Frequently Asked Questions
- Please explain the Four Levels of the Youth Fitness Specialist.
- What are the prerequisites for the Youth Fitness Specialist Certification?
- Why do I need a background screening? How often? How do I pay for the screening?
- Do I have to attend a live seminar to get Level 1 certified?
- Where can I purchase the Youth Fitness Specialist Level 1?
- Where can I purchase the Youth Fitness Specialist Level 2?
- Where can I purchase the Youth Fitness Specialist Level 3?
- Where can I find instructions for taking or submitting my
exam(s)? - How long before I should expect my results for each level of certification?
- What events does the IYCA have coming up in the future?
- How does the IYCA system apply to older athletes, such as those aged 18 – 21?
- What can I do about Liability Insurance for my business?
- I would like to add the IYCA Logo to my website and/or marketing materials, what do I do?
- In addition to the IYCA, are there other organizations from which I should seek credentials?
- Will my IYCA credentials be recognized or accepted by other nationally known and recognized certification programs/organizations even though IYCA certifications are not offered through those programs?
- Why are your fax and phone numbers the same?
- How long is my certification valid? How do I obtain CEUs?
Please explain the Four Levels of the Youth Fitness Specialist.
The IYCA Educational System was not developed as a basic or single-serving look at the complex topic of youth fitness and sport development.
Our children and teenagers deserve much more than professionals who receive their credentials in a weekend course – with the crisis of youth obesity and lack of appropriate developmental protocols in sport, our youngest generation merit the highest quality in professional care offered by the most well educated individuals possible.
The IYCA Educational System is sub-divided into four separate certifications that vary from home study to physical internships.
The entire 4-tiered system covers the following information:
- Motor Skill Development
- IYCA Developmental System of Training (ages 6 – 18)
- Pedagogy and the Art of Coaching
- Communication and Learning Styles
- Practical Concepts in Programming
- Strength, Speed, Agility and Power Development for Young Athletes
- Mobility, Flexibility and Sensitive Period Development
- Coordination Enhancement and Breakdown
- Nutrition for Young Athletes
- Endocrine Development
- Overtraining Concerns and Programming
Our 4-tiered educational system is broken down as follows:
Level 1 – Youth Fitness Specialist
Home Study and/or Attend Live IYCA Event (refer to the ‘IYCA Events’ page for upcoming seminars)
- Topics Covered –
- Motor Skill Development (birth through adolescents)
- Program Design and Implementation
- Practicality of Training
- Working with Large Groups or Teams
- Art of Coaching
- Communication and Learning Styles
- Materials –
- 5-Hour DVD set
- Youth Fitness Specialist Level 1 Manual
- Completion Procedure –
- Multiple choice exam based on the information presented in the course materials
(click here for more information on exam submission)
- Multiple choice exam based on the information presented in the course materials
Level 2 – Youth Fitness Specialist
Home Study
Topics Covered –
- Athletic Development Internationally
- Motor Skill Development (science)
- Coaching Science
- Nutrition for Young Athletes
- Endocrine Development
- Speed and Agility Training
- Strength and Power Training
- Postural Assessment and Structural Development
- Materials –
- Developmental Essentials – The Foundations of Youth Conditioning textbook
- Audio Study Aid with interviews from textbook authors
- Completion Procedure –
- Exam consisting of multiple choice, true/false and essay style questions based on the information presented in the course materials (click here for more information on exam submission)
Level 3 – Youth Fitness Specialist
Home Study
Topics Covered –
- Coordination Development
- Principles of Movement – Speed and Agility
- Strength Development – Pre-Teen through High School
- Art of Coaching (practical)
- Sample Programs
- ‘Plug and Play’ Training Templates
- Corrective Exercise for Young Athletes
- Materials –
- 5-Hour DVD set (including live training sessions)
- Level 3 Textbook (including sample programs and exercise depictions)
- Training Young Athletes – The Grasso Method (book)
- 10+ Hours Audio on CD
- Completion Procedure –
- TBD
Level 4 – Youth Fitness Specialist
Attend IYCA International Headquarters for 3-day internship
- Topics Covered –
- Advanced Program Design
- Coaching with IYCA Staff
- Advanced Coaching and Communication
- How to Teach Level 1
- Materials –
- Level 4 textbook
- Completion Procedure –
- TBD
What are the prerequisites for the Youth Fitness Specialist Certification?
You must be a high school graduate and have a clean criminal background check. A clean background check means no felony or misdemeanor crimes in the last 7 years, and no child related offenses at any period. If you should have a misdemeanor on your screening results, you are allowed to make an appeal to the IYCA Standards Board.
Why do I need a background screening? How often? How do I pay for the screening?
Our highest priority, alongside providing a healthier lifestyle for our youth, is their safety. Therefore we feel in order to maintain an environment with the highest level of security, we must maintain certain standards for our applicants and members. For this reason, we require that a criminal background check be performed by our third party screening organization, Southeastern Security Consultants, Inc., www.ssci2000.com.
The background screening consent form, which you must submit along with your YFS Level 1 exam, gives your consent to IYCA to run a criminal background and National Sex Offender Registry check through a third-party screening company. You must pass this check to be issued credentials.
We have recently mandated that in order to maintain your certification, you must pass a background screening every 24 months. Currently, the IYCA arranges and pays for every incoming Level 1 screening. The follow up screening(s) will be the responsibility of the IYCA member, however, Southeastern Security Consultants is currently designing an online portal specifically for the IYCA members to handle this very simply. Also, a plan is in the works for background screening to be covered for those who are a part of the Gold Membership.
The IYCA will notify all members when they are due for a renewed background screening and will provide instruction regarding how and where to complete this requirement.
Do I have to attend a live seminar to get Level 1 certified?
You are certainly welcome to attend one of our certification seminars in order to get your Youth Fitness Level 1 Certification. However, the course is designed for home study, so seminar attendance is not mandatory. In certain instances, our seminars are privately conducted, or are not a certifying seminar. If you do plan to attend an event, please make absolutely certain that the event is appropriate for your interests.
Where can I purchase the Youth Fitness Specialist Level 1?
The YFS1 certificatin is available here:
Where can I purchase the Youth Fitness Specialist Level 2?
The YFS Level 2 certification is available here:
Please note that Level 2 is only available to those who have already passed the YFS Level 1 certification and have a current background screening on file.
Where can I purchase the Youth Fitness Specialist Level 3?
The YFS Level 3 certification is available here:
Please note that Level 3 is only available to those who have already passed the YFS Level 2 certification and have a current background screening on file.
Where can I find instructions for taking or submitting my exam(s)?
Instructions for exam submission can be found on the Submit Your Exam page
How long before I should expect my results for each level of certification?
For Level 1, when we receive your exam and background check we will send you email confirmation. From the time you receive your confirmation, you should receive your results by the end of the following business week. However, because we rely on a third party to process background checks, it is possible there could be a delay. You may always check the status of your information by emailing Support@IYCASupport.com.
For Level 2 you will also receive email confirmation of our receipt of your exam. Your results should be returned in 4-6 weeks, and will be delivered via email.
What events does the IYCA have coming up in the future?
You can access our upcoming events by going to the IYCA Events Page. Be sure and check our calendar often, as we are constantly updating the events.
How does the IYCA system apply to older athletes, such as those aged 18-21?
Obviously most athletes at that age will have already trained somewhat, but are still at risk of injury (mostly overuse), and are always looking for an edge or advantage that will take them to the next level.
Our system certainly applies to athletes of this age. Most athletes aged 18-21 are terribly weak in critical areas and generally lacking basic, fundamental skills associated with force production/absorption, lift technique and movement adequacy.
The IYCA system has been used to train countless professional, collegiate and Olympic athletes and the system doesn’t change for that demographic. It has taken years to identify ‘leaks’ in an athlete’s physicality (generally speaking) and these are seen across a wide spectrum of sports and ages.
What can I do about Liability Insurance for my business?
The IYCA is proud to announce its partnership with Fortner Insurance Agency, Inc., through which we are able to recommend affordable options to purchase insurance coverage. The IYCA and Fortner are thrilled to be able to offer this new service to all IYCA members.
Fortner offers personalized attention to your insurance needs. You will find the options available through this program but also have the ability to contact Fortner directly with any other insurance questions or needs. More information will be available shortly.
I would like to add the IYCA Logo to my website and/or marketing materials. How can I do this?
The IYCA has designed IYCA – Youth Fitness Specialist Level 1-4 logos for you to add to your marketing materials as you progress through the certification levels. Contact our Support Team at support@iycasupport.com and we will send the appropriate material to you.
In addition to the IYCA, are there other organizations from which I should seek credentials?
We have a tremendous amount of respect for all other educational entities within our industry. Your choice of certification will depend largely on the demographic you will be looking to serve once you enter this field.
Each certification body is different in terms of preparing professionals to work with different segments or populations. We pride ourselves on being the ‘Gold Standard’ with respect to training and working with children, youth and teenage participants and athletes.
Will my IYCA credentials be recognized or accepted by other nationally known and recognized certification programs/organizations even though IYCA certifications are not offered through those programs?
Unfortunately, we cannot determine whether or not other certification organizations recognize the IYCA credentials. We can say, however, that the IYCA is the only educational outfit in the entire fitness and sport training industry that works exclusively with the youth demographic.
We have taken great lengths to be sure that the IYCA has been branded and recognized as the ‘Gold Standard’ of educational entities within the youth and adolescent niche.
Our Advisory Committee members represent some of the most well known, credible and respected members of the fitness, sport, medical, therapeutic and research communities and include professionals such as Dr. John Berardi, Dr. Cynthia LaBella, Dr. Kwame Brown, Stephen Holt, Lee Taft and Dr. Darrell Burnett.
Additionally, the IYCA has created international partnerships and affiliations with several organizations within this industry in order to enhance our service offerings and extend our brand worldwide. These partnerships and affiliations include:
Chicago’s Children’s Memorial Hospital
Men’s Health
Sports in Action – Zambia
Millennium Institute of Sport and Health – New Zealand
Titleist
Perform Better
Club Industry
Why are your fax and phone numbers the same?
Our call center is designed to accept both phone calls and faxes simultaneously. So even if you try to send a fax and you hear the voicemail greeting, if you will let it continue to ring, the call center will recognize the fax tone and switch into fax mode.
How long is my certification valid? How do I obtain CEUs?
Your IYCA Certification is valid for two years (24 months). In order to stay current and not lose standing as an IYCA Certified Professional, you must amass 12 CEU credits within the 24 month period. You may review our CEU policy here.
The quickest and most efficient way of doing so is to complete another IYCA certification (Levels 2 or 3 as well as the Speed and Agility or Nutrition Specialist courses, for example).
We also offer short CEU-specific courses and they are worth 3 CEU credits apiece.