Introduction

Introduction to Blog

            I am currently a third year student at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan). Throughout my three years at this university I have constantly been reminded that experience is vital in order to differentiate myself from other students. When choosing my modules for my final year I discovered the module 'Careers in Sport' which entails an individual to undergo 60 hours placement work. This seemed like the perfect opportunity for me to gain vital work experience that will make me more employable when I graduate.

            I ultimately want to pursue a career working within a professional sports club as a sport scientist or strength and conditioning coach. As football is the main sport I am interested in pursuing this career I thought it made sense to apply for placement work within professional football clubs as I believe that to be the best at something you have to genuinely enjoy what profession you are in. This way you’re more enthusiastic, motivated and eager to progress and better yourself. I applied at Rochdale AFC, Blackpool FC and Burnley FC as the university was told they were interested in employing students for extra support. Unfortunately, I did not hear anything back in reply to my application, and with other professional clubs within travelling distance stating they do not care for interns or student support.

            Dr Steve Atkins (the division leader for my course), explained very clearly that work experience would still be as beneficial even within other sports as it is within that field of expertise.  I was therefore instructed to apply for similar intern roles within other sporting clubs such as; rugby, American football or even cricket. Once this was proposed i focused on trying a different approach with Rugby Clubs. I emailed Ian Bentley who works with the U15, U16 & U19 Wigan Warriors (WW) youth academy, as a strength and conditioning coach who told me they may have an slot available for me. I discovered that WW is the most successful club in the history of British rugby league, having won 20 League Championships (including 3 Super League Grand Finals), 19 Challenge Cups and 3 World Club Challenge trophies. Once i understood the great opportunity in front of me I expressed my eagerness and rationale for why I thought this was an appropriate placement for me. Fortunately I was successful meaning Ian organised a date and time for me to start.

            I began to conduct specific research on the roles of an S&C coach with elite athletes. I was informed S&C coaches have two primary goals. The first is to improve athletic performance, which usually means improving athletes’ speed, strength, and power (although specifics vary according to athlete and sport). Conditioning coaches develop systematic training programs for both teams and individual athletes, often working in close association with coaches. This usually includes teaching proper lifting techniques, supervising and motivating athletes as they work out, and assessing their performance before and after the program.

            I was quick to realise that majority of the research I was conducting was mainly aimed at fully grown adults and not adolescents. Therefore, I knew the key to gaining the most from this placement was to examine how the coaches approached the adolescents, how resistance training was implemented with athletes still growing and how they dealt with unexpected situations.

            Ian emailed me informing me I had been successful with my intern application and with a date to begin my placement. I became very anxious in what Ian was expecting of me and what this placement would entail of me. This left me feeling anxious and unsure in my abilities to conduct a session when I initially started my placement. Fortunately, Ian informed me I would be mainly shadowing coaches and introducing myself to the young athletes for the first few initial sessions.

The purpose of this placement is to gain as much knowledge as I can through working with a range of different ages and abilities. Over the course of this placement I aim to:

·         Improve my knowledge of the drills elite rugby clubs incorporate

·         Observe which qualities and skills the existing coaches have which I would be required to learn in order to become successful within the sporting industry.

·         Improve my confidence in leading drills and circuits

·         Gain tips on dealing with unexpected circumstances