international youth conditioning association

What international youth conditioning association does

International Youth Conditioning Association (IYCA), founded in 2008 and headquartered in Plymouth, Michigan, is a privately-held certification and education organization focused exclusively on youth fitness and sports performance coaching. It sells professional certifications (Certified Athletic Development Specialist, Certified High School Strength & Conditioning Specialist, Certified Speed & Agility Specialist, Athletic Assessment Certification), structured courses (Long-Term Athlete Development Roadmap, NeuroTraining, Sport Coach Essentials), and a recurring IYCA Insiders membership that bundles ongoing programs, coaching videos, done-for-you templates, and a private Facebook community. The company also runs live, in-person certification events as a higher-priced, hands-on delivery channel.

IYCA's core technology is a digital learning and e-commerce platform that delivers all products, certifications, and courses online through its store and member portal, with no physical materials shipped. The proprietary content layer is built around the Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) framework, the Performance Pyramid, and a content library including 120+ exercise videos, programming templates segmented by age, and a certification assessment process that includes a criminal background check and exams. Distribution is entirely direct-to-consumer via the company's own website, email newsletter, blog, and social channels (Facebook, X, YouTube, Instagram), with live events as a complementary channel.

The business model is a hybrid of one-time certification/licenses and a monthly/annual subscription (Insiders at $19/mo or $199.95/yr after a 14-day free trial), with live events priced at $300-$400. Primary customer segments are youth sports and fitness coaches and parents of young athletes, with secondary segments including fitness facility operators, high school strength coaches, and physical education teachers. Since founding, IYCA has certified 3,200+ coaches globally and claims its certified coaches have positively impacted 1,738,550 athletes, with a stated goal of reaching 2 million athletes by 2030. The organization is founder-led (Jim Kielbaso, President) and has operated without external funding or parent company ownership.

Name

international youth conditioning association

Legal name

International Youth Conditioning Association

Website

https://iyca.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Short description

IYCA is a privately-held certification and education organization founded in 2008 that provides youth-specific fitness and sports performance certifications, courses, and a subscription membership to coaches, parents, and facility operators worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Fitness Coaching Certification

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Athlete Development & Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) (HSADAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Strength & Conditioning / Athletic Performance Training (HSADAEAB), Group Fitness, Personal Training & Wellness Coaching (EDALAIAE), Strength & Conditioning Personal Training (HSADAAAB)

Keywords

• Youth fitness certification
• Athletic development training
• Sports performance education
• Youth coaching programs
• Strength conditioning courses

Headquarters

HQ city

Plymouth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Certification Programs: IYCA offers multiple certification programs for coaches including Certified Athletic Development Specialist (CADS), High School Strength & Conditioning Specialist, Speed & Agility Specialist, and others. These are one-time purchase digital certifications delivered online with lifetime access.
2. IYCA Insiders Membership: Monthly or annual subscription membership providing access to training programs, coaching videos, done-for-you programs, private community, and exclusive expert content. Monthly at $19 with 14-day free trial; annual at $199.95.
3. Live Certification Events: In-person live certification events featuring hands-on learning, presentations, and assessments. Example: IYCA Strength & Conditioning Coach Level 1 event priced at $300 before January 24th, $400 after.
4. LTAD Course Sales: The Long Term Athlete Development Roadmap course sold as a digital product for $199 with 60-day money-back guarantee.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

IYCA (International Youth Conditioning Association) sells online certifications, structured courses, and a recurring membership (IYCA Insiders) that train youth fitness, strength and conditioning, and sports performance coaches in Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) methods. Offerings include gold-standard certifications such as the Certified Athletic Development Specialist (CADS), High School Strength & Conditioning Specialist, Speed & Agility Specialist, Athletic Assessment Certification, the LTAD Roadmap course, NeuroTraining, and live in-person certification events. All products are delivered digitally through the IYCA store and member portal, with the membership adding community, done-for-you programming, and expert content.

Product overview

IYCA (International Youth Conditioning Association) is a certification-based educational organization offering a comprehensive portfolio of certifications, courses, and membership programs for youth fitness and sports performance coaches. The core offerings include professional certifications (Certified Athletic Development Specialist, High School Strength & Conditioning Specialist, Speed & Agility Specialist, and live events like the Strength & Conditioning Coach Level 1), structured courses (Long Term Athlete Development Roadmap, NeuroTraining, Sport Coach Essentials), and a premium IYCA Insiders membership providing ongoing resources, done-for-you programs, coaching videos, and a private community. All products are delivered digitally through the IYCA Store and member portal, with physical materials no longer shipped. The organization also provides free educational content through its blog and newsletter.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Certified Athletic Development Specialist (CADS) Gold-standard digital certification for coaches working with athletes ages 6-18, covering athletic development principles and age-appropriate training methods, delivered online with lifetime access.
• Certified High School Strength & Conditioning Specialist Digital certification developed with industry experts for strength and conditioning coaches working with high school athletes, delivered online.
• Certified Speed & Agility Specialist Digital certification focused on speed development and agility training methodologies for youth athletes.
• Athletic Assessment Certification Digital certification for assessing athletic performance characteristics in youth athletes.
• IYCA Strength & Conditioning Coach Level 1 (Live Event)

Quantifiable outcome

• Athletes trained by IYCA-certified coaches show 70-93% lower injury rates than single-sport specialized athletes, according to Loyola University study cited on the website
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• EXOS: EXOS (formerly Athletes' Performance) is an established athlete-development company that runs youth performance programs, employs coaches, and produces training content — overlapping with IYCA's youth athlete development mission at the institutional/facility level.
• ACE (American Council on Exercise): ACE is a mass-market fitness certification organization whose CPT and specialty credentials (including youth-oriented content) compete for the same coach wallet as IYCA, but at much larger scale and broader positioning.
• NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine): NASM is one of the largest general fitness certification bodies (CPT, PES, CNC) with broader scope than IYCA but overlapping buyer base of personal trainers and coaches, including youth-facing certifications — a credible competitor if it expands dedicated youth programming.

Emerging players

• The Ready State (formerly MobilityWOD): The Ready State sells a content-rich online certification (Kinstretch) plus subscription education for coaches and practitioners — a direct comparable to IYCA's combination of a proprietary methodology certification and a recurring content membership.
• Girls Gone Strong: Girls Gone Strong is a smaller, content-driven coaching education brand offering certifications and continuous education to a specialized segment of fitness professionals — mirroring IYCA's niche-certification-plus-community model but targeted at women's coaching rather than youth.

Direct peers

• Functional Range Conditioning (FRC): FRC is a niche, content-led certification company built around a proprietary methodology (FRCms, FRA) sold to coaches via courses and live events — closely comparable to IYCA's LTAD framework, certification stack, and event-driven GTM motion.
• Precision Nutrition: Precision Nutrition is a coaching-education platform selling high-priced certifications and a subscription (Precision Nutrition Master Class) to fitness professionals — directly mirroring IYCA Insiders' subscription-plus-certification DTC model with a strong content/expert brand.
• USA Weightlifting (USAW): USAW is the U.S. national governing body that monetizes coaching education through sport-specific certification courses and live events — a model very similar to IYCA's certification-plus-event structure, including youth-focused coach pathways.
• National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA): NSCA is the largest dedicated strength and conditioning certification body (CSCS, CSPS) and directly overlaps with IYCA's CADS, High School S&C Specialist, and Level 1 live certification offerings. Same buyer (coaches), same core competency (S&C coaching credentials), but NSCA serves adult athletes primarily while IYCA owns the youth niche.
• Titleist Performance Institute (TPI): TPI pioneered the sport-specific coaching certification category in golf with a content framework, expert-authored courses, and a global certified-coach network — structurally identical to IYCA's youth-athletic-development certification model and proof of niche certification economics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IYCA
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/TheIYCA
• Facebookfacebook.com/InternationalYouthConditioningAssociation
• Instagraminstagram.com/officialiyca
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-youth-fitness

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about international youth conditioning association