Dr. Roch King

Academy Chair of Sports Coaching Dr. Roch King

United States Sports Academy Chair of Sports Coaching Dr. Roch King is teaching an advanced sports psychology course as part of the institution’s National Sports Coaching Program (NCSP) in Thailand.

This is the 14th consecutive year that the Academy has taught its international certification program to provide advanced sport education to prepare students in Thailand for careers in sport. The NCSP is part of the Academy’s agreement with the Sport Authority of Thailand (SAT) to provide post-secondary, non-degree programs in Bangkok designed to prepare people there for careers in coaching and related athletic professions.

The Academy teaches the International Certification in Sports Coaching (ICSC) program in Thailand, which includes a wide range of coaching and related administrative skills, and the International Certification in Sports Management (ICSM), a program that includes management topics such as sports event planning, marketing and public relations, and facilities.

Each year under the program approximately 100 students are drawn from the SAT and its affiliated sport organizations around the country to attend the certification programs — typically 50 for each certification. Following the conclusion of the classroom portion of the program in Bangkok, which is provided by Academy instructors, the SAT selects the best students from each program for a special study tour of sport in America.

Sports education cooperation between the Academy and Thailand goes back to the 1980s and the Academy and the SAT have a Memorandum of Understanding to work together in sports education and training through 2020.

King has an extensive background in coaching and teaching, having earned his Ph.D. in psycho-socio interactions in sport from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pa. He has been deeply involved with coach education and development as a faculty member at West Virginia University, Ball State University, and Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, in addition to previously serving as the chair of sports coaching at the Academy.

King served as the director of sport development for Indiana Swimming and oversaw the High-Performance Plan for club swimming throughout the state. He has coached swimming at all levels from age-group to masters including serving on the staff at Carmel Swim Club (CSC) and Carmel High School in Carmel, Ind. King has also held coaching certifications in volleyball and water polo.

King served a three-year term on the executive board of the National Council for the Accreditation of Coaching Education, during which he served one year as president (2006-2007). He has celebrated his 18th year as a senior trainer for the Positive Coaching Alliance for whom he has led live workshops for coaches, athletes, parents, and youth sport organization leaders across the country. King has presented on coaching and coach education internationally in countries such as the United Kingdom, Thailand, Malaysia, and Finland.