““When we stop playing, we stop developing and when that happens, the laws of entropy take over - things fall apart. When we stop playing, we start dying.””
PRIMAL PLAY METHOD® CERTIFICATION
PRIMAL PLAY METHOD® LEVEL 1 MOVEMENT COACH
Become a Certified Primal Play Method® Movement Coach
Learn how to coach playful, practical, evidence-informed movement for adults, children, groups and professional settings.
The Primal Play Method® Level 1 Certification is a 2-day founder-led training course for fitness coaches, personal trainers, educators, health coaches, healthcare professionals and movement enthusiasts.
You will learn how to use active play, primal movement, animal-inspired locomotion, coaching games and scalable movement patterns to help people move with more confidence, strength, coordination and joy.
Next London course: 26/27 September 2026
Location: Ravenscourt Park, London, UK
Price: from £495
Taught by: Darryl Edwards, founder of the Primal Play Method®
Assessment: video practical assessment after the workshop
Why This Certification Is Different
The Primal Play Method® brings active play into professional movement coaching.
It combines four scientific pillars: cognitive neuroscience, exercise physiology, evolutionary biology and play psychology.
You will learn how to make movement feel purposeful, challenging, social and enjoyable. You will also learn how to adapt playful movement for different bodies, abilities, ages and confidence levels.
This gives you a practical coaching toolkit for people who feel bored by exercise, intimidated by fitness, disconnected from their bodies or stuck in repetitive training.
Taught by Darryl Edwards
Darryl Edwards is the founder of the Primal Play Method®, author of Animal Moves and My First Animal Moves, and a movement coach with 16 years of professional coaching experience.
His work connects active play, physical activity behaviour change, functional movement and exercise medicine-informed practice.
He has presented internationally, delivered a TED talk viewed more than 1.3 million times, and works across public, professional, clinical, educational and workplace settings.
| You leave with | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| A practical library of Primal Play Method® activities | Gives coaches ready-to-use session tools |
| Regressions and progressions | Supports mixed-ability groups |
| Coaching cues and delivery models | Improves confidence and safety |
| A framework for solo, partner and group play | Expands session design |
| An understanding of movement prescription | Links play to health and function |
| A video assessment pathway | Protects certification standards |
Why active play belongs in modern movement coaching
Many people know movement supports health. Fewer people stay consistent when movement feels boring, punishing or disconnected from daily life.
The Primal Play Method® helps coaches make movement more engaging, adaptable and repeatable.
The method supports strength, mobility, balance, coordination, cardiovascular effort, confidence and physical activity adherence through playful challenge.
HOW TO BECOME A COACH?
To become a Certified Primal Play Method® Movement Coach, you must pass a video practical assessment after completing the workshop. To ensure all coaches meet the program’s standards, you’ll need to demonstrate the necessary competence via video submission after the workshop.
Find out more about the Primal Play Method® here.
UK Certification Workshops
** LONDON, UK **
Primal Play Method® Level 1 Certification in London
![2-Day Certification - London [26/27 Sep 2026]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/567155dca2bab819494ef093/1549062067336-V7MI6UYRB0RFDSV4XD43/Primal-Play-Certification-Level-1.jpg)
This two-day event is usually between 09:00 am-5:00 pm and will be held on Saturday, Sunday 26/27 Sept 2026.
Level 1 is the two-day intensive introductory course for fitness and healthcare professionals who want to become Certified Primal Play Method®️ Movement Coaches or for fitness enthusiasts who want to take their fitness to the next level. This course will be taught by the founder Darryl Edwards.
This course is where you can learn this incredibly useful movement practice taking the steps to become a Certified Coach. Groups numbers are kept relatively small to ensure an optimal pupil-to-teacher ratio.
Primal Play Method®️ classes are designed to provide an enhanced learning environment for attendees; transforming individuals with quadrupedal and animal-based movement using elements from diverse disciplines, including play theory, martial arts and callisthenics to create fun and functional playouts.
You’ll learn much more than just a series of movement patterns and games though – you’ll learn how to effectively coach others in this method and will better understand this primal, powerful and practical movement approach. You will learn how to improve your and your clients’ fitness and to help with motivation no matter how you integrate the Primal Play Method®️ into your training.
The workshop may include both indoor and outdoor instruction.
US Certification Workshops
No dates currently for 2026
FAQs
What's the refund policy?
Tickets are strictly non-refundable. However, tickets are freely transferable to other individuals or for a future certification date.
What are the prerequisites?
The workshops are open to any fitness or healthcare professional, educator or movement enthusiast. However, it is recommended (but not mandatory) that candidates possess an accredited qualification as a personal trainer, fitness instructor, PE teacher or equivalent.
We would advise potential candidates considering enrolling in this course to have attained a reasonable level of fitness, but more emphasis is placed on the ability to coach, which will be taught and assessed.
Is any preparation required beforehand?
You will be assigned online materials for Primal Play Method® Level 1 before the event. The workshop is taught in person, but the online components provide reading materials and movement options to work through before the workshop begins. These will be provided before the course starts.
Is lunch provided?
Snacks, beverages and lunch are not provided.
Are you or your clients bored with exercise?
PRIMAL PLAY GLOBALLY:
HAVE MORE FUN WITH MOVEMENT!
Do you or your clients have a love affair with fitness and relish a new challenge or do you/they hate to exercise but want to get passionate about movement again? The Primal Play Method® will enable you to gain practical movement skills that will assist you in performing physical and fitness tasks more effectively and most importantly have fun doing it!
