How to thrive and build a successful career as a sports massage therapist; Keep moving, stay match fit and build momentum through progression.

We should start by saying that there has never been a more important time or a greater need for the work we do. We can make a real change in people’s lives through proper assessment and soft tissue therapy. There has also never been a more exciting time for the sports massage industry. Visibility and understanding of working with fascia and the benefit of having soft tissue therapy to improve our health and wellbeing is no longer reserved for those involved in sport.   

When asked how to thrive in this industry we landed on the idea of progression. When do we make the decision to progress and what should our progression look like.

Progression can be defined as advancing or moving forward in a particular direction. In general, progression is associated with improvement, growth, and development. Progression may occur in various aspects of life, such as personal, academic, professional, and social. How we thrive and flourish as a therapist, which direction we take and how we reach our goals will look different for every therapist.

As a training provider we recognise the need for a more “wholistic” approach to how we support therapists in their progression. We are uniquely placed in the complementary health and sport industry to welcome new and exiting ways of challenging how we progress and what pathway we take along this journey.

If we take the idea of progression being personal, academic, professional, and social it can lead us nicely down the many different paths available to therapists.

For instance, in personal development, progression may involve setting and achieving goals, learning new skills, trying new experiences, and developing positive habits. In academic progression, it may involve advancing through the various levels of Sports Massage training. In professional progression, it may involve exploring different ways of working by acquiring new skills or researching in greater depth. In social progression, it may involve promoting inclusion by challenging old biases, sharing our knowledge and working with and alongside other professionals rather than viewing others as competition.

We love this model of progression for our community of therapists. Our career should enable us to progress personally, academically, professionally, and socially.

Personal progression

On a personal level we encourage therapists to move forward and follow passions. What lights that fire in you, what drives you forward? There will be times in every career that challenge you and knowing this reason ‘why’ is vital in motivating you, moving you forward and keeping your momentum. Once you understand why you need to progress you also need to know ‘what’ you need to do to get to where you want to be. This is how we thrive.

As a training provider we made the decision to offer the three levels of Sports Massage qualification; level 3, Level 4 and Level 5. We like the choice this gives our therapists to step into each new level at a time when the progression is right and build confidence between. We like the analogy of staying match fit in the sense of progression taking continual, steady dedication, effort, and a willingness to learn and change.

The first step into the industry is to gain a Level 3 Diploma in Sports Massage. We like to think of qualification in Level 3 Sports Massage Diploma as ‘getting your wings’ you are ready to fly. Taking this leap transforms you into a professional therapist and often sees you promoted to self-employed business owner for the first time. This is a space that we like to stay connected with our therapists and provide support and mentoring throughout this progression.

At this stage, progression in your journey looks like repetition. It is important to gain experience and treat a variety of people and a variety of conditions; the very best way to grow your confidence is through repetition!   

Ensure your practice is excellent, your underpinning of anatomy and physiology is in place, and you are building confidence working with people and honing hand skills. Nothing will aid your progression better than repetition at this point. 

But what next?

Academic progression

You’ve gained experience after qualifying at Level 3 and may find yourself in a position where the following three things are beginning to ring true for you:

• Your treatments are relieving but not resolving and you are seeing clients return with recurring issues
• You may find you are left with more questions than you have answers for during your treatments
• You may find that you are left in a place where you are simply chasing the pain rather being able to pinpoint the root cause of the issue

In these cases progression is quite simply upwards academically onto the next level of Sports Massage qualification. Level 4 unlocks greater assessment and more advanced massage techniques to not only make treatments more effective and efficient but also to enable you to really interrogate what’s happening for your client.

So what does Level 4 unlock for you?

• Postural assessment to a higher plane. Guiding you to read the body and be able to pinpoint the origin of dysfunction. Being able to notice curvature in the spine, rotation in the pelvis and additionally how the body is compensating for issues held in different areas. If we have an injury where will that radiate out to and cause secondary issues throughout the body.
• A deeper understanding of fascia and how fascia slings through the body and how tightness and pain in one area can be attributed to dysfunction elsewhere in the body. When there is an imbalance in the body it will often have a 'knock-on' effect elsewhere as other muscles start to overcompensate.
• Level 4 additionally unlocks some real heavyweight techniques and tests such as Muscle Energy Techniques (MET) and Soft Tissue Release (STR). These techniques enable you to release deep fascial tension and regain instant and incredible range of movement for your clients and the results of treatments will become longer lasting.

For us the progression to Level 4 Sports Therapist looks like a therapist who can empower their clients to effect such powerful change that we actually make ourselves redundant in the process!

When we think about the progression to Level 5 sports therapist we are looking to bring in injury management & Rehabilitation. You may also be entering the elite world of professional athletes and working within teams of professionals or in an academic setting. The detail and the ability to take a client through the most complex assessment, treatment and rehabilitation plan. It’s about getting our clients match fit and keeping them match fit up to the highest level!

So what does Level 5 unlock for you?

Level 5 unlocks the following three areas of study with degree level research:

• Rehabilitation - how do we get clients 'match fit' after injury and how do we maintain that performance and prevent injuries from recurring. Having the knowledge to bring together the treatment of injury with advanced massage techniques with the ability to take the journey through to advising on exercise and strengthening to maintain that level of function and fitness. This is true whether dealing with athletes or not; its about recovering and rehabbing clients after injury.
• Neurological Assessment - Where can we treat and where do we need to refer. Understanding the neurological system and how to test to be able to decide when it is appropriate to treat or when to refer is another vital skillset when working in this world of professional athletes and the teams around them.
• Gait Analysis - understanding and assessing the way the body moves and identifying dysfunction is key in streamlining and enhancing performance and avoiding injury.

We recognise that there are many therapists who simply want to cherry pick from the above Level 5 modules. Therefore we have introduced the Level 5 modular approach! Pick and choose the parts that will impact your business and unlock the skills straight off the bat. The modular approach allows you to get the benefit instantly in your clinic. If you wish to progress through all four modules and gain the Level 5 qualification you can.

Professional progression

Progression however, doesn’t always need to look academic, it may not always be in an upwards direction. We think it can be just as valid to take the side road and develop professionally. If you are working with a client base who lead you into a space where you find a niche we would always encourage a therapist to become the best you can be within your niche. Rather than try to learn everything about every facet of our incredible industry, why not focus on the detail around what your clients need. Research and find new modalities to build a toolkit around what your clients need. We offer CPD and short courses designed for exactly this pathway. 

We like to encourage therapists to change the trajectory of how the industry currently works. Rather than a client selecting a treatment from a pricelist lets pivot and during their 60 or 90 minutes with us let’s explore what they need and reach into our toolkit accordingly. A great example of this is incorporating the use of myofascial cupping with massage and movement. Where we may have previously done muscle energy technique to improve range of movement imagine being in a place where you can elevate the practice by applying myofascial cupping at the same time. Your client has the added value and experiences instant and incredibly transformational change in range of movement at no extra cost, wow. It should never be about adding as many techniques as possible, rather it should be being equipped with the right modalities to make you fantastic at what you do for your clients. 

Social Progression

Lastly, the idea of progression socially for us looks like a therapist building a network around themselves. The goal here is to learn when to refer and nurture a trusted network who you can refer to and receive referrals back from. Surround yourselves with experts who hold the same passion for their own work as you do and most importantly who share their knowledge as freely and passionately as you. Our aim is to promote an environment that empowers people to look after and nurture themselves; this must include building relationships with personal trainers, yogis, osteopaths, physiotherapists, chiropractors and more. By sharing the space and building our network we can support our clients more fully, refer and receive referrals, and develop mutual respect.

However you choose to progress your career ensure you are sharing every step of your journey with your clients, let them know how you are working to flourish and thrive. In an industry where so much is built upon how we make people feel, make them feel included and empowered and let them tell the world how wonderful you are in return. 

Empowering clients with knowledge is one of the most important things you can do as a service provider. By educating your clients, you give them the tools they need to make informed decisions and take control of their own health and wellbeing.

So, in summary keep moving forward, stay match fit in the sense of feeling at the top of your game and confident in your knowledge and build momentum through progression at your own pace and in a way that speaks to you. 

At the very beginning of your journey? Train to become a Sports Massage Therapist from complete beginner with our ITEC Level 3 Diploma in Sports Massage.

Learn sports massage underpinned by anatomy and physiology within the highest industry standards. Gain a professional sports massage qualification through a blend of interactive online home study and classroom attendance.

Ready to take the next step? Take a look at our ITEC Level 4 Certificate in Sports Massage.

Learn specialised techniques focusing on stretching tight muscle groups through Muscle Energy Techniques (MET) and Soft Tissue Release (STR). Additionally, it encompasses orthopedic special tests designed to pinpoint joint and fascial defects.

Take it up a gear. Unlock the top tier skillsets with our ITEC Level 5 Sports Massage Modular Certification.

From Injury management and rehabilitation to gait analysis and neurological testing. Take it to the highest level or simply pick the modules that will be most impactful for your business.

Would you like to build your business?

For anyone currently building their business, why not join a group of peers discussing what has, or hasn't, been successful in finding new clients. Chris Phillips, Principal of the Cotswold Academy, leads this regular, free online workshop designed to share experiences and hints and tips. Gain an insight into what worked for Chris, share experiences with peers and come away from the evening bursting with ideas and an actionable plan for marketing your business.

Building your Business in Complementary Therapies Online Workshop - View dates and reserve your space here.