Exam as you watch the video.
3. That's It!
Benefits: Insurance coverage, certificate and ID Card 3

ACE Continuing Education Certification To be eligible for this level of certification a coach must have completed the ACE Level 3 Certification.
1. Log-on to the ACE Online Program and purchase the ACE Continuing Education Exam.
2. Complete the ACE Continuing Education Exam.
3. That's It!
Benefits: Insurance coverage, certificate and ID Card 3

For those wanting to become certified through a local ACE Coaching Certification Clinic please contact your local association for dates and times of these clinics. For local associations who want to host an ACE Clinic contact the ACE Administrator with any questions.

For coaches who have previously certified with their local association at an ACE Clinic, online certification should begin at your current level of certification. For example, if you complete ACE Level 1 Certification at an ACE Clinic then when you log onto the ACE Online Website you should be able to purchase and complete ACE Level 2 Certification. At this time, only the Level 2 material will be available for you to purchase and complete. The Level 1 Video, Certificate and Insurance form will not be available for you to review or to view and print off. The feature will be available in the future as we continue to enhance and improve the ACE Online Coaching Certification System.

If you have any questions or comments regarding the ACE Online Coaching Certification Program please contact the ACE Administrator.