If you’re passionate about sports and are looking for a way to turn that into a career – studying sports therapy could be the right course for you.
Q Academy’s Diploma of Remedial Massage (Sports Therapy) Program is a highly practical course, with hands-on work placement and practice a big component. The course was developed to give students the best skill-set and qualifications to help them become valuable members of any sporting club, team, gym or private practice facility. Graduates of the program will have massage therapy skills, as a qualified Remedial Massage therapist, which would allow them to provide treatments to help with the recovery of athletes. They could also be involved in strength and athletic conditioning of athletes, as an ASCA Level 1 qualified Strength & Conditioning Coach. Or provide first aid support, taping, on-field support and much more with the SIS30813 Certificate III in Sports Trainer and Advanced First Aid qualifications.
While the program gives graduates the flexibility to have an exciting career spanning many industries, one of those in-demand skills is being able to provide a sports massage for athletes…
What is a sports massage therapist?
A sports massage therapist is trained to condition the muscles of athletes by means of specialised massage techniques. Sports massage therapists typically work with athletes who need help preparing their muscles for exercise, as well as with recovery and injury management.
Depending on the case, the role of a sports massage therapist may include running a sports team’s warm up and cool down and providing some training in the gym prior to events in order to reduce the risk of injury and enhance physical performance.
While a sports massage therapist does not perform the role of the team coach, they are trained to help with sports practices and to assist with any injuries that occur. Part of the training for sports massage includes taping and sports strapping, which can be very helpful in both injury prevention and injury management.
Because a sports massage therapist is qualified with advanced first aid, they also play a valuable role in dealing with accidents and injuries on the field.
Is sports massage beneficial?
For many athletes, sports massage is key to performing well, avoiding injury, and recovering from strenuous activity. A sports massage therapist is professionally trained to understand the body, and the way that the bones, joints and muscles function during exercise. For this reason, it can be very helpful to have a sports massage therapist available to teach strength, mobility and conditioning techniques as part of sports training.
Massage has a range of benefits, and a sports massage therapist will understand how to adjust remedial massage techniques to suit the needs of athletes. This will help to reduce the risk of injury, adequately prepare the athlete for their particular level of activity, improve overall performance, and perhaps most importantly, provide recovery strategies following events.
The techniques used in sports massage can be very helpful in relieving or preventing muscular pain, but there are also some psychological benefits to the practice.
Massage tends to induce relaxation and often helps to relieve stress and anxiety while boosting one’s mood and overall sense of wellbeing.
Where to get a sports massage
If you would like to experience sports massage for yourself before enrolling in a course, we encourage you to come to visit one of our professional student clinics. The clinics are a space in which our students can perfect and refine their skills while being supervised by a qualified course coach. To find out how to make a booking at one of our student clinics, take a look here.
How to become a sports massage therapist
At Q Academy, we offer a remedial sports therapy program, which is ideal for those who would like to start a career in sports and are eager to learn how the human body works. The course teaches you how to treat, train and rehabilitate athletes, and covers remedial and sports massage techniques, as well as injury management and advanced first aid.
To find out more about the course, please take a look here.
If you have a question about any of the courses that we offer, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.