Coaching Resources
Coaches Oath
“In the name of all coaches, we shall follow written and verbal instructions of Special Olympics officials at all times, have our athletes at the appropriate events and activities at the proper time and abide by the rules and policies, in the spirit of sportsmanship.”
Coaches are vital in the Special Olympics, directly helping athletes develop the skills and spirit needed to compete. Coaches can be teachers, family members, or anyone eager to make a positive impact.
Below are links to the forms and training you’ll need for coaching:
Forms
- Athlete Pre-Season Form – Use this form to get to know your athlete on a personal level prior to the season beginning. What are their interests and strengths, goals (on and off the court), and best strategies to teach and work with that athlete.
- Special Needs Form – Use this form to relay important information to event volunteers about how to best work with athletes with special needs (i.e. communication limitation, hearing or visual impairment, special equipment adaptations or behavioral needs).
- Sports Rule Change Proposal – The Special Olympics Wisconsin Rule Change Proposal Form is a rolling application. Rule Change Proposals must be submitted at least 6 months prior to the season’s medical deadline to be considered.
General Resources
- Session Plan Template – Download this blank session template for writing our your session plans
- General Guide for Coaches – Use this handout to learn about the basics of coaching for SOWI.
- Athlete Behavior Characteristics Guide & Quick Reference Guide
- Training Site Safety Checklist – Use this general safety checklist at practices to promote a safe and injury-free environment.
- Concussion Card – View this informative flyer on concussion awareness including: signs and symptoms, return to play policy, and more.
- Uniform Requirements at a glance – For more detailed information on sport-specific uniform requirements, refer to each sport’s rules page.
Coaching Standards & Expectations – A guide on the expectations for all SOWI coaches
Divisioning – A video explaining the divisioning process
Fit5 Information
Fit5 Guide – Use this guide to achieve fitness and personal best with physical activity, nutrition, and hydration.
Fit5 Fitness Cards – Use these easy to follow fitness cards to teach your athletes about physical activity outside of practice
Fitness through Sport Playbook – Please note the links do not work on the original document, but can be found here: Links
For any additional questions or resource requests, please reach out to Jeston Glish (Health Program Manager) – [email protected]
Coaches Certification & Trainings
- General Coaches Certification – Watch the video and take the quiz to become a certified coach for SOWI. Please note you will be taken to a different site for this Video and Quiz, so please remember to click back to this page.
- Special Olympics Learning Portal – You will need to create a profile on this webpage to begin taking courses.
- Coaching Special Olympics Athletes – A powerpoint presentation from a previous course for Coaching Special Olympics Athletes.
National Federation of State High School Associations Course – A library of courses, free & paid, to help improve your coaching knowledge – Please note, any fees for external courses are not covered by SOWI
Coaching Unified Sports – Free NFHS course to help Coaches who coach Unified Sports
Please see below for Sport Specific Links to Resource Pages:
For any questions on coaches resources or coaching ideas, please reach out to David Brown – Coaches Training & Games Logistics Manager – [email protected]