Careers in Sports Performance: What You Need to Know

About Me

Hi, I’m Dr. Chad Peters.

I live for all things performance and modern understanding. My passion is showing how science, sports, and real-life training overlap and how you can build a HYBRID career around it.

The Chiropractic Profession: What You Should Know

Chiropractic can be an incredible career, but like every profession, it has challenges you should know about.

The Current Landscape

  • 15 chiropractic schools in the U.S. (all private).

  • Tuition averages $200,000+ by the time you finish.

  • Chiropractors are world-class doctors.  The training is rigorous with a huge emphasis in anatomy, physiology, nutrition, kinesiology, radiology, diagnostics and physiotherapy    WE are doctors of the body.

  • The profession is still largely based in family practice or sole-ownership models, yet the landscape of all healthcare is moving toward large corporate systems. (think – The Joint, Massage Envy, Stretch Zone, Orange Theory, Arrosti)

The Social Media Effect

Instagram and TikTok have made chiropractic hugely popular, but often for the wrong reasons. The “pop-and-crack” videos get clicks, but they’ve also set public perception back half a century.  Rather than being viewed as doctors of the body, it is more often seen as doctors of the spine.

Like I told a client last week:

“Asking me to fix your body or make you a better athlete with just pops is like trying to bake a cake using only flour.”

Adjustments are one tool, but real performance care is about mobility, strength, recovery, and long-term function.

I dont even view the body as the spine needing “alignment.”   My philosophy is the body’s 3 Big Engines.

So, despite my career becoming MORE popular, the modern view (and practice) it is hurting my style significantly.

My clients WANT the pops and EXPECT Miracles.

The Business Reality

  • Insurance reimbursement is shrinking every year.

  • Running a solo clinic can be rewarding but comes with financial pressures.

  • The profession is changing: fewer “mom-and-pop” offices, more consolidation, more corporate.

This doesn’t mean chiropractic is a bad path, far from it.  It just means you should enter with clear eyes and realistic expectations about the future of healthcare.  It’s quite normal to chase a career based on money – I did.  But I wish I knew a few things going into it. (we’ll get to that!)

Career Paths in Sports Performance

The field of sports performance is exploding. Every athlete, from middle school to the pros, wants an edge. Careers here are about more than “lifting weights” or “working out.” They’re about unlocking human potential.

Some options you might not have considered:

  • Strength & Conditioning Coach – working with teams, schools, or privately.

  • Sports Chiropractor / Physical Therapist / Physio – blending rehab and performance.

  • Performance Consultant – helping coaches modernize training systems.

  • Athletic Trainer – specializing in injury prevention and return-to-play.

  • Sports Scientist – using data, technology, and testing to drive results.

  • Analytic Expert – helping teams and coaches make faster informed decisions.

  • Personal Trainer – the “front line” for athletes and general population alike.

  • Writer / Speaker / Educator – turning knowledge into resources for athletes and coaches.

  • Garbage Man, Accountant, Carnival Ride Owner, high school teacher, and anything else you want to chase! (meaning – your major doesn’t define you!)

My Career Shift: Precision Performance Concepts (PPC)

After years in private practice, I felt something was missing. I loved helping people one-on-one, but I wanted to impact coaches, athletes, and whole teams on a bigger scale. That’s why I launched Precision Performance Concepts (PPC) and wrote my book, Unlocking Athletic Potential.

What PPC Is About

PPC isn’t just another training program. In fact, I dont offer a programs, I offer consulting, seminars and teaching.

It’s about looking at what’s happening at the highest level of sports performance—Olympics, pro leagues, elite academies and asking:

  • Why should it take 10–20 years for these ideas to trickle down to high school or youth athletes?

  • What if we could close that gap?

That’s what I call Generational Knowledge Transfer: Getting the right tools and strategies into the hands of athletes, parents, and coaches now, not decades from now.

Why This Matters for You

Whether you’re going into coaching, sports medicine, training, or any career that touches athletes, you’ll be most valuable if you can see what’s coming next and translate it for the level you’re working at.

Some of the “next wave” trends:

  • Faster warm-ups that prime the nervous system.

  • Wearables and real-time data guiding decisions.

  • Recovery protocols that once belonged only to pros.

  • Mental performance strategies being used alongside physical training.

If you want to stand out, don’t just know what’s popular now, know what’s about to be.

Advice From Uncle Chad

Think of this part like pulling up a chair with your uncle who’s been around the block and wants you to avoid the potholes.

One of my upcoming projects is a book called The Missing Ink. It’s built for high school and college students, because there are things you don’t care about now but absolutely will care about later.

Everyone thinks it’s about money. And yes, money matters. But the real difference-makers aren’t just your paycheck. It’s the stuff that sounds boring now, but will shape your life in ways you can’t yet imagine:

  • Benefits packages (health, dental, vision, all the things that keep you out of debt when life happens).

  • Retirement plans (401k, Roth IRA, stock sharing—it’s not exciting now, but future-you will thank you).

  • Job culture and flexibility (a toxic workplace will cost you way more than a bigger paycheck).

  • Equity and ownership opportunities (understanding how companies reward loyalty beyond salary).

  • Time – seriously, just having the ability to control it.
  • Stress – a million dollars often comes with an Ulcer.
  • Family –

There are so many versions of RICH!

This isn’t your mom and dad’s era, and it’s certainly not your granddad’s. The workforce has changed, the benefits landscape has changed, and if you want to win long-term, you need to pay attention to more than just “starting salary.”

So here’s my “Uncle Chad challenge” to you:

Next time you’re looking at a job or career path, don’t just ask, “What do I make?”
Ask, “What do I keep? What do I build? And how does this help future-me?”

That’s how you play the game at a higher level.

My advice for everything is to have a conversation with your “future self.”

Why Kinesiology (and Related Majors) Matter

At the core of sports performance is one simple truth: you only get one body.
Understanding how it works puts you ahead, whether you end up in sports, medicine, tech or any trade!

The Three-Headed Monster: Tech, Medical, Sports

Sports is no longer just a leisure activity – it’s a global industry. The intersection of:

  • Technology (wearables, AI, data analytics)

  • Medicine (treatment, prevention, rehab, recovery)

  • Sports (coaching, training, performance)

…is creating more opportunities than ever. If you understand the body, you can plug into any of these sectors.

 That, and the idea that if you just got one car, one vehicle to use for the rest of your life, you’d each major in auto-mechanics.    (well, you get one body, knowing how to use it…)

A Million Jobs (and More to Invent)

There are countless jobs now, and even more waiting to be created. But here’s the catch:

  • Don’t just follow what’s already out there.

  • This field moves fast. Some “hot” jobs are already behind the curve.

  • The biggest wins will come to people who spot new needs and create new solutions.

  • Your generation is the masters of multiple attention spans, invention and creation.  USE IT!

The Biggest Takeaway: Avoid the Comparison Trap

One warning for life: comparison is an evil trap.
What you see on social media is someone’s ambassador. It’s their highlight reel, not their reality.

If you measure yourself against that, you’ll always feel behind. Instead, focus on building your own skills, your own niche, and your own path. That’s where the real opportunity is.

Closing Thought

Sports performance is about unlocking human potential. Whether you work with pros, high schoolers, or everyday athletes, you’ll never be bored, because you’ll always be chasing better.

👉 For more resources, visit Precision Performance Concepts or check out my books on sports performance and athlete development.

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