SENSE - Issue 2 - Autumn 2014

ISSUE3

AUTUMN 2014 EDITION

SENSE SPORT AND EXERCISE NEWS, STORIES, AND EVENTS

WELCOME Welcome to our new Sport and Exercise students and welcome back to our returning students. Regardless of what team you support I am sure you will agree it’s been a fabulous time of sport.

For us in the School and at the University it’s been a busy time signing new partnerships with Stoke City FC, Longton Rugby Club and Port Vale FC. These partnerships should provide lots of employability opportunities for you.

We have also continued to invest in our facilities to enhance the student experience with £500K laboratory refurbishment underway and newly laid Astroturf to be completed in time for the new semester. This will help us deliver our new two year BSc(Hons) fast track degree

in Strength and Conditioning as well as our new distance learning MSc in Sports Coaching.

I am also really pleased to announce that with the new Head of Sport and Physical Activity, Jonathan Pace, we are launching our ‘Team Staffs Elite Sport Scholarship Support Programme.

Undergraduate and postgraduate students who perform at least at county level in their sport can apply for a support package, application forms will be on the Team Staffs and School website soon or you can email Elite@staffs.ac.uk. Have a good semester, work hard, get involved and enjoy.

STAFFORDSHIRE UNIVERSITY PSYCHOLOGY SPORT AND EXERCISE

STUDENTS ARE HIGHLY SATISFIED IN 2014 NATIONAL STUDENT SURVEY Undergraduate students from the School of Psychology, Sport and Exercise have voted overwhelmingly that they are highly satisfied with their degrees at the Staffordshire University in this year’s National Student Survey (NSS).

The NSS is a nationwide annual survey completed by all final year students in UK Universities, so it gives a true reflection and insight of the student experience of studying at University. Two of our flagship awards received extremely high satisfaction rates; BSc Psychology received 94% student satisfaction while BSc Sport and Exercise Science 100% student satisfaction respectively. Both of these awards are in the top 10% of their degrees in all of England.

Find out more about our Sport and Exercise awards at: www.staffs.ac.uk/pse

“This really shows that our students have a great experience of studying here at Staffs and benefit from inspiring teaching and great facilities.”

Judy David, Head of Undergraduate Psychology

UNIQUE

WHAT BUSINESS CAN LEARN FROM SPORT PSYCHOLOGY: NEW BOOK BY DR MARTIN TURNER & DR JAMIE BARKER Under pressure many people find that they are not able to produce their best performance. This is a very common but no less distressing experience. To fail when it matters most is very unpleasant.

In sport, an athlete’s ability to deal with pressure is vital for success. To be able to produce complex and often intricate skills in front of thousands of spectators, under the scrutiny of coaches, friends, and family, is a skill that athletes need to learn of they are to win sport’s big prizes.

But pressure doesn’t just occur in sport, it is part of life. In the business world, the ability to deal with pressure and perform when it matters most is a vital ingredient for succeeding short and long term. Ever had to present in front a group of people, scrutinising every word, expecting the best, ready to bask in your failure? Ever been

interviewed by a panel of distinguished and respected managers, ready to pick you apart, waiting to pose that killer question?

For dealing with pressure in business, there is a lot to be learned from elite athletes.

Athletes develop powerful psychological skills in order to thrive under intense stress and pressure. The good news is that these psychological skills are transferable to business settings. Indeed, the scientific principles of sport psychology used by elite athlete are being used by some of the most successful business professionals in the world.

In a new book by Drs Martin Turner and Jamie Barker of the School of Psychology, Sport and Exercise, the secrets of performing proficiently under pressure are revealed. In the book “What Business Can Learn From Sport Psychology” Martin and Jamie draw on scientific evidence, the world of elite sport, and their professional experiences,

to uncover psychological skills that allow business professionals to thrive under pressure and prevail in the face of adversity.

The book includes practical strategies for thriving when it matters most, and includes a vast array of techniques for getting the mind and body into the right state to perform.

POTTERS EXPERIENCE DRIVES

FOOTBALLING AMBITIONS Being given the opportunity to work for a Premier League football club on placement has given Duncan Robson a taste of a career in the beautiful game.

The BA(Hons) Sports Development and Coaching graduate undertook his placement with Stoke City where he worked in the analysis department.

Duncan said: “The tutors have been really inspirational, they have given me a lot of help this year, in terms of giving me a placement at Stoke City Football Club, which I have really enjoyed.

“It has given me a direction that I want to aim towards during my career. The placement involved a lot of filming of Academy games, from their Under 10s to their Under 14s.

“I’ve also been learning software like Prozone and Dartfish and putting the video onto computers and making reports that we could send off to the coaches with advice for the next game.

Duncan started his four year journey with Staffordshire University on the Foundation Year and now hopes to use his Premier League experience to earn an analysis role at a football club.

“It has always been an ambition of mine to work at a football club and this has furthered that ambition and given me a foot in the door to hopefully further my analysis work at other clubs or Stoke City.”

Duncan Robson, BA(Hons) Sports Development and Coaching

SCHOOL OF PSYCHOLOGY, SPORT AND EXERCISE

KEY PARTNER SALUTES CONTINUING SUCCESS OF

SPORT AND EXERCISE

PLACEMENT STUDENTS

TWINNED SUCCESS FOR

ENGLAND CRICKET DUO

Twins Kathryn and Charlotte Whyle have both graduated from Staffordshire University with first class honours degrees.

Sport & Exercise have received some excellent feedback on the performance of former placement students from a prominent local partner. In a recent interview with Phil Walklate, Assistant Vice Principle at Birches Head Academy Phil explained what benefits Sport & Exercise students had brought to the school.

“We have been involved in offering school placements in the Physical Education Department of Birches Head Academy for final year Sports Development and Coaching students from Staffordshire University for a number of years now.

This has typically involved them being integrated into the PE department as valued members of our PE teaching team.

This is a challenging environment for students to operate in, especially as we expect all our teaching teams to have a positive impact on the young people they come into contact with.

Over the years of our relationship with Staffordshire University we have hosted in excess of 10 students and all have been nothing short of fantastic. In all cases the students have developed both their knowledge of what it takes to be an effective PE teacher and as importantly the confidence to teach and

work effectively with children to positively influence their continuing development.

I am confident that the experiences that students have gained whilst on placement with us have helped students improve their chances of securing teacher training places to become fully qualified PE teachers.

Chris Lee, Placement Lead for Sport & Exercise said “ It is really gratifying to receive such positive feedback from Phil and the staff at Birches Head Academy.

We also get similar positive feedback from many of our placement partners year on year and it is great to see students engage so effectively with their hosts and represent themselves and the University so well. These real life experiences give our students the opportunity to test and validate their learning gained at University in authentic environments whilst also making them more confident, work ready and employable.

Placements are a vital and growing part of our educational offer and we are passionate about the high quality of provision and support that our staff provide to our students whilst out on placement.

The duo completed the BSc(Hons) PE and Youth Sport Coaching degree and additionally had a predominant role in delivering coaching session for Staffordshire County Cricket Association during their time at Staffordshire University.

Kathryn said: “It has been fantastic and I’ve enjoyed every minute of my time at Staffordshire University, it has just been a wonderful experience.”

The twins similarities do not end there, the siblings have both represented England Cricket at youth level during their time at university.

“It was challenging at times to combine the cricket and the university work, but the lecturers have been very accommodating and have helped us immensely to allow us to achieve in both cricket and our academic studies,” she explained.

Both Kathryn and Charlotte were nominated for their cricket coaching in the Staffordshire community at the National Cricket Community Coaching Awards at a ceremony in London.

The twins are now aiming to take separate routes into the jobs market.

ISSUE3

CLASS OF 2014 OPEN DAY DATES Open Days are a great way to find out more about the courses you are interested in and to see what university life will be like.

Come and see us at one of our next open days.

Sunday 12 October 2014 Saturday 15 November 2014 Saturday 6 December 2014

HAVE A STORY? We are always looking to share news from the School of Psychology, Sport and Exercise from students and staff. If you have a story you would like to share please email: psemarketing@staffs.ac.uk

JOIN THE CONVERSATION Follow us on:

M6292

We have a number of Twitter accounts within Sport and Exercise that you can follow to join in the conversation.

Sports Science Clinic @peakcondition @staffs Uni Sports Therapy @SUSTClinic Sport and Exercise @StaffsUniSport Sport & Exercise Psychology @SEPsychStaffs