Personal sports trainers are motivators, teachers and supporters of athletes of all ability levels. If you are considering a career as a trainer, you may be interested to know that the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects fitness careers in general to grow by 29 percent between 2008 and 2018. Honing your training skills in the area of a few popular sports can increase your demand as a trainer.
Responsibilities
As a personal sports trainer, your primary responsibility is to guide your clients to their athletic goals. Your clients will be looking to improve their performance in a particular sport. Your job is to assess the likelihood of their specific goals and make a detailed plan with your client to reach those goals. You will then support your client through agreed upon training sessions and correspondence, making sure that the plan is followed effectively and altering it as needed.
Benefits
Personal sports trainers generally have flexible schedules and can take on as many or as few clients as they choose at any given time. If you are passionate about a particular sport and specialize in it, work becomes more like play as you are immersed in your sport every day. Many trainers also find that in improving the performance of their athletes, they improve their own performance as well, finding motivation from those they are motivating.
Challenges
Clients of personal sports trainers can vary in ability level, fitness level, age and personality, so being adaptable and flexible is a must for trainers. Your athletes will often be looking to you for answers and guarantees, which can be difficult if you are working with clients who are easily discouraged or injury plagued. Being realistic and clear about your mutual objectives in training can eliminate unreasonable expectations and make for a more productive partnership.
Training
Your clients will look to you as an expert in their area of interest, so having proper training in your chosen sport as well as safety training is imperative. The American Council on Exercise (ACE) and the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) are widely respected as personal training certifiers, and both have continuing education courses available in many specific sports once you have basic certification. Both organizations are among the list of accredited certifiers by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), which means they meet a certain standard of excellence in educating their trainers. First Aid and CPR certifications are also necessary for emergencies, and most training certifications will not be granted until you obtain proper safety training.
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