How to become a sports massage therapist

With sports participation at an all-time high and showing no signs of slowing, the demand for sports massage therapists is also increasing. So, it’s no surprise that many are looking into this relatively new and exciting career path.

The only issue is that many people aren’t aware of how to become a sports massage therapist, as it’s still quite a niche area of the health and fitness industry despite its popularity and benefits.

In this blog, you’ll find everything you need to become a sports massage therapist, from understanding the role to marketing yourself once qualified.

How do I become a sports massage therapist?

1. Understand the role

This is an essential first step for anyone unaware of the roles and responsibilities of a sports massage therapist. Knowing the job inside out before committing to a training course or even a three-year degree can save you heaps of time and energy.

Sports massage therapy is a form of physical therapy that alleviates pain sustained through strenuous physical activity or a demanding lifestyle.

So, what is expected of you once you become a sports massage therapist?

Many factors come into play here, such as:

• your specific qualifications
• your specialisms
• where you work
• the clients you work with
• the sports massage tools you use (for example, your choice of sports massage oil)

It’s a practical and hands-on role, which, as you’d expect, involves spending much of the working day administering massages to clients.

But you’ll often need other skills, plus the ability to perform other types of massage depending on demand. Indian head massage, for example, is especially popular.

If you’re thinking about opening your own clinic, being able to specialise in certain forms of massage can help you stand out to potential clients.

2. Understand the skills you need

Knowing what skills you need to become a sports massage therapist is also important.

So, aside from the qualifications, here are some other key requirements for the job: 

• people-oriented: you'll need to enjoy working with and helping clients one-to-one
• communication skills: you'll need to explain treatments in a way clients will understand
• empathy: you'll need to demonstrate patience and understanding to clients
• professionalism: you'll need to conduct massages in a professional and sensitive manner

These qualities are essential if you hope to become a successful sports massage therapist. You’ll need to be respectful of your clients and genuinely passionate about helping them recover from pain or injury.

3. Get a sports massage qualification

There are two main routes to becoming qualified in sports massage therapy: academic or vocational.

If getting qualified up to degree level is important to you, you could look for an undergraduate course in sports therapy (or similar) before enrolling on a more specialist SMT course later on.

Obtaining an accredited sports therapy degree isn’t necessary just about becoming a sports massage therapist, either. The experience you gain while studying could help you diversify your role further down the line, potentially opening up more career opportunities.

But if you already know that you wish to specialise solely in sports massage therapy, there’s no need to undertake a three-year degree if that’s not your thing.

You can complete a Level 3 Sports Massage Therapy course instead and be qualified in as little as 10 weeks. Level 4 and Level 5 courses are also available.

Whichever course you choose, it’s always good to check that it’s accredited by a relevant awarding body, such as CIMSPA or VTCT.

4. Choose your career path

One of the most confusing aspects of learning how to become a sports massage therapist is understanding how and where to carry out your work.

To keep things simple, the main pathways tend to be:

• working with sports teams
• working for a physiotherapy clinic
• working for a health club or gym
• becoming a mobile SMT
• setting up your own clinic

Consider whether working full-time, part-time, or freelance is better for you, and this will help guide your decision initially. Alternatively, if you want to establish your own sports massage therapy business, think about whether you want to be mobile or based from a clinic.

Typically, newly qualified sports massage therapists find that picking up some experience in their first year or two before branching out independently is a good start.

There are many pros and cons to working for yourself vs. working for someone else, but experience is key if you want to hit the ground running when you set up your own business.

5. Consider sports massage insurance

Since learning how to become a sports massage therapist is often solely focused on the practical aspects of the job, other important considerations like insurance can sometimes be overlooked.

However, most employers will require you to have sports massage therapy insurance, particularly Public Liability insurance. This protects your legal liability if a claim is made against you for an injury to another person or damage to third-party property.

Even the most experienced sports massage therapists can make mistakes, and the last thing you want to do is leave yourself unprotected should that happen.

You may also want to cover your massage equipment – especially since things like massage tables are expensive to replace.

If you eventually get to a point where you start employing other massage therapists or members of staff for your business, you’ll also need to ensure you have Employers’ Liability cover.

6. Expand your network and market your services

This is especially important if you’re setting up your own sports massage business, be it working as a freelancer or opening your own clinic.

If you’re in this situation, it’s up to you to source new clients and boost your salary.

While word-of-mouth referrals are valuable, it’s unlikely they’ll provide you with a consistent stream of clients within a short time. But networking and marketing can help fill the gaps.

Networking involves actively connecting with other professionals and making yourself known, potentially leading to a mutually beneficial referral process where you promote each other’s services.

Marketing involves a more direct approach and is about gaining potential clients’ attention and increasing their desire for your services.

Here are some quick tips for marketing your sports massage business:

• establish your target market
• build a social media presence
• create and distribute business cards to potential clients
• approach local businesses and ask them to display leaflets on their premises
• begin a referral process to encourage clients to refer their friends
• create a website, ensuring you appear for relevant local searches (e.g., 'sports massage therapist Milton Keynes')

Conduct substantial research into your competitors before creating your marketing plan, and make sure you define your unique selling point, too. This is a foolproof way to see your client base skyrocket.

Specialist sports massage insurance through Insure4Sport

Becoming a sports massage therapist presents risks, but you can reduce their impact by protecting yourself with specialist sports massage insurance.

At Insure4Sport, we arrange up to £10m of Public Liability and £1m Professional Indemnity cover, which protects you from claims made following advice you’ve given to a client regarding their injuries.

Learn more about sports massage insurance and get a quote online today.