About Athletic Training

History of the NATA

The National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) was founded in 1950 when the first meeting of the NATA took place in Kansas City.  About 200 athletic trainers gathered to discuss the future of their profession.

Recognizing the need for a set of professional standards and appropriate professional recognition, the NATA has helped to unify certified athletic trainers across the country by setting a standard for professionalism, education, certification, research and practice settings. Since its inception, the NATA has been a driving force behind the recognition of the athletic training profession.

Once housed in Greenville, NC, the NATA now is headquartered in Dallas, TX.  From humble beginnings, the association has expanded to encompass a global membership totaling nearly 30,000, plus a full-time executive director and staff. Members serve as leaders for the association, which has multiple committees working together to help advance the profession.

Definition of Athletic Training (approved by NATA Board of Directors in October, 2007)

Athletic training is practiced by athletic trainers, health care professionals who collaborate with physicians to optimize activity and participation of patients and clients. Athletic training encompasses the prevention, diagnosis, and intervention of emergency, acute, and chronic medical conditions involving impairment, functional limitations, and disabilities.

What is an Athletic Trainer?

Certified athletic trainers are health care professionals who specialize in preventing, recognizing, managing and rehabilitating injuries that result from physical activity.  As part of a complete health care team, the certified athletic trainer works in collaboration of a licensed physician and in cooperation with many other health care professionals, athletics administrators, coaches and parents.

To become a certified athletic trainer, one must earn a degree from an accredited athletic training curriculum. Accredited programs include formal instruction in areas such as injury/illness prevention, first aid and emergency care, assessment of injury/illness, human anatomy and physiology, therapeutic modalities, and nutrition. Enhanced learning through clinical education experiences facilitates classroom learning. More than 70% of certified athletic trainers hold at least a master’s degree, which ensures a competitive market in this profession.

Athletic Trainers vs. Personal Trainers

Recently, the term “trainer” has made national headlines through mass media in reference to the use of, and administration of, steroids in professional sports. Our emphasis is to inform the public the true meaning of this term, and to educate them on the difference between an athletic trainer and a personal trainer Athletic training is NOT the same profession as personal training.   The National Athletic Trainers’ Association has made extensive efforts to inform all medial outlets, including ESPN, CNN, etc, along with all essential parties involved with Major League Baseball, the correct terminology of an athletic trainer vs. personal trainer. To clarify, Brian McNamara (involved in the Roger Clemons’ case) is NOT an athletic trainer. Athletic trainers hold themselves to high ethical standards, and do not promote nor educate the use of steroids, or any other form of substance use that may hinder or alter athletic performance levels. To view a chart indicating the difference between these two professions, please click on the following link: http://www.nata.org/consumer/docs/ATs_vs_PersonalTrainers_final08.pdf