How to go from a high school coach to College coach?

[ArcadiaPV]

I've been coaching five years now at the high school level. I've had quite a lot of success, but my goal is to be working with and coaching a higher caliber of athlete. I was curious how many of you became elite or college coaches and any advice you could pass on to me?

[rainbowgirl28]

It depends a lot on what your expectations are. Are you looking to be a volunteer coach at a local JC or a big time DI coach making a living off it?


If you want to be a big time DI coach, you need to have a masters and be willing to move anywhere in the country and generally they want you to have had experience as a college athlete. Oh yeah and know how to coach other field events. Being a female and/or a minority doesn't hurt either.

But really it's about being in the right place at the right time. California has loads of junior colleges. Contact the ones in your area and see if they need a volunteer vault coach.

If you can't get anything going next year, at least start a Club so you have experience working with athletes of different ages and talent levels.

[Barto]

Go volunteer at a school with a GREAT coach. Learn all you can and work hard doing all the grunt jobs that no one else wants to do. Doors will open up for you.

[baggettpv]

And the easiest way to do it is to have a friend thats the head coach and get them to hire you. I have applied at 25 Universities in 15 years and have never gotten through to the interview process. I have produced the NHS record holder for men and the JC National Record holder for women. They said I didn't have enough NCAA experience. So now I just stay in my building working with vaulters, jumpers and sprinters.

Rick Baggett