Sports Conditioning

The much anticipated summer of sport has finally arrived. Truth be told, the summer aspect has thus far let us down, but the sporting excellence that has been demonstrated at Euro 2012 has certainly not. With Wimbledon and the Tour de France on the horizon, climaxing with the hugely exciting Olympic Games, this summer promises to be spectacular.

Observing the physical prowess of some of the greatest athletes on the planet is inspiring, however the work and support that goes into training to this level is substantial. Whilst many of Team GB’s finest will have gained substantial financial and technical support, there lies beneath a hot bed of talent that haven’t quite found the level in which to compete on an international stage but nonetheless require expertise from both conditioning and technical coaches.

This is where a qualified fitness practitioner comes in. The technical aspect is the focus of coaches who have played that sport and have developed the required coaching qualifications. However, the conditioning part is an open field to any trainer who has knowledge of how to devise and execute an effective training programme to enhance sporting performance. For personal trainers the opportunity is there to undertake this role. Simply put, gaining a sports conditioning certificate will provide the basis for a whole new client base and even a new career direction.

Analysing movements

The Sports Conditioning course provides students with an opportunity to build upon their current knowledge of training programmes but with an application to a sporting setting. The course looks at motor skill and power development, with particular reference to how they can improve specific sporting movements. It is in fact this area of the course that students often find most taxing. With a wide and varied knowledge of developing gym programmes, the requirement to break down dynamic sporting motions into their fitness component requirements has proved to be an area which many find challenging. This is unquestionably the major factor which helps to separate a sports conditioner from a trainer in a practical setting. Over the duration of the course and through the case study, students hone these skills to form a very usable basis from which they can actively pursue this line of work.

The theory aspect aside, the course itself is very practical. Once movement patterns are established, the onus is on the student to formulate a training programme which helps to improve the sporting performance. The only way to test if this is going to work is to have a go. So across the training days, students will undergo a variety of training drills with the aims wide and varied. One session may have the aim of improving a tennis serve, quickly followed by another which is focused on generating more power to help push a rugby scrum.

New markets

Upon completion of the Sports Conditioning course, students can not only market themselves to sports clubs to offer conditioning sessions, but they will be fantastically prepared to offer specific conditioning sessions for clients who have a particular sporting hobby. Within initial consultations with new clients, it is common when discussing their exercise history for a particular sport to have been a favoured pastime. This is often followed up with ‘but that was when I was fitter’. Well, what better selling point for a trainer than to be able to say that you can get them back to a fitness whereby they can return to a sport they used to love. That promise may well be the reason that they choose you over a fellow personal trainer. Developing a larger client base and developing more diverse employment opportunities make completing the Sports Conditioning course a sure-fire winner for all instructors.

YMCAfit’s Sports Conditioning course is available for all Level 2 qualified gym instructors. The course also forms part of the Advanced Diploma in Personal Training. For more information on the course, or to book, contact bookings@ymcafit.org.uk or call 020 7343 1850.