Certificate in Sports Psychology

Study a certificate in sports coaching or sports psychology at home, learning the psychology of sports by distance education to work as a sports coach, personal trainer or fitness instructor.

Course Code: VPS019
Fee Code: CT
Duration (approx) Duration (approx) 600 hours
Qualification Certificate
Get started!
Study Sports Psychology at home

Sports Psychology is the science that examines the individual's psychology and their participation in sport. A person's state of mind can have a dramatic influence on their sporting performance. Looking at the interactions between psychology and sporting performance can give us great insight into tools and techniques to select and coach athletes to victory - whatever that might be for them.

 Sports psychologists provide two major types of services –

  • Counselling – in areas that affect the athlete. 
  • Develop strategies that enhance performance.
Examples of the type of work they may be involved in
  • Helping elite athletes and sports persons to develop strategies to deal with competition and training.
  • Helping coaches and managers in their communication and interpersonal skills
  • Working with health promotion staff to increase the motivation to exercise and maintain the exercise in individuals who are mainly sedentary.
  • Using research to maximise practice and fitness regimes.
  • Counselling individuals who have been injured.
  • Advising younger sports persons on how to deal with family, problems, disappointment, homesickness etc.

Modules

Core ModulesThese modules provide foundation knowledge for the Certificate in Sports Psychology.
 Motivation VBS111
 Sports Psychology BPS106
 Sports Nutrition BRE303
 
Elective ModulesIn addition to the core modules, students study any 3 of the following 18 modules.
 Industry Project I BIP000
 Anger Management BPS111
 Biopsychology I BPS108
 Counselling Skills I BPS109
 Health & Wellbeing VRE102
 Human Nutrition I BRE102
 Introduction to Psychology BPS101
 Leadership BBS110
 Personal Energy Management VRE105
 Research Project I BGN102
 Sports Coaching VRE109
 Developmental Psychology BPS210
 Human Nutrition II BRE202
 Nutrition for Weight Loss BRE210
 Human Nutrition III BRE302
 Life Coaching BPS305
 Neuropsychology BPS306
 Psychopharmacology (Drugs & Psychology) BPS302
 

Note that each module in the Certificate in Sports Psychology is a short course in its own right, and may be studied separately.


What Does a Successful Athlete Look Like?

The 4 Cs are generally considered important characteristics for the successful athlete.

Concentration - Able to maintain focus

Confidence - Belief in our own abilities

Control - Able to maintain our emotional control, ignoring distraction.

Commitment - The ability to continue to strive towards agreed goals.

Concentration

This is the mental ability that enables us to focus on the current task. If a sportsperson lacks concentration, then they will not effectively and efficiently apply their athletic abilities to the task at hand. There are two main types of attention –

 

Broad/Narrow spectrum – For example, the athlete is able to focus on a large or small number of stimuli.

Internal/External spectrum – For example, the athlete can focus on external stimuli, such as the ball, or internal stimuli, such as their feelings. 

 The level and type of concentration required varies from sport to sport. For example –

  •  Sustained concentration may be required for cycling, long distance running etc.
  •  Short concentration bursts may be required for golf, shooting etc.
  •  Intense concentration may be required for skiing or sprinting etc.

Distractions:

  • Mistakes
  • Fatigue
  • Anxiety
  • Weather
  • Coach
  • Opponent
  • Manager
  • The crowd
  • Public announcements
  • Negative thoughts
  • Low self-esteem
  • Pain
  • Other

The following dispositions are broad characteristics that are often associated with elite sports persons:

Risk Taking -Risk takers may include mountaineers, parachutists, who tend to be very confident that they can manage the risks that might be involved. They are willing to take physical risks to trigger their fight and flight response. So sporting risk takers are intentionally provoking this fight or flight response, as they may experience this high level of arousal in an exciting rather than fearful way.

Stimulus Seeking – associated with craving “experiences” or sensations. In sports, participants may seek the experience of fun, adrenalin, camaraderie, anticipation. Some studies have found athletes to be higher in stimulus, or sensation seeking than non-athletes.

Competitiveness – Can be motivation to drive an athlete to perform their best. A strong desire to win can give a participant an edge over other participants.

Self-Confidence – In sports this is to do with the amount of certainty an athlete has that they can be successful. This is recognised as an important factor in the enjoyment and success in sports.

Self-Discipline – is the ability to give up immediate gratification to work towards long-term rewards and goals. Self-disciplined athletes can motivate themselves to work long and hard for a potential future gain.

Rapid Cognition (make decisions quickly) – important for sports requiring split-second responses, e.g. tennis, basketball, soccer.

Positive outlook – always expect the best. Having a positive outlook can boost their performance levels. Negative affect such as depression, anger, anxiety and tension can reduce performance.

Good Stress Management – Athletes that can control their emotions and have emotional stability can help them to be more successful, by focusing on the task at hand, recovering from success or failure and not getting caught up by stress

Teams tend to show predictable personality profiles. So by understanding their psyche, their performance can be improved, as well as communication between players and the coach. It can also be used to make use of their personal strengths and work in other areas to identify their personality and learning styles.

Certain personality types will succeed more in certain sports and the more coaches know about the personality of athlete the more successful they will be. 

 

People Who Can Benefit From This Course

This certificate provides a solid foundation in the study of what it takes to succeed in sports, athletics and fitness training. Success in sports is more than physical fitness. It also depends on state of mind. There are many different psychological strategies that people can use to help motivate sports people and sustain their determination. Graduates of this course will have learnt about many of these strategies as well as complementary areas of study such as diet, fitness and managing personal energy resources.    
This course is aimed primarily at people working in, or thinking of working in the following fields:

  • Sports coach
  • Personal trainer
  • Sports psychology
  • Athlete
  • Sportsman
  • Health professions

The course may also be of interest to people who have friends or family who aspire to become athletes whether on an amateur or professional level.


How can I start this course?

You can enrol at anytime and start the course when you are ready. Enrolments are accepted all year - students can commence study at any time. All study is self paced and ACS does not set assignment deadlines.

Please note that if a student is being assisted by someone else (e.g. an employer or government subsidy), the body offering the assistance may set deadlines. Students in such situations are advised to check with their sponsor prior to enrolling. The nominal duration of a course is approximately how long a course takes to complete. A course with a nominal duration of 100 hours is expected to take roughly 100 hours of study time to complete. However, this will vary from student to student. Short courses (eg. 100 hrs duration) should be completed within 12 months of enrolment. Certificates, Advanced Certificates and Awards (eg. over 500 hours duration) would normally be completed within 3 -5 years of enrolment. Additional fees may apply if a student requires an extended period to complete.
If a student cannot submit their assignments for 6 months to ACS, they should advise the school to avoid cancellation of their student
registration. Recommencement fees may apply.

Simply click on the ENROL OPTIONS button at the top of this screen and follow the prompts.

You can see the course price at the top of this page. Click 'enrolment options' to see any payment options available.

You can pay by Credit Card, PayPal, Afterpay or bank transfer.

Yes! We have payment plans for most courses. Click 'enrolment options' to see the available payment plans.
We also have Afterpay that will allow you to pay for your course or payment plans in four instalments (if you are in Australia).


What do I need to know before I enrol?

There are no entry requirements that you need to meet to enrol in our courses, our courses are for everyone.
If you are under 18, we need written permission from your parent/ guardian for your enrolment to continue, we can arrange that after you have enrolled.

You don’t need to purchase any additional resources to complete our courses.

We aim to teach you the essentials without you having to purchase any specific computer program.
We recommend that you have access to a word processing program, such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs, so that you can easily complete and submit your assignments.

You sure can. We are here to help you learn whatever your abilities.

Yes, if you are enrolling in a Certificate or Advanced Certificate, you might be eligible for credits if you have evidence of your previous studies or relevant experience. More information is here.

We recommend that you are able to browse websites, send emails and conduct online research. You will need to be able to type and submit your assignments.
If you have limited computer skills, we can make special arrangements for you.

This is possible, it depends on the institution. We recommend that if you would like to use our courses that you contact the institution first. Our Course Handbook is a good resource for this.

Our courses are written in English and we only have English speaking academic staff. If you can read and complete your assignments in English, our courses are ideal for you.

Our courses are designed to build knowledge, hands on skills and industry connections to help prepare you to work in the area, running your own business, professional development or as a base for further study.

This course is aimed at providing you with a solid understanding in your selected discipline. It has been designed to take 600 hours, which includes your course reading, assignment work, research, practical tasks, watching videos and more. When you complete the course, will have a good understanding of the area/ industry you want to work in.

It’s up to you. The study hours listed in the course are a rough guide, however if you were to study a short course (100 hours) at 10 hours per week, you could finish the course in 10 weeks (just an example). Our courses are self-paced, so you can work through the courses in your own time. We recommend that you wait for your tutor to mark and return your assignment before your start your next one, so you get the benefits of their feedback.

The course consists of course notes, videos, set tasks for your practical work, online quizzes, an assignment for each lesson (that you receive feedback from your tutor from) and ends in an exam (which is optional, if would like to receive the formal award at the end), using our custom built Learning Management System - Login.Training.

Our courses are designed for adults to gain professional development and skills to further their careers and start businesses.

Our custom online learning portal allows you to conduct your learning online. There may be practical tasks that you can do offline. You have the option of downloading your course notes or print them to read later.

There is also the option to pay an additional fee for printed course notes and or USB (availability limited to location and deliverability).

Yes, if you don’t have access to the internet, you can receive the course as paper notes or on a USB stick for an additional fee. We can also make alternative arrangements for you to send your assignments to us.

We offer printed notes for an additional fee. Also, you can request your course notes on a USB stick for an additional fee.

Yes, your tutor is here to help you. Simply post any questions you have in your login.training portal or contact the office and we can pass on a message to your tutor.

We are more learning focussed, rather than assessment focussed. You have online quizzes to test your learning, written assignments and can complete an exam at the end of the course (if you want to receive your certificate). You will not receive a pass/ fail on your course work. If you need to add more details on your assignment, we will ask you to resubmit and direct you where you need to focus. If you need help, you can ask your tutor for advice in the student room.

Each module (short course) is completed with one exam.

Exams are optional, however you must sit an exam if you would like to receive a formal award. You will need to find someone who can supervise that you are sitting the exams under exams conditions. There is an additional cost of $60 incl. GST for each exam.
More information is here

There are practical components built into the course that have been designed to be achieved by anyone, anywhere. If you are unable to complete a task for any reason, you can ask your tutor for an alternative.

When you complete the course work and the exams (6 exams) and you will be able receive your course certificate- a Certificate. Otherwise, you can receive a Letter of Completion.

You can bundle the short courses to create your own customised learning bundle, Certificates or Advanced Certificates. More information is on this page.

Yes, our courses are built to be applicable for people living anywhere in any situation. We provide the fundamentals, and each student can apply their own unique flair for their own interests, region and circumstances with the one-on-one guidance of a tutor. There is also a bit of student directed research involved.

Employers value candidates with industry skills, knowledge, practical skills and formal learning. Our courses arm you with all of these things to help prepare you for a job or start your own business. The longer you study the more you will learn.

ACS has an arrangement with OAMPS (formerly AMP) who can arrange Professional Indemnity from Australian and New Zealand graduates across all disciplines. Ph: 1800 222 012 or email acs@oamps.com.au.


Who are ACS Distance Education?

ACS Distance Education have been educating people for over 40 years.

We are established and safe- we have been in education for over 40 years.
We are focused on developing innovative courses that are relevant to you now and what you will need to know in the future.
We are focused on helping you learn and make the most of your experience.
You can enrol at any time, you can work on your course when it suits you and at your own pace.
We are connected to many industry bodies and our staff participate in continuous improvement and learning activities to ensure that we are ahead of what learning is needed for the future.

Our courses are not accredited by the Australian Government. However many of our courses are recognised and held in high regard by many industry bodies.

Our courses are written by our staff, who all have many years experience and have qualifications in their speciality area. We have lots of academic staff who write and update our courses regularly.


How do I enrol my staff/ sponsored students?

Yes, you can do a request for a bulk enrolment and request an invoice on our Invoice Request Form

We can prepare an invoice, quote or proforma invoice. Simply complete your details on our Invoice Request form

We can arrange bulk discounts for your course enrolment, please get in touch with us to discuss your needs.

Yes, we have many students who are in locked facilities, such as prisons or hospitals. We can cater by also offering paper notes at an additional cost.


What if I have any more questions or need more information?

We can assist you to find the right course for your needs. Get in touch with us via email (admin@acs.edu.au) call on +61 7 5562 1088 or complete our course advice form.


What if I change my mind?

Please get in touch with studentservices@acs.edu.au if you would like to be removed from our mail list.

If you would like ACS Distance Education to delete your information at any time (whether you are a customer or a prospective customer), please contact our privacy officer and we will process this ( admin@acs.edu.au ).

If students require a reproduction of their certificate, an electronic copy can be provided at a cost of AUD$35 incl GST. Printed copies are not available.




Course Contributors

The following academics were involved in the development and/or updating of this course.

Tracey Jones (Psychologist)

B.Sc. (Psych), M.Soc.Sc., Dip.Social Work, P.G.Dip Learning Disability, Cert Editing, Cert Creative Writing, PGCE.
Member British Psychological Society, Member Assoc. for Coaching, Member British Learning Assoc.
25 years industry experience in writing, editing, education, psychology, and business. Tracey has several books and hundreds of articles published; in both fiction and non fiction.

Lyn Quirk

M.Prof.Ed.; Adv.Dip.Compl.Med (Naturopathy); Adv.Dip.Sports Therapy
Over 30 years as Health Club Manager, Fitness Professional, Teacher, Coach and Business manager in health, fitness and leisure industries. As business owner and former department head for TAFE, she brings a wealth of skills and experience to her role as a tutor for ACS.

Jacinda Cole (Psychologist)

Psychologist, Educator, Author, Psychotherapist.
B.Sc., Psych.Cert., M. Psych. Cert.Garden Design, MACA
Jacinda has over 25 years of experience in psychology, in both Australia and England. She holds a BSc (Hons) in Psychology and a Masters in Psychology (Clinical) and also trained in psychoanalytic psychotherapy at the London Centre for Psychotherapy. She has co-authored several psychology text books and many courses including diploma and degree level courses in psychology and counselling. Jacinda has worked for ACS for over 10 years.





Tutors

Meet some of the tutors that guide the students through this course.

Lyn Quirk

Lyn has 35 years of experience in the Fitness, Health and Leisure Industries. She has a string of qualifications that are far too long to list here; being qualified and registered to teach, coach or instruct a wide range of different sports and other skills.

Lyn established and managed Health clubs at three major five star resorts on Australia's Gold Coast, including The Marriott. She was a department head for a large government vocational college (TAFE), and has conducted her own aquafitness business for many years. Lyn has among her other commitments worked as a tutor for ACS for almost 10 years, and over that time, participated in the development or upgrading of most courses in her fields of expertise.

Melissa Leistra

Melissa has a Masters Degree in Human Nutrition from Deakin University and Bachelor's degree specialising in personal development, health and physical education. She has enjoyed teaching Hospitality in the areas of commercial cookery and food and beverage. Her experience includes 16 years teaching health and nutrition and working in the hospitality industry. Melissa enjoys living a self-sustainable lifestyle on a farm and raising all types of animals. She is an experienced vegetarian/vegan cook and loves to create wholesome food using her slow combustion wood stove.

Sarah Pirecki

A passionate advocate for animal health and welfare. Sarah completed a Bachelor of Animal and Veterinary Bioscience majoring in Animal Health and Disease and is currently completing a Diploma of Project Management. She has a wide range of experience working in agricultural settings, veterinary nursing, assistance dog raising, and animal education.

Need Help?

Take advantage of our personalised, expert course counselling service to ensure you're making the best course choices for your situation.


I agree for ACS Distance Education to contact me and store my information until I revoke my approval. For more info, view our privacy policy.

>