tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110892371762650434.post4018440157407281157..comments2024-02-19T04:46:26.110-08:00Comments on Sports and Fitness Science: Sports Science degrees and Sports Science in elite sport: a case of dislocated expectations?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16914660371281562767noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110892371762650434.post-7420939489181208422010-01-07T03:31:55.696-08:002010-01-07T03:31:55.696-08:00Similar observations in France.
20 years ago, the ...Similar observations in France.<br />20 years ago, the director of my sport department told me we are not here to educate coaches. However, my diploma was named "sport training"...<br />Sport training was just used to attract students and redirect part of them not exactly to sport science, but to the scientific publications of teachers that want to make money and carrier with science.<br />Now, I am one of these teachers... And I am afraid that your remarks perfectly match the situation. In my university case, I had like to point out the incompetence of a whole part of my colleagues. It is so simple to read an "handbook of" compare to search, understand and explain problems from the real word. But how to reproach to colleagues their inabilities: part of them has been recruited because of their incompetences to ensure carriers of some previously recruited teachers (not so good too!).<br />So, don't forget the organizational and social constraints and the personal goals that could either create the best or the worst depending on the system regulation. There are currently none social pressure to build good sport training courses.<br />To resume, it is too far from performance and too far from academic carrier, and furthermore it is too complex.Viale Fabricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17776301751085031152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110892371762650434.post-89995478539496325762009-01-18T18:30:00.000-08:002009-01-18T18:30:00.000-08:00Just found your blog and excellent stuff here! I h...Just found your blog and excellent stuff here! I have linked it to my blog. <BR/><BR/>Excellent blog post and I have to second your thoughts <BR/><BR/>"Middle women and men who bridge the gap between science and practice. Translators?" <BR/><BR/>It seems (in the US) there is a gap between the two that is growing larger.<BR/><BR/>Keep up the great work!<BR/>Rock on<BR/>Mike T NelsonMike T Nelsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14997800230648983026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110892371762650434.post-45087253990236759232008-12-26T10:30:00.000-08:002008-12-26T10:30:00.000-08:00Very similar to the solutions you noted.*A stronge...Very similar to the solutions you noted.<BR/><BR/>*A stronger emphasis on developing coaches.<BR/>*Middle women and men who bridge the gap between science and practice. Translators? <BR/>*Stress the applied nature of sports research and to maintain close coordination between scholars and scientists<BR/>*Greater `cross fertilisation' of information between academic institutions and sport clubs / institutes / medical profession. Currently an ivory tower culture is spreading through the discipline, ensuring that the latest scientific development are kept for only the privilege of so called "elite" players. <BR/>*To further `shift the tide' - target key areas such as education and<BR/>recognition. Greater emphasis on marketing.<BR/>*Streamline the ethical procedures/approvals.jamiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13903390771945037863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110892371762650434.post-60505999725264862572008-12-23T05:11:00.000-08:002008-12-23T05:11:00.000-08:00Jamie,thanks for your second contribution...so, wh...Jamie,<BR/>thanks for your second contribution...so, what would be your solution?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16914660371281562767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110892371762650434.post-14567692866338198212008-12-23T05:10:00.000-08:002008-12-23T05:10:00.000-08:00Jamie,first of all thanks for your contribution.Wh...Jamie,<BR/>first of all thanks for your contribution.<BR/>While I agree with you that some "distance" exists between sports scientists and practitioners I don't agree with your final statement that someone with a PhD knows everything about nothing. It is in fact the opposite, all PhD programmes are to know everything about 1 or 2 main topics. Then it is the ability and the willingness to expand knowledge in other areas that makes some sports scientists unique. Finally, someone with a PhD is somebody trained to understand science and its limitations and possibly someone capable of designing expertiments, collecting data and analysing the results understanding some outcomes. With this in mind, while I agree that experiments need groups (possibly large ones), single subject studies are also possible in particular when an elite athletes is the subject. Some interesting notes on the issue of single subjects design is available here:<BR/>http://books.google.com/books?id=F-5CXI_L8vAC&pg=PA306&lpg=PA306&dq=single+subject+design+statistics&source=web&ots=jwZH6dgRFm&sig=ahYoD8GgedaJ2FILeA1-RKkvXgw&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=3&ct=result#PPA309,M1Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16914660371281562767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110892371762650434.post-56110611824591523552008-12-21T01:42:00.000-08:002008-12-21T01:42:00.000-08:00Regarding the selection process to entry to sport ...Regarding the selection process to entry to sport science courses it must be noted that, generally, funding is dependent on the numbers of students that universities enrol. If a course is not able to attract enough students, it will lose its’ funding; the popularity of sport and exercise science ensures that funding is available. <BR/>Lecturers are encouraged to ‘sell courses’ which may involve the enrolment of candidates who are not entirely suited for the course or have the relevant qualifications. Creating an illusion of job prospects is an easy means of attracting students. This may result in adequate numbers for the course but lecturers may struggle to provide seminars / lectures suitable for all students from wide ranging backgrounds, particularly since time is of a premium. <BR/><BR/>Lecturers may be inclined to award students’ higher grades than they would normally give. For example, Sykes, Rector of Imperial College, warns that there is a ‘tendency, even here, to give more firsts simply because it pushes you up the league table’ (30 minutes, 2004). Employers have noted that the standards of students coming from all courses have declined and that having these qualifications no longer gives the employee the advantage (30 minutes, 2004). It is easy to find a teacher or lecturer today who thinks there has been a drop of standards. <BR/><BR/>Far too much effort seems to be expended on ‘jazzing up’ courses, new technology, new certifications and new complexities rather than refining and advancing what already exists. At the outset the aforementioned may appear exciting and relevant but in reality the internal mechanisms may struggle to cope. <BR/><BR/>Indeed, according to Randle and Brady (1997) incorporation has lead to ‘organisational dysfunction in the day-to-day delivery of the service’ within further education. As a consequence, of incorporation several conflicting paradigms have arisen between the lecturers and the managers, for example, the lecturers prioritise student learning and the teaching process, conversely managers consider the students as customers, as a means of generating income; the products of labour are worshipped and basic requirements of the workforce are ignored (Raeper, and Smith, 1991). For the managers, like any well-run business, prioritisation concerns time and motion efficiency - minimum effort for maximum results. Practical assessments take up a lot more resources than a multiple choice exam - send it the the scanner to be marked! Traditional criteria for evaluating achievement and retention are associated with quantitative research methods. Quantitative research views reality as objective and emphasises the significance of an unbiased and distanced researcher. <BR/><BR/>In today’s educational system, with the introduction of league tables the process model, although of optimum importance has been neglected as the product model (customer orientated) takes precedence, as a direct consequence of ‘managerialism.’jamiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13903390771945037863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110892371762650434.post-3211456877134146542008-12-20T08:24:00.000-08:002008-12-20T08:24:00.000-08:00One of the key problems in this area is that sport...One of the key problems in this area is that sports scientists have not fully convinced athletes and coaches of the value of science within the athletes training regime and, as a result of this, there continues to be a gap between sport scientists and practitioners. <BR/><BR/>Suspicion of science in sport may also be conceived from the belief that scientists are simply interested in generating knowledge for personal advancement, with little interest in the potential benefits/needs of such information. Hanin (1999), describes this type of approach as the “science first!” model, and highlights that a coach’s attitude to sport science can be tainted forever after such an experience. Such suspicions may also be rooted in the conflicting opinions of the scientific literature, an issue which may be rationalised by the scientist but which can breed a view of no confidence from the coach.<BR/><BR/>Furthermore, as Mel Siff noted some years ago on Supertraining “science depends on <BR/>performing experiments with large numbers of similar subjects doing some standard set of carefully administered things to ensure accuracy, reproducibility and precision. The results are subjected to painstaking statistical analysis to ascertain how the 'average' or 'mean' subject behaves under those precise conditions.<BR/><BR/>Now this is hardly what happens in sport, where reproducibility of results, environmental conditions, standard actions and so forth occur predicably and simply. Average subjects never stand on the winner's podium, never break world records or fill the top teams, so the non-scientist quite rightly questions the relevance of it all.”<BR/><BR/>Generally a PHd knows everything about nothing.jamiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13903390771945037863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110892371762650434.post-52925911511797012512008-12-19T01:59:00.000-08:002008-12-19T01:59:00.000-08:00I don't think this is true, costs of research depe...I don't think this is true, costs of research depends on what the research project is all about.<BR/>Of course, biochemistry based projects tend to be more expensive than biomechanics, however it surprises me that sometimes companies (even the ones that target smaller markets) are keen to put a product on the market without before publishing a simple validation and reliability study which does not need enormous resources.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16914660371281562767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110892371762650434.post-76510826638857092062008-12-18T16:52:00.000-08:002008-12-18T16:52:00.000-08:00I believe that companies that invest in worthwhile...I believe that companies that invest in worthwhile sport-science studies do it because they can afford it. Companies that target smaller market segments probably cannot afford it.<BR/>Giovanni CirianiGiovanni Cirianihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14699613390034881999noreply@blogger.com