Solent shortlisted to provide staff training to Nuffield Health and Wellbeing

Solent recently submitted a bid to become the approved training provider for the national staff development programme for Nuffield Health and Wellbeing fitness staff and were shortlisted to present their proposal to 7 senior managers on Tuesday 13th December.

Martin Skivington, Principal Lecturer in Health, Exercise and Sport Science, who led the bid, commented "to be shortlisted against some of the largest training providers, not only from the UK, but also worldwide, represents a tremendous achievement by the entire team who helped develop the bid. It shows that the fitness qualifications offered by Solent are incredibly well respected in the sector, and our brand name within the fitness industry continues to grow."

Nuffield have ambitions to raise the standard of fitness provision within the UK, and the potential partnership with Solent would provide them with evidence-based staff training pitched at a higher level than current industry standards.  In particular, they provide a holistic approach to fitness and wellbeing,with a full health MOT offered to their members.

Three members of Solent staff presented the proposal to Nuffield at their City club in London and we should hear early in the New Year whether we have been successful.

Watch this space!

Applied Sport Science students heavily involved in GB Wheelchair Paralympics preparation.

This week students from all 3 years of the BSc (Hons) Applied Sport Science course helped Dr Stewart Bruce-Low undertake a battery of fitness tests to monitor baseline values of the GB Wheelchair Rugby Elite Squad. This meant an early start for all students in order to be at Stoke Mandeville to start setting up the tests at 7.30am. The successful testing day was followed by a high intensity workout for the players led by Dr Bruce-Low ably aided by the students. On the long drive home it was very clear that all students had gained huge amounts from this experience and are already looking forward to the next testing day early in the new year.

Solent students learn from local Health Promotion experts

Solent students from the BSc (Hons) Health, Exercise and Physical Activity course have been having a series of guest speakers to talk to them about physical activity initiatives within the city.  As part of their 2nd year Physical Activity and Public Health Interventions unit, students need to understand current national and local policy and strategy on physical activity, but also how this is being implemented in Southampton.  So far, students have learnt about active transport initiatives, and the complex issues of working with new communities. Also scheduled are talks on active workplaces, sport development, healthy communities and health trainers.  Senior Lecturer and unit leader Dr Marie Stopforth said, "not only does this give the students a fascinating insight into the work that is currently ongoing in the city, but it also allows students to forge valuable links with local employers including Southampton City Council and the NHS. Last year, one student gained part time employment in a health promotion setting as a direct result of this, and another will be carrying out his 3rd year project in conjunction with the Health Promotion team at the City Council."

Sport Science students run testing day for GB Wheelchair Rugby

On the weekend of 20/21 November, 30 students from the BSc Applied Sport Science degree ran a fitness testing day for GB Wheelchair Rugby. This provided a wonderful opportunity for the students to collect data and work with athletes that are being selected for the development squad. Attached below are some videos of the day with Patty Cornelius the Team Manager, some of the students helping out on the tests as well as one of our Applied Sport Science students feeding back about the day and the future. 
All the students showed high levels of professionalism throughout the testing days and were a credit to the university, and those students who excelled have now been selected to work with the elite squad next week. This is yet further evidence of how the opportunities afforded to students on the Applied Sport Science degree here at Southampton Solent University provide real-life experiences that enhance employability and hence should make us your first choice for a career in this exciting industry.

Guaranteed Job Interviews for Personal Training Students

Health and fitness students studying BA (Hons) Fitness Management and Personal Training, BSc (Hons) Health, Exercise & Physical Activity and BSc (Hons) Fitness and Personal Training were provided with 2 industry guest lectures within the space of an hour this week.

Firstly, Ray Algar from Oxygen Consulting, a company dedicated to providing strategic insight into the health and fitness industry, delivered a presentation on the emergence of low cost budget gyms in the UK. Ray provided a fascinating insight for the students who are currently undertaking an Operation and Management of Fitness Facilities academic unit.

To access Ray's blog, including a link to the information presented, please visit:

http://www.oxygen-consulting.co.uk/blog

The second guest lecture saw Dan Colman from Fitness Agents, the UKs largest Personal Training Management team, deliver a session to students from all 3 years of all the health and fitness courses about how to set up as a Personal Trainer within the industry.

All students in attendance were offered a guaranteed interview at one of their clubs, either during their studies or upon graduating, and were provided a valuable insight into how to make the most of the opportunities available within the industry.

Martin Skivington, Course Leader for the BA (Hons) Fitness Management & Personal Training and BSc (Hons) Fitness & Personal Training commented, "to be able to offer students a guaranteed interview shows just how well regarded these courses are within the fitness industry. We provide a learning experience that is valued by industry as well as providing extensive real-life working experiences for our students to improve their employability."

2012 Paralympic opportunity for Applied Sport Science student

Phil Zealey (pictured far left), one of our third year Applied Sport Science students is pictured here applying the knowledge learnt on his course to the real world experiences that we expect our students to undertake. 

This was pictured in early October after GB Wheelchair Rugby won the silver medal at the European championships in Switzerland. His role was to act as one of 4 students from Solent on either our BSc Applied Sport Science or BSc Sport Coaching courses who delivered the performance analysis for the squad. This role will take Phil to the Paralympics in London in 2012. Phil has shown extensive dedication in both his studies and his practical work which has afforded him this opportunity. Keep checking the blog for details of Phil's progress as he and squad prepare for 2012! Go GB!

Solent helps develop Croydon's talented young athletes

Staff at Southampton Solent University last month were pleased to work with some of Croydon's finest athletes! Coming from the Croydon Schools Sport Partnership (CSSP), staff from Solent offered a mixture of laboratory and field based testing. Some of our undergraduate students were also on hand to help out. Events such as these are part of our community outreach programme which we offer to a range of schools and colleges. We are currently investigating ways in which we can extend this link with the CSSP to regularly test their elite athletes - this would then primarily be a student led project affording them a wonderful opportunity to work with some of the country's most talent developing athletes. Keep an eye on the blog to see how this develops!

The write up below was written by 3 of the students who attended.

Archbishop Lanfranc Solent University Trip

On September 21^st 2011,   Mr Knight and Mr Feist took a group of 16  elite athletes and other pupils interested in sport science  to Southampton Solent University where we got to work with  leading sport scientists who have worked with the England rowing and wheelchair rugby teams, as well professional footballers from the south coast clubs. Our day would be split into two; the first half of the morning would be looking at  Sports Science facilities and running a test on our leading middle distance runner, Femi Agbetoyin.

Session 1

We took a Par-Q test  to check if we were okay to do the test. Femi was our lab rat for the morning, going through the range of tests in  the lab and helping us get an insight into how things are performed in preparation of the VO2 maximum test. Femi was then hooked up to a heart monitor and we were able to monitor his heart rate throughout the test and from different areas around the heart . He was also hooked up to oxygen mask which would show us how much oxygen he uses

 

The Solent staff had no hesitation in allowing us to join in with the test and made sure each one of us had a job. Some of us recorded heart rate, two took blood samples to test blood lactate levels. Kertis was checking Femi's state of mind using indications on a card. Others recorded heart rate.

We then collected Femi's data and put it into the a graph. Dr Stewart Bruce-Low then explained to us what data we could get from out graphs and how to use them to help coaches and athletes get the best out of training.

It gave us a more of an idea of what studying sports science would be like and also answered many of the questions we had.

Session 2 consisted of  a series of tests: the 20m. speed test, vertical jump, stork test and the line drill which resembled a suicide. Not a single person slacked off, everyone was ready to work and do the best they could. The Solent staff picked up on our work ethic and how well we supported each other. We like to think of ourselves as a family and we believe no one gets left out.

There were a lot of surprises for some of the tests,  for example Jaylesh and Jessica  balanced on one leg for 17 minutes  which was just an incredible act of strength . Omar out- jumped national basketball players in the vertical jump with a amazing 32cm. Taiwo ran a fast time in the speed test which compared with 10.6 sprinters.

We wound down the session and discussed what options were available for talented athletes to study and train. It was a great experience working with the Solent staff; they showed nothing but enthusiasm and passion throughout  the day. They were excellent at supplying us with the information and still managed to maintain a fun atmosphere and provide us with a great day.

We enjoyed the trip to Solent so much that we are extremely keen to go back and learn more but also make these trips on a regular basis. We would like to say a huge thank you to Solent for allowing us to come down and for giving us an exciting and valuable day.  Thank you to Mr Feist and Mr Knight for organizing this trip. As a consequence of everyone’s hard work, our school is now in discussion with Solent University about creating a long term program with the university.

Tamara, Kala and Jessica.

High ranking again for Applied Sport Science and Sport Coaching degrees in National Student Survey

Course leaders are thrilled to announce that the BSc Sport Coaching degree and the BSc Applied Sport Science degree  have been ranked by their respective students in the National Student Survey as the top two courses in Southampton Solent University and have retained their national position as a top five university to study coaching and sport science.

Southampton Solent's Applied Sport Science degree was ranked the 5th best sport science course in the UK, whilst the BSc Sports Coaching Degree was ranked 3rd best teaching and training course in the UK. Matt Johnson (Course Leader for the BSc Sports Coaching) said  "It's great news that both of our degrees have been so successful for the second year in a row.  This is particularly important with the imminent changes to the fees structure where students studying on our courses can be confident that they are getting excellent value, an excellent learning experience and good career prospects."

AFC Bournemouth at Solent for pre season preparations.

Health, Exercise and Sport Science students studying on the Applied Sport Science and Sports Coaching degrees got the opportunity to help out as AFC Bournemouth got put through their paces as part of their pre-season preparations.

The team was assessed at Solent’s centre for Health, Exercise and Sport Science under the scrutiny of Dr Stewart Bruce-Low, Laboratory Director and Senior Lecturer in sport and exercise science. As part of the process, all players undertook a VO₂ max text, to determine the maximum volume of oxygen that can be utilized during maximal exercise.

AFC Bournemouth's Steve Fletcher at the start of the test.

This is the third year AFC Bournemouth has taken advantage of the facilities at Solent which is one of many opportunities for students on the Applied Sport Science and Sports Coaching degree's to gain experience to bolster their CVs throughout their degree program. The AFC Bournemouth Manager Lee Bradbury outlined "We have an excellent relationship with Solent University and using these facilities, with the expert help from staff and students, is a key part of our pre-season planning"

As well as carrying out their pre-season preparations, AFC Bournemouth were also put through their paces by second year Applied Sport Science student Jameson Mola, as part of his dissertation. Jameson, who successfully secured an internship at AFC Bournemouth, is looking at optimal programmes to develop muscular strength and power during the short pre-season turn around.

Jameson is looking at recovery time between exercises whilst carrying out complex training which allows players to reap the maximal benefits from the minimal amount of time spent in the gym, thus giving them more time to focus on the technical aspect of the game.

The research, conducted under the supervision of Dr Stewart Bruce-Low, and under the guidance of Head Sports Scientist and Associate Lecturer at Solent Louis Langdown involved the players performing a three repetition maximum squat (strength exercise) and a counter movement jump (power exercise). The data, collected at the centre for Health, Exercise and Sport Science biomechanics laboratory will be analysed to determine players peak power output, jump height and rate of force development. The results could impact on the way AFC Bournemouth train in the future

New Student Tuition Fees in 2012 - The reality for HESS students

If you are a prospective student enrolling on one of the HESS courses in 2012, and you are worried/confused about the new student tuition fee system, then take a look at the video below.

The video is of Martin Lewis of Money Saving Expert outlining his guide to the new student finance system in England for 2012.

Gold Medal comes back to Southampton Solent University

Following on from the latest blog titled "Wheelchair Basketball at the 7th Annual Paralympic World Cup", James Fisher, Technician Instructor and Associate Lecturer from the Health Exercise and Sport Science Department at Southampton Solent has been away at the Paralympic World Cup (PWC) last week in Manchester. James is an assistant coach to the GB Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team.

Gold medal Celebrations

The PWC is a major multi-sport Paralympic event where over 300 athletes from all over the world compete. This year Great Britain Women (ranked 6^th) faced Germany (2^nd), Canada (3^rd) and Japan (7^th).  This is a key tournament in their preparation for 2012 and presented some great challenges to overcome some of the best teams in the world.

Their first game was against Canada where they held on to take a close win 47-43. James commented “It was a much needed victory to send a message that we can compete at this level and build confidence for the coming games”.

Next they faced Germany reigning Paralympic and World Silver Medallists. They led through the majority of the game and once again held on to a close win 58-53. Once again GB’s defence proved too much for the usually strong German offence.

Their 3^rd game saw a loss of form and a tough loss to Japan 43-42. After leading throughout the majority of the game a scoring drought towards the end allowed Japan back in to it, and allowed them to steal a victory. However, enough had been done to earn a place in the Gold Medal game the following day.

The final saw Germany face GB, and whilst a loss to this team would have been no great shame with 6 places between them in the rankings, confidence was high having already beaten them earlier in the week. GB took control early on and never looked back; leading by as many as 17 points in the 3^rd quarter and finishing 63-52 for the victory and the Gold Medal.

James commented that "This sends a ripple around the world that GB Women are a strong contender for medals at up coming tournaments. Our youngsters performed excellently and with the Under 25 World Championships in Canada in July 2011 we are setting our sights on another gold medal. We have strong momentum going in to the European Championships in Israel in September 2011 and then of course London 2012. It was a great tournament with a fantastic result. The girls are in excellent condition and their work ethic is fantastic, we have amazing camaraderie; we know we can perform like this and really this victory is no surprise!" You can catch the highlights of the final game here.

Wheelchair Basketball at the 7th Annual Paralympic World Cup.

The coming week sees the 7^th Annual Paralympic World Cup take place in Manchester, UK, where athletes compete on the World’s stage in further preparation for 2012.  The event will host over 300 athletes from across the globe and in 2010 saw 14,650 spectators descend upon Manchester. The event hosts several sports including Athletics, Swimming, and notably for Southampton Solent University, Wheelchair Basketball.

James Fisher (Technician Instructor and Associate Lecturer on the Health, Exercise and Sport Science portfolio) has been an Assistant Coach with the Great Britain Women’s Wheelchair Basketball team since their return from Beijing, 2008.

Recently the Women’s team have improved their ranking to 6^th in the world but face some tough competition from Germany, Canada, and Japan. James commented "Every UK tournament is a great opportunity to play in front of a home crowd and further prepare for playing in London (2012). The team continues to make excellent progress and we have some rookies playing in the PWC this year to continue trying new things and looking at different combinations. This will be a great tournament; both Germany and Canada (ranked 2nd and 3rd, respectively) will provide the tough challenge needed to continue to improve".

The team have a busy schedule through 2011 including the Under 25 Women's World Championships in Canada (July) and the European Championships in Israel (September) as well as smaller tournaments. Watch this space for progress.

You can follow the Paralympic World Cup on Channel 4! Take a look the the advert below.

                       

Students complete Exercise To Music (ETM) course

Written and tutored by Becks Bishop

April saw the start of the annual 5 day REPs-approved ETM course. 10 students from years 1-3, all studying on various health and fitness related degrees in the Health, Exercise and Sport Science portfolio were about to embark on the most difficult tasks to date in their portfolio. The aerobics class consists of a warm-up, main cardio section (inc. re-warm and pulse lowerer) finishing with matwork MSE (muscular strength endurance - ie press us, core stability etc) and stretch. The students were led through a 'demo' class by the tutor on day 1 and at the end of this class it was obvious from their faces that they were thinking 'how on earth am I going to teach that?' Having seen some of their 'grapevine' moves, I must be honest and say I was slightly concerned for them too! However as the course progressed, their dedication, enthusiasm and commitment stood them in good stead and their confidence, teaching skills improved enormously.

The assessments were completed 4 weeks later to enable them to practice what they had learnt and to polish their performances. The assessment itself consists of a large variety of criteria to ensure the qualification meets with the REPs (Register of Exercise Professionals) requirements. There were some nervous faces that day, but I am pleased to say that all 10 students passed. This will open up new opportunities for the students as the qualification can be built upon with various CPD courses to further their careers.

Student blog from the interns at AFC Bournemouth

Written by Jay Lefevre, year 2 Sports Coaching.

At the start of this academic year we started a unit called Applied Principles of Performance Analysis. This would allow us to gain an insight into analysing performance across a range of sports. Throughout this process we used a piece of specialist software called SportsCode. This software can be used in conjunction with a wide range of sports to allow the coaches to identify incidents which affect performance in positive and negative ways. Throughout the unit and during taught sessions we were able to work regularly with the software which enabled us to become very familiar with its use and therefore use it in an effective way in relation to pinpointing key incidents within performance.

A screenshot of SportsCode in action.

In November 2010, student internships were offered to three students from Southampton Solent University’s Health, Exercise and Sport Science department with the aim of operating the performance analysis department within AFC Bournemouth. This was initiated under the guidance of Associate Lecturer and AFC Bournemouth coach Louis Langdown. The journey began under Eddie Howe where basic requirements were put in place so that the management team could gather in depth information on match performance. Since Eddie left the club for Burnley in the Championship, former player Lee Bradbury has taken charge and things have changed in relation to our involvement within the team. This involves the importance of the data we provide and also the social aspect with the coaches and playing staff.

The process throughout the day consists of arriving at the football club 2 hours before kick-off so that a suitable area within the gantry can be used to set up the equipment. This involves setting up the tripod and camera as well as preparing a suitable area for the person who has been chosen to code the match. This then allows us time to collect a team sheet from the staff and test out the equipment to see whether everything is working effectively and to the correct standards. Throughout the game we select 3 different roles which involve capturing the game through the video camera, coding the match using SportsCode and noting down the amount of passes that are produced from both teams and relate them to success and unsuccessful patterns.

Once the game has finished and following the coding process we are presented with numerous clips from the game showing key components of the performance. This also enables us to export statistical information to excel so that a statistics sheet can be formulated to produce a quantitative document for the coaching staff and players. Once this is done we make our way down to the changing room where we liaise with the management and players with regards to their performance. This consists of us showing them the key clips of the game which normally consist of the oppositions goals or attempts on goal. We then eat with the staff and players whilst discussing the game before making our way back home.

Females from local colleges visit Solent University

Getting hands on in one of the taster sessions.

Females from four local further education colleges visited Solent University's Health, Exercise and Sport Science department recently as part of their drive to encourage more women into sport and exercise science.  Senior Lecturer Dr Marie Stopforth said "There is a distinct lack of females working in this industry.  When looking at the British Association of Sport and Exercise Science website, it appears that only 34% of accredited sport scientists are women.  This is reflected in our courses where there is a lack of females both amongst the student population and the staff!".  The girls from Totton, Basingstoke, Southdowns and Peter Symonds colleges had a short talk on what it is like to study Sport and Exercise Science at University, and then enjoyed taster sessions in the labs including sessions on psychology, nutrition and fitness.  This is the second day of its kind to take place, and it is hoped that recruitment of female students onto these courses will increase in the future.

Trail Walker 2011: Team Put Through Their Paces

Tuesday 16^th July at 7 am sees the start of the 2011 Trailer Walker competition.  The 100 km (63 mile) race across the South Downs in aid of Oxfam is the equivilent to 2.5 marathons and is set to test the physical and mental limits of the competitors. 

One of the teams entering this competition includes Health, Exercise and Sport Science’s Exercise Physiologist Scott Burnet. Scott brought his team into the Exercise Physiology Laboratory at Southampton Solent University to be put through their paces in preparation for the endurance race that must be completed within 30 hours. 

One of the competitors before being put through their paces.

In addition to Scott, the team is made up of Glen Moores, Mark Marande and Brett Burnet. As part of the laboratory session all participants performed a variety of tests to help identify their current fitness levels and to enable the formulation of tailor-made training programmes .  Participants were screened for basic cardiovascular health indicators such as resting blood pressure and heart rate, along with a full 12 lead ECG trace. Furthermore, additional indicators such as aerobic capacity (the maximum amount of oxygen consumed) and lactic acid accumulation were determined throughout a progressive treadmill test (i.e. in response to increased running speeds).  Treadmill speeds topped 18 km/h (11 mi /h) as the team pushed themselves to the point of complete fatigue. 

To ensure the team are sufficiently prepared for the competition a variety of short walks are completed throughout the week with an extended walk (up to 32 km / 20 miles) at the weekends.  When speaking to Scott, he commented that “the training was essential to ensure the team hit their target”, but stressed “...the team are only as strong as the slowest person and it is therefore essential to operate as a single unit.”  The team are set to return to the physiology laboratory in May where the tests will be performed again to evaluate the change in physical conditioning.

Nuffield Health's Physiology and Recruitment Manager visits Solent.

On Thursday 31^st March, students at Southampton Solent University studying BSc Health, Exercise and Physical Activity, BSc Fitness and Personal Training, and BSc Applied Sport Science were treated to a guest lecture from Paul Jarvis, Physiology and Recruitment Manager at Nuffield Health and Wellbeing.

The talk outlined potential graduate career pathways for students within Nuffield Health, including Health and Wellbeing Physiologists, Wellbeing Advisors and Personal Trainers. Nuffield currently employ over 4000 clinical practitioners and are the leading UK provider of on-site corporate wellness services, as well as being the second largest network of fitness facilities and the largest UK provider of health assessments.

Course Leader for the BSc Fitness and Personal Training, Martin Skivington, stated, “the presentation highlighted just how focused our degree courses are in terms of providing relevant career pathways to our students. Nuffield Health identified our courses as being the perfect platform for students to pursue a promising career within their company. Hopefully the talk inspired students to take advantage of the many opportunities available to them at Solent to gain practical vocational experience that will further enhance their career prospects”.

Former Solent health and fitness student, Chris Jones, holds the position of Professional Head of Physiology at Nuffield and has also returned to provide guest lectures. 

Student Internships at AFC Bournemouth

The partnership between the HESS programme and AFC Bournemouth through the provision of sport science support continues to grow. The photo shows the fitness coach (Louis Langdown), manager (Lee Bradbury) and assistant manager (Steve Fletcher) with three of our students from the Applied Sport Science and Sport Coaching courses. In the second year, as part of these courses the students get the opportunity to study 'Applications of Sport Performance Analysis' to learn the basics of Performance Analysis. Following this they then get the opportunity to develop these skills in the third year whilst studying the unit 'Professional Practice in Sports Performance Analysis'. Both units are led by Associate Lecturer and AFC Bournemouth coach Louis Langdown.

As part of the internship program here at Southampton Solent University, these students have been responsible for undertaking the performance analysis for the first team for all home games. In addition to other duties, their primary role is to film the games and then throughout the game they use a specialist piece of software called SportsCode to document important events through 'coding'. They then feed this back to to the manager at half time or after the match. This is one of the many internships we have at AFC Bournemouth and we will be asking for students to apply for these internships on an annual basis.

HESS students working with AFC Bournemouth (L-R; Louis Langdown, Dan Sale, Lee Bradbury, Nick Stanley, Steve Flecther and Jay Lefevre).

Sport Science Support: Guest lecture by Murray Treseder, head coach to GB Men's Wheelchair Basketball team.

We were very lucky to have Murray Treseder, head coach to the GB men's wheelchair basketball come to talk to the third year Applied Sport Science and Sport Coaching students today on the Sport Science Support unit. He gave an overview of his coaching philosophy and how this was to impact on the preparations for London 2012 in the typical Australian way Murray delivers! Murray introduced his talk by giving us all an insight into his experience and background and how he had worked his way to head coach in a number of squads across the world. He then concluded with information on the team of professionals that support the GB athletes, the way in which they work together and how this manifests itself through the team performance. We look forward to seeing Murray again next year just prior to his engagements at 2012!

Sport Science Support: Guest lecture by Dr Jamie Pringle from the English Institute of Sport.

As part of the guest lecture series Dr Jamie Pringle from the English Institute of Sport come down to visit us today to talk to our third year HESS students studying on the Sport Science Support Unit. Dr Pringle is one of the physiologists responsible for organising and undertaking the support for a selection of the athletes that went to Beijing in 2008 and also athletes who are anticipating to compete at the 2012 Olympic games. Dr Pringle spent time talking about his role and in particular the concept of precision, prioritisation and parallel thinking when dealing with athletes and sport science support. He went on to discuss how the students must build their CV and how this is perceived as the most important factor when working in elite sport (something we stress to our students on a weekly basis and provide opportunities for their CV building which is our unique selling point as a course). Dr Pringle finished his session with a Q&A session with the students offering a variety of questions about the many aspects of his role as well as employment advice.

Sport Science Support: Guest lecture from Warwickshire County Cricket Club's Strength and Conditioning coach.

As part of the guest lecture series we were very fortunate to have Chris Armstrong who is the strength and conditioning coach from Warwickshire County Cricket Club come and talk to our third year applied sport science and sport coaching students studying on the sport science support unit at Southampton Solent University. He talked to the students about his journey into elite professional sport and how his role entails a considerable amount of interdisciplinary working partnerships. He also noted the issue regarding ensuring your CV is built during your degree in order to make you more competitive in the job market upon graduating. This was an important message that reinforced much of what the tutors on the applied sport science and sport coaching degrees have been telling the students, but also confirms the unique opportunity our degrees provide by offering such experiences that do build the CV. Chris closed his session with an informative Q&A session that both staff and students thoroughly enjoyed.

Sport Science Support: Guest lecture from Reed's School High Performance Academy.

As part of the guest lecture series for the Sport Science Support unit, third year HESS students were treated to a guest lecture by Mr Ben Haining and Mr Ben Edwards on Sport Science Support when dealing with elite youngsters. Both speakers are incredibly accomplished in both playing and working in high performance sport. Ben Haining and Ben Edwards also spent time talking about the wonderful opportunity for our HESS students to undertake internship's within the high performance academy at Reeds School High Performance Academy

Dr Frank Dick OBE inspires Undergraduates.

Written by Jameson Mola, year 2 Applied Sport Science.

Last week Dr Frank Dick OBE visited Southampton Solent University to give a lecture to the HESS students. My peers and I were excited to hear “One of the UK's best and most consistently inspiring motivational speakers”. We were familiar with Frank’s work and reputation after reading much of his ‘Sport Training Principles’ text earlier on in the year, however, after a bit of background research were unsure as to the content of his speech....

Dr Frank Dick OBE in action.

As it turns out Frank is as humorous as he is accomplished (The list would be too long to write). The speech opened with various jokes around his “rather unfortunate last name” and his definition of the types of people he encountered on his many endeavours. “Valley and mountain people”. A valley person attributes all misfortune to external factors, I would of.... should of.... could of.... valley people think not losing is the same thing as winning (which it isn’t). Mountain people conversely, take the risk of winning, being better than what other people call best (Solent students of course) the people that “risk to win”.

Frank suggests to become mountain people we need to embrace change, and change with agility, his (and now possibly my) favourite quote is “Probably the Only Sustainable Competitive Advantage You Have is the Ability to Learn Faster Than the Opposition” (Arie de Geus) which I believe this is the fundamental truth and reason we are at University, to learn faster. Frank suggests in order to do so successfully, we need to “access the experiences of everyone around you” combine our knowledge, efforts, becoming players in the game, and more importantly coaches to our peers. This involves going that extra mile, taking that extra risk, but more importantly doing so for yourself AND your peers, a ‘player-coach’.

There were various videos incorporated into the speech demonstrating these points in the sporting arena (alongside Frank’s expert commentary).  The same principles are applicable to studying and student life, as we are all a collective group experiencing new, exciting and often daunting challenges to become successful we need to become Frank's ‘player-coaches’. After the speech there seemed to be a renewed excitement to get back to work, that it is possible to win, but you can win if you accept the responsibility, control and risk to do so.

As far as motivational speeches go, I believe this one may leave a lasting effect on all of us that attended, normally this ‘acute-motivation’ lasts a day maybe 2 max, but not this time. The underlying message was bluntly, ‘why the hell not’? After all, nothing ventured, nothing gained? As Frank put it, if not you, who? If not now, when? Better crack on with these assignments then! 

Health and Fitness degrees gain industry recognition.

Southampton Solent University has just received confirmation from SkillsActive that their health and fitness degrees meet the newly revised National Occupational Standards for Exercise and Fitness, and hence continue to be recognised as industry-approved awards by the Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs).  Students studying BSc Fitness & Personal Training, BA Fitness Management and Personal Training, BSc Health, Exercise and Physical Activity, and the BSc Applied Sport Science courses are therefore able to gain additional vocational qualifications alongside their degrees. Principal Lecturer and Course Leader for the Personal Training degrees, Martin Skivington, comments, “we are one of only two universities in the UK to meet the new standards, and this recognition strengthens our position as a market leader in the provision of academic health and fitness degrees.”

The range of fitness qualifications available to students includes Gym Instructor, Personal Training, Exercise Referral, Working with Older Adults and Disabled Clients as well as optional awards such as Exercise to Music. 

Sport Science Support: Students put theory into practice.

Health, Exercise and Sports Science students in their final year studying Applied Sports Science and Sports Coaching degrees have recently started their Sport Science Support unit under the watchful eye of unit leader and Exercise Physiologist Dr Stewart Bruce-Low.

Students verbally defend their work.

This unit requires the students to work in groups to support an elite basketball player from a high performance centre located near to Southampton Solent University. The students must work as a team to provide interdisciplinary sport science support to their athlete using physiology, psychology, biomechanics and nutrition.  Their aim is to detect an area of improvement and solve the issue they have identified. They will profile their athlete utilising the extensive facilities and equipment in the Health, Exercise and Sport Science laboratories, create and implement a training programme and re-profile their athlete over the coming months.

The student’s first assessment requires them to submit a poster that details how they intend to use the physiology, psychology, biomechanics and nutrition approaches with their athlete. This is submitted with a wealth of scientific research to support their methods. This assessment also requires the group to present and verbally defend their poster whilst staff ask challenging questions.

If the students pass this assessment they will then contact their athlete and begin their intervention. We will be attempting to catch up with the students over the coming months for updates so keep checking the blog to see their progress!

Preparation for London 2012 continues.

This past weekend saw James Fisher (Associate Lecturer and Technician Instructor at Southampton Solent University), part of the Health, Exercise and Sport Science portfolio travel up to Nottingham for another weekend of coaching with GB Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team. 

James has been an assistant coach with the squad since early 2009, and helped them to a 3^rd place at the 2009 European Championships as well as a 6^th place at the 2010 World Championships, improving 2 places in their world rankings since the Paralympics in Beijing 2008. 2011 sees the team travel to Canada for the first Women's Under 25 World Championships, and later to Israel for the 2011 European Championships.

 2010 Paralympic World Cup, Manchester, UK.

James commented “This weekend we had 21 athletes, ranging from 15 up to 36 years preparing girls for competition both this year and next. British Wheelchair Basketball is pushing for the highest ranking ever achieved by the women’s team at the Europeans this year in Israel, as well as at London 2012. Of course, we are also very focused on the under-25 World Championships in Canada. Last year 6 of our 12-player squad at the World Championships were under 25, so we have high hopes for that competition”.

The next camp is in April 2011, watch this space for regular updates and tournament results. 

Guest lecture for HESS students from Southampton City Council's Dave Shields.

Southampton Solent students got an insight into how Southampton City Council work to make the city's communities healthier this week.  Dave Shields, manager of the Healthy Communities team, gave a guest lecture to a group of Health, Exercise and Sport Science students studying Physical Activity and Public Health Interventions, outlining some of the excellent work that goes on within priority neighbourhoods in the city.  The students were given an overview of the state of health in the city, and learnt about innovative schemes such as the Thornhill Health and Well-Being project.  They also gained an insight into physical activity interventions such as Walk, Talk and Eat, which aims to help to get residents with mobility issues out into the fresh air to gain some exercise.  Dave has been working collaboratively with Solent's Dr Marie Stopforth to enable students to get practical experience of working in a physical activity intervention within the city.  Dr Stopforth says "This type of partnership work between Solent and Southampton City Council will improve students' practical skills and knowledge, whilst making them more employable, and providing important networking opportunities".

Fitness and Personal Training students refine their skills.

Third year Fitness and Personal Training students from Southampton Solent University, under the direction of Glynis Young from the Health, Exercise and Sport Science portfolio are refining their skills with clients who want personal training sessions to help improve their conditions as well as their overall fitness.  Clients are referred from GPs and the Physiotherapy Department at Southampton General Hospital.  The students will work with clients who present with a wide-range of conditions including arthritis, fibromyalgia, lower back pain, hypertension, obesity, osteoporosis and Parkinson's Disease. Students on this unit have the opportunity of gaining a specialist REPs qualification for working with patients with medically referred conditions.

Personal Training students start client training sessions.

Students on the Fitness and Personal Training, Applied Sport Science and Health, Exercise & Physical Activity degrees working towards their Personal Trainer Award will be starting their training sessions with real-life clients next week. These sessions allow the students to train individuals in our dedicated teaching gym to improve their health, fitness and well-being. This practical aspect of the course provides invaluable work experience within a safe, supervised setting, and allows students to refine their skills as fitness professionals and enhance their employment potential. In addition, students are asked to reflect on their fitness interventions and to analyse the reasons why their clients achieved the results they did. Needless to say these sessions are extremely popular, not just for the students themselves but also for the clients who receive up to 12 weeks of free personal training. The unit is led by Martin Skivington, who states: "the integration of practical, real-life experiences into academic units provides fantastic opportunities for our students to enhance their instructional skills, not to mention their chances of getting the job they want when they graduate."

HESS students plan for the future.

Students on the BA (Hons) Fitness Management and Personal Training degree have just been assessed presenting their plans to open a new gym in the Southampton area. The assessment forms part of their Operation and Management of Fitness Facilities module and provides a fantastic opportunity to put into practice information relating to the location, staffing, equipment, design and potential income of the proposed facility. The module is delivered by Sheridan Easton, who has extensive experience of management within the health and fitness sector, notably winning a fitness industry FLAME (Fitness Leadership and Management Excellence) award for a record three years during his time as CEO of Valley Leisure.

Guest lecture for HESS students from Southampton City Primary Care Trust

Jenny Davies from Southampton City Primary Care Trust came in to Solent this week to give a guest lecture to the Health and Fitness students who are studying Physical Activity and Public Health Interventions. Jenny is a nutritionist, and leads the Fit for Life strategy for the Southampton area. She gave the students an insight into her role within the PCT, and discussed the skills and knowledge that are essential for gaining employment in this area. Jenny has also agreed to set up a short work placement where students can get hands on experience of working on a physical activity project in the city. Dr Marie Stopforth hopes to be working closely with Jenny in the future to provide students with further opportunities to become involved in research projects in the area of physical activity and public health.

Stay tuned...

Stay tuned for blogs from the Health, Exercise & Sport Science programme at Southampton Solent University. In the meantime why not check out our website at www.solent.ac.uk/hess.