Education

Courses Overview

D course focuses on shooting technique

D Course

The D Course is an online programme designed specifically for rifle, pistol, and shotgun disciplines. Applicants apply through an  online application for the Academy to make their selection of participants. The Academy shares the list of participants with the respective national federations. As the selected participant pays the course fee they are in and gets access to the chosen course module when the course begins. 

The prerequisite for participation in the D course is the successful completion of WADA’s e-learning course ADEL for High-Performance Coaches. Coaches must register at https://adel.wada-ama.org/learn to complete the relevant module. Then, after finishing the course, they can download a certificate.

The D Course spans maximum 12 weeks and requires approximately four hours per week to complete the assigned tasks. Live online lectures will be conducted nearly every week, and recordings will be available for participants unable to attend the live sessions. Typically, we expect the participants to visit a shooting range at least once weekly. We will distribute and manage task within the learning group using the designated learning platform.

The introduction and first week of the D Course establish a foundation for participants in their selected discipline. Our approach integrates Olympic values to guide the behavior of a competent coach, with an emphasis on safety as the foremost priority. Therefore the curriculum also addresses anti-doping education and the prevention of harassment in all forms.

The core content of the D course focuses on shooting techniques, which are essential to a coach’s fundamental knowledge. Additionally, the education from the course includes supportive content on mental and physical training, among other relevant topics.

Participants are encouraged to evaluate the course regularly and provide feedback for its continuous improvement. Tools to activate the real-time discussions among the participants will be used. Upon successful completion, participants will receive the ISSF Academy Coach D Certificate.

The parashooting component for shooting techniques will be available in October 2025.

Price:

€590 (incl. VAT)

C Course

The C Course spans the maximum of 12 weeks and requires approximately five hours per week to complete the assigned tasks. The curriculum includes live online lectures, recorded lectures, and seminars. The Academy provides supplementary reading materials to support the tasks assigned throughout the course. Some tasks will involve collaboration among participants using the learning platform.

The main content of the education in the C course focuses on sport science as it pertains to shooting. Thus the topics covered include sport psychology, mental and physical training, theory and practice of skill learning, nutrition, sleep, life balance, and coaching behaviour. Participants will also explore their own development as coaches through the course.
Additionally, in-depth exploration of shooting techniques and training programming is a key component of the C Course, with the aim of fostering a comprehensive understanding of shooting performance.

An integral part of the learning process is the Individual Development Plan. We expect each participant to produce the plan during to course to enhance the learning experience. Moreover, participants will provide regular evaluations of the course and offer feedback to help refine and improve the program. Consequently, upon successful completion the 
participants will receive the ISSF Academy Coach C Certificate.

Note! D course must be completed before C course begins. 

Price:

€590 (incl. VAT)

Coach education and skills are behind an athlete's success

B Course

The B Course is a hybrid course, and it utilizes our designated online learning platform while also including a one-week in-person session. The main theme is how to create a professional training environment for athletes. During the six-week online phase, the coach will do a self-study on some scientific papers. Additionally, the Academy will collect a 360-degree Deep Coach feedback.

The first B Course begins on 21st July with the online phase, to be continued with the contact phase starting on 1st September in Finland, Kisakallio Sport Institute. The number of participants has been set to 20 each discipline. The second B Course will be held in September-November 2025, if there are enough participants.

A crucial prerequisite for acceptance into the B Course is that the participant must be actively practicing coaching following completion of the C Course. This is a mandatory condition for access to the B Course, with a valid ISSF License (minimum C). The participant must have a recommendation from their Federation to do the course.

Upon completion of the B Course, participants willing to continue to A level will select a research topic, which must be approved by the Academy. The research paper will subsequently become one of the requirements for admission to the A Course.

Note: the course fee is all inclusive except for the flights to and from Finland, with twin room accommodation at Kisakallio.

Price:

€2900 (incl. VAT)

Education and training pay off at ISSF World Cup

A Course

The A Course is a hybrid course. The online phase will last 10-26 weeks before the six-day contact phase, depending on eg. the research topic confirmation. The main emphasis is on competition performance, especially shooting in the finals. We concentrate on winning – training coaches in such a way that athletes achieve significant final placements and victories in competitions. For this reason, the contact phase will be held in conjunction with World Cup Finals. For each discipline, 10 participants will be selected to join each course. ISSF Academy is making selections on a continuous basis and contacting the coaches when selected to start the study. 

Each participant will prepare a study paper during the online phase. The topic of the paper shall be approved by the Academy research staff. During the contact phase, the papers shall be presented and evaluated. The ISSF Academy Research Library will be open  for the participants for due reason.

The first A Course contact phase was held in Doha, Qatar in December 2025. 

A critical requirement for acceptance into the A Course is that the applicant must hold an ISSF B License and be actively involved in coaching duties, aiming to secure a position as an Olympic shooting coach. Additionally, those who successfully complete the course will have the opportunity to become a coach at the ISSF Academy.

Price:

€3200 (incl. VAT)

Air rifle shooter

Air Rifle course for athletes

The Air rifle course is an online course aimed at a global audience, offering an advanced level of skills and knowledge for ISSF shooting athletes. The Air Rifle course focuses on shooting techniques in the Air Rifle discipline. The course will cover all the main technical areas of air rifle and an introduction to sports training and other areas necessary for the athlete. These topics include:

– Safety, Anti-Doping, History

– Technique Air Rifle and Standing

– Preparation for competitions

– Introduction to sport training

– Introduction to sport psychology and mental training

– Introduction to anatomy, physiology and physical training

After the course, the athlete will be able to improve the quality of sport preparation and as consequence the shooting results. Only daily practice will transfer theoretical knowledge to real skills. Questions will arise along the way. The courses create a very useful and supportive network of professionals and friends.

The total course length will be 4 weeks. Each week consists of two parts of lecture and simple assignments after the lectures. The one-day lectures will take 2 hours with a short break. The total weekly workload for a student is 3 – 4 hours.

Price:

€163.15 (incl. VAT)

Small-bore Rifle course for athletes

The Small-bore Rifle course is an online course aimed at a global audience, offering a high level of skills and knowledge for ISSF shooting athletes. The Small-bore Rifle course focuses on shooting techniques in the 50m Rifle discipline. The course will cover all the main technical areas of small-bore rifle and an introduction to sports training and other areas necessary for the athlete. These topics include:

– Safety, Anti-Doping

– Technique Small-bore Rifle, Prone, Kneeling and Standing

– Preparation to understand the correct technique in 3 positions at 50 m

– Introduction to sport training

– Introduction to sport psychology and mental training

– Introduction to anatomy, physiology and physical training

– Introduction to preparation for competitions

It is our recommendation that the shooter takes the Air rifle course first as the small bore course builds on the learnings from it.

After the course, the athlete will be able to improve the quality of sport preparation and as consequence the shooting results. Only daily practice will transfer theoretical knowledge to real skills. Questions will arise along the way. It is very useful that the courses create a supportive network of professionals and friends.

Price:

€251 (incl. VAT)