Concussion Protocol Training & Athlete Protection Training
Concussion Protocol Training -
This requirement is new for all coaches and officials in 2020. USA Swimming will now require all coaches and officials complete Concussion Protocol Training by January 1, 2020.
- Courses from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), as well as individual states’ required courses will satisfy the USA Swimming requirement. Therefore, if you are a high school coach, you may have already completed the NFHS training.
- For USA Swimming membership, coaches and officials must successfully complete concussion and head injury education at least once. Courses may be accessed at
- This requirement is necessary to avoid personal liability for concussion/head strike incidents, ensuring our insurers will continue to provide liability insurance protection to USA Swimming, coaches, officials and clubs. Please direct questions about Concussion Protocol Training to George Ward at gward@usaswimming.org.
In response to member feedback, beginning September 1, 2019, you may notice the next time you log in that the three courses of the Athlete Protection Training have been streamlined into one. The training course continues to be produced by the U.S. Center for SafeSport and must be completed annually with a renewal date one year from the completion date. All adult athlete and non-athlete members must complete this training. This includes coaches, officials, Junior Coaches and anyone authorized to have regular contact with or authority over a minor athlete. Please direct questions about the Athlete Protection Training to learn@usaswimming.org. Please note: The APT used to be renewed every 2 years, and everyone expired 12/31. When USA Swimming transitioned to the U.S. Center for SafeSport course content in February, 2019 to comply with a federal mandate, they affirmed that existing expirations for our non-athlete members would be honored, and the next time they took the APT, they would adopt the new annual rules. If your APT was completed just prior to the conversion to annual renewal, your APT expiration date may extend longer than a year.