Pages: 4

The online Cambridge dictionary defines professional work as requiring a high level of education and training, with associated professional behaviours such as effectiveness, skill, organisation and seriousness of manner. The online Cambridge dictionary defines professional work as requiring a high level of education and training, with associated professional behaviours such as effectiveness, skill, organisation and seriousness of manner. Across the UK and internationally, there are now numerous undergraduate and postgraduate courses in sport, exercise and physical activity-related disciplines. Courses typically offer a mixture of research-informed teaching, practical skills training and applied placements. Topics covered include how to get to know oneself, how to create effective working relationships with their team, how to foster motivation in clients and how to overcome cultural challenges. The applied world is made up of multiple, varied voices and practitioners have to become comfortable listening to those voices.

Pages: 44

No chapter abstract available.

Pages: 14

This chapter introduces practitioners to the concept of standards and how they are developed and applied in a sport and exercise context. Whilst it may be the responsibility of professional or regulatory bodies to develop, implement and monitor compliance with these standards, practitioners should take responsibility to work towards, achieve and maintain these standards in their own practice. Depending on the governance structure of the professional body, approval is provided by the Board or Council/Committee with the delegated authority. Individual pathways to address accreditation standards provide aspiring exercise and sport practitioners with the option to demonstrate that they satisfy defined learnings and experiences. Whilst in Australia, as result of this scandal, in order to be employed as a sport scientist professionals must now meet accreditation standards, maintain competency standards and operate within professional standards, it could be argued that this sentiment should be replicated universally for all sport and exercise practitioners.

Pages: 14

Sport and exercise science is a multidisciplinary field that spans both performance and health contexts. This chapter starts by outlining the potential working contexts within the field, followed by a wider discussion on employment issues such as salaries, philosophies and job descriptions. It then moves onto the practicalities of working in the field covering logistics and admin-based issues (e.g., insurance, policies) and supervision. The chapter then focuses on the overlapping considerations such as the development of soft skills/craft knowledge, working with technology and finally working as part of a multidisciplinary team. One of the main challenges with internships is to make sure everyone has the opportunity to access internships and develop employability. Often there are many unintended consequences for the practitioner and the discipline as a whole if internships are unpaid. The ideal internship model is one where the internship can be incorporated within the educational or training pathway/programmes.

Pages: 14

Ethics is a system of moral principles that guides what we consider to be appropriate and inappropriate ways to behave. Charlie has just won a bronze medal in her first Olympic Games. What makes this more special is that it is the first time her nation has won a medal in that sport. In the professional context, ethics concerns the behaviours and standards expected of either employees of an organisation or of a particular profession. Values can be seen as either subjective or objective. Those who argue it is subjective see value as a matter of personal preference, and as such, there is no scope for disagreement. On the 5th December 1921, the FA issued a statement requesting all member clubs of the association prohibit women from playing football on their grounds. Arguments based around right and wrong, or good and bad, are built upon ‘thin’ concepts.

Pages: 73

No chapter abstract available.

Pages: 13

To understand our identity is to understand its components, both personal and professional. In addition to the broader definition of identity presented in the previous section, identity has also been defined at the personal and professional levels. Identity is important to a practitioner because it influences what we will say and do in any given professional situation. Professional identity encompasses your self-concept as defined above, but in the specific context of a professional role, which means that personal and professional identity cannot be entirely separated. Personal identityGenerally considered to be the core beliefs, traits, sentiments, moods, and convictions of us as a person irrespective of the context in which we find ourselves. Professional identity is understood in varying ways within the literature. It has been conceptualised as your professional self-concept based on attributes, beliefs, values, motives, and experiences. Literature has also emerged that links the concepts of personal and professional identity.

Pages: 14

This chapter explores the MDT, and the key challenges and opportunities that arise when working with other practitioners. MDTs expand the knowledge, skills, and experiences being brought to resolve the challenges that clients face. Jennifer is in the process of completing her PhD, in which she designed a complex behaviour change intervention targeting physical activity and sedentary behaviour in patients who have undergone bariatric surgery. Conflict is often defined as “internal discord that results from differences in ideas, values, or feelings between two or more people”. Traditionally, negative feelings such as discomfort, anger, frustration, and distrust are associated with conflict. Groups that are large can be difficult to manage as some members may not feel comfortable voicing their opinion in a big group and their ideas can be overlooked. Virtual meetings have provided opportunities for teams to be formed with people around the globe.

Pages: 18

The practitioner soon learns this does not work. Player A is challenged as the programme is too easy. Player B is unable to attend the timetabled sessions as they clash with religious commitments. Player C has just come back from injury and finds the programme too intense. Whether working within high-performance sport or physical activity, relationships lie at the heart of effective practice. Coaching staff have explained that his time will come, but said it is difficult to rotate him in at the moment because the other players are in such good form. The first, and perhaps most important, step in getting to know your client is to build trust. Whether they are an individual athlete, team sports player or clinical patient they need to feel they can share their feelings and experiences without judgement, reprimand or impact on their contract or service provision.

Pages: 14

Culture is a key concept that can provide deep insight into how people work and live together in groups. Applied to organisations, it offers a means of studying the textures of organisational life and of working out what is socially significant and why. Most commonly, though, this capacity to elevate awareness of the implicit understandings that make things mean what they do for organisational members has often taken a back seat to a focus on the instrumental and assumed practical applications that connect culture with desirable organisational outcomes. Inexperienced practitioners seeking to understand the cultures they work within or who are charged with some kind of organisational culture intervention may find it hard to know how and where to begin, once accepting that culture is a little more complex and slippery than is typically made out. Having a conceptual map of what culture entails can initially help practitioners navigate the unfamiliar and challenging organisational culture in the sport terrain.

Pages: 12

This chapter aims to provide a succinct overview of reflective practice, recognised as a key process to support learning and development in sport and exercise science (SES) practitioners. During our most recent period of accreditation, we have worked collaboratively in our SES support provision, and as a result, have experienced first-hand the benefits of reflecting on our practice, both individually and collectively. Reflective Practice offers a link between theoretical (professional) principles and the outworking of these in the practice setting, and one example of where this can be introduced or developed is through placements or practical work experience. However, what is not clear from this extract is how he practically engaged in this critical reflection, an area which will be considered next. Much of the reflective literature in sport demonstrates written reflections, as also demonstrated throughout this chapter by Sam, which often aim to share personal and practical experiences and lessons learned with the reader.

Pages: 64

No chapter abstract available.

Pages: 14

An attribute was considered to be a range of skills beyond those that are discipline specific, such as those described as life-long learning, generic, transferable or ‘soft’ skills. To explore the issue of practitioner attributes we interviewed four expert practitioners who have amazing insight into the world of high. Vikki has worked in high-performance sport systems since 2001, leading programmes in GB, New Zealand and Africa. Sara is currently Head of Olympic & Paralympic Programmes with British Cycling. Prior to joining cycling she worked as Performance Director for British Athletics, England Netball and Archery GB. As well as working directly for specific sports Sara has also been a Performance Advisor for UK Sport working with a range of sports on the development of their Olympic programmes. As an athlete Sara represented GBR at both triathlon & cycling attending both Olympics and Commonwealth Games being the first female to podium at the World Cup level for GBR.

Pages: 13

This chapter discusses the different aspects that we feel need to be considered. It starts by exploring the practical considerations which are often neglected when starting out working with disabled populations and then looks at both the physiological and psychosocial considerations which need to be made to make support provision more effective. Whilst, like all members of society, each individual will have different motivations, aspirations, and requirements it is perhaps not surprising that disabled populations may have more specific and challenging needs than their able-bodied counterparts. Therefore, there is a clear need for sport and exercise practitioners to, not only have the required knowledge and skills to be an effective support provider, but also gain a better understanding of the complex and highly individual needs of disabled populations in order to provide the best support possible. The aim being to provide real-life considerations that we feel are key to help practitioners when providing support to disabled populations.

Pages: 12

This chapter aims to bridge the gap between theoretical principles of delivering ethnically inclusive sport and physical activity interventions and on the ground “being there” experiences. FireFit is a community youth sports centre which is uniquely merged with an operational fire station in the area of Toxteth, in the heart of Liverpool. Toxteth is one of the most ethnically diverse areas of Liverpool and is locally known as “the world in one city”. FireFit is built upon the old Toxteth sports centre site and sits on the boundary lines between numerous ethnic communities, including Arabic Muslim, African, Afro Caribbean and White British. Sharif’s story is unlike the other authors and is a testament to the success of FireFit. Sharif came to FireFit in 2013, having arrived as a young immigrant from the war-torn country of Somalia seven years earlier. Sharif could not speak English when he first arrived and struggled with confidence whilst adapting to his new country and community.

Pages: 12

This chapter discusses the down into five sections covering patient benefits, co-morbidity management, motivational barriers, risk and multi-disciplinary team working. Coronary heart disease is a leading cause of mortality worldwide. Globally, CR is recognised as a multi-faceted intervention which aims to limit the physiological and psychological effects of cardiac illness. Roy was referred into a cardiac rehabilitation service after having a heart attack. Christine was referred into cardiac rehab for coronary artery disease treated by angioplasty and some impaired heart muscle function, but she had multiple co-morbidities including osteoporosis and knee and hip osteoarthritis. Contrary to the expectation that her heart condition would be the biggest consideration, the most challenging part of the exercise planning was to ensure that her fear of falling, alongside her joint pain was managed, thus allowing her to work at a level that would facilitate cardiopulmonary adaptation.

Pages: 11

In working with CYP in sport and exercise science we need to be mindful of those matters that affect CYP more broadly in society and are brought forward into our interactions with them. To position this chapter there is much written on the biological, physical, psychological, social and emotional development of CYP within the scientific domain. In many educational/sporting environments CYP are the experts, they are experiencing the systems that we put in place in real time – their perspectives can be powerful and making an effort to understand their lived experiences is essential to guiding best practice. Two vignette authors all note how their allied or former roles/experiences outside of have influenced their practice now. Teachers, community leaders, sports coaches for example are experts in their field at keeping CYP safe, on task, and learning through enjoyment.

Pages: 16

No chapter abstract available.

Pages: 8

This chapter aims to identify these elements, so that appropriate interventions can be utilised to make improvements and avoid mistakes. Identifying these elements can also help you, as a practitioner, learn from experience and develop personally and professionally, especially when mistakes cannot always be avoided! In this chapter, practical examples are used to demonstrate where problems can occur. The assessment of effectiveness can be a difficult process and will depend on the discipline, who the client is, the demographics and personalities of the individuals involved, and the environment within which evaluation is taking place. Given the variety of environments and situations that the practitioner finds themselves in, the dynamics of assessing effectiveness can be complex. The way to evaluate effectiveness, therefore, is via our own subjective evaluation and feeling regarding the work that we have conducted or produced.

Pages: 6

This chapter provides an insight into the multifaceted nature of the applied sport and exercise practitioner. Editing authors provide a short reflection regarding key lessons, tips, and reflections taken from the preceding chapters, and look through various lenses to outline how it will contribute to their practice moving forward. In reading the wide-ranging contributions throughout the chapters of this book, it has further reinforced my belief in the importance of practitioner attributes, development of self, and the need to draw upon a client’s input and expertise to inform practice. Reflecting on the preceding chapters it became apparent to me that approaches that are identified as recommended, or ‘best practice’, may always marry up with various sporting environments. Despite having been employed by a higher education institution from 2005 to 2022, I’ve always felt my heart was in applied practice. My first eight years were spent managing a family-based weight management programme.