Amrisha Kudhail on How More Women Can Get Into Sports Training (Interview)

Personal Trainer Amrisha Kudhail has a unique perspective on athletics training and injury prevention since she started out as a dancer. 

After earning a degree in dance, Kudhail made the switch to personal training, and from there she made inroads to athletics training, working with the Manchester Giants basketball team. 

It may seem like dance is a world away from professional athletics, but it's really not, especially when we delve into how both depend so heavily on understanding the abilities and limits of the human body. 

Especially in sports, there can be a major emphasis on simply performing at the highest possible level every single game, which translates to a lot of pressure for the athletes. But pushing too hard can easily lead to injury, and it's Kudhail's job to explain how to prevent injuries and train athletes in a way that will help keep their bodies up to snuff without going over the edge. 

However, there's still a certain amount of stigma around women working in professional athletics. The good news is that the stigma is on the way out, and Kudhail has seen that firsthand. She got to where she is now by working hard and applying her expertise to every session. 

For other women hoping to get their start in athletics training or personal training in general, Kudhail's interview provided some great advice and covered some of the most important steps she took to break into the industry. 

You've been working with athletics teams behind the scenes for a while now. How do you think more women can get involved in this area of training? 

Kudhail: I think women can get involved in the sports industry by taking more chances. For too long, women haven't gone after these opportunities because they fear rejection or are uncomfortable being in a predominantly male environment. 

Working in such a male-dominated industry like basketball can be daunting, but women should be encouraged to take advantage of opportunities. I also think that the industry itself could do more by creating more opportunities tailored to women to encourage them to train in the industry.

I hope to one day lead by example and show other women how great it is to work in the sports world, have an impact, and prove that it's not a field to be avoided.

Can you tell us how you started working with the Manchester Giants? 

Kudhail: I was introduced to basketball through the love my family has for the sport. Working so closely with the Giants team was a chance I took, asking their strength and conditioning coach to observe a few sessions while I was completing my personal training qualifications. 

He saw the passion I had for injury prevention and invited me along to help lead some of the gym sessions. I used my knowledge to assist the players and confirmed my qualifications with the coach. Before I knew it, I was creating and leading warm-ups, cool-downs, and mobility sessions at the start of the next season.

You've also worked with college-age athletes here in the US. Can you elaborate on what this work consisted of? 

Kudhail: I reached out to a basketball academy in the US to offer my sports science expertise. Unfortunately, because of the pandemic, I was unable to fly out, but I was offered the chance to conduct a flexibility and mobility program and teach virtually, also researching and comparing how players train in the US vs. the UK. 

I looked at differences, what players wanted out of training, whether players had similar injuries, etc. I developed a three-week program that assessed what the athletes' mobility was like, taking into consideration any injuries. We worked to develop their flexibility and mobility where needed, for example, hip mobility, hamstring flexibility, and finally, we educated them about their own bodies. 

So many athletes are not aware of how the skeleton works and how long-term injuries can be caused. It was a great experience and I really enjoyed finding various creative ways of teaching to maximize benefits for the players.

Is it ever difficult to work with so many difficult people? Do you keep records of various athletes' conditions or needs? 

Kudhail: I don't find it difficult as such, it really just depends on the context of each player. Every skeleton works on the same basis, but exploring each person's skeleton individually to find out what the sport has done to it is the challenge. 

For example, older and more experienced players tend to have more long-term injuries but are in tune with their bodies. They are so used to playing with different injuries that they know what's wrong and where. It's my job then to limit the damage to make sure that no other injuries are caused while the physiotherapy team helps treat any current injuries. 

Younger players tend to be more carefree, so I teach the habits that they need to stay injury-free for the longest time possible. I keep a record of each of the player's health at the start of the season, make notes of any injuries at the time, what to be careful with, what needs to be improved, and then track their progression.

How do you stay motivated? 

Kudhail: I stay motivated simply by the fact that I know my job helps athletes perform the best they can. I know that I'm helping them achieve their goals. I love to learn about new techniques, various practices, and find effective ways to teach them. Being so young and already knowing what I want to do and how to make an impact excites me every day, and I look forward to the future and where this line of work will take me!

How did you adapt your techniques for virtual training? Did you feel that the virtual setting made the work more difficult? 

Kudhail: Teaching virtually was hard at first. It was difficult to know what I was looking at, whether I was being mirrored, whether they wearing the right clothing or shoes, etc. There were so many variables! But I found a rhythm, told players what my expectations were beforehand, and made sure the exercises I had planned were easy to perform in the home space and also effective in displaying gym techniques on camera that would show any corrections if needed. 

Working virtually created more work for sure. It was hard without having gym equipment on hand. I had to learn and teach creative ways to get the best workout using dining room chairs for blocks and balance and body weight exercises that were as effective as ones with weights. 

But I'm grateful for the experience as I am now more prepared and have double the list of home exercises that can still be super effective.

Do you have any advice for aspiring trainers, especially those who want to work with athletes? 

Kudhail: My number one piece of advice is to not be afraid of the word 'no'. The best thing I've done for my career was reaching out to mentors and asking whether they would be willing to teach me.

I'm so appreciative of the fact that I wouldn't be where I am today without taking those chances. I put the work in, studied hard, showed them I wanted to be a great trainer, and they believed in me and my dreams. Don't let age or gender define you and prevent you from taking a risk because you think you're too young and don't have enough experience or because you're a woman you would be set apart from the other men in the industry. At the end of the day, we're all there to be a part of the team and all work together!