I earned my certification as an Athletic Trainer (ATC) in the United States,
and throughout my career I’ve supported a wide range of clients —from national teams and professional stage actors to musicians and everyday people.

Of course, alleviating physical pain is important.
But what I value even more is helping each person truly face their own body and mind,so they can solve problems on their own and regain confidence in their own abilities.

Over more than 20 years as a trainer, I’ve seen time and again that many injuries and physical troubles aren’t just about muscles or bones.
They are deeply connected to a person’s mental state and past experiences.That’s why I also studied TICE coaching, rooted in cognitive science,to better support the mind alongside the body.

I’ve watched people who were told,“It’s probably impossible for you,” or “There’s nothing more to be done,”still find ways to adjust, restore their bodies on their own,
and return to the stage or simply enjoy their daily lives again.

What matters most to me is helping each person reclaim the power to never give up on their own potential —to choose and create their own future.

Little Gym is a place to support that desire to change, to try, and to grow.

No matter how small your first step may seem, I’d love to hear your story.
Because I truly believe in the power you already have to transform.

Nami Honda

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NATABOC Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC)
(National Athletic Trainers’ Association Board of Certification, USA)

TICE® Coach
(Performance Enhancement Coaching by Dr. Tomabechi & Louis Tice™)

Born in 1973, Ibaraki, Japan
　1997 Graduated from the University of Oklahoma, USA
　　　(Major: Health and Sports Science)
　1998 Earned NATABOC-ATC certification (Certified Athletic Trainer, USA)
　1998–2003 Worked at Major Trainers Co., Ltd.
　2004 Founded Little Gym
　2012 Incorporated as Little Gym Co., Ltd.
　2021 Completed TICE certification

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An ATC (Certified Athletic Trainer) is a nationally licensed healthcare professional in the United States who specializes in athletic training.
In the U.S., only those who have earned this certification are legally allowed to use the title “Athletic Trainer.”

By contrast, Japan currently has no national licensure for athletic trainers.
The Japan Sports Association certifies athletic trainers through its own program, which is widely recognized, but this remains a private credential without legal requirements.
As a result, anyone in Japan can call themselves an “athletic trainer,” regardless of formal education.

In the United States, Athletic Training is an established academic major at accredited universities. Students systematically study subjects such as human anatomy, kinesiology, and exercise physiology, along with general education, to build a strong scientific foundation.

When I was studying about 30 years ago, it was mandatory to accompany university sports teams for hands-on internships (today it tends to be more observation-focused).

Between classes, I spent hours in the training room providing care to athletes, handling hydration and first aid during practices, and helping ensure players could fully concentrate on their sport.

Another essential role was transporting injured athletes to hospitals and coordinating with physicians and physical therapists (PTs).
Given the scale of sports as big business in the U.S., this environment offered invaluable real-world experience, which laid the foundation for my approach as a trainer today.

After completing this extensive academic and practical training, graduates (or those near graduation) take the national board exam.Passing this exam officially grants the ATC certification.

I earned my ATC in 1998.
Since then, I’ve accumulated over two decades of experience, expanding my knowledge and skills beyond athletes to help people from all walks of life improve their physical well-being.

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Performance Enhancement Coaching, commonly known as TICE, was originally developed by Lou Tice in the United States.

In general, most mental training is based on psychology.
TICE Coaching, however, is grounded in cognitive science.

To explain the difference:
Psychology traditionally relies on case studies — for example, imagine a box called “A.”
If you put a green ball into this box a million times, you might find that it most often produces a yellow ball, sometimes a red one, and rarely a black or blue one.

So psychology can say:
“Putting a green ball into box A will likely result in a yellow ball.”

But it doesn’t necessarily explain why that happens.
The mechanisms inside the box remain a mystery.

Cognitive science, on the other hand, looks directly inside the box — which, in this analogy, represents the brain.
By understanding what happens inside, we can see why yellow appears so often, or why black might show up occasionally.

For example, someone might say:
“Because you are type A, using method ‘VI’ will give you the best results.”

But is that truly accurate?
• Saying “you are type A” does not fully define who you are; at best, it means “you roughly fit type A.”
• Likewise, “method VI works for type A” is not an absolute rule.

This means the possible combinations of “type” and “method” are virtually endless,
and simply matching these two does not guarantee the right solution.

TICE Coaching is different.
It doesn’t try to force you into a predefined category or hand you someone else’s “correct answer.”
Instead, it supports you in discovering for yourself:
• “What do I truly want?”
• “What do I need to achieve that?”

This process is what makes TICE a uniquely cognitive science-based approach.

As an Athletic Trainer, I’ve spent many years focusing on the physical side of performance. But again and again, I encountered challenges that could not be solved by addressing the body alone.

I wondered, “How can I truly help people move past these hurdles?”

That’s when I found cognitive science.
It immediately resonated — I thought, “This is it!”
In June 2021, I earned my TICE certification.

Now, I strive to support both the body and the mind, helping clients enhance their performance and overcome obstacles from both angles.

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