Strength and Conditioning

This module offers an introduction to the study of sport from a socio-cultural perspective. Specifically, this module will engage students in contemporary discussions about what matters in sport, culture, and life.This module will help students to understand difficult concepts and explore some of the fundamental questions and challenges in sport today. Using examples from across the globe, students will also be encouraged to reflect on their basic assumptions with regards to sport. At the same time, an emphasis will be placed on the development of transferable academic skills and critical thinking in particular.

This module will seek to raise student awareness about the importance of developing graduate employability skills alongside their academic studies. Working with personal tutors, students will consider the various graduate careers they might pursue, the skills needed to undertake such roles, as well as reflecting on the skills they currently possess and how they might ‘bridge’ any gaps. Although there will be a focus on the sport, exercise, and health industries, students will also be encouraged to consider the transferable nature of graduate employability skills to other professions (e.g., teaching).

This module will introduce anatomy with specific reference to human movement. Students will learn key terminology relating to muscular and skeletal structures and how those structures operate during different types of motion. Students will also be given the opportunity to explore anatomical structures in practical settings and gain a thorough understanding of how the human body moves.

This module aims to introduce the basic concepts of biomechanics and relate these to human movement and sport performance. Students undertaking this module will extend and add to their knowledge of biomechanics and will gain the foundation of knowledge required for sport and exercise biomechanics modules at levels five and six.

This module will develop understanding of strength training with an emphasis on practical coaching and suitable gym-based warm-ups. Students will gain first-hand coaching experience with a variety of exercises, while analysing movement patterns to be able to make appropriate progressions and regressions. Students will use academic literature to explore the use and efficacy of a variety of exercises. All exercises and coaching will be based on the UKSCA competency documents, preparing students for the assessment.

This module will introduce the importance of research and explore the different philosophies that underpin scientific research in sport and exercise. It will also introduce a variety of specific qualitative and quantitative methods appropriate for the interdisciplinary study of sport and exercise. Consideration will also be given to key concepts such as validity, reliability and ethics.

This module intends to give students a basic yet broad grounding in key physiological systems that underpin sport and exercise performance. Students undertaking this module will extend their basic knowledge of physiology and will gain the foundation of knowledge required for sport and exercise physiology-based modules at levels five and six.

This module will develop the examination skills required to understand the requirements of sports in order to make training specific to the sport. Students will learn how to use and interpret literature to better understand sports and break them down into different trainable components. They will start to develop an understanding of how to use testing and monitoring to compare athletes to the physical requirements of the sport. Students will also be able to perform a needs analysis on athletes assessing their strengths and weaknesses in relation to their sport. The other aspect of the module will be with session design. Here, students will learn to use Excel to create training session templates as well as the fundamental aspects of training theory. Students will also be able to create sessions for athletes to help address their areas of improvement directly related to their sport.

This module will develop understanding of speed and agility training with an emphasis on practical coaching. Students will gain first-hand coaching experience with a variety of different speed and agility exercises/drills, while also developing the understanding necessary to create speed or agility sessions with appropriate warm-ups. In addition, students will explore the use and efficacy of a variety of exercises in different settings and within the context of multiple sports. All exercises and coaching will be based on the UKSCA competency documents, preparing students for assessment.

This module will examine quantitative approaches to research in sport. An emphasis will be placed on practical research skills (e.g., key methods of data collection, management, analysis) and critical skills (e.g., evaluating research papers and methods), alongside a broad awareness of ethical issues in sport research.

This module aims to extend students’ knowledge of physiology by exploring the acute responses of physiological systems to sport and exercise. Additionally, the long-term adaptations to exercise training are investigated as well as the transitional effects of starting exercise from rest. Students will be given an opportunity to further enhance their laboratory skills and to apply their theoretical knowledge to practical settings.

This module will aim to give students an understanding of a number of theoretical models concerned with the development and control of human movement patterns. Students will explore quantitative approaches to analysing these movements with a particular focus on the student’s ability to accurately analyse the data collected and provide scientifically underpinned reasons for their findings. There will be a range of topics covered from single joint skill performance to whole body co-ordination tasks as well as the role of movement variability in skilled performance.

This module will use the underpinning physiology of muscle tissue and force production to further understand how the body responds to training and adapts to different stimuli. The module will use this to help gain a deeper understanding of training and therefore design training sessions focused for specific adaptations with neural or metabolic emphasis. With greater understanding of the underpinning mechanisms of force, students will also learn how to monitor the athlete to make sure they are gaining the correct stimuli for adaptation. Within this, students will further develop their coaching within strength and conditioning.

The aim of this module is to enable the student to develop the skills and theoretical knowledge required of a practitioner within the domain of sport and exercise. Building on a strong theoretical foundation, students will examine a range of factors and the potential impact of each upon the approach adopted by the consultant. A core focus of the module will be to introduce students to core communication skills and how they can use these skills to build more effective professional working relationships. Crucially, students will develop the ability to communicate with clients regardless of age, intellect or social group.

This module aims to provide students with the skills and knowledge required to perform laboratory and field physiological testing on a variety of athletes. It will focus specifically on the broader aspects of fitness by examining components of body composition, cardiovascular responses to exercise, pulmonary responses to exercise and anaerobic fitness.

This module will outline the rationale and importance of biomechanical testing. Students will address the advantages and disadvantages of several specific laboratory and field-based tests, as well as learning the skills to carry out these tests themselves. There will be an emphasis on the interpretation of data and results and the ways in which this can be fed back to athletes and clients. Students will also critically examine how specific types of training may influence these parameters from a biomechanical interpretation perspective.

This module will evaluate the different periodisation strategies at a micro-, meso- and macro- level. Students will use previous knowledge of training session design and needs analyses to construct appropriate training programmes for longer term training. They will manage fatigue throughout a training week and longer blocks of training. Students will also evaluate the use of different strategies, including block, undulating, etc. In addition, students will further their Excel skills, creating annual cycle templates to easily record training and convey this to athletes, coaches, etc. Students will also need to progress their understanding of training and ability to explain the plan through the justification of their programmes.

This module aims to provide students with the experiences of planning and executing an in-depth and independent research project that investigates a specific area within sport/exercise. Students will negotiate the focus of the project with tutorial guidance and will be expected to show an awareness of research methodology appropriate for an empirical research project. Emphasis will be placed on topics that are analytical, interdisciplinary and/or evaluative in nature. This is the opportunity for students to produce a research project in a particular area of interest that relates to the curriculum being studied.

This module aims to critically evaluate the physiological and biochemical principles of sport and exercise within a nutritional context. Detailed consideration will be focused towards macronutrients and their role for individuals within a range of sport and exercise contexts. The module will provide students with skills surrounding the assessment and analysis of nutritional intake. The use of nutritional and supplement strategies will be critically evaluated in terms of performance enhancement and health.

This module will advance students’ programming and session design by focusing on specific aspects of training such as velocity, contact time, etc. Students will look critically at current trends and equipment within the literature and appraise appropriate times to use them. Students will also use previously learnt training methodologies and adapt them for specific scenarios to drive adaptation in more advanced athletes.

This module will give the students the opportunity to gain work related experience within the field of strength and conditioning. Students will draw on their understanding of coaching and programming from other modules on the course and put this into applied practice. They should look to develop and test their skills while observing the outcomes. They should then be critical of their coaching and sessions and reflect on these. Using this reflection, they should develop their practice using current literature to help guide their relationship with athletes and their programming.

This module will develop the comprehensive understanding necessary to train youth athletes. Specifically, students will critically examine current long-term athlete development models for a range of ages and sports. They will learn how to track maturation and critically review the literature using this to help structure training. Students will also develop a comprehensive understanding of the maturation process and how this effects movement competency, injury occurrence and performance with a particular focus on female growth and knee control.

• Sport Entrepreneurship and Innovation - 15 Credits
• Professional Placement - 15 Credits
• Study Abroad - 15 Credits
• Advanced Physiological Assessment - 15 Credits
• Rehabilitation Biomechanics - 15 Credits
• High Performance Biomechanics - 15 Credits
• Psychology of Injury - 15 Credits

This module aims to provide students with the experiences of planning and executing an in-depth and independent research project that investigates a specific area within sport/exercise. Students will negotiate the focus of the project with tutorial guidance and will be expected to show an awareness of research methodology appropriate for an empirical research project. Emphasis will be placed on topics that are analytical, interdisciplinary and/or evaluative in nature. This is the opportunity for students to produce a research project in a particular area of interest that relates to the curriculum being studied.

This module aims to critically evaluate the physiological and biochemical principles of sport and exercise within a nutritional context. Detailed consideration will be focused towards macronutrients and their role for individuals within a range of sport and exercise contexts. The module will provide students with skills surrounding the assessment and analysis of nutritional intake. The use of nutritional and supplement strategies will be critically evaluated in terms of performance enhancement and health.

This module will advance students’ programming and session design by focusing on specific aspects of training such as velocity, contact time, etc. Students will look critically at current trends and equipment within the literature and appraise appropriate times to use them. Students will also use previously learnt training methodologies and adapt them for specific scenarios to drive adaptation in more advanced athletes.

This module will give the students the opportunity to gain work related experience within the field of strength and conditioning. Students will draw on their understanding of coaching and programming from other modules on the course and put this into applied practice. They should look to develop and test their skills while observing the outcomes. They should then be critical of their coaching and sessions and reflect on these. Using this reflection, they should develop their practice using current literature to help guide their relationship with athletes and their programming.

This module will develop the comprehensive understanding necessary to train youth athletes. Specifically, students will critically examine current long-term athlete development models for a range of ages and sports. They will learn how to track maturation and critically review the literature using this to help structure training. Students will also develop a comprehensive understanding of the maturation process and how this effects movement competency, injury occurrence and performance with a particular focus on female growth and knee control.

• Sport Entrepreneurship and Innovation - 15 Credits
• Professional Placement - 15 Credits
• Study Abroad - 15 Credits
• Advanced Physiological Assessment - 15 Credits
• Rehabilitation Biomechanics - 15 Credits
• High Performance Biomechanics - 15 Credits
• Psychology of Injury - 15 Credits