Not only do they govern S&C within the UK, but they are globally recognised as world leaders within the field. A UKSCA-recognised qualification is the gold standard within S&C.
We worked with Kevin Paxton the First Team Athletic Development Officer for Leicester City Football Club to highlight the importance of a UKSCA S&C Course.
You can also find more information on this below from our PT specialist Mark Laws.
If you are not already aware of the UKSCA, they are the UK Strength and Conditioning Association.
Not only do they govern S&C within the UK, but they are globally recognised as world leaders within the field. A UKSCA-recognised qualification is a gold standard within S&C.
Quite simply, that is the most apparent reason anyone should look to invest in a qualification recognised by the UKSCA over one that isn’t. You are buying into the leading authority in the field, which will continue to set practitioners apart from each other.
The full UKSCA accreditation (which is needed if you want to lead an S&C team within a professional sports team/organisation) is not easy to obtain, nor is it necessary for those preferring to work as a personal trainer rather than as an S&C coach within a professional sporting environment.
However, the S&C trainer qualification is the perfect steppingstone for several reasons:
If you have a BSc or MSc in Strength and Conditioning (or Sports Science) then that isn’t a problem, but you certainly do not have to have ANY academic qualifications to become an S&C trainer. In fact, the only prerequisite is that you need to be 16 years of age or older.
The S&C trainer qualification will provide you with all the evidence-based material that you need to know, whilst focussing heavily on your ability to deliver practical sessions in an engaging manner.
This is certainly a more vocational approach that is far more concerned with your ability to coach athletes to improve their ability to perform within any sport rather than how many letters you already have after your name.
The end result is that a qualified S&C trainer absolutely 100% CAN work within an elite sporting environment – at any level. Yes, you read that correctly. Premier League football, Premiership Rugby, First Class Cricket, the Olympics, etcetera.
Name a sport, think of a team or organisation that works with the best athletes in the world for that sport, and an S&C trainer can operate at that level.
All professional environments will have a UKSCA-accredited coach in charge of their S&C provisions, and an S&C trainer can work under their guidance with the title of ‘Assistant S&C coach’.
Previously, any S&C role within the elite sport that has been advertised (either paid or voluntary roles) would all require “full UKSCA accreditation or the ability to obtain it within six months” but moving forwards, there will be junior roles that require an S&C trainer qualification and senior positions that require Accredited S&C coach status.
This means that there will be full-time and part-time (paid and voluntary) roles being advertised specifically requesting candidates with an S&C trainer qualification.
Of course, there is no rule saying that you have to work in an elite sport. If you are happy operating as a personal trainer with clients who are not professional or aspiring athletes, then that is absolutely fine. But by adding the S&C trainer qualification to your skillset not only will you be able to help your current clients to progress even more effectively, but you will also open yourself up to a whole range of new potential clients who might have more specific sporting/athletic goals rather than generic ones.
Adding more strings to your bow is no bad idea, especially when it enhances your results, improves your retention, increases your lead generation, and potentially makes you more money.
Speaking of making more money, there will be many opportunities that you can create for yourself after obtaining the S&C trainer qualification. Working with professional athletes is a dream for many people but understanding how to develop younger or amateur athletes is a far larger market.
Wherever you live there will be primary schools, secondary schools, colleges, universities, grassroots clubs/teams, amateur clubs/teams, and semi-professional clubs/teams nearby.
Anyone who participates in sports enjoys performing as well as they can and hopefully winning. A qualified S&C trainer will be equipped with the tools to enhance performance, which in turn can increase enjoyment and improve the chances of winning. This means that there are financial opportunities abound if you know where to look.
This is a point that cannot be overstated. There are many S&C qualifications and courses on the market. Some with decent content. None with UKSCA approval, other than S&C trainer.
In conclusion, whether you would like to one day gravitate from personal training to working full time in professional sport, split your time between PT and S&C, or remain a PT forever but with a much broader skillset and larger earning potential than the UKSCA recognised S&C trainer qualification from Future Fit Training may well be perfect for you