Since our inception, the National Ninja League has been working hard setting standards and regulations to protect athletes, coaches, and facilities. Our Coaching Certification is another step towards ninja becoming recognized as an official sport. Effective immediately, all persons on the competition floor other than the athlete currently competing in their specific course run will be required to become a Certified Coach.
Our certification process includes a background check, abuse prevention training, and training on our rules and policies. We believe the certification process will help prevent abuse in the community. The training will also set the framework for the standards and policies the industry needs. As the sport continues to grow it is important there is a clear standard for what is expected of athletes and coaches.
Below are some frequently asked questions on our certification program.
Who needs to take the Coaching Certification?
Any person planning to be on the competition floor that is not an athlete currently competing in their specific course run needs to be certified as a coach.
Why do I need to become certified?
Certifying coaches is a practice common in all fully developed sports to unify the community and train members on one unified ruleset. Our goal of taking ninja to the Olympics starts by building our sport from the ground up. Our program helps the community know our coaches are reputable members of society through extensive background checks. The certification process also trains coaches on how to recognize and prevent potential abuse in the community. Finally, the certification helps improve the experience of athletes, coaches and administrators by training everyone on our rules, policies and organization.
How long does it take to become certified?
The Coaching Certification has three components: NNL Exam, Abuse Prevention Training and Background Check. It will take coaches a few hours to go through all of our training materials and take the NNL Exam. The abuse prevention training is approximately 3 hours. Background checks can take anywhere from a few days to over a month.
Why was my verification code rejected?
The system will reject a verification code if the code has already been used or the code is not a valid verification code. If you are having trouble submitting your exam, please email us at info@nationalninja.com.
How will facilities know I am certified?
There are three ways for facilities to confirm coaches are certified. The main way facilities will likely utilize is the following:
In the event, a coach cannot access their online profile for some reason (phone died, poor connection, etc) facilities can also verify Certified Coaches by either of the following methods:
Does a “chalk person” need to be certified?
Yes, any person on the floor other than the athlete currently running the course needs a certification to be there.
Can youth athletes be coaches for other athletes in the youth division?
Yes! We understand that not all of our floor coaches are over 18. Coaches under 18 will still be required to go through our certification process.
Can adult/masters/elite athletes be coaches for other athletes in the adult/masters/elite divisions?
Yes! However, if they plan to be on the competition floor, they need to be an NNL Certified Coach.
I have previously passed a background check for (work, school, other). Will the NNL accept a previous background check?
No, the NNL cannot accept previous background checks. All background checks need to be run through the NNL.
*If you represent a ninja facility that runs background checks on employees and you are interested in running background checks through our Coach Certification process please contact us at info@nationalninja.com
How often will I need to renew the NNL portion of my certification?
We require our coaches to renew their certifications every year to stay up to date with the leagues current rules. A renewal certification code can be purchased for $5. The fee covers administrative expenses such as web hosting, api calls and devlopment costs.
How often will I need to renew the my abuse prevention training?
Abuse Prevention Training and background checks completed during Season VI will remain valid for Season VII.
Our certification process includes a background check, abuse prevention training, and training on our rules and policies. We believe the certification process will help prevent abuse in the community. The training will also set the framework for the standards and policies the industry needs. As the sport continues to grow it is important there is a clear standard for what is expected of athletes and coaches.
Below are some frequently asked questions on our certification program.
Who needs to take the Coaching Certification?
Any person planning to be on the competition floor that is not an athlete currently competing in their specific course run needs to be certified as a coach.
Why do I need to become certified?
Certifying coaches is a practice common in all fully developed sports to unify the community and train members on one unified ruleset. Our goal of taking ninja to the Olympics starts by building our sport from the ground up. Our program helps the community know our coaches are reputable members of society through extensive background checks. The certification process also trains coaches on how to recognize and prevent potential abuse in the community. Finally, the certification helps improve the experience of athletes, coaches and administrators by training everyone on our rules, policies and organization.
How long does it take to become certified?
The Coaching Certification has three components: NNL Exam, Abuse Prevention Training and Background Check. It will take coaches a few hours to go through all of our training materials and take the NNL Exam. The abuse prevention training is approximately 3 hours. Background checks can take anywhere from a few days to over a month.
Why was my verification code rejected?
The system will reject a verification code if the code has already been used or the code is not a valid verification code. If you are having trouble submitting your exam, please email us at info@nationalninja.com.
How will facilities know I am certified?
There are three ways for facilities to confirm coaches are certified. The main way facilities will likely utilize is the following:
- Coaches will have access to an online NinjaWorks profile. Coaches will be expected to share this profile when entering the competition floor
In the event, a coach cannot access their online profile for some reason (phone died, poor connection, etc) facilities can also verify Certified Coaches by either of the following methods:
- Coaches will receive a PDF certificate. They can print or display this PDF as proof of certification.
- Facilities will have access to a database of Certified Coaches through NinjaWorks. Facilities can search the database to find all coaches that are currently certified.
Does a “chalk person” need to be certified?
Yes, any person on the floor other than the athlete currently running the course needs a certification to be there.
Can youth athletes be coaches for other athletes in the youth division?
Yes! We understand that not all of our floor coaches are over 18. Coaches under 18 will still be required to go through our certification process.
Can adult/masters/elite athletes be coaches for other athletes in the adult/masters/elite divisions?
Yes! However, if they plan to be on the competition floor, they need to be an NNL Certified Coach.
I have previously passed a background check for (work, school, other). Will the NNL accept a previous background check?
No, the NNL cannot accept previous background checks. All background checks need to be run through the NNL.
*If you represent a ninja facility that runs background checks on employees and you are interested in running background checks through our Coach Certification process please contact us at info@nationalninja.com
How often will I need to renew the NNL portion of my certification?
We require our coaches to renew their certifications every year to stay up to date with the leagues current rules. A renewal certification code can be purchased for $5. The fee covers administrative expenses such as web hosting, api calls and devlopment costs.
How often will I need to renew the my abuse prevention training?
Abuse Prevention Training and background checks completed during Season VI will remain valid for Season VII.
