My concern is that coaches will begin to be perceived as inadequate or less than qualified by some potential clients (the type easily marketed to), as though the IMU qualification is the required standard for coaching people who want to take part in WTC races.

Maybe they should skip the online training and start a lottery, winners get IMU certificates.

lol. This.

And here is the first review I found, don't know the guys doing the podcast, but they were bashing the course when it was announced.

http://www.octane-athletics.com/blog/

i think its a great idea although not sure about it being called a university.

i for one have tried to find a local coach but to no avail ( i am just an age grouper) the best advice i can get is from my local club, other triathletes & forums.
the coaching plans that are available on line really, just put everyone into little boxes & have zero personal touch.(although the marketing /perception is sometimes the opposite).

the IMU is a great opportunity for long course IM triathletes & ex triathletes to pass on their experience & local knowledge & make a few $'s for doing it.
much the same in the scuba diving industry, your scuba instructor is not fountain of knowledge of all things scuba just, the area in which they work. I use the term 'work' lightly as its really more of a lifestyle choice & only for a few a true full time job.

i see the IMU coach as much the same way as a scuba instructor, someone local who you can go to for advice etc & someone who you can work with you to to build & develop a training plan specifically for you
or you could pay online for a coach you never see, an online plan that is just generic or buy a fink plan.

Does anyone have any first hand knowledge on the content of this certification? I see a lot of criticism but do not understand the reasons for it. P

I just got my IRONMAN Certified Coach credentials. FYI I do have 12 years of experience in Triathlon and 5 finishes at Kona. The program covered every thing from really basic stuff like the distances in an Ironman to advance stuff like how the body metabolized nutrition at the cellular level. It was all online and very well done. The test wasn't easy and the program offers numerous advance lectures. I've always been self-coached and have never coached anyone. I did learn some stuff and it offered some good tools and resources. My only knock is it wasn't cheap and yearly dues are $450, but that wasn’t a surprise. I'm not sure how it compare to other coaching programs.

In June when I took my USAT level 1 course, they briefly talked about this. The overall curriculum was similar to USAT. the concern was that it was mostly online without and classroom time, and there were a LOT of mistakes in the initial material. They hired a USAT Level III coach to proofread and correct it.

The big difference will be that USAT training is classroom time and uses experienced level 2 & 3 instructors. There's a group activity at the end, test isn't easy and includes long answers and making a sample schedule. It get graded, not just scored.

Is the Ironman cert bad? No, sounds like it covers all the bases. But there's some real value in filling a class with a broad range of experience. We had some pretty in depth discussions that were well beyond the base material.

It does sound expensive. I think license fees are a little less for USAT and you get insurance, plus it's more established.

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TrainingBible Coaching
http://www.trainingbible.com

Thought I'd jump in and hopefully provide a clarity with regard to IRONMAN U and the IRONMAN Coaching Certification program. Just to set the record straight, we did not "hire" a USAT Level III coach to proof read and correct the curriculum. I asked a friend of mine, who is a USAT Level III coach (who resides in LA) to take a look at a very early BETA of the program. He provided us with great feedback on the visuals, delivery of information, and functionality. He did not however offer extensive “corrections or proofreading” , although he did have some recommendations for areas where we might go deeper. In general he was enthusiastic about what we had put together.


When I met with USAT at the end of June, while they had reviewed our summary content outline, they had not had time to review the final BETA test. To say that there were “ALOT of mistakes” in the initial material and that USAT was involved in the review of the program prior to its launch in August, is simply not true.


That being said, I think it’s important to note that the IRONMAN Coaching Certification program was not intended to replace the really great coaching programs offered by global Triathlon Federations. Currently many global Triathlon Federations offer some form of coaching education or certification, although their focus historically has been on short course triathlon and athlete development for ITU racing. The IRONMAN Coaching Certification is a great supplement to an existing federation credential.


Close to 40% of the athletes that race with us are first timers. Only 35% of our athletes use a coach. We recognize that athletes who use a coach to prepare for their IRONMAN or IRONMAN 70.3 event, are more likely to have a positive race experience and continue to race with us. In short, we want more athletes using coaches, and we want those coaches to understand our events and what it takes to prepare an athlete for an IRONMAN or IRONMAN 70.3. I would think that the coaching community would agree that preparing an athlete for a sprint distance race is much different than preparing them for an IRONMAN event.


To meet our objectives, we engaged the support of experts (and IRONMAN icons) in the disciplines of swim, bike, run, nutrition, exercise science and long course coaching to help with the curriculum development. There have been numerous blog posts, podcasts, reviews and comments from coaches who have completed the program. If you are interested in learning more, we are happy to send you the links to the reviews so you can draw your own conclusions regarding the quality of the program. We also developed a very sophisticated Athlete-Coach Matching system – we intend to begin matching our athletes to IRONMAN Certified Coaches just after the first of the year.


Hope this provides some additional insight into our program. Happy to answer any questions - feel free to reach out to us through IRONMAN U.

What was your cost for level 1 cert? Also wondering if there is an ongoing fee (yearly) for USAT?

Maurice

Hmmm.... seems they have changed what they provide in the Level 1 course?

Does Jesse Kroplenicki still do his lectures for the majority of the first day?

Test wasn't easy? When I took it, it was just a 60 some odd multiple choice test with the answers straight out of the guidebook and you had to build 2 "programs" one for race week, and the other a 3 week build. Has this changed?

What's the group activity they added?

Hey all,
So like many of you from what I have read there is a lot of criticism for the Ironman U program. So my question is: what other option would someone in my shoes do? As a competitive 70.3 and 140.6 self tought athlete who has a desire to coach do? I’ve had a sensational thirst for knowledge in the sport for several years and am very knowledgeable on training peaks, as well as the science behind the nutrition, periodization principals, etc etc. as a pilot I used to teach, and while I knew the material Before I became a teacher I needed to go through a curriculum to teach me how to teach. Knowledge is critical but if you lack the ability to employ it, it’s useless.
I have a career so this isn’t a job, but I feel like I have a great background and depth of knowledge that I can really help new and middle pack age groupers race at a higher level and do it smartly while mitigating injury. If I can’t do USAT level 1 because like many have stated ( I have no teaching history to get recommend) what would you suggest. I feel having some certification is key for adding validity to me.

IMO it's just like when a company buys your employer and brings their rules. All the employees bitch until they retire or go find a new job. The new employees get hired and love the company and rules. You will just have to endure all the crusty people until they move on and new blood comes in. One day this will just be a thing but now it's a threat and Target. If you are interested then get certified, if you're not then don't.

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http://www.sfuelsgolonger.com

Ya, That’s a valid point.

I'm the same boat as you. Years of experience, self taught, regular Kona qualifier, full time job and interested in doing some coaching. I got my IMU coaching credentials because I liked the format and it seemed easier and quicker than USAT. IMU never matched me with any athletes looking for coaches. I actually had friends go to the IMU site and try to find me as coach and they couldn't so I did not renew. I will be coaching one athlete/friend this year as test case to see if I like coaching and learn how to do it. I don't think most people looking for coaching care to much about where you got your credentials or if you even have them. My advice to you is to keep reading on slowtwitch, there is lots of good research if you dig a little and more than enough opinion to keep you current.

That’s intersting. Thanks for the info and yes you’re probably right I don’t need the credentials it just seemed like it would provide credibility and help teach me how to teach. But at the end of the day it’s not the end all be all.