Why choose the London School of Sports Massage

London School of Sports Massage or London School of Massage

Please don’t confuse these two Massage Schools because although the names may look almost the same the two schools are in fact very different.

The London School of Massage run a whole host of VTCT/ITEC courses which have been rated at Level 3 and under Ofqual regulations this is only equivalent to a high school A level. This low level may be good enough for giving a standard routine massage treatment but it is not enough to work on a professional clinical level supporting individual clients with their personal healthcare issues. Although they also run VTCT/ITEC Level 4 and 5 upgrade Sports Massage courses these do not provide the same high scope of practice that our courses achieve.

At the London School of Sports Massage (LSSM) we only run higher level qualifications that have been developed beyond sports massage to safely and effectively treat all people who have chronic pain and minor injuries. We don’t run a big range of courses in different therapies because we specialise and focus on training therapists in the clinical therapy that we have the very greatest expertise and authority in delivering after all our head lecturer literally "Wrote the book" on Sports massage.

London School of Sports Massage or North London School of Sports Massage

The London School of Sports Massage started in 1989 and has been the clear leader within the profession ever since. The school is run by Mel Cash who is the author of four internationally renowned textbooks on Sports Massage and Soft Tissue Therapy. LSSM are part of a larger BTEC centre (ISRM) which delivers the same qualification through 6 other centres in the South of England. Through ISRM our students get free access to an extensive video library, with over 60 exclusive videos which provide outstanding student support.

Our main training centre is in London, at Regent’s University in the middle of Regent’s Park, Central London. This fantastic venue is where Mel Cash still teaches along with his close team of tutors, some of whom have been therapists and tutors for over 20 years.

The North London School of Sports Massage began in 2004 and is run by Susan Findlay which she setup after finishing her trained with us. Although at that start the schools may have been fairly similar this cannot be the case anymore. Over the years we have developed our qualification and pioneered Soft Tissue Therapy through our own clinical experiences and in a way that we believe is best for our clients. Although NLSSM recently added the words ‘Soft Tissue Therapy’ to the title of their BTEC qualification it cannot be the same as ours.

Because the schools have such similar names they could be easy mistaken as being part of the same organisation delivering the same qualification. But they are not, they are completely separate from us and not part of the excellent ISRM group of training centres.

Misleading information

The information you see on the websites of many training centres delivering Level 3 massage courses never make it clear that Level 3 is only equivalent to school A Level. The routine massage you learn at this level may be good enough to work in a spa or to do general therapeutic and relaxation treatment. So when the website claims that you can get a job or earn money as a self-employed therapist with their training it is possible but not in the way that most would like to imagine. Especially when it comes to Sports Massage because this therapy will always attract clients who have specific musculoskeletal needs and injury issues which Level 3 training is just not in-depth enough to be able to deal with safely and effectively.

There are VTCT/ITEC Level 4 upgrade courses we see on websites which claim to teach a list of more advanced techniques, similar to ours, but these courses are simply not long enough to give the in-depth training needed to perform these advanced massage techniques effectively. When therapist with this qualification come onto our upgrade to level 5 courses we find their skills and knowledge of these techniques are still very poor, which is why they have to come to us for further training.

Don’t be fooled

Because Sports Massage exists in an unregulated, free market environment you need to be careful not to be fooled by misleading information.

Please beware of online training courses because you cannot learn hands-on therapy skills by watching a video. To learn massage techniques you need a classroom environment where you are able to work with fellow students under the guidance of experienced tutors.

Beware of courses which claim to be ‘accredited’ because anyone can set up a business with a fancy logo and impressive name and say it is an accrediting organisation without doing anything to properly ensure good training standards. Although you may get an impressive certificate at the end it’s the real skill in your hands combined with your knowledge and understanding that make you a successful therapist, not the certificate hanging on the wall.

Beware of courses that involve hands-on training but with very little theoretical study to support it. To succeed as a therapist, you need good underpinning knowledge and understanding. Even VTCT/ITEC course can now be completed without proper home study because you can get away with simple ‘copy and paste’ answers easily find online.

At the London School of Sports Massage, we see more and more students who have been fooled into wasting their time and money on courses that looked good on the website but failed to deliver the training they need to succeed as therapists.

Remember you can always call us to discuss your future training requirements.

Why choose the London School of Sports Massage?