Are most top coaches USATF certified is it a big deal or about the$

I got certified probably 10 years ago. I use nothing from the certification in the coaching that I do now. I have both USATF Level 1 and 2 and one of the others that I can't remember. I don't think it really helps coaches, looks good on a coaching "resume" I suppose. The USATF Level 1 isn't specific to anything, I remember them talking about the Hammer throw (I am a distance coach) and I was wondering why I had to do this. I guess it could be good for coaches that have never coached before and give them something that gives them the confidence to start.

You need to be certified to have your coaches credential at a US championship or that sort of thing. Some places require you to be certified to be a coach. But does it actually teach you anything useful to get the certification? Probably not if you already know what you're doing, as anyone who's been doing it for a long time already knows what they're doing.

Agree. The hammer stuff was hilariously irrelevant for the entire class I was with (I think). I guess they wanted to cover every possible topic. And to be fair, I now know a little about the hammer. The instructors were good but its mostly a going through the motions kind of thing, L1 anyway. I already knew way more than they covered for d and mid-d and I still have little use for the other stuff since I don't coach hurdles etc.

I think it is useful depending on your situation. I think continuing education is important, so it's a good thing for young coaches to do. From what I've seen across multiple sports, many young coaches just repeat what they liked from their own experience as an athlete, and that doesn't always translate correctly. Having a standard/baseline of coaching practice is a good thing.

I also think USATF Level 1 is important specifically so that you are forced to learn about all events at a base level. I don't want to coach with somebody who isn't willing to get out of their comfort zone and learn new things.

Level 1 is good if you're going to coach high school, and you may need knowledge of all the events. Obviously you're not going to start coaching pole vault immediately afterwards, but it'll give you enough to work with novices in a lot of areas, and you'll at least understand better what's going on with the event groups. Also, the sprint stuff is actually very useful for distance coaching.

Level 2 is a different beast entirely. The endurance curriculum itself is pretty old school Vigil stuff (I believe he wrote it), but the real value is what happens outside of the core lectures. There are great Q&A sessions where the instructors talk about the kinds of problems that don't really have right answers, and you get to talk running with your classmates all week as well. This is the stuff that everyone seems to love about the Level 2. You will not agree with everything that you hear, but it will at least be useful food for thought. Also, the Level 2 doesn't expire like the Level 1.

Level 3 I haven't done, and it hasn't been offered in a while. Everything I've heard has been great, like it's the best parts of Level 2, only expanded.