Become a Certified Sports Performance Specialist Online with NFPA
Take your career in athletic development to the next level with the NFPA Online Sports Performance Specialist Certification. This advanced-level certification is designed for personal trainers, coaches, athletes, and strength and conditioning professionals who want to specialize in sports performance training. Whether you're training youth athletes, competitive amateurs, or elite performers, this course provides the in-depth knowledge and practical tools you need to enhance athletic success in any sport.
NFPA’s Certified Sports Performance Specialist (CSPS) program offers a comprehensive, science-backed education in strength and conditioning, biomechanics, performance enhancement, injury prevention, and recovery. Our certification is fully online and self-paced, making it perfect for busy professionals looking to upskill without disrupting their current responsibilities.
Why Choose NFPA’s Online Sports Performance Specialist Certification?
Our sports performance training course is designed to simplify complex topics and give you actionable strategies to improve speed, strength, agility, power, and endurance in athletes. Unlike many traditional certifications that focus only on general fitness, our program is built specifically for those who want to become a certified strength and conditioning coach or specialize in athletic development.
You will learn how to:
Design sport-specific training programs that improve performance across different age groups and skill levels.
Apply evidence-based techniques to increase strength, power, speed, and agility.
Implement effective warm-ups, recovery protocols, and mobility drills to reduce injury risk.
Understand periodization, progression models, and training cycles for peak athletic output.
Use performance testing to evaluate athletes and tailor programs for individual needs.
Whether you’re currently a personal trainer, a sports coach, or looking to build your reputation as a certified strength and conditioning coach, the NFPA certification gives you the credentials to stand out in a competitive market.
Who Should Enroll?
This online strength and conditioning coach certification is ideal for:
Personal Trainers who want to work with athletes
High school or collegiate sports coaches
Athletic directors and team trainers
Current or former athletes looking to pursue coaching
Physical education teachers
Parents of young athletes seeking to improve their child’s development
No prior experience in sports training is required, but a background in fitness, kinesiology, or personal training is beneficial.
Boost Your Career and Income Potential
Adding a sports performance specialist certification to your resume not only enhances your credibility but also opens up more specialized career opportunities in athletic training, performance coaching, and strength and conditioning. Certified professionals often see an increase in income as they become qualified to work with teams, sports facilities, academies, and private clients.
As a certified strength and conditioning specialist, you’ll be positioned to lead athletes to peak performance through safe, intelligent, and structured training programs.
Fully Online and Self-Paced
Our certification is 100% online, allowing you to complete the coursework and exam at your own pace, from anywhere in the world. The NFPA online sports performance certification course includes interactive lessons, video demonstrations, downloadable materials, and a final assessment to verify your knowledge and practical understanding.
Start Today with NFPA
Whether you’re launching your career as a sports performance coach or advancing as a strength and conditioning professional, the NFPA Online Sports Performance Specialist Certification gives you the tools, confidence, and credentials to transform athletic potential. Join a growing network of high-performance coaches and help athletes of all levels achieve excellence.
Topics covered in the NFPA Certified Sports Performance Specialist Course:
Module 1: Exercise Physiology
Module 2: Anatomy and Biomechanics of Human Movement
Module 3: Performance Assessment and Testing
Module 4: Speed
Module 5: Agility and Change of Direction
Module 6: Plyometric Training
Module 7: Power and Strength Training
Module 8: Cardiovascular Endurance Training
Module 9: Flexibility
Module 10: Program Design / Periodization
Module 11: Common Injuries and Prevention
Module 12: Sports Nutrition
Study Material
The course provides a downloadable electronic version of the NFPA Sports Performance Specialist Manual. The NFPA-CSPS course material is regularly audited to ensure the latest and most up-to-date information in science and practical in-the-field training. This course is structured to be at your own pace. Each module is used as a chapter study guide to navigate you through the certification course, allowing you to gain the knowledge you need to pass the final exam.
Module Practice Quizzes
With each module is provided practice quizzes to assess student learning, helping you prepare for your final exam as you study and earn your sports performance certification. These practice quizzes will not affect your final score, they are just here to help you pass and earn your certification.
Final Exam
You will need course grade of 75% or greater to be awarded your NFPA-CSPS certificate. The exam is made up of multiple choice, matching and true/false questions. In the event you do not obtain 75% or greater, a retest is available at the cost of $249.