We are often asked how long does it take to become a sports massage therapist? This is a little hard to answer, it’s a bit like how longs a piece of string? There are lots of options out there on how long it takes to do your course and some are better than others. Again I have had experience of doing courses in different ways.
So how long does it take to become a sports massage therapist?
Well you can do a week long course, a 6 week course, a 6 month course or you can do it over a year! That answers that! But it’s really not that helpful, so I’ll break it down a bit.
A week long intensive course.
I have done one of these it is hard work and tiring. To do the course I did, you needed to have a qualification that covered anatomy and physiology, so that potentially rules many people out. There are week long courses where you will study the anatomy and physiology as well but this one didn’t. I was also qualified in Swedish massage at the time. Both of these elements helped hugely I wouldn’t want to have been doing it from scratch. There is also a catch with the week long intensive course. Your not qualified after a week. You will need to do things like assignments, case studies and you will have to do a practical exam probably 3 to 6 months later. So you are still looking 3 to 6 months. These courses are normally only for your first level.
A 6 week course.
When I worked at the University of Bath we offered a 6 week course and that really was hard work for both the students and the tutors. You were in Monday to Friday for 6 weeks in that time you learnt everything you needed to know, crammed in all the practical and did all the exams. So you were qualified in 6 weeks. This is probably the shortest time you could do a full course in. Both level 3 and 4 could be done at this pace. Would I recommended it? possibly not. Why? You have so much to learn and 6 weeks really isn’t long, you’ve probably not had time to get practice out side the class room and it is hard to absorb all the anatomy and physiology, let alone everything else you need to cover.
A 6 month course.
This is probably my favored and I have taught and been on course this length. Its long enough to get your head around everything get some practice in out side the class room and really learn without getting bored. This is the length we deliver ours sports massage courses in, purely because we feel this is a good length of time. This means you are not rushed but you don’t have time to get bored with it or fell it’s dragging. There are various ways this sort of sports massage course is delivered anything from weekends to evenings or blended like our style of courses. All levels of sports massage can be delivered this way.
A year long courses.
These are the same as 6 month sports massage courses just over a longer period of time. These might work well for you if you have very limited time.
So there you have it! How long does it take to become a sports massage therapist?
You could be qualified in 6 weeks. I would recommend considering the length of course you choose to do to make sure it fits into your lifestyle and your style of learning. I found the 6 month sports massage course worked best for me. The final answer to how long does it take to become a sports massage therapist is actually down to you!
