Sport Science Support /
Our highly skilled and experience
Sport Science team provide athletes on both the Elite Cymru and
Talent Cymru schemes with support covering all scientific
disciplines, each focusing on improving the performance of the
athlete.
Physiology
Physiological sport science support involves strategies to
ensure optimal performance is achieved at designated points
throughout the training cycle.
Fitness tests can be conducted either in a sport science
laboratory or in the field, according to the needs of the
sport.
Training prescription can be performed in collaboration with
coaches, along with regular monitoring of the body's response to
training programmes and competition.
Monitoring involves subjective feedback from the athlete, in
addition to monitoring of variables from blood and urine samples in
a sports science laboratory.
Additional interventions are aimed at improving the body's
ability to cope with adverse climates, altitude and long haul
travel.
Meet our physiologists:-
Psychology
This discipline is interested in considering the mental factors
that can affect performance. Our sport psychologists can help
improve performance in both training and competition by developing
the following:
- Concentration
- Motivation
- Confidence
- Ability to cope with adversity
- Emotional control
Skills that are typically taught include:
- Relaxation
- Imagery
- Competition preparation
- Training and performance review
- Goal setting
- Ability to focus
- Managing self talk
Furthermore, our sport psychologists can help with decision
making, career transitions and communication. Our sport
psychologists work in a variety of ways to develop the above
skills, including workshop based education, individual
consultations, working with coaches, and observing training and
competition.
Meet our psychologists:-
Biomechanics
Biomechanics involves the analysis of human movement and
technique. In terms of performance enhancement, analysis of your
technique in training and competition is crucial as it can help to
identify areas of weakness, prevent injury and increase efficiency
of sport specific movements.
Strength and Conditioning
Strength and conditioning primarily has two main focuses.
- Performance Enhancement - by developing muscle strength,
strength endurance, power (speed and agility) and sports specific
(functional) movements.
- Injury Prevention - through postural training, stability, core
strengthening and movement (sports related) based assessment.
These two factors can be implemented in conjunction with coaches
and other sports science and sports medicine staff for a holistic
training regime.
Meet our strength and conditioning coaches:-
Nutrition
Our sports nutrionists can advice on what's best to eat and
drink to enhance performance. General advice for nutrition in
training and competition can be accessed in addition to specific
advice on daily nutritional requirements for your individual
training and competition needs.
Advice can also be provided on gaining or losing weight as well
as making weight in weight category sports.
Meet our nutritionists:-
We recently formed a partnership with 3 sports nutrition
partners who became our preferred providers of performance
nutrition products to the Sport Wales Institute:
For Goodness Shake
Science in Sport
Pro Athlete Supplementation Ltd
Performance Analysis
Performance analysis utilises a range of computer software and
video technology to assess performance.
Factors such as tactics, technique, movement and work-rate
within training or competition can be assessed. This provides
coaches with valuable information that enables them to manipulate
training and tactics to maximise the chance of success.