1. Government Recognised Accreditation.  
   

The Australian Coaching Council introduced the National Coaching Accreditation Scheme (NCAS) to regulate instructors /coaches of sporting bodies such as the martial arts. In the case of Tai Chi this is via membership to the authorised body: the Kung Fu Wushu Australia (KWA) which is responsible for running the only official Australian Tai Chi Instructor Accreditation course. (NCAS).

The Australian Sports Commission through its subsidiary the Aust. Coaching Council (ACC) introduced the NCAS to provide for "accreditation" of sports- including martial arts/tai chi - teachers to ensure professional updating, client -safe environments ,and ‘classes’ that were conducted ethically, lawfully and with respect to best business practice. The NCAS is therefore a regulatory program which provides regulated instructors.

The Accreditation Course is not a coaching course in Tai Chi forms as with the other programs available. It is a specification of pre-requisites which allow application for participation in an accreditation workshop/seminar. This  workshop covers coaching/teaching /instructing (all interchangeable)  methods, business considerations and risk management processes with a Chinese WuShu (martial Arts- including Tai Chi) emphasis. Following the workshop there is a workbook / computer interactive to fill out on coaching methods/processes and also a video to submit of your class in process.

The pre-requisite for course entry is 5 years of Tai Chi study under suitably qualified instructor/s who vouch/s that you have obtained the necessary skill for teaching purposes. Where there is no teacher to sign off the Sports Specific (Tai Chi ) component for you, you would need to submit that you were the most senior (experienced) in your group with support evidence of the forms you've learned, the amount of training you have had and the teachers who have provided this.

A minimum of 1 year teaching experience as an assistant is also necessary and can be undertaken within the 5 year period or after the accreditation course, but the certificate would be withheld until both requirements are finalised.

NCAS Accreditation needs updating every 4 years and insurance is increasingly dependant on currency of accreditation, which is invalidated if membership with KWA lapses. ALL TCAA members are associate members of KWA and do not need to take out separate memberships in order to become accredited. Updating consists of attending the workshop as previously, to pick up any newly available information.

Risk minimisation strategies are the current focus. You can access KWA website http://kungfuwushuaustralia.com/accreditation_dates.php for further info.

1. Health and Fitness Accreditation

Various health and fitness schools and organisation provide accreditation for the teaching of their specific health and fitness program. These accreditations do not provide Government recognition as in the NCAS system and definite not in the martial art, but are recognition of being qualified teachers within their specific system.

Examples are FITNESSNSW, Dr Paul Lam’s Tai Chi for Arthritis/Diabetes and related courses.