Approved Lifelong Learning

Title:

Every athlete has a dream. You can help them reach it.
Competitive athletes are fueled by a passion for success and winning. They strive to be faster and stronger so they can achieve the high standards they set for themselves. Many of these athletes seek out performance specialists to train them and help them achieve their goals. In fact, the demand for sports-specific trainers is rapidly increasing. While fitness training and sports performance training share certain fundamentals, sports performance specialists require a unique skillset to help their clients perform at their competitive best. As an ACE Sports Performance Specialist, you'll be equipped to help a wide range of athletes?from beginners to professionals, youth to adults?chase their dreams.
Launch your career in this high demand field by becoming an ACE Sports Performance Specialist. Whether you are considering a full sports performance certification in the future or want to learn how to modify your training approach for your current performance-focused clients, you'll discover the skills, techniques and insights to help athletes gain strength, agility and the ability to perform at their peak during competition.
Led by UNLV Nutrition Sciences Associate Professor and ACSM and Academy of Nutrition Dietic Fellow Laura J. Kruskall, PhD, RD, international functioning training expert and former strength and conditioning coach for the NHL Peter Twist and ACE Exercise Physiology Content Manager and ACE Certified Personal Trainer and Health Coach Jacque Crockford, MS, the program covers a wide range of sports performance topics including nutrition, strength and conditioning, programming, assessments and more.
Expand your abilities?and your business
Participation in competitive sports among both youth and adults is on the rise. According to the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, an estimated 60 million youth between the ages of 6 and 18 participate in some form of organized athletics. Participation in amateur endurance events among adults is up as well, especially among women, who now represent more than half of the field in competitions. By becoming a Sports Performance Specialist, you will have a great opportunity to expand your practice and reach more clients.
What's in the curriculum?
You will learn a science-based approach to athletic training that includes assessments, functional program applications, power and agility exercise progressions, and sport-specific strength and nutrition strategies. In addition, you will learn the unique considerations and planning that go into successfully training competitive athletes, and discover how to offer your newly-acquired skills within your business.
How do I become an ACE Sports Performance Specialist?
To become an ACE Sports Performance Specialist, you will complete each of the modules listed below, as well as complete the quizzes associated with the material.
Anyone may complete the Sports Performance Specialist Program, but only those who also hold a current NCCA-accredited certification or equivalent professional credential will be recognized as an ACE Specialist.

Essentials of Sports Performance
Competitive athletes are very goal-focused. It is important to understand that the foundation of your relationship with clients will be based on a performance goals' the athlete wants to perform at his or her peak in competition. The Essentials of Sports Performance course will teach you movements, fundamentals and training methods to help athletes reach their specific performance goals. This course will teach you the ins and outs of training competitive athletes for success.
You will learn:

To understand scope of practice

To understand and apply functional movements in sports

To assess athletic movements and apply to programming

How to progress an athlete's programming

How to train athletes in a group setting

The basics of starting your own business
Mind Body Agility Training
Agility is defined as the ability to change direction quickly with ease. In sport, agility is important both physically and mentally. In this module, ACE Exercise Physiologist Jacque Crockford will discuss the importance of the mind-body connection and how it applies to physical agility, review supporting research and introduce drills that can be implemented for a variety of ages and skill levels. Whether you are coaching youth, Olympic hopefuls or geriatric clients, mental agility training can positively impact both physical and mental performance.
You will learn:

How to define mental and physical agility

How exercise improves mental agility

Conditioning drills designed to improve mind-body agility

The Essentials of Sports Performance
Twist Sports Performance Fundamentals
In this module, industry innovator Peter Twist will guide you through strength and conditioning techniques to train the major muscle groups necessary to develop for competitive athletic success, including:
Sport Core
Learn to understand and apply the principles of stability and rotary power into your training design. Create a center for movement and force transfer by developing the core using whole body, closed-kinetic chain stability and rotary power.
You will learn:

Twist Sport Conditioning training paradigm, including Sport Core exercises using the BOSU Balance Trainer?, Medicine Balls, Slastix?, free weights and stability balls

Training programs for youth athletes, adult recreationalists and elite adult athletes using innovative Sport Core exercises

Basic knowledge and understanding of science and practical application related to implementation of Sport Core exercises

Sport Strength ? Chest & Back
The Linked Strength system for chest and back trains the body to become more skillful and develop intelligent strength to meet the demands of everyday life and sports. Learn to foster strength among your clients so they can transfer force from the legs through the core to the upper body. Discover how to integrate push-pull exercises that incorporate balance and movement for truly effective results.
You will learn:

How to implement the Twist Conditioning paradigm into training programs, including Sport Strength ? Chest & Back exercises that foster true athleticism in clients

To build training programs for youth athletes, adult recreationalists and elite adult athletes using innovative Sport Strength ? Chest & Back exercises

Basic knowledge and understanding of science and practical application related to implementing the Twist Conditioning paradigm and Sport Strength ? Chest & Back exercises

Sport Strength ? Legs & Shoulders
Success in sport movement requires the ability to transfer force from legs through the core to the upper body seamlessly. Learn to incorporate movement and balance into training programs to achieve smarter bodies and stronger legs and shoulders.
You will learn:

How to implement the Twist Conditioning paradigm into training programs, including Sport Strength ? Legs & Shoulders exercises that foster true athleticism in clients

To build training programs for youth athletes, adult recreationalists and elite adult athletes using innovative Sport Strength ? Legs & Shoulders exercises

Basic knowledge and understanding of science and practical application related to implementing the Twist Conditioning paradigm and Sport Strength ? Legs & Shoulders exercises
Fitness Professionals' Guide to Sports Nutrition and Weight Management
Helping your clients reach their health and weight loss goals requires more than fitness instruction alone. Nutrition is a crucial part of an overall health and fitness plan, but the field of nutrition is broad and rapidly expanding, with new knowledge being published regularly. Amidst this changing environment, you have an important role to play in educating your clients and guiding them to make informed decisions about what to consume, while staying within your scope of practice. This course will help you build a foundation in nutrition and weight loss, including how diet impacts physical activity and performance, so you can advise clients on their nutritional choices and help them live healthier lives.
Taught by Dr. Laura Kruskall, the Director of Nutrition Sciences at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, this course is intended for health and fitness professionals who want to learn the basics of sound nutrition and weight management. The course will also define the acceptable scope of giving nutritional advice for health and fitness professionals, and when clients should be referred to a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN).
You will learn:

The basic rules of nutrition, including Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the USDA MyPlate tool

Step-by-step nutritional guidance that you can share with clients

The various energy systems that power the body and the basics of digestion

To identify symptoms of various eating disorders

Where to find credible nutrition information that can be shared with clients

Course - Online / Distance

Personal Trainer (EQF L4)

LLP Category 1

10

Yes

Each of the 11 online, self-study modules contains an online quiz at the end. A passing grade of 70% or better signifies successful completion of each module. Completion of all 11 modules grants participants the certificate of completion for the entire Sports Performance program. 

Web based 'online' learning

English

https://www.acefitness.org/fitness-certifications/specialty-certifications/sports-performance.aspx