Sport Conditioning Yoga (SCY) is a yoga program designed to teach athletes to link body, mind and breath in a way that heightens awareness and clarity to effectively avoid mental stress and hone their focus on the playing field. As a highly effective cross-training tool, Sport Conditioning Yoga helps the athlete restore balance to the body’s muscular system. Better balance equates to stability, creating a foundation for transferring strength and flexibility into even greater force and power for the movements demanded by the sport. Additionally, strengthening the mind and body connection enhances neuromuscular efficiency, which increases body responsiveness, control, and accuracy of movement.
Useful for all sports, from golf to football, a Sport Conditioning Yoga program will:
• strengthen breath
• build endurance
• improve focus
• increase flexibility
• strengthen key muscles
• fight boredom
• build functional muscle
The North American Academy for Sport Fitness Professionals (NAASFP) Sport Conditioning Yoga (SCY) Certification program is an organic style of yoga in which the teacher leads the athletes through a customized program that meets their sport-specific performance needs. Muscle activation technique is the foundation for this powerful, dynamic practice where the athlete is guided through dynamic moves specific to each posture. The class structure appeals to the athletic mind while using yogic disciplines as the backbone to developing a strong connection and awareness of body and mind during sports.
The North American Academy for Sport Fitness Professionals Sport Conditioning Yoga Certification program provides students with two streams of education to learn the practical theory AND to develop the hand-on skills needed to train athletes.
- Stream 1 of the SCY training is for experienced teachers who seek to enhance their technique with a focus on the SCY method of teaching. This session is held during a one-week training camp providing the teacher with 80 hours of core focus on the SCY technique.
- NEW to 2011 Stream 2 is a 200-hour training program taught over a period of 6 months. This stream is for students who are not experienced yoga teachers.
THE PROGRAM: The NAASFP Sport Conditioning Yoga Coach certification is a comprehensive course designed to give graduates the knowledge and skills to create and teach energizing, therapeutic, and sport-specific yoga classes. Both Stream 1 and 2 offer the following study topics. The Stream 2 program is expanded to include extensive practice teaching opportunities.
Topics include:
• Anatomy and physiology
• Principles and practices of athletic training
• Yoga history and philosophy
• Principles of Sport Conditioning Yoga
• Meditation and Relaxation
• Planes of energy
• Determining optimal blueprint
• Sport Conditioning Yoga flow
• Integrating yoga to sport specific training
• Breathing techniques
• Therapeutic yoga
• Class format and design
• Pose analysis
• Individualization of coaching
• Client screening and assessment
• Business of coaching
WHAT TO EXPECT: We’ve provided some information that we commonly get asked by future coaches. Check out Course Expectations.
DESIGNATION: Sport Conditioning Yoga Coach SCY
COURSE PREREQUISITES:
• At least 18 years of age
• Proficient use of verbal and written English
• Minimum of one year of regular consistent yoga practice
• Preferred experience of several different styles of yoga
• Required reading in advance of the course is the text, The Heart of Yoga, T.K.V. Desikachar.
CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:
• Score of 80% or better in each of three sectors:
• Practical participation
• Case study
• Written exam
• First Aid and CPR (online programs not recognized)
RECERTIFICATION ANNUAL REQUIREMENTS:
• 4.0 Continuing Education Credits (CECs) annually
• Current First Aid and CPR, (less than one year old)
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES:
Cross-training is used by athletes primarily to correct imbalances brought on by the sport’s particular movements. As a cross-training tool Sport Conditioning Yoga is now in high demand as the benefits of a sport conditioning yoga program will help them excel over other athletes. Opportunities for teaching Sport Conditioning Yoga can be found at:
• Yoga studios
• Sport teams
• Fitness clubs
• Private clubs
• Resorts
• Corporate programs
• Community centers
• Private one-on-one and small group coaching
COST:
Stream 1 $950 + HST – includes study materials
Stream 2 $3500 + HST includes study materials
TO REGISTER: NAASFP Application
CERTIFICATION DATES: NAASFP-hosted sessions are held on demand if sufficient spots are not available through Hosted sessions. Contact registration@naasfp.com to add your name to a wait list. Be sure to include your location, how far you are willing to travel, and daytime contact information. You will be contacted when a seat is available.
All NAASFP-hosted SCY courses are currently filled. If a Host organization chooses to make a public offering of seats, we will post the dates here.