After completing secondary school in Apeldoorn in 1983 Baar obtained his elementary school teaching certificate in Deventer in 1986. He then went on to study Sports, Human Movement and Health at the Department of Pedagogical and Educational Sciences at Utrecht University, and specialized in youth sport participation and sport dropout. Since his graduation in 1991, he has been a lecturer at this department. Baar teaches courses on (sport)pedagogical topics, prevention, education, socialization and youth policy. His current research focuses on peer aggression and victimization in Dutch elementary schools and sports clubs