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This well established research conducted by members of Peter Harrison Centre for Disability Sport (Loughborough University) is seen as an integral part of the support provided for Paralympic wheelchair athletes and has impact in 3 key areas:
A 20 year collaborative programme of research and physiological monitoring between the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) and the University of Chichester (UC) has significantly impacted upon training and competitive strategies adopted by the RYA to maintain world class sailing performance within the REF period. Research conducted in the period 1993-2004 provided the first empirical evidence base to underpin training for dingy and boardsailing. This provided the foundation to develop training guidelines for youth and elite sailors, contributing to successful sailing performances in the past five Olympic games. The guidelines are now freely accessible online for recreational sailors.
The impact of this research has been to improve the performance of elite athletes and safeguard the well-being of Paralympians. It has affected the management of athletes' dynamic physiological responses and advanced the regulatory frameworks of sporting bodies. This has changed the strategies of the USA Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee and the British Paralympic Association. The indirect impact of this primary research has been to change the routine training practices of recreational athletes and influence the advice on exercise given to military personnel and people with disabilities.
This case study focuses on the impact of our research on the Welsh Government's policy and delivery of national flagship programmes for sport and physical activity. The evaluation of a pilot study of the Active Young People secondary school sport intervention informed the implementation and `roll-out' of the pan-Wales 5x60 physical activity programme to 218 schools by 2009. The evaluation of the pan-Wales Free Swimming Initiative resulted in revised policy objectives for sustainable sports development in Wales, and influenced the type of public swimming opportunities that exist, improved their availability, and increased the extent of engagement with them.
The applied research generated has targeted practitioners and athletes at all levels, and by combining expertise and knowledge from different areas (primarily Biomechanics and Physiology), aimed to directly influence the way in which muscle function is assessed in competitive sports. The studies in the area of muscle conditioning and function has generated a body of work that has the potential to be useful to coaches both in competition as well as in training, but to date has not been fully realised. By examining how the muscle responds to certain stimuli, training suggestions have been provided that can acutely increase the performance of an athlete, for example conditioning stimuli prior to athletics performance (reference 4 in section 3). These suggestions can assist both in improving the competitive performance as well as in improving the quality of the content and experience of training sessions.
Further, evaluating a range of tests and assessment tools, such as by examining their validity and reliability, monitoring and assessment becomes much more accurate and sport-specific, enabling high-quality training (such as in reference 2, section 3). In addition, as these assessments allow testing to take place within the training and performance environment the performer is accustomed to (such as in reference 6, section 3), they also result in minimal disruption of the training programme, which cannot be achieved using traditional assessment techniques which require a visit to a laboratory for the assessment to take place.
The range of applicability of the research to support uptake of the recommendations and resultant training and performance benefits has been maximised by ensuring the suggestions and equipment used are low cost and easily accessible, enabling coaches and athletes from a wide range of performance levels to utilise them, such as functional tests (such as in reference 5, section 3). The work has highlighted that coaches and athletes need to reassess their approaches to measuring performance and specific measurement techniques used, and that doing so can improve training techniques and athletic performance.
This case study focuses on the development and usage of self-help material designed to aid people in feeling and performing better. It has achieved impact through raising awareness via mass media and professional outlets. Research informed self-help materials are available for open access via media links, academic organisations, service organisations (NHS), commercial organisations (London Marathon), national governing bodies (Research Councils), and professional bodies (British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences). An on-line project, run in conjunction with BBC Lab UK, developed and tested self-help interventions with 75,000 users each receiving personalised feedback from former Olympian Michael Johnson.
This case study examines the long-term and ongoing relationship between an industrial collaborator (Chas A Blatchford & Sons Ltd) and researchers at the University of Roehampton. This systematic programme of biomechanical research on how prostheses perform in activities other than walking has had two significant outcomes. Firstly, this work has significantly improved prosthetic design, with four new prosthetic designs marketed worldwide. Secondly, it has increased awareness of — and importantly increased engagement with - exercise therapy for amputees among healthcare professionals (prosthetists and physiotherapists) and amputees themselves. This research has reached a wider audience including amputee charities and healthcare professionals, with whom we focus on mobility and movement rather than the prostheses.