Kinesiology covers a wide range of subdisciplines, with many organizations that provide excellent resources for the practitioner. The following resources provide a good starting place for those wanting to enter the profession. Consider joining one or more to begin building your kinesiology network:
American College of Sports Medicine: A global organization, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has 45,000 members and certified professionals from 90 countries and represents 70 occupations within the sports medicine field, including exercise physiologists, physical therapists, sports medicine doctors, cardiologists, personal trainers, and other fields that use exercise and movement as therapy.
The ACSM publishes summary statements on important health topics (obesity, exercise, diabetes, and so on) and offers a range of certifications. In addition, the ACSM conducts wide-ranging research and education outreach programs and encourages student development through grants, reduced membership fees, and networking support. If you want to join the top sports medicine organization in the world, this is the one!
National Strength and Conditioning Association: The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) is a worldwide authority on strength and conditioning. Made up of professionals in the fields of athletics, coaching, the fitness industry, and sport science, the NSCA promotes research in strength and conditioning and helps bridge the gap between the science of strength and condition and its application within related fields.
The organization offers professional certification for personal trainers, as well as for strength and conditioning specialists. In addition to disseminating its research and coaching principles, the NSCA also offers members a range of journals relevant to the field.
Aerobic and Fitness Association of America: The Aerobic and Fitness Association of America (AFAA) is the world’s largest fitness and telefitness educator, certifying over 300,000 individuals in areas such as personal trainer, group exercise instruction, kickboxing, practical yoga, and more.
The organization’s mission is to enhance the professional development of fitness professionals and to establish guidelines for practice within the industry. It offers online continuing education workshops and online certification courses. If you are interested in fitness training and group exercise, this may be a site you want to check out. Another, similar organization to check out is the National Academy of Sports Medicine.
National Athletic Trainers’ Association: The National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) is the professional membership association for certified athletic trainers and others who support the athletic training profession. The NATA has more than 35,000 members worldwide. Its mission is to “to enhance the quality of health care provided by certified athletic trainers and to advance the athletic training profession.”
American Kinesiology Association: The American Kinesiology Association (AKA) promotes and enhances kinesiology as a unified field of study and advances its many applications. AKA does this by advocating forkinesiologyat national and international levels, as well as providing resource materials and leadership and educational opportunities for university administrators in kinesiology.
American Society of Biomechanics: The American Society of Biomechanics (ASB) has a membership of approximately 600 academic researchers, clinicians, scientists, students, and industry members working to solve basic and applied problems in the realm of biomechanics and to improve understanding of the workings of biological systems.
The ASB seeks to foster the exchange of information and ideas among biomechanics professionals working across a variety of different fields (health, ergonomics, engineering, and applied sciences).
American Psychological Association, Division 47 – Exercise and Sport Psychology: Division 47 brings together psychologists and exercise and sport scientists who are interested in research, teaching, and service in this area. The Division currently has committees on diversity issues and education and training, and sponsors preconvention workshops at the APA convention. The organization’s newsletter — Exercise and Sport Psychology Newsletter — is published three times a year.
Association for Applied Sport Psychology: Founded in 1986, the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) promotes the development of science and ethical practice in the field of sport psychology. AASP is an international, multidisciplinary, professional organization that offers certification to qualified professionals in the field of sport, exercise, and health psychology.
*North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity: The purpose of the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA) is to develop and advance the study of motor behavior (development, learning, and control) and sport and exercise psychology.
Membership in NASPSPA is open to anyone who is interested in these fields, and annual membership dues are required. NASPSPA has approximately 400 members (most are from Canada and the United States, but the representation is worldwide). Approximately half of NASPSPA’s members are graduate students in the field of kinesiology.
National Association for Sport and Physical Activity: The mission of the National Association for Sport and Physical Activity (NASPE) is to enhance knowledge, improve professional practice, and increase support for high-quality physical education, sport, and physical activity programs. NASPE envisions a society in which all individuals are physically educated and participate in lifelong physical activity.
