By Dr Tom Brownlee Photo by Caleb Holden on Unsplash The first year of the MSc High Performance Sport has officially come to a close, and what a start it has been. When we launched the programme, our goal was to create an experience that truly prepares students for the demands of elite sport. Looking back now, it … Continue reading “Reflecting on Year One of the MSc High Performance Sport”
Tag: professional practice
Rapport Isn’t Friendship: A Lesson in Authority and Athlete Buy-In
By Dr Tom Brownlee Photo by Lesli Whitecotton on Unsplash Last week, I had a thought-provoking conversation with a Head of Performance that challenged how I think about athlete buy-in. It’s a topic I often discuss with students and early-career practitioners. My usual advice is to focus on building rapport. Understand the athlete, earn their trust, and show … Continue reading “Rapport Isn’t Friendship: A Lesson in Authority and Athlete Buy-In”
What Mondo Duplantis Can Teach Us About the Science of Record-Breaking
By Dr Tom Brownlee Photo by dylan yarbrough on Unsplash This week I was invited onto BBC Radio 5 Live to discuss Mondo Duplantis’ latest world record and the broader question of what it takes to break a record. We also explored why some records stand for decades and whether we will continue to see them fall or … Continue reading “What Mondo Duplantis Can Teach Us About the Science of Record-Breaking”
Improving Student Experience: It’s Not as Straightforward as It Sounds
By Katie Cronin Spend any time in higher education and it won’t be long before you hear someone talk about “student experience.” It has become one of those phrases, spoken frequently, with good intent, but not always followed by clarity or actionable change. And yet, at its core, it is a genuinely important issue. How … Continue reading “Improving Student Experience: It’s Not as Straightforward as It Sounds “
Education, High-Performance Sport, Applied Sport, Professional Practice
By Dr Tom Brownlee Earlier this month I had the chance to represent the School and Graduate School on a trip to China. We visited Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing and I was lucky enough to speak to prospective students and their parents, alumni and agents working in the region who help international students get places … Continue reading “Education, High-Performance Sport, Applied Sport, Professional Practice “
Expanding the GSSPP’s professional network
By Dr Tom Brownlee It was a pleasure to join Prof Barry Drust and Dr Liam Anderson recently at the Premier League for the day. The day launched a new initiative for the Premier League to support Academy practitioners in achieving their BASES accreditation. This is the first cohort embarking on a bespoke route of … Continue reading “Expanding the GSSPP’s professional network “
Methodological approaches to applied practice: Discussing Trustworthiness in Qualitative Research
By Dr Paul Garner and Dr Andrew Soundy Another in a series of conversations on methodological practices, Dr Andy Soundy and Dr Paul Garner discuss how to address trustworthiness in qualitative research, considering issues of rigour and exploring how quantitative traditions are sometimes applied to qualitative work in an unhelpful way. P.F.Garner@bham.ac.uk A.A.Soundy@bham.ac.uk
What Are You Reading?
By Dr Tom Brownlee Photo by Jason Strull on Unsplash In days gone by when someone said they were at university they were often asked, “what are you reading?”. The reply might be maths, law, engineering and so on. I’m not quite sure what caused this phase to become less used but in a way I’m not surprised … Continue reading “What Are You Reading? “
Methodological approaches to applied practice: Systems thinking
By Dr Paul Garner & Professor Barry Drust Another in a series of conversations on methodological practices, Dr Paul Garner and Prof Barry Drust discuss systems thinking and distributed situational awareness, and how this approach is useful in applied research. P.F.Garner@bham.ac.uk
Influence Without Status
By Dr Tom Brownlee Photo by Eugene Chystiakov on Unsplash It was wonderful recently to have the pleasure of chatting with Dr Jon Bartlett, Performance Pathway Manager at British Cycling, as part of our High-Performance Sport MSc. We talked about all things talent management and development and it was a great opportunity to pick Jon’s brain about his … Continue reading “Influence Without Status “