What is Sports Science?

Sports Science Support involves help and advice from a multitude of scientific disciplines (including physiology, psychology, biomechanics and strength and conditioning) each focused on supporting the high performance coach to improve performance of the elite athlete. These disciplines also work closely with other professions e.g. Nutrition, Sports Medicine and Performance Analysis, to provide the coach, with a comprehensive multidisciplinary support package.

Below is an outline of each discipline.

Physiological Sports Science involves strategies to ensure optimal performance is achieved at designated points throughout the training cycle. Training prescription can be performed in collaboration with coaches, along with regular monitoring of athletes' responses to training programmes and competition. Monitoring involves subjective feedback from the coach and athlete, in addition to monitoring of variables from athletes' blood and urine indices in the Sports Science Laboratory. Fitness tests are conducted either in the Sports Science Laboratory or in the field, according to the needs of the sport.

Psychological Sports Science Support is interested in considering the mental factors that can affect athletic performance.

Sport Psychologists can help improve performance in both training and competition by developing the following:

• Concentration
• Motivation
• Confidence
• Ability to cope with adversity
• Emotional Control

Skills that are typically taught include:

• Relaxation
• Imagery
• Competition preparation
• Training and performance review
• Goal setting
• Ability to focus
• Managing self talk

Furthermore, Sport Psychologists can also help with decision making, career transitions and communication. Sport Psychologists work in a variety of ways to develop the above skills. These include workshop based education, individual consultations, working with coaches, and observing training and competition.