The official publication of the BRITISH ASSOCIATION OF

ISSN 1754-3452
The official publication of the BRITISH ASSOCIATION OF SPORT AND EXERCISE SCIENCES
ISSUE 24 | SUMMER 2010
Inside the mind
of Phil Neville
Performing under
pressure in sport
Team Psychology - what
makes a winning team?
www.bases.org.uk
www.bases.org.uk
Issue 24 | Excellence
Summer 2010 |inThe
Sport and
Scientist
|1
Promoting
Sport
andExercise
Exercise
Sciences
Keynote Sessions
The Dr Andy Cathcart Symposium: The factors which limit maximal oxygen uptake:
The head, the heart or an integrated peripheral system
Prof Tim Noakes (the head), Prof Bjorn Ekblom (the heart) and Prof Peter Wagner (an integrated
system). Chair: Prof Neil Spurway FBASES
Does dehydration impair exercise performance?
Prof Ron Maughan (yes) and Prof Tim Noakes (no). Chair: Prof Craig Sharp FBASES
The great drugs debate
Prof Martial Saugy, Prof Bengt Kayser, Prof David Cowan, Prof Mike Spedding and Charlie Spedding.
Chair: Prof Ian McGrath
Can we modulate physical activity in children?
Prof John Reilly (yes) and Prof Terry Wilkin (no). Chair: Prof Jo Doust FBASES
Are we really less active than we used to be? What does the objective evidence show?
Prof John Speakman.
Symposia Sessions
Sports nutrition - What's new?
Prof Andy Jones FBASES and Prof Asker Jeukendrup
International Centre for East African Running Science (ICEARS) Symposium
Dr Robert Scott, Dr Barry Fudge and Dr Yannis Pitsiladis
Joint BASES, Royal College of Physicians and Fitness Industry Association
Symposium: Linking medicine and exercise
Dr John Searle OBE, Dr John Etherington and Dr Gary O'Donovan
The female athlete: A multi-disciplinary perspective
Dr Joanna Scurr, Prof Mike Tipton, Dr Anne-Marie Elbe, Jenny White and Deirdre Angella
Measurement of physical activity in free-living environments
Dr David Rowe, Dr Sebastian Chastin and Prof John Reilly
Joint BASES/FEPSAC symposia
• The training of applied sport psychologists: A critical reflection of issues within Europe
• Developmental strategies for consultants working in elite youth sport programmes
Dr Chris Harwood, Prof Paul Wylleman plus other speakers to be confirmed.
Delegate
Fees
For further details, visit: www.gla.ac.uk/BASES or email [email protected]
2
| Issue 24 | Summer 2010 | The Sport and Exercise Scientist
www.bases.org.uk
|
The Sport and Exercise Scientist – published quarterly by BASES
Editor l Dr Sarah Rowell FBASES
Production Director l Dr Claire Hitchings
Editorial Advisory Board l Dr Melissa Day, Dr Lee Ingle, Dr Dominic Micklewright,
Claire-Marie Roberts, Len Parker Simpson, Dr Ken van Someren
Book and Resource Review l Dr David Tod
Advertising l Dr Claire Hitchings - [email protected]
Proofreading l Abi Masha, Coachwise Business Solutions ([email protected])
Publisher l Mercer Print, Newark Street, Accrington BB5 0PB. Tel: +44 (0)1254 395512 • [email protected]
BASES l Leeds Metropolitan University, Fairfax Hall, Headingley Campus, Beckett Park, Leeds, LS6 3QT
Tel/Fax: +44 (0)113 812 6162/63 - [email protected]
Website l www.bases.org.uk
Front Cover Image l World Cup 2010 montage by Darren Brown (full player list at foot of page)
Disclaimer l The statements and opinions contained in the articles are solely those of the individual contributors
and are not necessarily those of BASES. The appearance of advertisements in the publication is not a warranty,
endorsement or approval of products or services. BASES has undertaken all reasonable measures to ensure that the
information contained in The SES is accurate and specifically disclaims any liability, loss or risk, personal or otherwise,
which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly of the use and application of any of the contents.
Copyright © BASES, 2010 l All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in substantial part without permission
of The SES Production Director is strictly prohibited. An archive is available in the Member Area at www.bases.org.uk
Copy deadline 1 July 2010 for Issue 25. All contributions welcomed. Information for contributors www.bases.org.uk
The BASES Board
Chair | Prof Jo Doust - [email protected]
BASES Executive Officers | Dr Claire Hitchings - [email protected] (Wednesday and Thursday only),
Debbie Pearce - [email protected]
Divisional Chair of Physical Activity for Health | Dr Jason Gill - [email protected]
Divisional Chair of Sport and Performance | Dr Dominic Micklewright - [email protected]
Divisional Chair of Education and Professional Development | Dr Richard Tong - [email protected]
Non-Executive Directors | Graham Wilson and Sue Anstiss
BASES Office Staff
Office Manager | Jane Bairstow - [email protected] Tel: 0113 812 6162
Education Officer | Kate Yule - [email protected] Tel: 0113 8126165
Administrative Assistants | Marsha Stankler - [email protected] (Workshops)
(Monday-Thursday only) Tel: 0113 812 6163. Jane Gillott - [email protected] (Membership)
(Tuesday and Thursday only) Tel: 0113 812 6164
FOREWORD
A
ny scientists reading a piece of research
would be pretty dismissive if its findings
were based on a questionnaire return rate
of under 5% of the target population – so what
to make of the recent The Sport and Exercise
Scientist (The SES) reader survey with a
response rate of 3.3% of BASES members? Or
should more be read into the lack of response
than the detail of the responses received?
Potentially – but that is like trying to explain something you do
not understand and hence has the potential to bog you down
in the purely hypothetical. Better to look at the known and,
combing the responses we received (thank you to all those who
responded), with the energy and imagination of The SES Editorial
Advisory Board has, I believe, resulted in some exciting new
ideas for the publication, as well as some more subtle tweaks,
which readers will start to see from this issue onwards.
So, whether this is being read by 5% or 95% of the membership,
I hope you can all take something from the issue to enhance
your practice. What will I take? Particularly, having had the
recent pleasure of interviewing one of the most professional
athletes I have ever come across (one who has spent the last 15
years of his life living in a massive glass fishbowl and who is still
performing at the top of his game), it is that elite athletes are, on
the one hand, human “just like the rest of us”, and on the other
(echoing the words of a very successful Performance Director),
they are “freak outliers”.
Being able to gauge the balance between the two, to understand
how best to provide support at any given time and, subsequently,
to be able to apply whatever skill set is required, is what divides
the best applied support practitioners from the rest.
Dr Sarah Rowell FBASES
Editor
[email protected]
CONTENTS
4 l BASES NEWS
6 l LONDON 2012 DIARIES
The SES follows the preparation of the British Sailing and Paralympic teams in the build up to 2012
8 l BASES – PRESENT
Prof Edward Winter FBASES continues his history of sports and exercise science and BASES
10 l PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT – THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS OF PRESENTING
The BASES Awards Committee shares its expertise on how to avoid the Seven Deadly Sins of Presenting
12 l PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT – SEMINAR SOLUTIONS
This new section of The SES starts with Dr Emma Ross sharing her ideas for Problem Based Learning within physiology
13 l APPLIED PRACTICE – INSIDE THE MIND OF PHIL NEVILLE
Dr Sarah Rowell FBASES interviews Premier League Footballer Phil Neville
16 l COVER FEATURE – WILL THE BEST TEAM WIN?
Dr Barry Drust considers the critical factors that may affect the teams playing in this summer’s soccer World Cup
18 l APPLIED PRACTICE – TEAM PSYCHOLOGY
Simon Middlemas reflects on the development of teams within elite sport
20 l STRICTLY FOR STUDENTS
First hand experiences of presenting at a BASES Annual Student Conference
22 l ACCREDITATION – BASES LABORATORY ACCREDITATION
Dr Glyn Howatson explains the changes that have recently been made to BASES Laboratory Accreditation
25 l RESEARCH – EXERCISE AS A TREATMENT FOR POSTNATAL DEPRESSION
Dr Amanda Daley discusses the issues
29 l RESEARCH – PERFORMING UNDER PRESSURE IN SPORT
Dr Tim Rees reflects on the invited symposium he presented at
31 l THE HELP BLOG
Dr Edwin D. Bayard starts his new column offering advice and solutions to members’ problems
13
16
22
Cover montage: From top left down; Aaron Mokoena (South Africa), Kaka (Brazil) and Park Ji Sung (South Korea). From top right down; Wayne Rooney (England), Fernando Torres (Spain) and Lionel Messi (Argentina).
www.bases.org.uk
Issue 24
| Summer 2010 | The Sport and Exercise Scientist | 3
NEWS
|
Update on BASES Awards and Grants
The newly appointed Awards Committee provides an
update on the new-look BASES Awards and Grants. The key
changes to the Awards and Grants will:
1. Streamline existing terminology to either:
i.Awards (given for achievement); or
ii.Grants (money given for specific purpose).
2. Make it more obvious to members which awards they are eligible
for. It was decided to use study level (e.g., Undergraduate, MSc,
PhD, Post-PhD, not studying) to categorise awards. Study level also
dovetails nicely with BASES membership categories.
3. Rationalise existing Awards.
4. Make Award titles more self-explanatory.
5. Develop new Awards to ensure all membership categories are more
equally catered for.
6. Develop new Awards that recognise applied practice.
7. Reduce our impact on the environment by having electronic
applications.
The BASES Annual Awards are an important part of our work in
recognising excellence in sport and exercise science and they exist to
reward BASES members who have made outstanding achievements.
The Awards support the following objectives of BASES: The promotion
of research in sport and exercise science; the encouragement of
evidence-based practice in sport and exercise science; and the
distribution of knowledge in sport and exercise science. BASES offers
five Annual Award schemes.
BASES Undergraduate Dissertation of the Year Awards
Target BASES membership categories: Student and Graduate
NEW
The BASES Annual Grants exist to provide financial support to
BASES members to support career development and international
conference attendance. The Grants support the following objectives
of BASES: The promotion of research in sport and exercise science;
the encouragement of evidence-based practice in sport and exercise
science; and the distribution of knowledge in sport and exercise science.
BASES offers three Annual Grant schemes:
– support career development opportunities for BASES members who
are normally at a relatively early stage of their sport and exercise science
career (e.g., work in applied sport/exercise science support, research or
pedagogy).
Number offered: Four each year, up to a total of £500
Target BASES membership categories: Members that hold a
sport-and-exercise-science-related degree
BASES International Conference Grants
Target BASES membership categories: Professional (for the past
two years)
BASES Annual Conference Grants
NEW
– assist researchers to present at the BASES Annual
Conference.
Number offered: Six each year, up to a total of £500
Number offered: Two each year
Target BASES membership categories: Student and Graduate
Professor Tom Reilly Doctoral Dissertation of the Year Award
NEW
Number offered: One each year
Target BASES membership categories: Student and Graduate
BASES Early Career Researcher Awards
(previously known as the Emerging Researcher Medal Award)
– recognises excellence in early career BASES members researching
within sport and/or exercise science. Three Awards are given annually,
normally in each of the areas of “Physical Activity for Health”, “Sport and
Performance”, and “Education and Professional Development”.
Number offered: Three each year
Target BASES membership categories: Graduate and Professional
BASES Applied Practitioner Awards
– acknowledges outstanding and innovative service delivery
in sport and/or exercise science by BASES Accredited Sport
and Exercise Scientists.
Grants
Number offered: 10 each year, up to a total of £500
Number offered: Two each year
– for an outstanding doctoral dissertation made in the area
of sport and/or exercise science by a BASES member.
2. It was decided that the BASES International Travel Grants should
remain exclusive to Professional members to ensure that they have
some exclusive membership benefits. Other members could apply
for a BASES Career Development Grant to assist with attendance at
UK and overseas conferences. n
– assist researchers to present oral communications at international
sport-and-exercise-science-related scientific conferences.
– for outstanding undergraduate sport and/or exercise science
dissertations made by BASES members who are final-year
undergraduates.
– for outstanding sport and/or exercise science dissertations
made by BASES members who are this calendar year
(i.e., 1 January to 31 December) UK masters students.
1. The BASES Career Development Grants can be used to fund
research/visits/work placements at other labs.
BASES Career Development Grants
Awards
BASES Masters Dissertation of the Year Awards
The key proposed changes to the Annual Grants are:
NEW
Number offered: Two each year
Target BASES membership categories: Professional
(for the past two years) n
Conference Awards
There are no significant changes to the BASES Annual and Student
Conference Awards, although the Award names have been modified
slightly for consistency across both BASES Conferences and across
Awards.
Make sure you don’t miss out on the Award and Grant
application closing dates:
Annual Awards
Professor Tom Reilly Doctoral Dissertation of the Year Award BASES Undergraduate Dissertation of the Year Awards
BASES Early Career Researcher Awards
BASES Applied Practitioner Awards
BASES Masters Dissertation of the Year Awards
Annual Grants
BASES International Conference Grants
BASES Annual Conference Grants
BASES Career Development Grants Application Closing Date
31 January
30 September
30 November
30 November
30 December
Application Closing Date(s)
1 March, 1 June, 1 September
1 July
30 November
Target BASES membership categories: Accredited
4
| Issue 24 | Summer 2010 | The Sport and Exercise Scientist
www.bases.org.uk
|
NEWS
2010 BASES Annual Student Conference
Factfile
• 330 attendees
• 45 Universities represented
• 184 scientific oral (96) or poster (88) presentations; 6 keynote presentations; and 5 workshops
• Highlights included: - Prof Jo Doust FBASES and Dr
Richard Tong’s pre-Conference workshop
was attended by about a quarter of
delegates and was well received.
- Prof Andy Jones’s FBASES opening
keynote – it needed two lecture theatres
and was video linked to the second hall.
- There were positive comments
about the Aber-Bangor Skills Centre
stand and networking workshop and
Simon Payne’s Collaborative Sport
and Exercise Science “in Action”
symposium.
- There were positive comments
about the opportunities to meet other
students and start building networks. n
2010 BASES Annual Student Conference Award
Winners and Runners-Up
Undergraduate Award
Undergraduate Oral Presentation Award
Winner
Runner-Up
sponsored by BASES
sponsored by Human Kinetics
Paul Wilkinson,
Heriot-Watt University James Wrightson,
University of Brighton
Undergraduate Poster Presentation Award
Postgraduate Award
Postgraduate Oral Presentation Award
sponsored by Hospitality, Leisure, Sport
and Tourism Network
sponsored by Human Kinetics
Postgraduate Poster
Presentation Award
sponsored by Routledge
sponsored by Human Kinetics
Lee Fearn, Bangor University Helen Owton,
University of Winchester
Paul Wilkinson,
Heriot-Watt University
Winner
sponsored by Routledge
Les Tumilty, Aberystwyth University
Postgraduate Applied Research sponsored by the University of Aberystwyth
Presentation Award
Damien Gleadall-Siddall, University of Hull Georgina Clarke,
University of Brighton
Runner-Up
sponsored by Human Kinetics
Len Parker Simpson,
University of Exeter
sponsored by Cranlea
Stephen Bailey,
University of Exeter
2010 BASES Annual Conference Updates
BASES Annual General Meeting
All BASES members are invited to the 2010 BASES AGM. This is your opportunity to meet the
Board and contribute your views and ideas. The meeting will be held during the 2010 BASES
Annual Conference at the University of Glasgow, 6 – 8 September.
The British Association of
Sport and Exercise Sciences
Fellow
BASES Fellowship
In 2008, BASES changed its Fellowship
system to Fellowship for BASES members
and Honorary Fellowship for non-members.
The changes were made to make BASES
consistent with other professional associations
and reduce confusion. However, one anomaly
from this change was that BASES has continued
to have Honorary Fellows who are BASES
members, but do not meet the existing criteria
for Honorary Fellowship (i.e., not eligible
for Fellowships). As such, it was considered
that the goal of reducing confusion had not
really been met. The Board has since decided
to “normalise” existing Honorary Fellows
and Fellows. This approach was considered
to provide clarity, be consistent with other
professional bodies and be easy to run.
Fellowships: To recognise esteemed
professional achievement, skills, knowledge
and service to BASES and the sport and
exercise science community and to encourage
continued service to BASES in leadership
and ambassadorial roles. A requirement
is Professional Member of BASES for at
least eight consecutive years at the time of
application.
Honorary Fellowships: The award of
Honorary Fellowship is the ultimate accolade
and highest Award made by BASES to nonmembers. It recognises the eminence of
individuals working or achieving in sport and
exercise science. It is awarded to those who
have made an exceptional contribution to the
field of sport and exercise science.
www.bases.org.uk/Fellowships n
;
BASES Division Annual General Meetings
All BASES members are invited to attend the Division AGMs, which will also be held during the
2010 BASES Annual Conference. Please take this opportunity to share your thoughts and ideas
with the Divisions and help shape the future of BASES.
Accreditation Q&As
Kate Yule, BASES Education Officer, will be available at the Conference for any questions and
answers relating to Supervised Experience, Accreditation and Re-Accreditation. n
Movers and Shakers
Samantha Parnell and Dr Garry Tew have joined The Sport and
Exercise Scientist Editorial Advisory Board, with a specific focus
on Physical Activity for Health.
A new Sport, Exercise & Wellbeing Research Centre has been
launched at Northumbria University n
12
Samantha Parnell
Dr Garry Tew
2011
APRIL
Save the Date
The 2011 BASES Annual Student Conference will be held
at the University of Chester on 12–13 April 2011. n
www.bases.org.uk
The British Association of
Sport and Exercise Sciences
Accredited
Accreditation Amnesty
BASES is offering an opportunity to members
who have let their Accreditation lapse within
the last 5 years to apply for Re-accreditation.
The submission deadline for the Amnesty
is 1 July 2010. BASES re-accreditation
accepts that an accredited individual has
already demonstrated that they meet
‘the knowledge, skills and understanding
necessary to be safe and fit to practice as a
sport and exercise scientist’. Re-accreditation
requires the applicant to demonstrate
continued delivery of services and continued
to development as a practitioner.
www.bases.org.uk/Individual
Accreditations n
;
Issue 24
| Summer 2010 | The Sport and Exercise Scientist | 5
LONDON 2012
|8 ISSUES TO GO
London diaries
- GB Sailing
Drs Melissa Day and Pete Cunningham
What is it like working full-time with one of the country’s most successful Olympic sports? For the summer instalment of the London Diaries,
we get an insight into the day-to-day work of Dr Pete Cunningham, the Senior Sport Science Support Officer for the Royal Yachting Association
(RYA). As well as heading up their sport science support, he also provides physiological support for the upper tier of performance sailors.
6
COURTESY OF RICHARD LANGDON, SKANDIA TEAM GBR
Pete, you’ve been working with the RYA
since 1993, how did you first get involved
in this sport?
As part of my third-year undergraduate
dissertation, I was looking at elite-level
windsurfing. I had informed the RYA that I was
doing this and they were interested as the rules
of Olympic windsurfing had just changed and
the physical aspects of the sport were about
to become far more important. From doing
this, I built up a good relationship with the RYA
who had never really had much sport science
input before, with the exception of some
sport psychology input. When I finished my
undergraduate degree, I was about to apply
to do a PhD when I saw a position advertised
on the Sport Science Support Programme set
up by Sarah Rowell. They were looking for
project assistants across a number of sports,
including sailing; I decided to apply for this
and started work as a project assistant on the
sailing programme. On this programme, I was
being mentored internally at the University of
Chichester by Tudor Hale, who was probably
the most influential person over my first
three years or so in my applied sport science
“apprenticeship”. RYA was already involved
with the University and so, once the governing
body had seen the contribution that could be
made by physiology, it became part of their
programme.
What was the programme like when you
first started?
I was working with sailors who had not
experienced any sport science support before
with regards to physical training. This meant
that I was almost preaching to the unconverted
and it was hard going to start with. We worked
with the senior sailors and then also targeted
the young sailors, linking in to the top end of
the youth programme. This meant that sailors,
such as Ben Ainslie, were receiving sport science
support from the age of about 16 years old.
How did you then progress in your
career?
I became BASES Accredited. I always think that
for someone starting off in sport science that’s
really important. I also completed a PhD on the
“physiological demands of elite single-handed
dinghy sailing”. I was on a contract that involved
working half with the sailors and half on my
PhD. However, because my PhD was in sailing,
I was pretty much working full-time with the
sailors. I’ve also spent time working as a lecturer,
but when Lottery funding came in, all the sailors
went full-time and so I started working full-time
for the RYA.
So what is a typical day like for you?
Well, there are two types of day for me. About
two days a week I am in the office. On these
days I would typically spend my time in the
morning emailing and talking to sailors on Skype.
Sailors are often abroad and need contact and
advice. For example, this morning I have been
talking to a sailor in Valencia who has a quad
problem and trying to get advice from the
physiotherapists. In the afternoon, I will often be
fitness testing in the labs and doing some general
admin work.
The other three days of the week I am in
Weymouth, working with the sailors. If travelling
down from Chichester, a 6 am start is pretty
normal to get to Weymouth and I meet the
sailors in the gym at around 8 am. We generally
touch base as it’s good to have that face-toface contact. The morning is usually spent
doing either aerobic training or strength and
conditioning work. I think it’s important that,
as a physiologist, I have a good knowledge of
the strength and conditioning area so that I can
speak with reliability; this means that I can give
advice while in the gym on aspects such as lifting
technique and training progress. We would then
usually spend the afternoon out on the water.
This might include just spending time with the
coach and observing sailing, or running a session,
such as an on-water interval session for the
windsurfers. I might be taking measurements,
such as blood lactate, and be giving advice on
exercise intensity. After that, it’s back to the gym
in the afternoon and early evening. I then have
the option either to stay overnight in the RYA
accommodation or to travel back home.
| Issue 24 | Summer 2010 | The Sport and Exercise Scientist
What is the biggest change that you have
seen within sailing since you started?
When I started, there were 40 sailors, of whom
only one was full-time and all others were
working either part- or full-time. Now, I struggle
to think of many sailors who work alongside
their Olympic training. Instead of being a hobby,
sailing has become much more professional.
In the 1990s we had some individuals who
were not that athletic, whereas now all of our
sailors are on full-time training programmes and
are full-time athletes. Our work is also much
more field-based now in comparison to when
I started. We spent years developing sportspecific ergometry, trying to replicate sailing
in the lab, and my PhD was quite lab-based.
Now, we spend a lot more time actually out
on the water. We also have a far bigger support
team. I think that 20 years ago, if we were as
organised as we are now, we would have won a
lot of medals in the Olympics. Now, our biggest
challenge is trying to stay ahead and, because of
our success, trying to stop others copying the
model we use. n
Drs Melissa Day and Pete Cunningham
Melissa is a Senior Lecturer in
Sport and Exercise Psychology at the
University of Chichester.
Pete is the Senior
Sport Science Officer
for the RYA. He
began working with
the RYA on a in 1993, and has seen the
team go from strength to strength.
www.bases.org.uk
|
LONDON 2012
Paralympic Sports Science
I
varying rapidly and uncontrollably. This
often manifests as writhing movements
of the hands, feet, legs or arms.
Hyperactivity in the muscles of the face
and tongue, and hearing problems are
not uncommon, so communication can
sometimes be something of a challenge
with this group. Ataxic CP results from
damage to the cerebellum, causing a lack
of balance and poor depth perception and
spatial awareness. Ataxic individuals may
exhibit intention tremor, where intentional
movements are accompanied by trembling
that gets worse when performing under
pressure.
CP produces the following considerations
or issues for a practitioner:
• Performance vs. disability attribution
• Communication
• Intellect
• Fatigue.
Nik Diaper worked with the Boccia team
leading up to the 2008 Beijing Paralympic
Games and Chris Wagg currently provides
sport-science support to the Great Britain
Boccia Federation.
How have you identified whether a
performance problem was caused
by an athlete’s disability or sporting
performance?
ND: There are a number of ways this can
be achieved; for example, comparisons
with similar athletes/situations, discussions
with the athlete and coach, analysis and
monitoring etc. However, I think this
ultimately comes down to developing an
in-depth understanding of both the sport
and each individual.
CW: I think it is key to use the coach
at the start and get their input. From
there, having a structured monitoring
and assessment framework will help you
COURTESY OF DUNCAN TUNBRIDGE BPA
n the Spring instalment of the London
Diaries , we introduced Paralympic sport
and the sport of Boccia. In this issue,
we are going to explore cerebral palsy
(CP), one of the main disability groups to
be represented in the sport of Boccia.
This article will look at the disability,
how it can affect performance and
what the main considerations are for a
practitioner working with athletes with
CP. Then we will get two practitioners’
reflections on working with athletes with
CP and how they deal with the issues and
considerations.
The term CP has its roots in Latin, with
cerebrum and paralysis meaning literally
“brain paralysis”. CP is the result of an
injury to brain tissue that occurs either
during pregnancy or during labour and
birth, or soon after birth. More and more
evidence appears to support the influence
of antenatal factors, but there is no one
single cause; current thinking focuses on
genetic abnormalities, maternal infection/
fever and foetal injury. The resulting
brain injury impedes complete brain
development and the infant is left with
one or many of a range of impairments;
however, it is a non-progressive disorder.
There are three types of CP: Spastic,
athetoid and ataxic.
Spastic CP accounts for 70–80% of
individuals with CP. Damage to the upper
motor neurones in the brain disrupt
normal muscle tone and spinal function,
and results in increased tone (groups of
muscles in a sustained and uncontrolled
state of contraction). This causes stiffness
of the muscles and impacts upon
movement, speech and walking. Athetoid
CP results in the exhibition of involuntary
and irregular motions, with muscle tone
Want more information on Boccia? www.gb-boccia.org
;
www.bases.org.uk
Issue 24
profile and identify the cause of issues
over time. It is also important to talk to
other support staff, such as the physio,
who can provide useful information to
explain a problem.
What did you find the hardest about
communicating with individuals with CP?
How did you adapt?
ND: I remember feeling quite anxious
before the first time I worked with
athletes with severe CP; I made the naïve
assumption that they would all have
speech impairments. I was worried that
I was not going to understand them and
would be a cause of frustration for both
the athletes and myself.
CW: I didn’t really know what to expect, so
I tried not to have too many expectations.
The hardest thing for me was getting to
know the nuances of each athlete’s form
of communication and not being afraid to
ask them to say something again.
ND: One of the ways I adapted was
learning how to paraphrase appropriately
and where necessary. I also had to learn
to become more attuned to non-verbal
communication, but this is only something
that developed by spending time with the
athletes.
CW: I watched how the coaches interacted
with them and tried to learn from them
– it takes time, but I am starting to build
relationships with the athletes as a result.
How have you delivered information to
group of CP athletes with a range of
intellectual capabilities?
ND: I always look to present information in
a variety of ways and I believe this applies
to communication with any group of
people – not just CP athletes.
CW: Delivering through the coaching
staff is a good method. They can relate
it to each athlete more specifically and
give them as much as they can take on
board. When I am delivering information I
always try to do it in small groups so I can
support each individual a bit more.
How have you compensated for fatigue
when supporting athletes with CP?
ND: I think this comes down to
understanding the individual athlete and
the severity and type of CP. There are
some athletes where this may be an issue
and perhaps require manipulating the
volume/intensity/type of training.
CW: Being aware of each athlete’s routine
and the plan for the competition or
training camp is important. It means the
timing of any information or feedback is
coordinated with when they are able to act
on it, and have the energy to understand
what is being delivered. n
| Summer 2010 | The Sport and Exercise Scientist | 7
FEATURE
|
BASES-PRESENT
Prof Edward M Winter FBASES continues his history of
the sport and exercise science profession and the Association
COURTESY OF PROF EDWARD WINTER FBASES
Introduction
In the last issue of The SES (Issue
23, Spring 2010, pp.10-11), I
charted the gestation and birth of the
Association. In this article, I will give
a similar overview of the current role
of BASES within the general context
of sport and exercise science.
BASS to BASES
Originally, the Association started as the
British Association of Sports Sciences
(BASS) and there were approximately
200 members. Some grammarians cast
a scornful glance at the absence of an
apostrophe in the title but, nevertheless,
that was what it was called. The name
reflected the Association’s emphasis on
sport, but it soon became clear that there
were many for whom sport was actually
of secondary or even no interest; their
interest was in exercise or, as it tends
now to be known, physical activity. Such
activity is characterised by activities of
daily living, such as walking, gardening
and shopping, as well as formal and
structured activity at health clubs and
similar facilities. Here, the emphasis is not
so much on performance per se but on
health and functional capability.
The groundswell grew and, in 1993,
BASS became BASES. I was a supporter
of that name and, in the intervening 17
years, have seen no reason to change my
mind.
Members’ interests and involvements
span a remarkable spectrum that has
professional sportspeople and Olympians
at one end and the diseased or infirm,
for whom the challenge is survival,
at the other. There is an intellectual
fascination associated with this spectrum
that attempts to identify common and
group-specific aspects. In spite of how
it might seem as we wrestle with dayto-day challenges that arise, whether as
researchers, teachers or practitioners,
we are privileged to work in an area that
is predominantly fun. However, that fun
should not be confused with frivolity.
The livelihood of athletes and their
entourage of coaches, advisors and
administrators can depend on the
support we provide. Similarly, the exercise
programmes we design, advocate
and deliver can markedly change and
fundamentally improve the quality
of life for participants. These diverse
involvements represent serious economic,
social, political and technical businesses
that amount to an annual turnover in the
UK of approximately £20 billion. To put
this figure into context, it is about a sixth
of the annual health budget and a fifth of
the defence budget.
8
A young Professor Winter in 1972 while an
undergraduate PE student in Loughborough
Sport and exercise science
So just what is sport and exercise science,
and is that what the current 3,000 or so
members of BASES do? In 2009, Prof Neil
Fowler and I proposed an answer. Sport
and exercise science is: The scientific
study of factors that influence our ability
to perform exercise. This, in turn, begs
two further questions: First, what is
science? Second, what is exercise?
The second of these terms is perhaps
easier to define. “Exercise is a potential
disruption to homeostasis by muscle
activity that is either, exclusively or in
combination, concentric, isometric or
eccentric” (Winter & Fowler, 2009).
This definition includes dynamic activity
but acknowledges that performance in
sport and activities of everyday living do
not necessarily involve or even require
movement. In fact, there are occasions
when movement is deprecated (e.g.,
balance and suspension in gymnastics)
and where it is functionally detrimental
(e.g., threading the eye of a needle).
Moreover, the definition applies precisely
to the interests of BASES members.
Seven steps to science
Science is harder to define precisely
but there is perhaps a simple view.
Epistemology is the study of how we
acquire knowledge and science is simply
one epistemological technique. Hence,
science is a way of working. However,
we need to elaborate on that “way” so as
to distinguish it from other ways. In my
teaching and elsewhere, I have found it
helpful to think of an alliterative sevensteps-to-science approach. So, what are
these seven steps?
Step one: Observation
The first step is the ability to “observe”
and, as the inverted commas indicate,
this does not necessarily mean
observation only through the sense of
sight. The ability to notice or recognise
phenomena either on an intergalactic,
cosmic, atomic or subatomic scale is
| Issue 24 | Summer 2010 | The Sport and Exercise Scientist
a prerequisite of science and hence, a
scientist. It can be encapsulated in the
simple exclamation, “Did you see that?”
Step two: The research question
The question might arise from a sense
of wonder. What on earth caused what I
have just seen? What is the explanation?
What is the mechanism? It is the wellcrafted research question that drives
the process of research. “Well crafted”
means that a trial can be designed
within resource restrictions to answer
the question posed and that the answer
will be of benefit to humankind in some
way. Some argue that such practical
beneficence is not necessary, but while
I have sympathy with the sentiment,
we simply do not have the money to
spend on lavish and extravagant navel
contemplation.
Step three: Hypotheses
The third step on our journey to science is
the Popperian formulation of hypotheses,
named after Karl Popper and his principle
of falsifiability. This principle states that
a theory or hypothesis can be accepted
only when the opposite is shown to be
untenable. There are at least two types of
hypotheses: Research and null. It is the
latter, the statement of no effect, that is
tested and it is only when this hypothesis
can be rejected that the alternative
research hypothesis can be accepted.
Karl Popper
www.bases.org.uk
|
I will return to retention and rejection
of the null hypothesis in step six, the
outcome, in the context of “proof”.
Step four: The experiment
Next comes the experiment, or, as it
tends to be known, the trial. The goldstandard experiment is the randomised,
controlled trial in which, in its simplest
form, two samples are randomly selected
from a parent population and given either
a treatment or placebo. Both groups are
assessed before and after the treatment.
The number in each sample should be
determined according to the power of
the statistical test that is to be used and
not just by whim or whimsy (Prof Greg
Atkinson’s particularly helpful article in
the September 2005 issue of The SES
pp.22-23 provides excellent guidance).
While conditions are controlled to
minimise the influence of contaminating
(nuisance) variables and maximise the
effects of influential under-test variables,
the control must somehow retain its realworld application, which is sometimes
called “ecological validity”.
Step five: Analyses
Step five is the statistical analysis or
analyses that should have been identified
before measures were taken. Scientists
do not try to decide how to analyse data
after these have been gathered; they do
so beforehand. Only once all the outcome
measures have been recorded and the
code in a double-blind trial has been
broken as appropriate, are they analysed.
The ability to select and apply appropriate
analytical techniques correctly is
essential. In addition, effect sizes should
be calculated so as to distinguish between
statistical outcomes and outcomes that
are practically or clinically meaningful.
Step six: The outcome
The outcome states what has been found
and it should be expressed simply and
clearly. For example, the results suggest
that: A beneficially/adversely effects/has
no effect on B. Note that this outcome
is a statistical probability and should be
supported by an accompanying effect
size. In step three, I said I would return
to the notions of proof and disproof and
will do so now. Popper’s principle of
falsifiability and acceptance or rejection
of the null hypothesis implies a passwww.bases.org.uk
or-fail test. While this approach is an
advance on that of the fallacious absence
of evidence “I believe therefore it is
right” stance, it does not fully address
uncertainty – a theme that the Royal
Society is highlighting in its 350th
anniversary year.
I am reminded of a response given by
eminent geneticist Prof Steve Jones
when he was a panel member on a radio
programme. A questioner began, “Hasn’t
it been scientifically proven that…”, but
before the rest could be delivered, Prof
Jones interjected with (and I paraphrase),
“Let me stop you there. Proof and
certainty are the province of priests and
politicians, the rest of us have to wrestle
with probability.”
Results of trials have to be seen in the
context of matters such as sampling
error, measurement error and extant
knowledge, and provide evidence only
that one outcome was more or less likely
than another. The “suggestion” of an
influence or effect of some sort might be
based on firm evidence, but can only be a
suggestion, nothing more, nothing
less. This is a challenge when
aggressive interviewers demand a
“yes” or “no” answer when such
answers are impossible.
Every aspect of our lives is
fundamentally ruled by probabilities
and likelihoods. Walking on
pavements is only safer than
walking on the road. We cannot
say we will go to the pictures on
Saturday, we can say only that
is our intention. The design,
manufacturing and measuring
processes for kitchen cupboard doors are
not as exacting as those for aircraft. The
criticality of applications differs markedly.
The National Institute for Health and
Clinical Excellence formalises all this and
has to deal with two key questions. First,
does a drug work? Second, is it costeffective? Both answers are based not on
facts and certainties, but on probabilities
and context.
Step seven: The broadcast
The outcome has to be broadcast, not
disseminated, because only men could
do that. Normally, this is in the form of a
manuscript submitted to a journal and
the peer review to which the manuscript
is subjected. The broadcast could be
in the form of an oral presentation at a
conference or, similarly, a poster. The
broadcast could also be by way of the
media (e.g., press, radio or television). It
could also be a private report because of
commercial or other reasons. Especially
if the broadcast is a formal journal
publication, it must be written skilfully
and in accord with the conventions of
grammar and syntax as well as the terms
and nomenclature laid down by the
Système International d’Unités.
Issue 24
FEATURE
If any of these seven steps is not followed
then the effect is simple: The work is not
science. This is not necessarily a problem
if work is not claimed to be science. If,
however, science is claimed and one or
other of the seven steps is not followed, it
is not science, and even worse, the nonscience might become nonsense.
Scholarship
In our teaching, research, consultancy
and practice, we must follow the seven
steps to science; otherwise we cannot
claim to be scientists. By the same token,
we can take a firm stance against others
who contravene principles of science.
Overarching all of this, however, is
scholarship, which embraces history,
literature and other arts that can be
brought to bear to increase knowledge
and understanding. We, as scientists,
have duties to sport, exercise and
science, but above all, we have a
fundamental responsibility to uphold
principles of scholarship. We are
fortunate to be able to do so in an area
that, for many, characterises enjoyment
and embraces sport, health and the
performing arts.
Conclusion
Sport and exercise science is a
marvellous way to teach both the
principles and practices of science. It
applies to attempts to explain rather than
simply describe performance in sport
and, similarly, considers the probability
(i.e., the likelihood) of outcomes in sport
and exercise in terms of evidence-based
practice. Both of these applications are
intellectually and practically demanding.
In this article, I have concentrated on
principles of science, but in the next I
will address how I see the Association
developing as it attempts to meet existing
and likely challenges. I will do so from the
standpoint of particular challenges and
needs, but in the context of the “science”
that the Association’s name clearly
identifies as a principal influence on both
the work we do and the way in which we
do it. n
References
Atkinson, G. (2005). How important is sample
size in research? The Sport and Exercise Scientist, 5, 22–23.
Winter, E.M. & Fowler, N. (2009).
Exercise defined and quantified according to the Système
International d’Unités. Journal of Sports Sciences, 27,
447–460.
Prof Edward M Winter FBASES
Edward is Professor of the
Physiology of Exercise in the Centre
for Sport and Exercise Science at
Sheffield Hallam University. He
was involved in the formation of
BASES and played prominent roles
in matters such as the Association’s
accreditation scheme and other developments.
| Summer 2010 | The Sport and Exercise Scientist | 9
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
|
The Seven
Deadly Sins
of Presenting
Presentations have become the de facto communication tool at conferences. There is an art and a science
of creating great presentations. However, many conference presentations are delivered poorly. Here, the
BASES Awards Committee share their expertise on how to avoid the Seven Deadly Sins of Presenting.
Too much text
ZZZZslow zzzzstart
Slides should be like a billboard. Ask
yourself whether your message can be
processed within three seconds. The
audience should be able to quickly
work out the meaning before turning its
attention back to the presenter. You need
to have enough words to ensure you are
comfortable delivering the message, but
go for a very low word count. Don’t use a
font size smaller than 28 point.
Normally, the chair of a session will
already have introduced you, named
your institution, given the title of your
presentation (which will be on the
projection screen as well) and might
have stated the page number of the
conference’s abstract booklet on which
your abstract starts. Don’t then start your
talk by saying, “As the chair has just said,
my name is Josephine Aznobrain and my
talk is entitled...” You have only a short
period of time in which to present so
don’t use some of that valuable time with
unnecessary repetition.
If you need to reduce your font size lower
than this then my guess is that you have
created a document, not a slide! If a slide
has too many words, highlight one key
word per bullet and rehearse the slide
until you can remember all the content
when you look only at the highlighted
word. Then remove all other text leaving
just the keywords as mnemonics. Even
better, replace the words on the slide with
an image.
Tip: Don’t over-animate
your text. Text flying in from
all directions is just distracting
and looks like you have just
learnt how to use the animation
tool on PowerPoint.
Dr Claire Hitchings, British Association
of Sport and Exercise Sciences
10
additional exercise; it’s normally needed
after a few nights at a conference.
If only it was that simple. Well, it is if
you are not at the mercy of the speaker
who cannot tell the time. You know, the
individual who insists on taking both
their own allocated time in addition to a
significant amount of that set aside for
others as well.
Terrible time keeping
I think I’ve lost count of how many
presentations I have attended in which
the speaker seems to have failed the first
rule of presenting; i.e., respect your time.
Understanding how long you have sets
the framework for all of the major aspects
of any presentation in my view (e.g.,
content, delivery style etc.). If you can’t
get the timing right, the audience might
just not be in a position to effectively listen
to what you have to say (especially if they
are contemplating rushing off to another
session).
You have scanned the programme
schedule over breakfast and you are
excited about the day’s conference
programme. The only problem is the
tricky transition that you’ve spotted
around 11 am. Should be OK though,
you can hear the invited speaker talk
about training adaptations and still have
time to make it to the other room for
that free communication that has direct
relevance to your own research. The fast
walk between rooms will also act as some
There’s a simple rule for time keeping that
was passed onto me by the late Prof Reilly
that has always served me well: “One slide
= approximately one minute”. So, if you’ve
got a 10-minute slot then 30 slides just
isn’t going to work, no matter how quick
you talk. Remembering this simple guide
should help you to avoid dramatically
exceeding your allotted time. This will help
ensure that you get across clearly those
complicated data that you have spent
many hours collecting and analysing.
Use something like, “Good morning,
thank you for that introduction. It is well
established that…”, and hence, begin
with probably the first sentence of your
abstract.
Prof Edward Winter FBASES, Sheffield
Hallam University
| Issue 24 | Summer 2010 | The Sport and Exercise Scientist
www.bases.org.uk
|
You’ll also make a few new friends in the
audience as well, as I’ve never heard
anyone complaining that a session was a
little short or ran exactly to time!
laser pointers can be distracting for the
audience rather than useful.
Dr Barry Drust, Liverpool John Moores
University
Poor presenter presentation
A lot of time and effort is understandably
spent on preparing the presentation,
the information on the slides and the
visual impact, but often the presenter
forgets about themselves. Too often
presentations suffer from a lack of
presenter preparation. How are you going
to do it? Where are you going to stand?
What messages are you trying to send?
What can you do with your hands? Many
inexperienced presenters become nervous
and start fidgeting. This includes walking
around continually, rocking forwards and
backwards, and putting hands in pockets/
behind the back only to then relocate
them almost instantly.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Unless there is some sort of “punchline”
that you really do want to keep hidden
until the last minute then just set up your
slides to show all the points at once. One
more thing – don’t use any of the super
fancy fonts either – they are much harder
to read.
Tip: Leave special effects
to Steven Spielberg.
Dr Val Cox, Coventry University
Too fast
Despite the fact that using a laser pointer
on “acupuncture points can stimulate
specific memories and innate wisdom”
(Gordon, 2010), during scientific
presentations the purpose of the laser
pointer is to “highlight something of
interest” (Wikipedia, 2010), not every
word on the slide.
Over the years, one of the most frequent
thoughts I have going through my head
when I’m listening to a presentation is,
“please slow down so that I can actually
understand the story you are trying to tell
me”. People have chosen to come and
listen to your research story and want to
get something from it.
Dr Joanna Scurr, University of
Portsmouth
References
Gordon, S.K. (2010). Body Wisdom. Transpersonal
Hypnotherapy Institute.
Wikipedia (2010). ‘Laser Pointer’, http://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_pointer (retrieved April 2010).
Death by special effects
This nervousness is then, unintentionally,
transmitted to the audience by the
presenter. If the presenter looks/feels
uneasy then the audience will feel uneasy,
thus affecting how your presentation is
received.
Every new version of PowerPoint seems
to have yet more special effects (e.g.,
text flying in, dissolving, changing colour
etc.). For some presenters the temptation
to use them all is just too great to resist.
The effect on the audience is rather like
watching a horror film, waiting anxiously
for the next surprise.
Having slides where the bullet points
appear one at a time is also rarely helpful
and usually makes the talk seem slower
and more ponderous than it really is.
Tip: Practise makes perfect.
Practice delivering the
presentation thinking about how
you are going to do it. Good
preparation = good performance.
My experience is that when you go too
fast people lose what you’re saying very
quickly and, therefore, can lose interest
very quickly. Sometimes I end up singing
to myself, “slow down, you move too fast,
you’ve got to make the moment last”.
Finally, I’ve never ever had anybody give
me feedback saying, “That was too slow”
except when talking about my running
between the wickets in cricket matches.
Prof Ian Campbell, Brunel University
BASES has three brief guideline
documents, written by Prof Edward
Winter FBASES and Dr Claire
Hitchings, to help you with your
conference presentation preparation.
Dr Stewart Cotterill, University of
Gloucestershire
Laser pointer love
;www.bases.org.uk
Imagine my distress at the last BASES
Annual Conference when I reached for
my laser pointer only to discover that it
would not work on an interactive screen.
Being forced to revert to a metre rule for
highlighting key points in my presentation
made me realise that there were few
occasions when my laser pointer was
necessary.
Visit
Time spent on the preparation of your
slides should reduce the need for a
laser pointer. The overzealous use of
• BASES Guidelines for Preparing
Abstracts. n
www.bases.org.uk
Click About and then click
Publications, Documents and Policies
• BASES Guidelines for Oral
Presentations
• BASES Guidelines for Poster
Presentations
Issue 24
| Summer 2010 | The Sport and Exercise Scientist | 11
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
|
SEMINAR SOLUTIONS
Welcome to Seminar Solutions, a new section of The SES where we encourage readers to share
their tips and ideas for enhancing the student seminar experience. We start off with one from
Dr Emma Ross and we would welcome contributions from BASES members for future issues.
Please contact me (Dr Sarah Rowell FBASES) with your ideas, thank you.
S
port or exercise physiology is an applied science,
interpreting evidence and applying it to real life by
using reasoning skills and theoretical experience. Too
often, though, students fail to integrate and subsequently
apply theoretical foundations to real-world situations.
Sure, if you have just taught a class about the pathways of
anaerobic metabolism, a subsequent discussion on creatine
supplementation in power athletes is well understood.
However, the integration of information from all of their systems
physiology learning, as well as incorporating considerations
based in psychology, nutrition, biomechanics and sociology, is
often not assessed and, therefore, often not achieved by a large
number of students. In my third-year Physiology of Training
and Performance module, we have formulated an assessment
task based on a case study and small-group problem-based
learning (PBL) approach. In PBL, students work cooperatively
to solve complex, real-world case studies.
The problems lead the students to review basic physiological
concepts and learn more advanced ones in the process of
working through the case study. The goals are for students to
learn and be able to apply the disciplinary content, develop
critical thinking abilities and acquire skills of lifelong learning
and communication. PBL has been widely used in recent years
in medical and related areas of professional education.
Self-selected groups of 4–5 students were presented with
a case study six weeks prior to their assessment. The
assessment comprises a group presentation accompanied by
a short, 500-word summary report. It was important that the
case studies reflected real-life scenarios and, as such, applied
practitioners from within the department supplied a number
of case studies that were based on real people. These case
studies included elite athletes, individuals trying to become
elite athletes, people using exercise for health and exercisers
with specific goals (two examples are included right).
Where relevant, the case studies might include performance
data, data from recent physiological testing, information on the
individual’s lifestyle, or clinical risk factors
and each case study had a stated time
frame. The student groups were then
asked to identify the physiological
demands and requirements for the
specific sport/activity (including
analysis of the energetics, fatigue
mechanisms and limitations
to performance), design an
appropriate training intervention
and an appropriate strategy for
physiological assessment and
consider any unique features
of the case study that might
influence what or how they
prescribe to the individual.
As well as more traditional
training programmes and
performance measurements,
12
| Issue 24 | Summer 2010 | The Sport and Exercise Scientist
students were encouraged to consider other evidence-based
practice that might be appropriate to their specific case study
(e.g., heat acclimation or hypoxic training). Unique features of
the case studies ranged from the individual having a clinical
condition, to age, being from a low socioeconomic background
or working long, irregular hours.
Although at the time of going to print the students have not
made their final presentation, a series of help tutorials over the
six weeks has allowed them to discuss ideas and issues with
a member of the physiology teaching team. In these sessions
it has become clear that this is a challenging experience for
the students; they all have sound physiology knowledge, but
the integration and application of this to less-conventional
scenarios, using evidence-based practice, is less easy than
they initially thought. However, because of the vocational
nature of the activity, the group-based approach and the
“realness” of the case studies, the students have engaged with
and been positive about this task.
Examples of the case studies
DAVID is an elite cyclist who
specialises in time trialling over 50
and 100-mile distances. Now 45
years old, he was diagnosed with
type 1 diabetes two years ago.
He has come to a sport scientist
to ask for their input on helping
him return to top-level competition: He had been a
National Championship winner. His race data shows his
performance to have dropped by about 30W, yet his lab
.
test data shows his VO2 max to be very similar.
How could you help John optimise his performance?
HANNAH is a 30-year-old accident
and emergency doctor, working
shift patterns and often a 60-hr
week.
She is planning to take part in the
2010 Jungle Marathon, a sixstage 222 km foot race through
the Brazilian jungle in October. She has participated in
marathons previously, with a personal best of 3 hr 27
min. She ran her last 10 km race, two weeks ago, in 42
min. She has never had any fitness testing done before.
Hannah has come to you, as an exercise physiologist, to
help her achieve her goal.
Dr Emma Ross
Emma (pictured left) is a lecturer in Sport and Exercise
Physiology at the University of Brighton and a BASES
Accredited Sport and Exercise Scientist.
www.bases.org.uk
|
INTERVIEW
Inside the
mind of
Phil Neville
Interview by Dr Sarah Rowell FBASES
I
n the last issue of The SES, Len
Parker Simpson interviewed
leading triathlon coach Jack
Maitland. This time around, I talk to
someone who can only be described as
the ultimate professional and one of
the most likeable and down-to-earth
sporting stars that I have had the
pleasure to meet in over 20 years.
At 33, Phil Neville is currently in his 16th
season of playing professional football at the
highest level. He came through the Manchester
United Academy along with his elder brother
(Gary) and contemporaries Paul Scholes and
Nicky Butt, before making his first team debut
in 1994. Over the next 10 years, he won
six Premier League titles, three FA Cups and
one European Cup, as well as gaining 59 full
England caps. In August 2005, he moved to
Everton where he is now club captain.
Phil joined me straight from training, for an
interview arranged by his twin sister Tracey,
herself an ex-international netballer, who,
after gaining 74 caps for England, had to retire
in 2008 due to injuries; she now works as
Performance Support Sport Manager at Leeds
Metropolitan University. My hopes, however,
of a “WAG-style” lunch were dashed by the
news that the players all have to eat at the
training ground post-training, where the club
can keep an eye on them.
www.bases.org.uk
It soon became clear that Phil is, in his own
words, “obsessed with training and doesn’t
really like rest” and is also still fully committed
to getting the best out of himself, something
that he has always been, going right back to
when he was at school. Interestingly, his work
rate, attitude and willingness to play anywhere
on the pitch have been given as reasons why
David Moyes (the Everton manager) rates Phil
so highly.
Phil’s approach did, however, cause an
interesting reaction when he first joined
Everton from Manchester United; his desire
to be the best and hence doing additional
training before and after formal training was
interpreted as trying to be the “teacher’s pet”
and win the manager round. How things
change. Whereas when Phil joined the club,
there would be only 2–3 players doing extra
training in the gym, now nearly all the first
team can be found there, influenced in no
small part by Phil’s behaviour.
Back to this summer and Phil, of his own
accord, will be heading over to Los Angeles
for four weeks to base himself with Athletes’
Issue 24
Performance, who have been working with
the Everton squad over the last year. Here, he
will be training twice a day, four days a week,
with a focus on speed and strength, before
coming back for the final two weeks before
club training starts.
When asked why, again it is his drive to be the
best, to set an example as the club captain,
and (at the relatively older age of 33) to keep
ahead of the pack that is his focus, something
that is in the front of his mind every day in
training. Although he also admits that he now
has to think about training smarter and not just
harder, whether this is doing his own warm-up
before the team warm-up each day, posttraining pre-hab – he makes use of Rolfing®,
strength and mobility work, and his threetimes-a-week yoga sessions, which he admits
he hates doing, but does because they make
him feel better. As he noted, “At 33, if you
have a bad day in training or in a match, it is
because of your age. When you are younger,
it is just put down as a bad day.”
Having said that, Phil relishes the challenge
presented by the younger players coming
through and could think of, “Nothing worse
than having the complacency of a guaranteed
place in the team”.
What does training look like at this late stage in
the season? One thing is clear, it has changed
quite a bit during the time that Phil has been
involved in the sport, with science now playing
a much bigger part. While Phil really loves the
insight that science can provide, there is in his
view, a danger it can take over too much.
PTO
s
s
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We started talking about the summer, then
only three matches away, where the World
Cup means that the players will get eight
weeks “off” from the clubs rather than the four
they normally get. For the Everton players, this
will involve two weeks of complete rest, one
week of active rest and then getting back into
pre-season training, based on programmes
provided by the clubs. As Phil noted, the
days when it was expected for players to
come back to pre-season training significantly
overweight and then use plastic bags etc to
sweat it off are long gone; now all squad
members have regular body fat measurements
taken and work within controlled weight
allowances.
| Summer 2010 | The Sport and Exercise Scientist | 13
INTERVIEW
|
ACTION IMAGES
Training with Everton
The better, more experienced managers are
the ones who use science to back up their
views, while others tend to hide behind it.
This season Everton have used global
positioning systems in training, with values for
distance run, high intensity and overall player
load being recorded for each session and
displayed afterwards. As you might imagine,
there is serious inter-team competition to
ensure your name is near the top of the leader
board, led by a captain who hates losing at
anything.
Day-to-day training varies based on when
matches are, and all the players do the same
training. If the team has played on a Saturday,
Sunday is recovery, Monday is low to
moderate, both in terms of football and fitness
training, and Tuesday is high intensity, with
20–25 minutes in the “red zone”. Wednesday
is recovery and Thursday is similar to Monday.
Phil likes to have a light day a couple of days
before a game and then train a bit harder on
the Friday. Compare this to 15 years ago,
when, as a trainee, all he and his colleagues
did was play.
Reflecting on his training and how it has
changed, Phil explained that when he was
younger, all he and his teammates did was
play football and he had never really done
much gym work or weights (he did not do any
additional leg weight work until he was 30 and
had suffered a cruciate ligament injury). Now
he uses the gym regularly and has his own
leg strength programme, although, he does
not do that much heavy upper-body work,
14
not wanting to end up feeling “pumped”. For
the stats interested, Phil’s bodyweight has,
over the years, increased from 77 kg to 81
kg, while his body fat has fallen from 13% to
8.5%. I suggested that you would not want
to go lower than that, to which Phil replied
he had been lower but that had been too low
and he had ended up with glandular fever.
with breakfast followed by a light snack at
11:30 am. After this he will continue to drink
mainly water, but some electrolyte, the aim
being to feel “light” for the match. Posttraining and matches, there is now much
greater recognition of the role protein plays,
with protein and milkshakes being much in
evidence.
It is apparent that, as with many sports, it is
in recovery, in particular, where significant
changes have been made in recent years,
both physically and nutritionally. Players
make use of ice baths and compression
clothing, post-training and matches, as well
as massage. In the time that Phil has been at
the club the medical side has grown from one
physiotherapist and one masseur to three of
each. It is to the medical staff rather than his
captain that David Moyes will look to get a
gauge on the mood and feeling of the players;
a hard physical training session will result in an
increase in workload for the masseurs.
What of alcohol? Phil joined Manchester
United at a time when there was an accepted
drinking culture amongst the senior players,
as in many clubs. Phil, himself, has never
drunk much and in terms of when he did join,
United noted he benefited from being one of
a group of five or six young players who were
all of the same mind; hence, he did not feel
under undue peer pressure to change.
Nutritionally, things have changed massively
too; Phil recalls pre-match meals of fish, chips
and peas in his early days. Now, with regular
body-fat measures and careful monitoring,
in Phil’s words, “the right food is fed into
you”, even post-match, when, whether
playing at home or away, the club makes sure
appropriate recovery-focused food is available
in the dressing room.
If Phil is playing on a Saturday then Friday
is the day to stock up on food and rest/
sleep. If a 3 pm kick-off is scheduled then
Saturday morning is, again, focused on rest,
| Issue 24 | Summer 2010 | The Sport and Exercise Scientist
Now, there is an unwritten rule of no alcohol
within 48 hours of a match and it is ingrained
in young players as they come through the
system. Phil noted that, given the intensity of
the Premier League, players cannot get away
with excessive drinking any more. If they do
drink, they get found out and embarrassed
in training; the pressure and level means you
have to prepare for training in nearly the same
way you do for matches.
As someone who has competed at the top
level in my sport, I was fascinated, not only
with how Phil maintains the same focus and
intensity, but also how he coped with the
weekly pressure to perform. In many ways,
I was not surprised to hear that Phil gets just
as nervous before matches today as he did
when he was 19. The difference is that at 19
www.bases.org.uk
|INTERVIEW
he hated the nerves; now he looks forward
to them more, with excitement and the
channelling of focus as part of his preparation
to perform. It will not come as a surprise
that Phil also gets nervous before key training
sessions nor that he reflects that “when I stop
getting nervous before matches it will probably
be time to call it a day”.
What about playing against Manchester United
and, in particular, his brother Gary? At this
point in the conversation both Tracey and Phil
answered in near tandem “it’s difficult”. The
brothers, in fact, the whole family, are very
close and are happy for each other to do well.
As Phil says, “The day before the match, he is
my brother and he is my brother the day after,
it is just difficult in between. It is only a game of
football after all.” This, however, does not stop
Gary phoning up Phil’s son the day before a
match to try and wheedle out of him whether
his dad is in the starting line-up.
Phil went on to say that, in many ways, when
the two play each other it is worse for his
parents (his father, Neville, played league
cricket in Lancashire, a sport at which Phil
captained the England under-15 side) and
sister, something Tracey confirmed by telling a
story of when she was playing netball and her
mother was playing on the opposing team; the
boys came to watch but found it too hard and
left part-way through the match.
At this point it seemed time to broach the
move from Manchester United to Everton and
the differences between the two managers (Sir
Alex Ferguson and David Moyes).
On the latter point, Phil noted that the two
are very similar and that both have been
unbelievable to work for as they share
they same drive and work ethic; the main
difference is that Sir Alex has won so much.
Both display the same characteristics, in that
they never relax or let standards drop; it’s
about hard work and respect, whether that
is in dress codes, dealing with the media
or talking to the staff in the club canteen;
something that helped Phil make up his mind
when he moved to Everton.
What of the two clubs? While Phil could not
comment on changes at United since he
joined Everton, at the time he left he went
“from the best” to a club “wanting to be the
best”. United, while he was there, relied
98% on the ability of the players for their
success, while with Everton, as the squad is
not so strong overall, they have to be best
at everything they do and leave no stone
unturned, whether that’s diet, training or
player analysis. Phil noted that he had learnt
so much since he joined Everton about the
football and non-football aspects of performing
and he continues to learn every day.
Has all changed for the better in the sport?
Perhaps starting to show his age, Phil’s view
here fits well with everything else about him
as someone who came through a successful
football apprenticeship. One where, if he did
not do a good job, he would have to spend
four hours after training cleaning the first-team
showers and then he and his peers would
all have to stay behind and repeat the job.
Where, if he wanted to go into the senior
team dressing room, he knocked on the door
and waited for a reply before entering. Now,
in his words, the young players get everything
on a plate (including the money) and lack the
toughness, work ethic and discipline instilled
by the earlier regime, “For too many of them
the football part of being a top player is too
small a part of the overall pie chart, rather than
being the main part”.
For Phil, the current Academy model, with
players being signed up at eight years old
and having to live within a 30-mile radius,
is not the best. At eight, it should be about
enjoyment and playing with your mates, while
the residency regulations mean it is often
cheaper and easier for clubs to have foreign
players in the Academy sides than English
ones. While accepting that not all with the old
Youth Training Scheme was right, Phil’s view
is that the current regime is not, “preparing
young players for life as a footballer or for life”.
The interview comes to an end with Phil
needing to go and pick his children up and
the impression I am left with is Phil’s drive,
passion and curiosity to continue to improve.
The whole time we talked, Phil’s enthusiasm
for what he does shone through. Phil is the
first Premier League football player I have had
the pleasure to talk to in-depth, but it should
come as no surprise that the key messages
and characteristics he displays are the same
as those exhibited by the top Olympic and
Paralympic performers and winners.
Thanks, Phil. n
ACTION IMAGES
Sharing a joke whilst on international duty
for England with former Manchester United
team-mates David Beckham and (partly
hidden) Paul Scholes
www.bases.org.uk
Issue 24
| Summer 2010 | The Sport and Exercise Scientist | 15