Corporal Karen Robinson Testimonial

In January this year, I started a course in Advanced Sports Massage and Remedial Therapy co-ordinated by the National College of Remedial Therapy.

Coming from a sporting background having completed a BTEC Diploma course in Sports and Leisure Management, the N.C.E.F. Level 1 course and

qualified as a Physical Training Instructor in the Permanent Defence Forces, I found this course to date, to be the most rewarding.

This is all due to the professional nature of a small team of Instructors that teach this course. Having completed other courses in the fitness industry, this is the first course that covered such a vast amount in such little time, i.e. What took two years on a diploma course on Anatomy and Physiology was covered over the first weekend and yet because of the Instruction given was very easily comprehended. Coming from a Military background and being a natural critic to the Methods of Instruction by other Professions, this course could not be faulted. At all times each and every detail of instruction was explained, demonstrated, imitated and then practiced by the students so there wasn’t one person on the course who lagged behind. Their ease of teaching and encyclopedic knowledge of Sports Massage, Soft Tissues Injuries and their worldly knowledge of sport outside of this area has helped the course understand more about injuries and treatments, as all Instructors are athletes themselves so are very finely tuned into the new treatments and methods of massage that are constantly changing today. Although the course was one weekend a month, previous students advised us to form study groups in order to keep on top of the course because of its intensity. From weekend one, we had hands on practical instruction learning various massage techniques so were able to practice on family and friends straight away, which really paid off as the course got intensely harder.

In May, I was asked by the Manager of the M. Donnelly Meath Team to Join them as their Massage Therapist in the FBD Ras working on 5 cyclists

everyday for the 8 days of the race, although I was new at this, I was very confident in looking after the team from the help and instruction I received on the course. At all times the Instructors were contactable if I needed their advise and kept in close touch with me during that week. It was a tough but humbling experience working with top class athletes and they were equally impressed at my level of knowledge and practical abilities in the massage over such a short time. Since then, All our class have had various offers to work with teams and individuals which shows the highest level of instruction was given on this course, thus enabling us to use it as a full time career path. I would thoroughly recommend this course to anyone interested in this

area not only to use it as a career opportunity but also for your own knowledge and well being in today’s society.
Yours in Sport,

Corporal Karen Robinson.