This course is part of the Sports Performance: Mind, Body, and Coaching ExpertTrack
Sports Performance: Training the Body for Sport
Explore how to meet athletes’ training needs using modern strength and conditioning training alongside effective monitoring.
Duration
4 weeksWeekly study
4 hours100% online
How it worksIncluded in an ExpertTrack
Course 2 of 3
Sports Performance: Training the Body for Sport
Develop the skills to support athletes' training, wellbeing, and performance
On this four-week course designed by sport and fitness experts at The Open University, you’ll expand your knowledge of some of the current issues and thinking around training individuals, teams, and specific groups as they prepare for performance.
Explore the benefits of a multidisciplinary approach to training
Through engaging learning materials, you’ll discover why taking a multidisciplinary approach to physical preparation in sport is key to supporting an athlete’s or team’s performance and how you can use this to get the best from your training methods.
Gain inside knowledge from sport and fitness experts
Whether you are supporting athletes or focusing on your own performance, you’ll learn the importance of conducting a needs analysis and the profiling of athletes to inform any training interventions.
You’ll explore topical issues, such as how much should female and male training differ, what benefits can new technology bring to performance, and how athlete monitoring or functional training can be used.
Discover how to apply the science behind sporting performance
You’ll learn about the science underpinning athlete monitoring and how you can apply it to better meet the training needs of athletes. This will help you determine how to adjust training and wellness strategies so you can ensure athletes are optimised and ready for performance.
Build upon your own experiences to discover how to make your training plans more effective
Throughout this course you’ll be able to connect your own experiences with the examples you hear about, including those from a conditioning coach, individual athletes, a team, and a child athlete.
By the end you’ll have a better understanding of proven techniques and methods and how you can apply them effectively.
What topics will you cover?
- Taking a multidisciplinary approach to supporting athlete performance, by identifying their training needs
- Topical issues in strength and conditioning to enhance athletes’ training for sport, including the use of technology, functional training, and female-specific training
- Principles of athlete monitoring that allow insights into athlete wellness and effective adjustment of training programmes
- The application of strength and conditioning using case studies and how you can apply this to your own setting
Prove you're job ready
Highlight the new, job-relevant skills you’ve gained and supplement existing qualifications with a hard-earned, industry-specific digital certificate – plus one for every course within your ExpertTrack.
- Learn the latest in your chosen industry or subject.
- Complete each course and pass assessments.
- Receive certificates validated by the educating organisation.
- Impress employers with learning outcomes you can add to your CV.
- Make your career dreams a reality.
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Learning on this course
On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.
What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...
- Discuss trends in sport including the use of technology, training females and the benefits of functional training
- Apply the principles of athlete monitoring to allow insights into athlete wellness and effectively adjust training programmes
- Reflect on the use of strength and conditioning in children, team and individual sports and how you can apply ideas from these to your own setting
- Describe the benefits of taking a multidisciplinary approach to support an athlete’s performance
- Identify an athlete’s training needs
Who is the course for?
You will gain most benefit from the course if you are actively leading, coaching or supporting athletes, such as:
- Professional and amateur athletes, coaches and support teams
- Those with a curiosity for watching and understanding sports performances
- Sports educators
- Parents of children engaged in sports
- Strength and conditioning coaches or fitness instructors
Who will you learn with?
Ben lectures in Sports Coaching at The Open University. His research focuses on youth sport, athlete monitoring and golf. He is also a strength and conditioning coach to junior and adult golfers.
Simon lectures in Sport, Fitness and Coaching at The Open University. His research focuses on the optimal methods of providing feedback to students to maximise their success.
Simon is a Senior Lecturer in Sport and Fitness at the Open University. He researches employability skills and careers in sports science. He is also the author of several sports science text books.
Who developed the course?
The Open University
As the UK’s largest university, The Open University (OU) supports thousands of students to achieve their goals and ambitions via supported distance learning, helping to fit learning around professional and personal life commitments.
Established
1969Location
Milton Keynes, UKWorld ranking
Top 510Source: Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2020
Start learning today - free 7-day trial
After your free trial you can:
- Pay $39 per month to keep learning online
- Have complete control over your subscription; you can cancel any time
- Work at your own pace and set your own deadlines at every stage
- Only pay while you’re learning; the subscription will cancel automatically when you finish
- Complete online assessments to test your knowledge and prove your skills
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Learning on FutureLearn
Your learning, your rules
- Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
- Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
- Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores
Join a global classroom
- Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
- Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
- Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others
Map your progress
- As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
- Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
- Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate
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