Paralympic Reflections

Now that the start of the new academic year is well under way, two of the HESS staff involved in the 2012 London Paralympic Games have had time to reflect and discuss their summer experiences. Both James Fisher and Dr. Stewart Bruce-Low, both of whom have significant experience with an array of different athletes, were heavily involved in the 2012 Games. James is a Senior Lecturer in Sports Conditioning and Fitness, and Level 4 Leader for Health and Fitness courses, whilst Stewart is an Associate Professor and Course Leader for BSc Applied Sport Science. 

GB Women’s Wheelchair Basketball

James Fisher has been Assistant Coach to the GB Women’s Wheelchair Basketball team for 4 years and has supported their training cycle from Beijing through to the London 2012 Games. He was in the village and coached through the tournament, culminating in a close loss in the quarter finals to eventual Gold medal winners Germany. He commented:

“The Games were a phenomenal experience; it really is justice that they only happen once every 4 years. It is the pinnacle of sporting excellence and to have been a part of that on home soil was incredible. The team didn’t perform as well as hoped in the early stages which gave us a tough cross-over in the quarter final against Germany, although we still gave them their toughest game of the competition. From entry to the village and signing for accreditation under armed guard through the opening and closing ceremonies, home crowds, and the immense support from family and friends it is the highlight of my career to date.”

GB Women warm up for their game against Brazil. James (shown right) takes responsibility for pre-game warm-up commenting that “it’s great to be part of the energy whilst the team go through final preparations”

 

GB Wheelchair Rugby

The Paralympic sport that was dubbed the event of the Paralympics was wheelchair rugby. The preparation for the games in the field of sport science was provided by the staff and students from Southampton Solent University. Dr. Stewart Bruce-Low has been the head sport scientist for Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby for the last 10 months as well as working closely with the individual conditioning of multiple athletes for years prior to this. He has ensured that his students obtained fantastic experiences working with the athletes in their build up to the London games through testing, training and conditioning sessions which directly influenced the team’s preparation to perform at their peak for the London Games. Stewart commented:

GB Wheelchair Rugby in action, Aaron Phipps (13) regularly trains at Solent University under the guidance of Dr. Bruce-Low

“The run up to the games was a great experience for the students on the Applied Sport Science and Sport Coaching degrees. The students applied the skills they had learned in the classroom to the live environment. This has ensured their CV’s were enhanced and this resulted in a number of success stories; three of the students studying Applied Sport Science delivered the performance analysis as part of the relationship Solent had with GBWR which meant they were heavily involved during the Paralympics. A number of the students who gained these experiences in the lead up to the Paralympics have now gone on to work at premiership football and premiership rugby clubs which shows the importance of not only building your CV but also the importance of choosing the right course for you. These examples show that studying Applied Sport Science at Southampton Solent University can provide you with the opportunities required to help obtain a job in the industry upon graduating”.

Olympic Lift Off

Third year undergraduate Health and Fitness students completing the Sports Conditioning option were put through their paces this week whilst teaching and performing the technically demanding Olympic lifts. Senior Lecturer and unit leader Marcus Sanger commented "whilst the research regarding these complex lifts remains equivocal, these lifts are technically demanding and the students performed well whilst having their coordination challenged. Although not for everyone, Olympic lifting will certainly act as another training tool in the students' ever expanding training toolbox".

The video clip above shows students analysing a client's Olympic lifting technique, trying to identify the technique flaws from different angles.

Those students that complete the Sports Conditioning unit may choose to take the additional REPs-accredited Sports Conditioning certificate. This certificate is endorsed with 16 REPs CPD points and adds a further vocational certificate to those already embedded within the Health and Fitness degree courses.

Solent Sport Science courses take top spot in NSS results

Solent University has the highest overall student satisfaction of all UK universities for Sport Science courses*, according to the 2012 National Student Survey.

Courses that fell under the umbrella of ‘Sport Science’ at Solent University were ranked top in the UK out of 65 universities, with an overall satisfaction rating of 99%.

Staff and students from the University’s Health, Exercise and Sport Science department have worked with a wide variety of external clients including elite athletes over the last year, which has allowed students to get excellent hands-on experience. The department has not only trained and tested Team GB’s Paralympic Rugby team, but they have also played host to Southampton Football Club’s players to help them get ready for the upcoming season.

As well as playing host to some of the country’s best sporting talent, students on Sport Science courses at Solent have also been treated to a number of fantastic guest lectures to give them a true insight into working in the industry.

Recent lecture spots have come from the likes of Nick Harvey, Head of Strength and Conditioning at Southampton Football Club, who came in to talk to students on the Applied Sport Science course, Donna Allen, Regional Manager at Steiner Cruise Ships, who gave an inspiring presentation to BSc Fitness & Personal Training, BA Fitness Management & Personal Training and BSc Health, Exercise & Physical Activity students on employment opportunities as Personal Trainers aboard cruise ships.

Dr Stewart Bruce-Low, Associate Professor of Sport Science, said: "the team are overjoyed by the result which shows the commitment from staff to ensure our sport science courses are meeting industry needs.

The NSS survey allows the students to voice their approval of how the course teams meet their needs with a score that places us first in the country for overall student satisfaction. This is a direct result of staff going above and beyond the line of normal duty and providing some amazing opportunities for students to build their CV's whilst studying on our sport science related courses.

The students in turn have raised their game to a level we are all very proud of, resulting in many fantastic employment opportunities when they leave. For Sport Science courses to be first overall nationally is an amazing result, which the team will now endeavour to maintain in years to come."

(*Courses grouped in the 'Sports Science' JACS subject area. Students studying full time on first degrees. Seven courses contributed to the score: BSc (Hons) Health, Exercise and Physical Activity; BSc (Hons) Applied Sport Science; BSc (Hons) Applied Sport Science (Football); BSc (Hons) Applied Sport Science (Watersports & Outdoor Activities); BSc (Hons) Sport Coaching; BA (Hons) Health Promotion and Fitness; and BA (Hons) Fitness and Personal Training.)

Yet another 'Added Value' award for Fitness Students

Students studying BSc Fitness & Personal Training and BA Fitness Management & Personal Training this week started a new vocational ‘added value’ qualification as part of their final year unit Professional Practice in Personal Training. The Biomechanics Trainer Award will be delivered over the next 8 weeks by Intelligent Training Systems and will provide students with a systematic approach to assess clients for biomechanical dysfunction.

The video clip below shows tutor Anthony Fletcher instructing students how to assess a client for potential leg length discrepancy.

Aaron Kennedy, a final year student undertaking the award stated, “it is a great course and a real asset to have as a personal trainer/health professional. In today's society, inactive lifestyles and office jobs are causing many postural and biomechanical distortions that if left uncorrected can cause long term issues and in turn larger health costs for the government. That being said, many sports that involve repetitive movements can lead to change in the body's skeletal and muscular layout over time. The biomechanics award uses interesting theory and a hands-on approach to assess the anatomy of a person and locate any biomechanical deficiencies; it also provides us with the in-depth knowledge to correct these issues making it an invaluable tool to use with clients from all walks of life”.

Adding to this, another final year student Jon Fildes comments, "I feel that the biomechanics course offers us a very simple approach to help people move more efficiently and in some cases with less pain with the use of simple exercises that can be performed anywhere. It is unique in the sense that very few Personal Trainers have this at their disposal thus making us another step above the rest of the field. In addition to the practical apects of the award, it also delves into complex anatomy which helps us understand why potential skeletal problems might be occurring rather than looking at the sight of the problem/injury and trying to fix it there when actually the problem may lie elsewhere. Overall it is an excellent addition to our training services which can be used alongside "standard methods" to increase the effectiveness of our clients training".

Baptism of Fire for Sport Science Students

First year students from BSc Applied Sport Science were in the physiology laboratory on Wednesday fitness testing triathletes from Salisbury Triathlon Club. 

Course Leader Dr Stewart Bruce-Low claimed ‘this was a real baptism of fire for the students who have only been on the course for 3 days!’ 

Earlier in the week students from all three years of the course were helping staff fitness test players from Southampton FC. 

In addition to these fantastic experiences, students from both the BSc Applied Sport Science and BSc Sport Coaching degrees have recently applied for internships within the Sport Science departments at both Hampshire Cricket Club and Portsmouth Football Club. Portsmouth FC have already taken on several of the applicants and we await the outcome of the Hampshire cricket interviews in the next couple of weeks.