I MUST admit that for the past few years, I haven’t been following fitness certifications closely. The reason why? There are so many fitness certifications out there in the market and there is no real way of telling them apart. I do believe they are useful though, to ensure that quality is maintained. But the last few years saw all sorts of certifications. While fitness certifications abound, I relied on my academic degree, and the fundamentals of exercise science to get me through.
A few weeks ago, after some prodding from my mentor, I took up the Australian Strength and Conditioning Association (Asca) Level 1 Certification. Although strength and conditioning and fitness are two different things altogether, I think the fitness world has much to learn from Asca.
Our workshop was facilitated by Dan Baker, world-renowned strength and conditioning expert, and his lovely and strong wife, Sercia. The workshop consisted of theoretical classes on the fundamentals of training and a lot of applied work (which is sorely lacking in most certifications these days).
After finishing our workshop, we weren’t out of the woods yet. There are quizzes I have to take; workbooks, which might require upwards of 100 hours of reading, and assignments, which will be assessed by a PhD in Sports Science. If I fail any of these assignments, these will be returned to me until I get them right (you get to learn as you go).
It is a tedious certification, but I think moving forward, certifications have to be done this way to ensure that coaches: a) have the theoretical ability to plan and execute conditioning programs, and b) can actually do what they’re teaching.
Certifications are a dime a dozen in this age of “instant.” You can join a weekend workshop and be certified but nothing beats getting assessed and putting in the hours. Further, it was emphasized through the workshop that in order to have any meaningful work in most countries, coaches have to be certified and you can’t be certified just about anywhere. You need to possess a certification that is honored by the government. Certifications not honored by the government are deemed useless.
Here’s to hoping that this move by our colleagues elevates the standard of coaching in our country.