Category: Live online events

This is part of a three-part series for Sports Scientists.

Youth Athletic Development Webinar: Wednesday, 20 September 2023
Practical Approaches to Improve Recovery Webinar: Wednesday, 4 October 2023
Communication with Stakeholders and Athletes Webinar: Wednesday, 18 October 2023

Enhancing athletic performance and fostering strong connections between coaches and athletes lie at the core of effective communication in the sports environment. By employing proficient communication techniques, coaches can accelerate skill acquisition, facilitate teamwork, and overcome negative thoughts and feelings without compromising trust. The establishment of a reliable rapport between coaches and athletes greatly influences sporting outcomes, as it enables the provision of clear and constructive feedback on skill execution. Rather than relying solely on instinctive patterns, effective communication models should be embraced, considering athletes’ information processing and learning preferences. Negative interpersonal communication patterns can severely impact knowledge transfer and impede performance during training and competition. Hence, prioritizing clear, accurate, and empathetic communication empowers athletes to understand their inner processes, regulate emotions, and achieve improved performance.

Presented by Dr Sacha Fulton, ASpS2

Over the last two decades there has been an increasing focus on the adverse health effects of sedentary behaviour. Specifically, the health effects of sedentary work and leisure time, sleeping patterns and shift work have all been studied. Further work has examined if, and if so, to what degree, physical activity and, its sub-component exercise training, can offset the detrimental effects of sedentary and sub-optimal sleeping behaviours. As the most commonly noted health effects are on cardio-metabolic organ systems the potential for serious adverse events is significant.

This workshop therefore provides a summary of the published literature for the following related topics:
i) Health effects of sedentary work and leisure-time behaviours.
ii) Health effects of shift work and other sub-optimal sleeping habits.
iii) The ability of physical and activity and prescribed exercise training to mitigate the health effects of sedentary and sub-optimal sleeping behaviours.
iv) Recommended strategies, both activity and non-activity based, to offset adverse health effects of sedentary and sub-optimal sleeping patterns.
v) Grading of the level and class of evidence to support activity and non-activity based solutions to abrogating adverse health effects attributed to sedentary and sleeping behaviours.

Presented by Professor Neil Smart

This is part of a three-part series for Sports Scientists.Youth Athletic Development Webinar: Wednesday, 20 September 2023
Practical Approaches to Improve Recovery Webinar: Wednesday, 4 October 2023
Communication with Stakeholders and Athletes Webinar: Wednesday, 18 October 2023

High performance sport and the importance of successful performances have led coaches, athletes, administers and sport science personnel to continually seek any winning edge or margin that may improve performance. It follows that the rate and quality of recovery is extremely important for the high performance athlete and that optimal recovery may provide numerous benefits during repetitive high-level training and competition. Understanding different recovery interventions and their effect on fatigue, muscle injury, recovery and performance is important.

Recovery aims to restore physiological and psychological processes, so that the athlete can compete or train multiple times per week at an appropriate level. Recovery from training and competition is complex and involves numerous factors. It is also typically dependent on the nature of the exercise performed and any other outside stressors that the athlete may be exposed to. Athletic performance is affected by numerous factors and therefore, adequate recovery should also consider such factors.

This webinar will cover:
• Understanding fatigue
• Timing of recovery – Concept that recovery is a 24 hour phenomenon
• Aims of Recovery – Encouraging athletes to have confidence to know what they need to do to recover
• Types of Recovery including hydrotherapy, active recovery, stretching, compression garments, massage, sleep and nutrition.
• Recovery Formula – Proactive rather than reactive approach 
• Practical Implications
• Recovery Protocols

Presented by Dr Sacha Fulton, ASpS2

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) involves the build-up of plaque (atherosclerosis) along the arteries that carry blood to the peripheries (legs). Overtime, this plaque can reduce oxygen-rich blood supply to the peripheries. The impact of this reduced blood supply can be detrimental on a patients’ health and impacts their walking ability and performance. This webinar concisely describes the impact of PAD on gait and highlights strategies for exercise therapists to assist clients presenting with PAD.

Presented by Dr Robert Crowther, AES, AEP

This is part of a three-part series for Sports Scientists.Youth Athletic Development Webinar: Wednesday, 20 September 2023
Practical Approaches to Improve Recovery Webinar: Wednesday, 4 October 2023
Communication with Stakeholders and Athletes Webinar: Wednesday, 18 October 2023

Establishing good health and physical activity habits during the early stages of life may drive children and adolescents to continue to have an active lifestyle during adulthood. Through increased physical activity, specific muscular adaptations and enhancement in motor skill development will occur. Exercise also plays a role in skeletal health, prevention of excess body fat accumulation, and improvements in psychological health and well-being. This helps prevent osteoporosis, obesity, and other comorbidities that may develop later in life. Furthermore, regular participation in aerobic physical activity improves mood, self-appraisal, mental discipline, and socialisation. 

Much of the activities that young children engage in should have an emphasis in enjoyment, peer-to-peer interaction, safety, age-appropriateness, and effectiveness. The fun factor promotes exercise adherence which is especially important for girls because they are more inclined to significantly decrease their level of activity after they reach puberty. Children and adolescents also enjoy the social interaction during training sessions, games, and competitions, which is another important factor that encourages physical activity participation. Training programs for children must be safe and guided by an expert so that under or overtraining does not occur, and injuries can be prevented. Exposing children to multiple physical activities and sports is far more beneficial in encouraging exercise and sport adherence. Specialising in one sport at an early age (<15 years) may result in overtraining, burnout, and a less positive psychosocial development. 

Presented by Dr Sacha Fulton, ASpS2