Human Kinetics Sport, Health &amp; Fitness Blog

Applied Anatomy and Biomechanics in Sport covers the latest assessment techniques used by exercise and sport science specialists to evaluate human physiques, physical capacities and sport techniques.Within each group, techniques that improve performance are analysed with specific examples given from a variety of international coaches.

Its emphasis on athletic assessment and physical capacity modification provides a unique perspective that will help coaches and other sport professionals appraise the body structure of their athletes so that strengths can be fully utilised and weaknesses improved.

Combining high-force strength training with aerobics helps diabetics

Patients with diabetes who participate in a programme combining aerobic and high-force eccentric resistance exercise demonstrate improvements in glucose control, physical performance and body fat composition, according to a study published in the November 2008 issue of Physical Therapy, the scientific journal of the American Physical Therapy Association.

“Although aerobic exercise is what is typically recommended for treating people with diabetes, this study shows that adding a high-force strength training component has significant advantages.” says APTA spokesperson Robin L. Marcus, PT, Ph.D., OCS, assistant professor at the University’s Department of Physical Therapy and the study’s lead researcher.

The onset of type 2 diabetes – a chronic illness marked by decreased insulin sensitivity and overall poor glucose control – is known to be fostered by decreased physical activity.

After 3 months, researchers found that both groups showed improved glucose control and physical performance in a 6-minute walk, as well as a decrease in fat composition within the leg muscles.

However the patients who did both aerobic and resistance exercise had additional improvements, most notably a decreased overall BMI and a gain in leg muscle.

”Adding resistance training to the diabetes treatment regimen leads to improved thigh lean tissue which in turn may be an important way for patients to increase resting metabolic rate, protein reserve, exercise tolerance and functional mobility.”

“Although aerobic exercise is still key in treating diabetes, it should not be used in isolation,” Marcus observes. “As people age, they lose muscle mass and, subsequently, mobility, resulting in a greater risk of falls.”The study evaluated 15 people with type 2 diabetes who participated in a 16-week supervised exercise training programme: seven in a combined aerobic and eccentric resistance exercise programme and eight in a programme of aerobic exercise only.

Source: Medical News Today

Find out more about this book

Uncover the keys to business success in the commercial recreation, event and tourism sector

Recreation, Event, and Tourism Businesses: Start-Up and Sustainable Operations uncovers the keys to business success in the commercial recreation, event and tourism sector – one of the fastest-growing segments in the tourism and recreation industry.

Until now, students, professors and professionals interested in this growing industry have been forced to rely on general business or basic recreation texts as their main reference source.

With Recreation, Event, and Tourism Businesses, the authors have combined their expertise both as business owners and professors, to offer a comprehensive and industry-specific textbook and step-by-step guide for new business start-ups.

Written from both entrepreneurial and operations management perspectives, the book provides a practical overview of the recreation, event and tourism (RET) field and the business planning process.

A new conceptual model of the RET industry is presented and related to existing models. It explains how the industry works and examines the key components of commercial RET businesses. It also describes how companies are started, operated, and managed, including information on service issues, risk management, finance, and marketing. It also provides examples of how RET businesses can be operated in a more sustainable, environmentally friendly manner.

Many of the topics covered in this book are key learning components for people wishing to obtain certification as a commercial recreation professional.

Recreation, Event, and Tourism Businesses provides students with practical business concepts and content that link to the core principles of the RET field, so that they will be professionally prepared to deliver appropriate services.

They will explore contemporary management practices while discovering the diverse career opportunities available in the RET industry.

Supplementary Instructional Materials

Ancillaries
A range of Free ancillaries are available to course adopters

Instructor guide
The instructor guide contains sample course syllabi, chapter outlines, discussion questions, and direct links to additional resources on the Internet.

Test package
The test package consists of over 200 ready-made multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, true-and-false, and essay and short-answer questions that cover content from all 13 chapters.

Presentation package
The presentation package includes nearly 300 slides covering all 13 chapters in PowerPoint format.

Price: £29.00 (39.15 Euros)

London’s O2 Arena considered as an athletics venue

The venue on the River Thames at Greenwich, which was formerly known as The Millennium Dome, will stage gymnastics and the basketball finals at London 2012 and is already used to hosting world championship boxing.

The O2 Arena, one of Europe’s premier concert venues, is adaptable enough for Phil Beard, the chairman of sport for the owners, AEG Europe, to consider the possibility of cricket, rugby and even swimming to join athletics in moving indoors.

Ed Warner, the chairman of UK Athletics, claims the time could be right for looking at new ways to present running, jumping and throwing without the necessity of having a 200m track, the type used for conventional indoor athletics.

He added: “People are getting choosier about what they watch and have to believe that what they are seeing is important. That is true for all sports.”

Warner and Beard are still discussing ideas and any move to take athletics into the O2 Arena would not be confined to the winter months.

Source: Daily Telegraph

When does a substance become performance enhancing?

Why would healthy twenty-something professional athletes need to take an average of nearly two doses of (legal) drugs or ‘nutritional supplements’ before every match?

A study commissioned by Fifa and published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine raises that question.

The team doctors of each nation competing in the past two Football World Cups were asked to list all medicines and supplements given to players in the 72 hours before a game. The results reveal the kind of pill-popping of which Hunter S. Thompson would have been proud.

The average player took 0.8 doses of legal pharmaceuticals (including analgesics, corticosteroids and psycho-tropic drugs) and one dose of nutritional supplements before every game.

The study doesn’t break the data down by country or players, although it does indicate that reserves took fewer substances than starters.

Also, because we only know the averages, it’s entirely possible that some countries hardly administered anything to their players, while others gave them in much higher numbers. Indeed, one unidentified national team gave each of their players an average of 7.4 nutritional supplements a match in the 2006 competition.

Some pieces of data are considered worrying.
For example NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), are usually prescribed as pain-killers.
Some players were given as many as five preparations of NSAIDs before a match, despite the long-term intake of these substances being linked to dehydration, kidney problems and complications in the healing process.

But, as NSAIDs reduce inflammation and muscles that are not inflamed perform more efficiently, could this be interpreted as being a case of performance enhancement?
From a medical perspective, it’s a rather grey area, the study finds.

It is also worth noting that the data covers only substances administered in the 72 hours before a game and that it was voluntarily submitted by the team doctors.

Therefore it’s entirely possible that some of these physicians might have been unaware of the range of substances given to the players. This is especially the case when it comes to nutritional supplements, which according to the study are often taken at the urging of the coach and not the team doctor or dietician.

As the report highlights, sustained and continued use of legal pharmaceuticals and nutritional supplements can have ‘detrimental effects’. But then so too can illegal performance-enhancing drugs, which is why they are banned in the first place.

So, while the former are OK, the latter are banned.
But why? Quite simply because we have to draw the line somewhere, but on what basis do we draw that line?
By how much the athletes stand to gain?
By how much damage they potentially do to their bodies?

The scale of the whole thing leads you to one of two possible conclusions.
Either World Cup footballers are an inherently sickly bunch who need supplements and medicines to stay healthy, or some team doctors are following the letter – not the spirit – of the law when it comes to using drugs to boost performance.

Source: The Times

Find out more or register

Dates for your diary

BASES On-line Q&A Sessions
A unique online opportunity to join sport and exercise science experts and benefit from their experiences and opinions.
The Q&A sessions are like instant messaging, but designed for groups.
The sessions will last for an hour and each one will take up to 50 simultaneous guests and advance registration is required.
Places will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.

The NWHPAF’s Annual conference for 2008
This year’s conference will focus on inspirational ideas, programmes, networks and partnerships and aims to stimulate information sharing, networking and learning.
Thursday 27th November 2008 The Contemporary Urban Centre (CUC), Novas Scarman Building,

41 – 51 Greenland Street, Liverpool, L1 0BS

For more information

tenniscoachUK Annual Conference
24th – 25th November Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre, Buckinghamshire,
Limited availability remains for this event which features top class speakers such as Brett Hobden, Steve Green, Mike Walker and Mark Cox. Coaches can attend both days as resident or non- resident and can also choose to attend just one of the two days.

Further Information

The Annual Newsletter of the British Heart Foundation
This informative newsletter is now available for downloadtenniscoachUK Annual Conference
24th – 25th November Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre, Buckinghamshire,
Limited availability remains for this event which features top class speakers such as Brett Hobden, Steve Green, Mike Walker and Mark Cox. Coaches can attend both days as resident or non- resident and can also choose to attend just one of the two days.

Download the newsletter

Academic News inspection copy requests

If you wish to arrange an appointment to discuss our latest texts and your course needs, or you would like to enquire about an inspection copy of any book featured in Academic News, please call Sian Partridge on 0113 255 5665 ext. 204 or e-mail sianp@hkeurope.com

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _All prices in this email are valid until 01/05/09 and include VAT where applicable. Postage & Packing within UK – add £2.75 for first item and 75p per additional item. Rest of Europe – add £4.00 for first item and £1.50 for each additional item.

In this Month’s Issue

Leave a Comment » | Academic News | Tagged: Academic News, aerobic exercise, and Tourism Businesses, Applied Anatomy, biomechanics, Clinical Exercise Physiology, diabetes, Event, high-force eccentric resistance exercise, Recreation, RET | Permalink
Posted by humankinetics

Academic News October 2008

October 24, 2008

Dear Jamie,

Welcome to the October issue of Academic News.

In this issue we introduce an important new title which investigates the challenge posed to public health by the increasing levels of youth inactivity. Youth Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior is written by Stuart Biddle Ph.D, Professor of Exercise and Sport Psychology at Loughborough University and looks likely to become the standard reference work on the subject.

We look at some exciting research that brings hope that one day mobility will be restored to those with severe spinal injuries.

We also investigate some exciting recent advances in the development and applications of smart fabrics.

And finally, more bad news for couch potatoes as research shows that athletes continue to burn calories at a faster rate even when resting

If you would like to contribute to Academic News, publicise an event or comment on any issues raised please let us know, we value your input..

Attention Bloggers: You can now link to the content in this newsletter and know it will live permanently at: http://humankinetics.wordpress.com

In this Month’s Issue

Product of the month…

Leisure Services Management with Web Resources

Athletes burn more energy than couch potatoes even when resting

Beware The Silent Assassin

Long term hope for spinal injury victims

Smart fabrics for smart clothing

Dates for Your Diary

Academic News inspection copy requests

Product of the month…

As interest in the challenge posed to public health by the increasing levels of youth inactivity, the ambitious Youth Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior sets a standard for addressing a problem with worldwide implications.

Drawing on the contributions of a diverse group of international experts, this reference challenges professionals, researchers and students to implement new solutions and further their research and work.

No other text addresses the causes, contributing factors and fundamental issues in dealing with youth physical activity with such depth or comprehensive coverage.
Using a multidisciplinary approach, Youth Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior breaks away from traditional thinking that places activity and sedentary behaviour on a single continuum and which may limit progress in addressing youth inactivity.

Instead, the authors encourage readers to focus on how sedentary and physically active behaviours co -exist and consider how the two behaviours may have different determining factors.

In doing so, the text also considers developmental features such as maturation, ethnicity, environment, and genetics across childhood (up to age 12) and adolescence (the teen years). By looking at a variety of psychosocial and epidemiological factors, the authors set the stage for a critical analysis of beliefs and views at a time when many assumptions are taken for granted.

The book is organised into three parts that build one on another to deepen readers’ understanding of this complex problem.

Part One begins by addressing the fundamental issues and assumptions pertaining to youth physical activity and sedentary behaviour, covering such topics as measurement of the behaviour in question, health outcomes, concepts and trends in a public health context.
Once readers have grasped this foundational knowledge, they advance to Part Two for a comprehensive account of personal factors likely to be associated with the problem.

Part Three moves beyond the individual into the wider social and contextual aspects of physically active and sedentary living in young people. Through this concluding part, readers gain the latest thinking on how parents, peers, schools, organised sport and related factors link to youth physical activity and sedentary behaviour.

Youth Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior is an invaluable reference for exercise science professionals and researchers, social scientists, consultants and health officials who want to improve the health of children; a guide for upper- undergraduate and graduate courses in developmental sport and exercise psychology, physical activity and health, behavioural medicine, health promotion and youth physical activity.

About the author
Stuart J. H. Biddle, Ph.D, is professor of exercise and sport psychology at Loughborough University.
A recognised leader in the field of physical activity and health for young people, he has worked in the area for nearly 30 years.
He is co-author of the first textbook on exercise psychology and has delivered keynotes and other lectures in more than 20 countries. Dr. Biddle is past president of the European Federation for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity and was academic co-chair of the Young and Active Project leading to national guidelines for physical activity for young people in the United Kingdom.
He earned his Ph.D. in Psychology from Keele University.

£39.50 (59.25 Euros)

Read more about the book

Leisure Services Management with Web Resources

Leisure Services Management prepares students for the challenges they’ll face as entry-level recreation and leisure managers.

The text begins by presenting a firm foundation of competency-based management. Students will learn what management is, what the manager’s role is and how their work affects their agency and their customers.

They will also explore specific management areas, such as marketing, financial management, human resources, employee development, communication and evaluation.

Throughout the text students are encouraged to apply their own experiences to the concepts being discussed in order to extend their understanding of the profession.

For each chapter, the authors provide experiential learning activities that simulate real, on-the-job situations and ask students to assume one of the many roles of a new manager.

They’ll learn to deal with day-to-day management activities by completing work assignments and projects similar to those they’ll assume as managers.

These activities will help students develop the competencies they’ll need in order to meet the challenges of this evolving field.

The text also includes access to an online student resource (OSR), which provides documents and forms sampled from the files of actual Leisure Managers, to assist students in understanding and using important management tools.

The OSR also includes an overview of key concepts by chapter, one or more detailed case studies for each chapter, a glossary, Web links and a competency scorecard, detailing the competencies required for entry-level professionals. Using this scorecard, students can measure their management skills, knowledge, and abilities at the outset of the course and reevaluate their progress at end of the course.

The competency-driven approach of Leisure Services Management assists readers in gaining the knowledge and practicing the skills they need in order to begin their career in leisure management.

Bolstered by the practical information in Leisure Services Management, new managers can contribute to the success of their organisation as they enjoy the challenges and rewards of their new position.

£34.50 (46.60 Euros)

Read more about the book

Athletes burn more energy than couch potatoes even when resting

Super fit athletes burn more energy than couch potatoes even when they are resting according to new research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The team of researchers from the School of Medicine at Yale University led by Gerald Shulman, found that endurance-trained athletes have a higher resting muscle metabolism than their unfit counterparts, suggesting that they burn energy faster than sedentary people even without exercising.

Using a scanner they compared the rates of oxidation or calorie burning in the calf muscles of resting endurance runners compared with their less fit counterparts.
They found that the athletes recorded 54 per cent more oxidation than their less active counterpart suggesting that the muscles of runners convert more energy to heat at rest

Eight sedentary subjects and seven trained athletes took part in the study, all matched for age, weight and height.

The findings show that not only does exercise appear to speed up your general metabolism such as heart rate for a few a hours after the exercise, but that it also changes the way that muscles convert fat.

The data suggests that exercise has even more benefits in fighting obesity and type 2 diabetes than previously thought.

Source: The Daily Telegraph

Beware The Silent Assassin

Diabetes UK has launched ‘Silent Assassin’, a hard-hitting UK-wide campaign highlighting the seriousness of a condition that causes heart disease, stroke, amputations, kidney failure and blindness.

As you may already have seen, the campaign’s striking visuals show diabetes as a shadowy figure ready to pounce on unsuspecting members of the public. All posters feature the ‘Diabetes. Beware the Silent Assassin’ headline, and include secondary warning messages such as:

Diabetes causes more deaths than breast and prostate cancer combined.
The death certificate will say heart attack. It was really diabetes.
Diabetes causes heart disease, stroke, amputations, kidney failure and blindness.

The advertising campaign includes a series of outdoor posters as well as newspaper and consumer magazine advertising during October and November. Diabetes UK worked with focus groups and held extended interviews with the general public to finalise the campaign key messages and gauge effectiveness.

All visual materials also encourage people to visit the Diabetes UK website and its newly created Silent Assassin microsite, where a new online tool has been developed to let people know their own personal risk of developing diabetes or provide information and support on managing the condition.

In addition to raising awareness of the seriousness of the condition, the campaign also aims to encourage people at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes to make urgent changes in their lifestyle.

It also aims to reach the estimated 500,000 people who have the condition but are not currently aware of it, as early diagnosis is crucial in preventing people from developing the complications of diabetes.

There are currently 2.3 million people already diagnosed with diabetes.

Douglas Smallwood, Chief Executive of Diabetes UK, said: “Dealing with the diabetes time bomb is a matter of urgency if we want to prevent millions of people from facing a grim future of ill-health. It is a startling fact that diabetes causes more deaths than breast and prostate cancer combined. This is why Diabetes UK is launching its Silent Assassin campaign to raise awareness of the seriousness of the condition and we hope that its hard-hitting messages will help us address this serious health challenge and improve the health of the nation.”

Source: Diabetes UK

Find out more about the Silent Assassin

Action Plan for Diabetes
This poular book by Darryl E. Barnes, American College of Sports Medicine is a complete guide to managing and preventing complications associated with the disease and can significantly decrease the chances of needing insulin injections.

Find out more

Long term hope for spinal injury victims

Few people who read the story of the former rugby player Daniel James and of the parents who eventually helped him to die at his own request, could experience anything but the deepest compassion for those concerned.

Daniel was an engineering student whose great passion in life was playing rugby. His passion became the cruel instrument of his torment, when a scrum collapsed on him in 2007 and left him paralysed in his arms and legs.

However, new research offers hope that tragic cases such as Daniel’s may one day be a thing of the past.

In the study, which appears in the journal Nature, scientists at the University of Washington in Seattle implanted ultra thin electrodes into the brains of macaques which had been trained to play a game that involved rotating their wrists to the left and right.
While the monkeys played, the electrodes picked up electrical signals in their brains that made them tense different muscles.

The scientists then injected the monkeys with a chemical that temporarily paralysed their arms. This time signals from nerves in their brains were fed into a computer, cleaned up, magnified and sent down a wire to muscles in the monkeys’ wrists.

Although the monkeys were initially unable to play the game again, they soon learned to control their wrist movements using the brain implant. Remarkably, even when the implant was connected to nerves that were not involved in wrist control, the monkeys could learn how to change their brain activity to control their actions.

“The monkey was experimenting with different types of movement and different types of cognitive activity to drive those neurons and when he found something worked, he quickly repeated it and adopted the strategy,” said Eberhard Fetz, who led the study.

Future work will focus on miniaturising the technology and developing wireless networks to send the brain’s signals around damaged parts of the spine to limbs that have lost their connections to the brain.

As it stands, researchers have several major hurdles to overcome before the system could safely be used in humans. The first is to remove the need for wires, which increase the risk of infection. The second problem is that when electrodes are put into the brain, they gradually become encapsulated by scar tissue, which reduces their ability to read signals from individual neurons.
The study suggests, though, that as long as the electrodes have a good contact with at least one neuron, it will still be possible to control muscles.

Chet Moritz, who also worked on the study, said the team was looking at a potentially more powerful way of using the implant to control paralysed limbs. Instead of redirecting brain signals to individual muscles, they can be sent into the spinal cord to stimulate several nerves that together trigger a group of muscles to do a specific job, such as grasp a mug, or kick a ball.

“If you stimulate directly in the spinal cord, that will often activate 10 to 15 muscles in a precise balance that produces a grasping movement or a stepping movement,” Moritz said.

Scientists involved in the experiments sought to damp down hopes of the technique being ready to help disabled people in the near future, but others said they expected to see the first human trials within five years.
More advanced versions of the implant could give people with paralysed legs the ability to walk again, and eventually give paraplegics control over all of their limbs, including very precise movements of the hands and arms.

Source: The Guardian

Smart fabrics for smart clothing

Scientists working for ConText, an E.C. funded consortium-based, research project, have developed groundbreaking medical-sensing smart fabrics that could eventually lead to pregnancy monitoring belts, sports clothing that provides training tips, or even a wearable games controller.

ConText’s ambitious programme tackled pioneering and very complex issues in smart-fabric research, which resulted in a useful, unobtrusive and reliable RSI vest that can warn wearers to take a recuperative break.

More importantly, perhaps, the work was finished on time and under budget, so ConText has scope to explore other potential applications enabled by the system.

Muscle stress during sports training is one such potential application and one ConText consortium partner will pursue a swing-monitor for hockey players.

Bas Feddes, Context’s coordinator said “Hockey coaches find it difficult to give feedback to their players, so they would be very interested in clothing that details the path of their stroke. The shirt would track the order in which muscles engaged during the swing. It is an application that could apply to golf, too,”

Another interesting and intensively investigated applications is a physical game controller.
Controlling a computer game by wearing a garment that continuously probes your muscle activity is attractive, not only because of the fun-factor but also because it promotes exercise by children.

He concluded “It is an interesting area with many potential applications and the project partners were very engaged so we got a lot of work done. We would like to pursue other areas together in a future project, if possible, and we will be discussing potential research areas over the coming months.”

The ConText project is receiving funding from the Sixth Framework Programme for Information Society Technologies.

Source: Science Daily

2nd International Congress on Complex Systems in Sport
and the 10th European Workshop on Ecological Psychology
The organisers have put in place an important international event featuring some of the world’s foremost speakers in the field of Complex Systems in Sport and Ecological Psychology. Among those speaking at this event are the authors of Human Kinetics’ Dynamics of Skill Acquisition, Chris Button and Keith Davids

Dates for Your Diary

For more information

5th Evidence Based Physical Therapy Conference & Exhibition
May 9th 2009, Imperial College, London
This Conference is a multi-disciplinary event particularly targeted at physiotherapists, osteopaths, chiropractors, as well as sport scientists, sports therapists and all medical and healthcare professionals working or having an interest in physical therapy.

For more information

4th European Congress of the International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering
23-27th November 2008. Antwerp, Belgium
The European Congress of the International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering 2008 will take place in the Flanders Conference and Concert Centre. It will take as its theme ‘Engineering for Health’ and will present a balanced programme reflecting all recent developments in the different biomedical fields and bridge the gap between clinical and research.

For more information

To publicise your event here, send information to grahams@hkeurope.com and we will do our best to include your details

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

All prices in this email are valid until 01/05/09 and include VAT where applicable. Postage & Packing within UK – add £2.75 for first item and 75p per additional item. Rest of Europe – add £4.00 for first item and £1.50 for each additional item.

2 Comments | Academic News | Tagged: Academic News, diabetes, Leisure Services Management, Sedentary Behaviour, Smart Fabrics, Spinal Injuries, Youth Physical Activity | Permalink
Posted by humankinetics

Academic News September 2008

September 25, 2008

Dear Colleague,

Welcome to the September issue of Academic News.

We’re back from the BASES Annual Conference, re- energised and invigorated for the coming academic year. And what a successful conference it was! Held at Brunel University, with over 630 delegates attending, it was great to meet so many of you. John Dickinson met up with many of our authors, and we hope to launch lots of UK-authored projects in the next 6 months. Look out for new books from the great and the good in UK sport science – we’ll keep you posted within these pages.

In this issue we highlight the Ancillaries that are available with many of our major academic titles. These online additions extend the scope of these titles significantly help both educators and students alike gain the maximum benefit.
We also look at research that suggests exercise can offset some of the effects of smoking.
Good news for Universities with reports that income has risen by over 50% in the last six years, but not so good news for students though as they face a future saddled with debt.
The conference season is upon us and it’s not just for politicians as our ‘dates for your diary’ column shows.
And, as ever, we bring you the very latest information on the latest Human Kinetics titles.

Product of the month…

Deviance and Social Control in Sport

On-Line Ancillary Support Materials for Major Titles

Puffing their way to glory

Universities see income rise by over 50 per cent

Debt-ridden health students consider quitting

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Academic News inspection copy requests

Product of the month…

People who choose a career in the recreation or leisure fields will spend a large amount of their time in groups. Group Dynamics in Recreation and Leisure: Creating Conscious Groups Through an Experiential Approach builds skills not only in working in group settings but also in creating and facilitating conscious groups.

A conscious group is one that recognizes the personal growth of its members as being the main group objective. Most people in recreational activities and events are looking to meet people and take part in positive group interaction, providing recreation professionals with a perfect opportunity to develop successful conscious groups.

Group Dynamics in Recreation and Leisure introduces group dynamics theory and current research as it applies to recreation and leisure settings. It presents the key concepts and terms, a brief history of the field and the various theories and models of group development. The text goes on to explain the concept of the conscious group, describes the nature and components of a conscious group and applies experiential learning theory to working with these groups.

Group Dynamics in Recreation and Leisure also moves beyond the theory to show students that their understanding of group dynamics can be a meaningful and realistic tool. They’ll learn to apply the theory to the practical factors and issues involved in leading and working with conscious groups. They’ll explore group goal setting; clarification of objectives and expectations; processes for decision making and problem solving; positive communication; ethics, morals, and values; effective leadership of recreation groups; and the effects of conflict, power, gender, and environment on group functioning.

Students will also find a thorough examination of common issues that arise when working with groups, including potential pitfalls and strategies for dealing with or avoiding those pitfalls. They’ll learn about the strengths, weaknesses, and myths of group interaction, including signs of “illness” within groups; working with alternative groups, such as cooperative living groups, as well as involuntary groups and unwilling participants; and capitalizing on diversity and difference. Because those in recreation professions so often work with large groups, crowd dynamics is also discussed. The authors describe how individual and small-group behaviour can affect larger groups and also look at mob behaviour and riots.

Throughout the book, case studies, scenarios, and examples from leisure services, parks, tourism, and experiential education help students better understand and apply the information

PRICE: £23.00 (31.00 Euros)

Read more about the book!

Deviance and Social Control in Sport

The world of sport offers a deep and often overlooked, source for the study of deviance and its development and impact on society. Deviance and Social Control in Sport challenges preconceived understandings regarding the relationship of deviance and sport and offers a conceptual framework for future work in a variety of sociological subfields.

Drawing on their cutting-edge research in criminology and deviance in the discipline of sociology co-authors Atkinson and Young provide a textured understanding of sport-related deviance through the application of various approaches to deviance in a sport context. Using extended case studies, the authors examine the subject of deviance through examples that are popular (fan violence, hockey enforcers, effect of the media), understudied (sport-related violence against animals, athletes as on-field victims of violence), or emerging (sport security, drugs and weight control, cybernetic athletes, extreme sports). This engaging presentation allows readers to fully understand the effects of sport deviance in society.

By considering networks of social relationships and how they produce, define and police rule violation and rule violators, Deviance and Social Control in Sport offers a nuanced and integrated explanation of sport deviance that accounts for the behaviours and practices of both individuals and teams. This interdisciplinary text challenges readers to explore the dimensions and analytic merit of a full spectrum of crime and deviancy theories, thus stimulating a broader discussion of rule breaking in sport.

Deviance and Social Control in Sport will act as a valuable reference for sport sociologists, sociologists and criminologists; a supplemental text for upper-level undergraduate or graduate courses relating to social deviance to sport.

PRICE: £26.00 (35.00 Euros)

Read more about the book

On-Line Ancillary Support Materials for Major Titles

Many of Human Kinetics’ major academic titles come with a range of ancillary online features designed specifically to help tutors and lecturers present the material in a more effective way and to allow students to assimilate the vast amount of information provided.
Although the content will vary from book to book, it would typically include the types of items listed below.

For Lecturers this material would normally include:

An Instructor guide containing sample lecture outlines, key points, student assignments, sample exercises, and direct links to detailed sources on the Internet for every chapter in the text.

A Test package usually featuring a bank of more than 1,500 questions, including true-or-false, fill-in-the- blank, essay and short answer and multiple-choice.

With the free software provided, instructors can:

Create print versions of their own tests by selecting from the question pool
Create, store, and retrieve their own questions
select their own test forms and save them for later editing or printing
export the tests into a word-processing programme.

A Presentation Package containing a comprehensive series of PowerPoint slides for each chapter of the book. Learning objective slides present the major topics covered in each chapter, text slides list key points and illustration while photo slides contain graphics found in the text. The presentation package has hundreds of slides that can either be used directly with PowerPoint to print transparencies and slides or to make copies for distribution to students. Instructors can easily add, modify, or rearrange the order of the slides.

For Students

An Online Student Study Guide with dynamic and interactive learning activities, all of which can be conducted externally. The site offers self- rating checklists that allow students to target concepts they need extra help with and unique “My Notes” study aids that are customisable and can be saved to a student’s computer. Activity feedback presents specific text page references to review for incorrect responses. Additional resources in the online study guide include glossary terms that are emphasized on their first appearance and include a pop-up definition, quizzes that test students’ knowledge of the material, and links to professional journals as well as organization and career information to extend students’ knowledge beyond the school environment.

To give you some idea of these ancillary features and how you can use them to provide extra impact we have produced a PDF file composed of some of the materials available.

View the presentation

Puffing their way to glory

A number of athletes have managed to combine sporting excellence with a cigarette habit. Is it possible that being super-fit lessens the risks of smoking?

It is easy to view super-fit runners who spend hours each week pounding pavements as vice-free obsessives, but this is not always the case. A recent poll conducted by Runner’s World magazine in America revealed that 6% of the 2,500 runners who responded smoked regularly, 2% of them in secret so their jogging buddies would not find out. Even more surprising, perhaps, is that Bart Yasso, the magazine’s chief running officer, says the results were not entirely unexpected. Yasso, who quit years ago, says he knows plenty of athletic types who smoke. “They are very secretive,” he says. “I know they are not proud of it. These are people you would never have guessed were smokers.” And it’s not just runners. Other sports have more than their fair share of nicotine addicts.

Certainly, for those who can’t give up, exercise offers some protective effects against the well-documented risks of cigarette smoking. In a 2006 study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention, scientists from the universities of Minnesota and Pennsylvania showed that women who were current or former smokers and who also did high levels of physical activity were less likely to suffer from lung cancer than sedentary ex-smokers. “When you exercise, that improves your cardiovascular function and your HDL cholesterol and generally it’s just good for you,” says Stanton Glantz, a professor of medicine in the cardiology department of the University of California, who has also been studying the links. “So if you smoke and exercise you are going to be better off than if you smoke and don’t exercise.”

Source: The Guardian

Universities see income rise by over 50 per cent

Universities have seen their overall income rise by more than 50 per cent in six years, according to new research. In 2006/07, half of the high education sector’s income came from teaching and research grants and tuition fees.
The research from vice-chancellors’ group Universities UK found that the largest relative increase in income is from fees from international students. The report found that “during the last five years, fees from non-EU students have come to represent a bigger share of higher institutions’ income than the funding council’s research grants.”
Professor Geoffrey Crosswick, who led the report group said: “This year’s report includes extensive financial analysis which is made available at an important period for higher education funding. “The analysis provides evidence of the increasingly diverse income portfolio that universities are developing as part of a wider strategy to reduce its dependence on public funding.”

The report highlighted wide variations between the public research grants received by different universities. It noted that within the higher education sector “almost a half of institutions receive either no research grants or less than 2 per cent of the total institutional income. “A second group receive between 2 per cent and 14 per cent of its income from the funding council’s research grants, while a small group receive a greater proportion.” It noted that around 60 institutions receive 2 per cent or less, while less than 10 receive 20 per cent of their income from research grants.

Debt-ridden health students consider quitting

Almost half of health students are considering quitting their studies because of thousands of pounds worth of debts, according to new research.

Unison said a survey of 10,000 students across the UK showed most had average debts of almost £7,000, although one in four owed £10,000.

Nursing diploma students starting in a new job owed an average of 40% of their salary in debts and would take seven years to pay it back if they settled at a rate of £100 a month, the report said.

Source: The Independent

11th October
“Diagnosis & Management of Inherited Cardiovascular Disease” Review of the broad phenotype of conditions causing young sudden cardiac death (YSCD), as well as the methods used to diagnose these conditions. The role of Expert Cardiac Pathology (diagnostic/ management) after YSCD will be identified not only in determining an accurate cause of death but also focusing on the diagnosis and management of first degree relatives. The methods used in assessing and managing case studies will be evaluated with a specific focus on families after a YSCD.
For further information

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

CRY International Conferences
The Cavendish Conference Centre, 22 Duchess Mews, London, W1G 9DT

10th October
“Sports Cardiology: From Theory to Practice”
The broad phenotype of conditions causing young sudden cardiac death (YSCD) in athletes will be reviewed, as well as the practical skills required (ECG, ECHO, MRI) for diagnosing inherited cardiac conditions. The different methods used to diagnose conditions and prevent YSCD in athletes will be evaluated as well as the pros and cons of cardiac screening in athletes. The final session will evaluate the methods used (from an international perspective) in assessing and managing difficult cases.

BHNFC 8th Annual Conference ‘Opening Doors to an Active Life: how to engage inactive communities’ 19th November 2008, East Midlands Conference Centre, Nottingham

This conference aims to provide practical examples, solutions and guidance on how to engage older adults, socially deprived communities, girls and women, BME groups, people with disabilities and people with mental ill health in physical activity.

For further information

Division of Sport & Exercise Psychology Inaugural Conference
11th – 12th December, BPS, 30 Tabernacle Street, London

The Division’s inaugural conference is an exciting development and the programme will include workshops, poster sessions, symposia, oral communications and keynote lectures on sport and exercise related topics.

For further information

Academic News inspection copy requests

Leave a Comment » | Academic News | Tagged: BASES, Academic News, On-Line Ancillary Support Materials for Major Titles, New Titles, Deviance and Social Control in Sport, Smoking, University Funding, Student Debt, Conference Dates, Group Dynamics, Inspection Copies | Permalink
Posted by humankinetics

Academic News August 2008

August 22, 2008

Welcome to the August issue of Academic News. This month is a BASES Special
We preview the forthcoming BASES Conference 2008 being held at Brunel University, West London in early September and invite you along to see us. We also take a look at research that suggests that the Alexander Technique brings relief to back pain sufferers. With the Beijing Olympics drawing to a close we pose the question, were the fears over air quality genuine or over hyped? And, as ever, we bring you the very latest information on the latest Human Kinetics titles.

Product of the month…

Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning

Neuromechanics of Human Movement 4th Edition

The Clinical Orthopedic Assessment Guide 2nd Edition

Come visit us at the BASES Conference 2008

An old cure for a modern malaise

Italian Conference on Cancer and Innovative Physical Activity

The effects of Beijing Smog – real or imagined?

Careers guide from BASES and Human Kinetics

Academic News inspection copy requests

Product of the month…

Biomechanics of Musculoskeletal Injury, Second Edition, presents clear, accessible explanations of the biomechanical principles of injury and how injuries affect the normal function of muscles, connective tissue and joints.Almost 10 years after the publication of the first edition, this much-needed second edition has been vastly improved. Packed with more than 400 illustrations, including graphs and anatomical art (nearly twice as many as in the previous edition), Biomechanics of Musculoskeletal Injury, Second Edition, is an indispensable reference offering perspectives on and appreciation of the intricacies of injury mechanisms

By providing an understanding of injury mechanisms in all body regions, this publication serves as a comprehensive resource to assist health professionals, researchers, and students with the proper diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of musculoskeletal injuries.

PRICE: £40.00 (54.00 Euros)

Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning

Now in its third edition, Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning is the most comprehensive reference available for strength and conditioning professionals. In this text, 30 expert contributors explore the scientific principles, concepts and theories of strength training and conditioning as well as their applications to athletic performance.

Developed by the NSCA Certification Commission, the certifying agency of the National Strength and Conditioning Association, Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning is the most-preferred preparation text for the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) exam. The research-based approach, extensive exercise technique section and unbeatable accuracy of Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning make it the text readers have come to rely on for CSCS exam preparation.

The third edition presents the most current strength training and conditioning research and applications in a logical format designed for increased retention of key concepts. The text is organised into five sections. The first three sections provide a theoretical framework for application in section 4, the programme design portion of the book. The final section offers practical strategies for administration and management of strength and conditioning facilities.

PRICE: £45.00 (67.50 Euros)

Neuromechanics of Human Movement 4th Edition

Drawing on the disciplines of neurophysiology and physics, Neuromechanics of Human Movement, Fourth Edition, explores how the nervous system controls the actions of muscles to produce human motion in relation to biomechanical principles. This contemporary approach is much different from the traditional one, which focuses solely on mechanics and does not consider the role of the sensory system in the control of human movement.Neuromechanics of Human Movement, Fourth Edition, provides a scientific foundation to the study of human movement. The content is visually reinforced with more than 750 illustrations, many of which are new or upgraded from the previous edition and include specific illustrations of the neuromechanics involved in sport and rehabilitation movements. Finally, the text contains more than 1,500 updated references and suggested reading lists for each chapter.

To encourage a comprehensive learning experience, this updated edition follows a logical progression where each part builds on the material from the previous section. Once readers have grasped the basic laws of motion, the text continues by considering the essential neurophysiological concepts that help to explain movement produced by the nervous system and muscle. Finally the text concludes by describing the ways in which the motor system adapts to various types of physical stress.

PRICE: £44.50 (60.10 Euros)

The Clinical Orthopedic Assessment Guide 2nd Edition

The Clinical Orthopedic Assessment Guide, Second Edition, is the foremost reference for comprehensive patient assessment. Conveniently packaged and competitively priced, it provides techniques for accurate patient assessment and functional information about normal and abnormal static and dynamic motions. This second edition has a smaller format, streamlined layout, and lay-flat binding to make it an even more practical addition to your collection.

Like the previous edition, the text takes a regional approach but now also includes material on the upper cervical spine, pelvis and sacroiliac joint, and information on the assessment of peripheral nerve injury and treatment techniques (adverse neurodynamics).

The streamlined organisation of The Clinical Orthopedic Assessment Guide, Second Edition, makes it simple to find the information you need. The book flows through a regional presentation of clinical assessments and functional tests (including 40 new tests that were not featured in the first edition), a section on gait and posture, and a new section on adverse neurodynamics. The regional sections are further broken down into specific joints and each joint-specific chapter follows a common layout so you can easily find exactly what you need.

Additionally, a suggested examination sequence for the history, test and measures is provided for each peripheral and spinal joint. Many of the tests are also accompanied with sensitivity and specificity values to help determine test utility.

PRICE: £26.00 (35.10 Euros)

Come visit us at the BASES Conference 2008

The British Association of Sport and Education (BASES) annual Conference and Exhibition is being held this year at Brunel University, West London between Tuesday 2nd and Thursday 4th September.

Delegates to the Conference can take advantage of a packed programme of events and presentations covering a wide range of relevant topics presented by leading experts in their fields.

Running in conjunction with the Conference is an Exhibition. Located in the Indoor Athletics Centre, it is here that the Human Kinetics display will be located.

It is always gratifying to meet our customers face to face and to hear their views and opinions on both our existing products and how we might expand our ranges in the future.

In addition to catching up with the latest titles on offer, visitors can also take advantage of a generous 25% discount offer to purchase books directly off the stand.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Find out more

An old cure for a modern malaise

A method of relaxation developed more than 100 years ago can help ease chronic back pain, researchers say. The Alexander Technique, formulated by an Australian actor after he lost his voice, has been proved to be effective in clinical trials.

A study of almost 600 patients suffering chronic or recurrent back pain found significant improvements after a year among those having lessons in the Alexander Technique.

They spent just three days in pain each month, compared with 21 days for those getting normal NHS care, with a short course of six lessons, combined with exercise, producing almost as much benefit as a full regime of 24.

The technique has been taught in the UK since 1904, but until now there has been no thorough investigation into its long-term effectiveness and doctors have complained of the lack of evidence to support it.

In the latest study, published online in the British Medical Journal, a team from Southampton and Bristol Universities recruited 579 patients with chronic or recurring back pain from 64 GP areas in the south and west of England.

Daily Mail

Italian Conference on Cancer and Innovative Physical Activity

A conference aimed at starting a ‘Prevention Public Institutional Sports System in Italy’ is to be held in Castagnero, Verona in early November. It will take as its main topic ‘Cancer and Innovative Physical Activity in the primary prevention and after the L. Hayflicks Limit’. The main conference speakers will include Susan D Carter (Denver, USA), J. Modenese, Sport Counsellor and G. Bovo with P.E. Prampero (Udine). For further information go to http://digilander.libero.it/bovoginetto/ (Please note this site is in Italian) or email: bovoginetto@yahoo.it

Find out more

The effects of Beijing Smog – real or imagined?

With the Beijing Olympics drawing to a successful close, fears that the air quality in Beijing would seriously affect the performance of competitors seem to have been largely unfounded as world and national records have fallen like dominoes.

But were the warnings of serious health problems over hyped or did the organisers just get lucky? There certainly seemed to be a degree of hysteria in the media about the subject and who can forget the images of American swimmers arriving in Beijing wearing face masks?

But the concerns raised by sports and health professionals around the world were genuine enough and had it not been for a combination of extreme measures taken by the Chinese authorities and favourable weather conditions then things might have been very different.

However, once the spotlight of world attention moves away from the Olympics, will there be a lasting improvement in air quality for the ordinary citizens of Beijing or will it once again become the world’s most polluted city?

We would appreciate your comments on any aspect of this article and we will try and publish a selection of them in the next edition. Send them to grahams@hkeurope.com

Careers guide from BASES and Human Kinetics

A reminder that The British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES) has published a new and fully updated edition of A Guide to Careers in Sport and Exercise Sciences. The free, downloadable guide for prospective and current sport and exercise science students has been written in association with Human Kinetics, the leading information provider in the physical activity field.

Complete with useful websites and practical information, this easy-to-read guide will provide answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about careers in sport and exercise science, helping students on the journey to achieving their ideal job. The BASES A Guide to Careers in Sport and Exercise Sciences is free to download from the BASES website.

For further information click here

1 Comment | Academic News | Tagged: Academic News, Alexander, backache, BASES, Beijing, biomechanics, kinetics, musculoskeletal, neuromechanics, orthopeadic, smog | Permalink
Posted by humankinetics

Academic News from humankinetics.com July 2008

July 25, 2008

Welcome to the July issue of Academic News.

This month we take a look at the latest scientific and technological advancements set to make waves at the 2008 Beijing Olympics; from ’superhero’ swimwear to synthetic hormones. Also we ponder the wider cultural significance of the games with a round table discussion from the world of academia. And, as ever, we bring you the very latest information on the best new Human Kinetics titles avaliable for your consideration.

Product of the month…

Take action in the treatment and prevention of overtraining athletes

Pollock’s Textbook of Cardiovascular Disease and Rehabilitation

Hannah’s lucky numbers and the appliance of science

How will they stand the heat?

The Olympics: Politics and Protest

BHFNC 8th Annual Conference

Erythropoietin (EPO) explained

Speedo’s suit divides swimming world

Academic News inspection copy requests

Take action in the treatment and prevention of overtraining athletes

It is no secret that in order to improve your performance as an athlete you have got to work hard. Sometimes exercising for longer and harder, but without adequate rest and recovery can backfire and actually decrease your performance. Conditioning requires a balance between overload and recovery. Too much overload and/or too little recovery may result in both physical and psychological symptoms of overtraining, when you train beyond your body’s ability to recover.

Overtraining Athletes: Personal Journeys in Sport seeks to communicate the complex subject of overtraining to help athletes, coaches, parents and sport science professionals understand the dangers of overtraining and take steps toward prevention. Using history and research, current experts’ perspectives and athletes’ personal experiences, Overtraining Athletes identifies the forces that push athletes to overtrain by sharing the struggles of those athletes and the sport professionals who seek to help them.

The structure of the text allows flexibility to sample chapters from each of its four parts based on interest and level of knowledge about the topic. Each of the four parts of the text displays a distinct method for understanding the effects of overtraining:

A review of current research and risk factors that increase the probability of overtraining
Perspectives from coaches and sport scientists that will help readers recognise the characteristics and behaviours of susceptible athletes
The real world experiences of athletes with a history of overtraining presented through three aggregate case studies
A comprehensive model of overtraining risks and outcomes to help identify athletes who might be at risk as well as enviroments and cultures that increase vulnerability to overtraining

Overtraining Athletes uncovers both the personal and interpersonal struggles encountered by athletes who overtrain. Its qualitative focus, current research and future directions encourage you to learn about the topic and take action in the treatment and prevention of overtraining.

PRICE: £21.50 (32.25 Euros)

Pollock’s Textbook of Cardiovascular Disease and Rehabilitation

Pollock’s Textbook of Cardiovascular Disease and Rehabilitation honors the legacy of the late Michael L. Pollock, PhD (1936-1998). Pollock, an innovative and influential cardiac researcher and clinician, was highly regarded for his substantial educational and scientific contributions to the field of exercise science and sports medicine. This text presents an approach to cardiovascular disease rehabilitation as comprehensive as the vision that Dr. Pollock so passionately pursued during his 35-year career.

Pollock’s Textbook of Cardiovascular Disease and Rehabilitation addresses developing topics encompassing all aspects of the cardiovascular system. This text breaks away from Medicare-driven reimbursement paradigms for “cardiac rehabilitation” to discuss the entire cardiovascular system, not only coronary heart disease. In doing so, it provides a much-needed perspective for health professionals and their patients, especially those patients who need help but do not fit traditional entry criteria for cardiac rehabilitation.

The text’s editors, each a premier cardiovascular science expert, have selected an internationally recognised list of contributors to provide the deliberate and systematic coverage of cardiovascular topics in five comprehensive parts. They begin by laying a foundation that covers the historical and epidemiologic overview of the evolution and current state of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This consists of a discussion of the use of exercise as medicine as well as a description of interventions, clinical guidelines, and outcomes.

PRICE: £52.00 (70.20 Euros)

Hannah’s lucky numbers and the appliance of science

Hannah Miley will next month visit a country where the number eight is considered lucky – hoping, on her Olympic debut, that a scientific approach can work in tandem with the superstitions of the Chinese.

The Inverurie swimmer will celebrate her 19th birthday on the day of the opening ceremony in Beijing – on August 8.

The festivities will get under way in the Chinese capital at 8.08pm on the eighth day of the eight month of the eighth year of the millennium.

In China, the number is linked with sudden fortune and prosperity, but it is the intensive use of sports science to hone her natural ability which Miley hopes will pay dividends.

Every minute detail of her performance has been meticulously dissected to ensure it will be at optimum level and that nothing will be left to chance…

The Press and Journal, 23 July 2008

How will they stand the heat?

Sports scientists have been hard at work preparing British athletes to compete in the smog, blistering heat and cloying humidity of Beijing.

When the cream of British sporting talent arrives in China’s capital for the Olympics, fellow competitors are not the only thing they will need to beat in their quest to win medals. A sprawling industrial metropolis, Beijing presents the toughest environmental adversaries in the form of heat, humidity and pollution. Aware that winning margins are slender (five of the British team’s gold medals in the 2004 Olympics were won by a total of 0.545 seconds), British sports scientists have left no stone unturned in making sure our athletes are well prepared. Here are just some of the innovations lined up to help them…

Heat-chamber training
Heat pills
Pre-cooling suits
Anti-smog masks
Advanced isotonic drinks
Compression technology outfits

The Guardian, 22 July 2008

The only book of its kind in print, Performing in Extreme Environments is a unique and valuable reference on how to counteract the perils of exercise in hostile conditions. Learn more here

The Olympics: Politics and Protest

With the international sporting festival that is the Olympics taking place in Beijing this summer, Leeds Met is looking at some of the more serious political debates that have surrounded the Olympics in years gone by.

‘The Olympics: Politics and Protest’, a conference organised by Dr Steven Wagg and Professor Tony Collins, looks to discuss issues such as race and political influences that have affected the Olympics in the past.

On the evening of the 16th of July there was a round table discussion chaired by Professor Franco Bianchini, which was followed by two days of lectures and discussion and which saw contributions from among others Keynote Speaker Professor John Horne (University of Central Lancashire). The round table discussion was streamed live across the web and the recording can be accessed by clicking here

BHFNC 8th Annual Conference

This year’s BHFNC annual conference will take place on the 19th of November in Nottingham’s East Midland’s Conference Centre. The principal aim of the event is to provide practicle examples, solutions and guidance on how to engage inactive communities in physical activity.

Find out more

Erythropoietin (EPO) explained

BBC Sport Online examines EPO, or erythropoietin, the latest performance-enhancing drug to hit athletics.

What is it? Erythropoietin (EPO) is a hormone naturally produced by the kidneys. However, this hormone can be artificially produced to improve the performance of, for example, athletes or cyclists by injection.

Why would athletes do this? Its overall effect is to increase endurance and, in athletics, it is used mainly by long distance-runners. It is injected under the skin and stimulates red blood cell production. The more red cells there are in your body, the more oxygen that can be delivered to the muscles. This delays the onset of fatigue, meaning an athlete can run harder and for longer.

How effective is this drug? Tests in Australia have shown that improvements in an athlete’s performance over four weeks would match those expected over several years…

BBC News, Jan 28 2006

Speedo’s suit divides swimming world

A revolutionary bodysuit has divided the world of swimming into the haves and the have nots just weeks before the Beijing Olympics, testing relationships between federations, athletes and rival suppliers.

Australian and U.S. swimmers and others wearing the Speedo LZR Racer suit have set 38 world records since its introduction in February. Australian Libby Lenton said it made her feel she was swimming downhill.

As the buzz has grown — an LZR is even on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in an exhibit on superheroes — swimmers using other equipment are weighing the merits of breaking existing contracts and switching to Speedo.

And rival manufacturers are rushing to upgrade their bodysuits to a level that will satisfy swimmers and federations desperate to win medals in Beijing in August…

Reuters.com, June 23 2008

Academic News inspection copy requests

2 Comments | Academic News | Tagged: 2008 Olympics, Academic News, Beijing, BHFNC, EPO, Hannah Miley, Heat Chamber, Speedo LZR, Tour de France | Permalink
Posted by humankinetics

Academic News from humankinetics.com June 08

June 20, 2008

Welcome to the June issue of Academic
News.

As the summer is in full swing we’d like to invite you to join us at ECSS in Estoril, as well as bringing you news of the eagerly anticipated Back Stability 2nd Edition and two great new psychology texts.

This months Academic News features:

Product of the month…

Updated and revised text examines future advances in sport psychology

Use mental training to help athletes achieve excellence in sport and life

New careers guide from BASES and Human Kinetics

Experience sport science by the sea at ECSS Estoril

Diabetes cases could reach 4m by 2025

Product of the month…

As a result of modern living, prolonged sitting and poor posture mean that back pain is now a common problem that most people will experience at some time in their life. Back Stability: Integrating Science and Therapy, Second Edition, addresses this modern day malady by combining research from around the world in the areas of anatomy, physiology, pathology, biomechanics, exercise physiology and motor skill training, to bring you the definitive guide to back care.Author Christopher Norris is a physiotherapist, exercise professional and has been a teacher for more than 30 years. In this fantastic book he shares his practical knowledge to help you recognise and assess inappropriate movement patterns – whether caused by injury or simple day-to-day activity – and use a process of clinical decision making, to determine which exercises to use in developing effective back care programmes for clients and patients.This updated more user friendly second edition, which features a further 33 new exercises as well as larger text and photography to make it even more accessible, is more than just another sequence of back exercises. This text provides a theoretical foundation that will guide you in selecting the most effective exercises for each client to integrate them into a complete programme and offer the best possible care in back health.PRICE:£27.50 (41.25 Euros)Read more about the book!

Updated and revised text examines future advances in sport psychology

Advances in Sport Psychology, Third Edition, offers a view of the latest research in the field of sport psychology. The text is written by 34 of the field’s most prolific researchers and scholars, whose contributors extend the boundaries that have defined the field and provide a clear direction for future research.

The fantastic third edition of this book has been completely revised to reflect the advances that have occurred in the field within the past several years. The text provides a comprehensive and up-to-date review of the major issues that are of current research interest in sport psychology, while challenging researchers to examine the factors that keep this discipline growing.

Each chapter in the book includes a definition of terms, an explanation of the chapter’s scope and an outline of the sections. The author then provides a review of the available research and theory on the chapter’s main topic, analyses the state of knowledge in the area and devotes significant space to future research directions.

Advances in Sport Psychology also includes the following features:

Four new chapters on qualitative research methods, achievement goal theories, self-confidence and family and peer influences
Significant revisions of the second-edition chapters, along with more concise overviews of individual topics
An analysis and synthesis of the state of knowledge for each topic and a discussion of future research directions.

Advances in Sport Psychology offers a new and thorough understanding of where sport psychology has been, where it is now and where it is going.

PRICE: £39.00 (58.50 Euros)

Use mental training to help athletes achieve excellence in sport and life

Sport Psychology for Coaches is aimed at helping you understand the mental side of sport and how athletes act, think and feel when they practice and compete. The book also provides critical information that you can use to help athletes develop the mental training tools and skills necessary to enhance their mental toughness and achieve excellence in sport and life.

Through this book you will see how assisting your athletes in developing mental skills such as motivation, energy management, focus, stress management and self-confidence leads to increased enjoyment, improved life skills and enhanced performance.

The easy-to-follow format of the text includes learning objectives that introduce each chapter, sidebars illustrating sport-specific applications of key concepts and principles, chapter summaries organised by content and sequence, key terms, chapter review questions, a comprehensive glossary and other useful resources to help you implement mental training programmes for athletes.

Written primarily for secondary school coaches, Sport Psychology for Coaches is a practical, easy-to-use resource reflecting the two authors’ combined 45 years of teaching, coaching, researching and consulting experience.

PRICE: £19.50 ( 29.25 Euros)

New careers guide from BASES and Human Kinetics

The British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES) have published a new and fully updated edition of A Guide to Careers in Sport and Exercise Sciences. The free, downloadable guide for prospective and current sport and exercise science students has been written in association with Human Kinetics, the leading information provider in the physical activity field.

BASES are the recognised UK professional body for promoting sport and exercise sciences in the UK. Founded in 1984, BASES represent sport and exercise sciences nationally and internationally. With sport and exercise science fast becoming one of the most popular subjects to study at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, this careers guide has been created to help students shape their future career paths, with information on the following:

Important points to consider when choosing a sport and exercise science course at both school, college, undergraduate and postgraduate level,

Funding for postgraduate courses,

Common career paths that sport and exercise science graduates may follow,

Information on how to find a job,

A realistic overview of each of the careers, and

Profiles written by graduates to give an insight into what students need to know in order to get their dream job.

The BASES A Guide to Careers in Sport and Exercise Sciences is free to download from the BASES website www.bases.org.uk/newsite/studentcareers.asp

Complete with useful websites and practical information, this easy-to-read guide will provide answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about careers in sport and exercise science, helping students on the journey to achieving their ideal job.The BASES A Guide to Careers in Sport and Exercise Sciences is free to download from the BASES website www.bases.org.uk/newsite/studentcareers.asp

Experience sport science by the sea at ECSS Estoril

The ECSS Estoril’ 08 Congress, organised by the Faculty of Human Kinetics, at the Technical University of Lisbon (FMH), will take place at the Estoril Congress Centre, Portugal, from 9th to 12th July 2008.

The scientific programme will offer a broad and interdisciplinary spectrum of current research work in sport science. Internationally well-known scientists will present their keynotes and colleagues from all over the world will discuss their scientific findings in oral or poster presentations.

In addition to the outstanding scientific work, the programmed social activities will provide many opportunities to make friends, to enjoy Portuguese hospitality and enjoy what summer has to offer on this wonderful coast.

Please visit www.ecss-congress.eu for more information on the congress.

Diabetes cases could reach 4m by 2025

More than 4 million Britons will have diabetes by 2025, a health charity warns today as the government expands its “healthy towns” initiative, aimed at tackling the national problem of obesity.Unhealthy diets and a lack of exercise will lead to a “diabetes explosion” in the coming decades, according to Diabetes UK, which suggests there will be a 46% rise in cases compared with current figures.The expected rapid increase is linked to the growing number of overweight and obese people, a section of the public carrying a higher risk of type 2 diabetes. Diabetes sufferers can face serious complications such as heart and kidney diseases, blindness, and amputation.In his response to Diabetes Week, the health minister Ben Bradshaw will today open up the bidding for local authorities to submit applications for £30m of grants over the next three years. Plans for the “healthy town” project include encouraging the creation of more cycle lanes, walk to work and school schemes, and healthy food. Towns will be able to bid for up to £5m, if they have already shown a commitment to a more healthy environment.The initiative is part of a larger strategy announced in January and aimed at cutting obesity. In a statement, Bradshaw said: “The core of the problem is simple – we eat too much and we do too little exercise. The solution is more complex.” But he acknowledged that it was hard to “avoid obesity in the modern world”.The Guardian, 9 June 2008

Leave a Comment » | Academic News | Tagged: Academic News, Advances in Sport Psychology, back stability, BASES, diabetes, ecss, estoril, Exercise, Health, human kinetics, sport psychology, Sport Psychology for Coaches | Permalink
Posted by humankinetics

Academic News May 08

May 23, 2008

Welcome to the May issue of Academic News.
By the time you are reading this, most students will be taking their final exams of the year and some will be making their way back to their home towns for the long summer ahead.

But just because they have finished for the year – doesn’t mean the rest of us have, as you will see from the jam-packed issue we have got for you this month. As this month’s issue is so full, we will keep this part short and sweet – enjoy the May issue of Academic News!

In Academic News this month…

New career guide from BASES and Human Kinetics

Updated text applies sport and exercise psychology concepts to physical activity settings

Comprehensive new resource explains injury biomechanics

Guarantee success for arts and cultural programmes with this one-of-a-kind book

2008 BASES Annual Conference

Parliament and public misled over Olympics budget, say MPs

Government gives green light to National Sports Skills Academy

Exercise helps the young beat breast cancer

Britain’s £9m plan to keep London 2012 Olympics free of drugs

Experience Northern Norway at the 2nd World Congress on Sports Injury Prevention

BASEM Education Foundation Course in Sport and Exercise Medicine

Peter Harrison Centre for Disability Sport and Human Kinetics Poster Award winners

New career guide from BASES and Human Kinetics

The British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES) have published a new and fully updated edition of their career guide, A Guide to Careers in Sport and Exercise Sciences. The free, downloadable guide for prospective and current sport and exercise science students has been written in association with Human Kinetics, the leading information provider in the physical activity field.BASES are the recognised UK professional body for promoting sport and exercise sciences in the UK. Founded in 1984, BASES represent sport and exercise sciences nationally and internationally. With sport and exercise science fast becoming one of the most popular subjects to study at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, this career guide has been created to help students shape their future career paths, with information on the following:

Important points to consider when choosing a sport and exercise science course at both school and college and undergraduate and postgraduate level,
Funding for postgraduate courses,
Common career paths that sport and exercise science graduates may follow,
Information on how to find a job,
A realistic overview of each of the careers and;
Profiles written by graduates to give an insight into what students need to know in order to get their dream job.

The BASES A Guide to Careers in Sport and Exercise Sciences is free to download from the BASES website www.bases.org.uk/newsite/ studentcareersasp

Updated text applies sport and exercise psychology concepts to physical activity settings

Psychological Dynamics of Sport and Exercise, Third Edition, reflects the latest developments in the field of sport and exercise psychology and presents various applications in a range of physical activity settings. The text emphasises practical theory, which allows students, teachers, personal trainers, consultants, athletic trainers and other professionals to enhance sport and exercise experiences for all based on the best available knowledge in the field.

The book emphasises sport and exercise psychology concepts as they apply to three key areas of sport science professions: physical education teaching and coaching; exercise instruction and fitness leadership; and sports medicine, rehabilitation and athletic training. By focusing on these settings, you will understand how psychology concepts are integral to real-world situations outside of the classroom.

This fantastic new edition builds on information presented in previous editions, with new features including expanded sections that emphasise recent areas of interest in the field, updated references, new case studies and distinct research and application boxes, and chapter summaries.

By pulling together research findings, theories and themes, Psychological Dynamics of Sport and Exercise, Third Edition, will encourage you to develop your knowledge and skills as you move into or continue professional practice.

PRICE: £33.00 (49.50 Euros)

Comprehensive new resource explains injury biomechanics

Almost 10 years after the publication of the first edition, Biomechanics of Musculoskeletal Injury, Second Edition, presents clear, accessible explanations of the biomechanical principles of injury and how injuries affect the normal function of muscles, connective tissue and joints. Packed with more than 400 illustrations, including graphs and anatomical art, this book offers perspectives on and appreciation for the intricacies of injury mechanisms. The text provides a solid foundation for in-depth study with a comprehensive examination of these issues:

The mechanical aspects of injury and the concept of injury as a stimulus for beneficial tissue adaptations
How injury affects the normal function of the human musculoskeletal system and an examination of arthrology, or joint mechanics
Mechanical parameters such as force, stress and strain, stiffness and elasticity and their application to tissue mechanics and injury
How connective tissues respond to mechanical loading and how those tissues are studied to quantify their mechanical behaviour
Factors such as age, gender, nutrition and exercise with emphasis on how lifestyle choices might lessen the chance or severity of injury
The principles of mechanical load and overload, use and overuse, as well as level and progression of injury.

This new edition employs updated design features to reinforce learning, and for instructors there are online ancillaries available, consisting of an instructor guide and presentation package featuring graphics from the text which can to be incorporated easily into lecture presentations.

Biomechanics of Musculoskeletal Injury, Second Edition, serves as a comprehensive resource to assist health professionals, researchers and students with the proper diagnosis, treatment and prevention of musculoskeletal injuries.

PRICE: £39.00 (58.50 Euros)

Guarantee success for arts and cultural programmes with this one-of-a-kind book

More and more community festivals, performing and visual arts and cultural events are taking place, making arts and cultural programming an increasingly important part of the leisure and recreation, hospitality, museum and tourism industries. As arts and cultural opportunities expand, you can turn to Arts and Cultural Programming: A Leisure Perspective to acquire the skills necessary to position your programme for success.

This is the first book that covers options in arts and cultural programming from a leisure standpoint. The book draws on current knowledge of leisure programming strategies for small, medium-sized and large organisations in a variety of settings, including community recreation, community and cultural arts and non-profit organisations. Using terms and ideas from the leisure and recreation fields, this book makes it easy for even those with little knowledge of arts and cultural programming to design, plan, manage and evaluate events.

This unique book offers an abundance of information, including:

Guidance in the planning process
Practical advice on topics such as finding your audience, budgeting and recruiting
Descriptions of the tasks and functions required for programming success
Recommendations for working with musicians, performers, dancers and other participants involved in your event

Enliven your next arts or cultural project with the practical tips and innovative case studies found in Arts and Cultural Programming, and use its foundational theory and guidance to help you succeed in the growing field of programming for arts and culture.

PRICE: £20.00 (30.00 Euros)

Search for hundreds of journal articles online at Humankinetics.com

Human Kinetics publishes a number of journals covering sport management, sport science, sport medicine and nutrition to name a few.

All Human Kinetics journals are published in digital format online, providing online subscribers with the same authoritative content as the print edition but with additional advantages, including the ability to search entire issues in seconds and access five years worth of back issues.

To search for an article online visit: www.humankinetics.com/ products/journals/searchAbstracts_action.cfm

Once you have found what you are looking for, simply click on the “yes” button to add this article to your shopping cart. Articles cost 25.00 US dollars, and will be charged to your credit card in US dollars only.

Articles are emailed in the form of PDFs. If you need an article by a specific date or time, please make a note in the comments section of your cart check out page. To insure delivery, provide a valid email address when checking out.

Parliament and public misled over Olympics budget, say MPs

The government misled the public and parliament over the size of the budget for the London 2012 Olympics, the head of a parliamentary committee claimed as he delivered a damning report on the bidding process for the games.

In a savage critique of the original financial estimates, the public accounts committee (PAC) accuses ministers and officials of producing an “entirely unrealistic” budget which excluded “foreseeable” costs.

The original budget for the games was set at £4bn, but the bill has jumped to £9.3bn in the three years since then. The PAC’s report describes the original estimate as unrealistic, and yesterday its chairman, Edward Leigh, said ministers and officials had underestimated the true cost in order to win government and public support for the bid.

“It is now clear that the estimated cost at the time of the bid, just over £4bn, was entirely unrealistic,” said Leigh. “It ignored foreseeable major factors such as contingency provision, tax obligations, and policing and wider security requirements. At the same time, the estimate of the extent to which the private sector would contribute funding towards the games has proved little more than wishful thinking.

“We don’t know whether it was deliberate or not but it seems extraordinary that foreseeable costs were left out of the budget,” he said. “I believe that at the very best they were economical with the actualité, as a minister once put it, in order to win support for the bid. Parliament and the public were undoubtedly misled over the true costs of the Olympic project.”

The Guardian, April 22nd 2008

Government gives green light to National Sports Skills Academy

The Government has made a significant commitment to improving skills by giving the go ahead to a National Skills Academy for Sport and Active Leisure.

This move promises to improve the standard of coaching across England, giving athletes training towards the 2012 Games an even better chance of claiming a place on the medals podium.

Led by employers in the sport and leisure sector and coordinated by SkillsActive – the Sector Skills Council (SSC) for active leisure and learning – the skills academy will open later this year and will train 85,000 new entrants, existing staff and volunteers every year by 2013.

Minister for Skills, David Lammy said: “For the UK to perform at its best in 2012, we need to make a sustained investment in coaching skills, giving our athletes the very best support and training to help them win. However, it’s not just about winning Olympic medals. I want to ensure that every young sportsperson, at every level of competition, is given have the opportunity to reach their full potential. This new skills academy for the sports and leisure industry will ensure world class training throughout the nation.”

Minister for Sport, Gerry Sutcliffe said: “The launch of a National Skills Academy in sport and active leisure is a major step forward for an industry that will go from strength to strength as we approach London 2012. There has never been a better time to get involved in sport, and the NSA will ensure that our sports administrators, coaches and volunteers get the best learning and support possible whether working in community or elite sport.”

24dash.com, May 7th 2008

Exercise helps the young beat breast cancer

Young women can substantially cut their risk of developing breast cancer by taking regular exercise, according to a major new study. Working out can reduce the chances of developing the disease before the menopause by up to 23 per cent, researchers found.

Around a quarter of all cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in premenopausal women, around 11,0000 cases in Britain every year. Researchers found that women who exercised regularly between the ages of 12 and 22 had the lowest risk of developing cancer.

But remaining physically active until the age of 35 also had its benefits, the study of almost 65,000 women by Washington University in St. Louis and Harvard University, found.

Dr Graham Colditz, who led the research, said: “We don’t have a lot of prevention strategies for premenopausal breast cancer, but our findings clearly show that physical activity during adolescence and young adulthood can pay off in the long run by reducing a woman’s risk of early breast cancer.”

The findings, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, were “just one more reason to encourage young girls and women to exercise regularly”.

The Telegraph, May 14th 2008

Britain’s £9m plan to keep London 2012 Olympics free of drugs

The budget for anti-doping in the United Kingdom may soon be more than doubled from £4million a year to help to give the host nation a respectable chance of fighting drugs in sport before the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Plans were presented to Gerry Sutcliffe, the Sports Minister, this week that not only called for a budget of about £9million, but also a rise in the workforce from 20 to 50.

One of the most interesting aspects of this brave new world is the possibility that, rather than use the expanded budget to increase the number of drugs tests, there will be criminal investigators employed to track down the supply chain.

A new national anti-doping organisation (Nado) is planned to be up and running in April next year. The Government’s intention is that its chairman would be in place by the time of the Beijing Games in August.

The Times, April 30th 2008

Experience sport science by the sea at ECSS Estoril’ 08

Experience Northern Norway at the 2nd World Congress on Sports Injury Prevention

The Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre will be holding the 2nd World Congress on Sports Injury Prevention from June 26 – 28, 2008 in Tromsø, Norway.

The 2nd World Congress will follow the format of the 2005 congress in Oslo, with a multidisciplinary perspective on sports injury prevention for different sports and different injury types, including studies on intervention methods, epidemiology, risk factors and injury mechanisms.

The programme of the congress includes 81 international speakers from all over the world. The exciting three-day event includes 5 keynote lectures and 19 3-hour or 90-minute symposia. In addition, 21 workshops, 52 oral presentations and 134 poster presentations from submitted abstracts are presented.

Tromsø is situated at a latitude of nearly 70 degrees north from either Oslo, Spitsbergen or Murmansk. In June, Tromsø offers you 24-hour daylight and midnight sun, with temperatures up to 25 degrees Celsius. Come and experience the stunning nature of Northern Norway at this fantastic event!

For information and registration go to www.ostrc.no\congress

BASEM Education Foundation Course in Sport and Exercise Medicine

The BASEM Education Foundation Course in Sport and Exercise Medicine, will be held at Lilleshall National Sports Centre, Shropshire from 15 -19 June 2008.

The four-day residential foundation course is aimed at providing a basic grounding in the areas that make up sport and exercise medicine. The multidisciplinary course is aimed at general practitioners, hospital doctors, chartered physiotherapists, registered osteopaths, nurses, sport scientists and all those who wish to develop their interest in sport and exercise medicine.

The course will cover both aspects of sports medicine and science in health, disease and in following acute and chronic injury. Specific lectures include:

Functional clinical examination
Biomechanical assessment
Trauma management
Advance life support
Muscle Physiology
And many more…

For more information, please visit www.basem.co.uk

Peter Harrison Centre for Disability Sport and Human Kinetics Poster Award winners

The Peter Harrison Centre for Disability Sport and Human Kinetics Poster Awards, were held recently at the British Paralympic Association Sport Medicine, Science and Coaching Conference, Loughborough University.

The awards were presented for research (poster session) and the winners were rewarded for their outstanding contributions to sport and exercise sciences and advancing knowledge in disability sport.

The first place prize was £50 of Human Kinetics book vouchers; this was awarded to Barry Mason for The Effect Of Glove Type On Wheelchair Rugby Performance. The second place prize – £30 of Human Kinetics book vouchers went to Laura Sutton for Body Composition Of Highly-Trained Female Wheelchair Basketball Players Measured By Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry. Finally the third winner, who took home £20 worth of Human Kinetics vouchers, was Michelle Swainson for The Effectiveness Of Hand Cooling On Thermoregulatory And Physiological Responses In Wheelchair And Able-Bodied Athletes During Exercise In The Heat.

Leave a Comment » | Academic News | Tagged: Academic News, Academics, Book, Fitness, Health, Obesity, Olympics, Physical Activity, Sport, Sport Science | Permalink
Posted by humankinetics

Academic News April 08

April 5, 2008

Welcome to the April issue of Academic News. The coming months will see a number of events in the sports and academic arena happening all over the UK and Europe, and we have been inundated with details of the very best, so we have decided to make this issue of Academic News an ‘Events Special’!

In this month’s issue you will find details of all the latest workshops and conferences happening over the coming months, and don’t worry we have still managed to squeeze in some of our latest products and a few news stories!

A new approach to understanding the biomechanics of human movement

The first book of its kind to focus on physically demanding occupations

UK Strength & Conditioning Association 4th Annual Conference

The London Massage Company Summer Skills Workshops

Royal Society of Medicine Conference – The Many Facets of Back Pain

‘Regular exercise can slow down ageing’

Obese women ‘50pc more likely to die of breast cancer’

The Future Landscapes of Aging Conference

Narrative Research in Sport and Exercise: Exploring the Themes of Story Analysts and Storytellers

The 2nd Annual Conference “Laura Sperandio”

Experience sport science by the sea at ECSS Estoril’ 08

ECSS logo

The ECSS Estoril’ 08 Congress, organised by the Faculty of Human Kinetics, at the Technical University of Lisbon (FMH), will take place at the Estoril Congress Centre, Portugal, from 9th to 12th July 2008.The scientific programme will offer a broad and interdisciplinary spectrum of current research work in sport science. Internationally well-known scientists will present their keynotes and colleagues from all over the world will discuss their scientific findings in oral or poster presentations.In addition to the outstanding scientific work, the programmed social activities will provide many opportunities to make friends, to enjoy Portuguese hospitality and enjoy what summer has to offer on this wonderful coast.

Please visit www.ecss-congress.eu for more information on the congress.

A new approach to understanding the biomechanics of human movement

It is only in recent human existence that laws of movement of bodies, human or otherwise, have been formulised. We are now in a position to be able to take a scientific approach to the understanding of human movement and this area of study is known as biomechanics – a name that indicates the application of scientific principles and laws towards an understanding of biological systems.

The fantastic Biomechanical Analysis of Fundamental Human Movements deals specifically with biomechanics of human movement, just a small part of the whole range of investigation in human biomechanics. Unlike previous biomechanics texts that have taken a mechanical concept and identified activities in which the concept is implicated, Biomechanical Analysis of Fundamental Human Movements takes a different approach by focusing on the activities and then identifying the biomechanical concepts that best facilitate understanding of those activities.

Superbly illustrated and featuring more than 140 figures depicting the critical points of biomechanical analysis, this is an invaluable tool for those pursuing the study of advanced quantitative biomechanics, as well as teachers of human movement, safety equipment designers and rehabilitation specialists.

PRICE: £45.00 (67.50 Euros)

Read more about the book!

The first book of its kind to focus on physically demanding occupations

Hard Work: Defining Physical Work Performance Requirements focuses on physically demanding occupations that require strength, stamina or both; this includes occupations such as law enforcement, fire fighting, mining, forestry and the military. It is the first book to examine the relationship of recruitment practices, physical training and physical evaluation to the intricate environment of corporations, labour organisations, the legal system and employment rights.

Authors Brian Sharkey and Paul Davis have collectively spent over 70 years studying physically demanding work and the factors associated with performance and health. This book attempts to provide an approach for making intelligent and informed employment decisions that will result in a safer, healthier and more productive workforce.

Hard Work brings their perspective as exercise scientists to an examination of the following factors:

Work requirements and capacity for physically demanding jobs

Physical characteristics of the “athlete-worker,” including aerobic and muscular fitness

Test development, validation and utilisation in employee selection

Employee health and job-related fitness

Environmental factors affecting employee performance, such as heat, cold and altitude

Respiratory protection and lifting guidelines

Legal aspects of employment, consequences of legal decisions and a proposed alternative to litigation

The first book of its kind in this field, Hard Work suggests how employees could benefit by working up to job requirements while maintaining their health, safety and job performance.

PRICE: £36.50 (54.75 Euros)

Read more about the book!

UK Strength & Conditioning Association 4th Annual Conference

The UK Strength & Conditioning Association’s 4th Annual Conference will take place from 6th – 8th June 2008. This year’s conference is hosted by the Sports Institute Northern Ireland and will run over 3 days at the new High Performance Centre, University of Ulster, Belfast.

The programme once again brings together a mixture of science and practical coaching sessions from some of the top UK and international names in strength & conditioning including:

Dr Greg Haff – Periodisation: let the science guide our programme design

Jan Hoff – Research and practice in strength & conditioning for Elite Norwegian Soccer

Liam Hennessy – Contrast training: principles into practice at the IRFU

Kelvin Giles – The role of physical competence in athletic development

Leo Totten – Olympic lifting masterclass

Incredible value all-inclusive accommodation packages are available as well as one day passes. For full programme details and booking forms please visit the UKSCA website www.uksca.org.uk or call 0870 116 1566.

Places are limited and early booking is recommended to ensure your place at the top networking event for strength & conditioning in the UK.

The London Massage Company Summer Skills Workshops

Advance or refresh your skills in sports massage with The London Massage Company’s Summer Skills Workshops, taking place in central London throughout June 2008.

Thirteen workshops will run back-to-back, giving attendees the flexibility to choose one or two workshops, or intensify their learning with the whole set. With each workshop attendees will receive an interactive workbook, as well as an attendance certificate.

Workshops will take place from 2nd – 20th June and include topics such as ‘Deep Tissue Techniques’, ‘Muscle Energy Technique’, ‘Soft Tissue Release’ and ‘Mechanical Massage’. The workshops are £100 a-day and many professional awarding bodies count one-day workshops as five continuing professional development (CPD) points.

For a full breakdown of all workshops and further information on dates and location, visit www.thelondonmassagecompany.com

Royal Society of Medicine Conference – The Many Facets of Back Pain

The Royal Society of Medicine Conference – The Many Facets of Back Pain, organised by the Royal Society of Medicine, Ireland in association with University of Ulster, will take place on Friday 16th May 2008 at University of Ulster, Belfast.

The meeting will focus on the varied clinical presentation of back pain and the multidimensional nature of its management.

For more information and to register online, please visit http://www.rsm.ac.uk/academ/backpainire.php For further information and assistance, please contact Chloe Waite 020 7290 3844 oe email chloe.waite@rsm.ac.uk

‘Regular exercise can slow down ageing’

Regular exercise can help slow down the effects of ageing by up to 12 years, a study claims. People may also be able to retain the ability to live independently for far longer if they exercise throughout middle age and into retirement, it found.

Aerobic exercise, such as jogging, improves oxygen consumption, which in turn improves the body’s ability to convert fat into fuel for muscles. The volume of oxygen we are able to consume is reduced with age, and therefore to maintain good health and the appearance of youth, more aerobic exercise is required.

Research by scientists at the University of Toronto in Canada has shown that high-intensity exercise, taken regularly for more than a year, can make someone as fit as a sedentary person who is 12 years younger.

The results are published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

The Telegraph, 14th April 2008

Read the full story…

Obese women ‘50pc more likely to die of breast cancer’

Significantly overweight women are almost 50 per cent more likely to die of breast cancer within five years of diagnosis, experts warned yesterday.

Doctors at the 6th European Breast Cancer Conference in Berlin warned that it was more difficult to diagnose the disease in obese patients who also risked getting poorer treatment because doctors feared giving them a high enough dose of chemotherapy for their body weight.

Almost 1,500 patients a year in the UK could be diagnosed earlier if they were not obese, research at the conference suggests. Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women, and almost 45,000 cases are diagnosed in the UK every year, around 9,000 in clinically obese patients.

However, that percentage is predicted to increase because of lifestyle factors that have led to a quarter of women being diagnosed as obese.

Professor Emiel Rutgers, a from the Netherland Cancer Institute and a breast cancer surgeon, said the findings showed “the importance of losing weight, even after you have been diagnosed”.

The Telegraph, 21st April 2008

Read the full story…

The Future Landscapes of Aging Conference

The British Society of Gerontology (BSG) Scotland & Centre for Gerontological Practice, at Glasgow Caledonian University, will host The Future Landscapes of Aging Conference on the 20th June in the Govan Mbeki Building, Glasgow Caledonian University.

This one day conference aims to rethink how we talk about the future of aging and to consider the implications for policy and practice.

The conference will examine the future landscapes of aging, drawing on the expertise of older people, academics and practitioners. It will be of interest to older people and all those who work with them – such as nurses, care workers, social workers, doctors and therapists, as well as academics and students of social gerontology and gerontological practice.

A Scottish Minister with responsibilities for older people will be invited to address the conference and keynote speakers will include Professor Alison Bowes and Professor David Bell from the University of Stirling, who will give a presentation on the ageing population and policy implications and Professor Alan Newell from the University of Dundee, who will talk about new technologies and older people. Lunch time will include poster sessions where authors will speak about their posters, and throughout the day participants will have the opportunity to reflect on the future of aging and contribute to wide ranging discussions on aging and later life.

For more information contact Susan Tester, email susan.tester@stir.ac.uk or Margaret McLay, telephone 0141 331 8492.

More information…

Narrative Research in Sport and Exercise: Exploring the Themes of Story Analysts and Storytellers

The Narrative Research in Sport and Exercise: Exploring the Themes of Story Analysts and Storytellers workshop, will take place at Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay on Tuesday 24th June (5-8pm) and Wednesday 25th June (9am-3pm).

The workshop, based around an evening and day timetable, is a collaborative event between the Cardiff School of Sport, UWIC and the recently established ‘Network for Performative Research in Sport and Exercise’. This innovative venture explores research-led performance and offers critical reflections and ideas on the procedures and challenges associated with story analysis and storytelling.

The storytelling element of the workshop illustrates and reviews formative approaches to representation. Sports-based qualitative research data (collected from focus-group processes, semi-structured interview protocols, life-history projects, ethnographic, auto-ethnographic writing and action research projects) will be presented through drama, poetry, music and photographic essays.

Invited speakers will also review narrative analysis techniques and consider how performative and narrative research impact on the representation of body and identity.

Delegate Fees (includes attendance at all sessions, tea/coffee, wine reception (Tues evening) and lunch (Wednesday) are £75.00 for full delegate and £55 for Students (reduced fee available for all Undergraduate, Postgraduate and Doctoral students subject to confirmation by an accompanying Full Delegate).

Contact ysaker@uwic.ac.uk to register interest and receive more details.

The 2nd Annual Conference “Laura Sperandio”

The 2nd Annual Conference “Laura Sperandio” – Physical Activity in the Primary Prevention of Breast Cancer: Mechanisms and Scientific Prescription, will take place on Tuesday 29th May, Mumicipal Room, Castagnaro, Italy from 9.00pm. Conference speakers include J.Modenese and G.Bovo. For more information visit http://digila nder.libero.it/bovoginetto or contact bovoginetto@yahoo.it

Academic News inspection copy requests

If you wish to arrange an appointment to discuss our latest texts and your course needs, or you would like to enquire about an inspection copy of any book featured in Academic News, please call Sian Partridge on 0113 255 5665 ext. 204 or e-mail sianp@hkeurope.com

Leave a Comment » | Academic News | Tagged: Academic News, Adacemics, Books, Exercise, Fitness, Health, Obesity, Olympics, Research, Sport | Permalink
Posted by humankinetics

Academic News March 2008

March 28, 2008

Welcome to the March issue of Academic News. Spring is nearly here and although that may imply exams and marking for many, its also means the possibility of some sunshine to look forward to, so we can get outside and enjoy some fresh air.

In this month’s issue we bring you the latest news on the 2012 Olympics, featuring stories on funding and the Paralympics. We also bring you our latest products, updates on the latest events, and as well as all of this, we are giving you a fantastic 10% discount on all Human Kinetics books and DVDs!

In Academic News this month…

	Product of the month…. Promoting an understanding and exposing the issues of muscle damage and repair Discover the best ways to manage your property The Future Landscapes of Aging Conference Equality and Human Rights Commission to use its legal powers to overturn International Paralympic Committee ban for the 2012 Paralympic Games Young adults’ inactivity puts them at risk of heart attack Spin-off enters race to treat obesity Funding concern for 2012 Olympics UK Sport encouraged as national audit office highlights “Significant Progress” to 2012 success Academic News inspection copy requests

Product of the month….

Neurophysiological Basis of Movement, Second Edition, has been thoroughly updated and expanded, making it more comprehensive and accessible to students.By emphasising the neurophysiological mechanisms relevant to the processes of generating voluntary movements, this text is designed for upper-level undergraduate or postgraduate students, who want to better understand how the brain generates control signals and how the peripheral apparatus executes them.This second edition contains eight new chapters and 130 pages of fresh material, covering a wide range of topics, including movement disorders and current theories of motor control and co-ordination. The text is designed so that instructors can cover all chapters or select the topics most relevant to their specific courses.

Neurophysiological Basis of Movement also offers:

A new reference section with more than 700 references, providing supplemental resources that encourage students to read and understand research literature on the neurophysiology of movements
A more reader-friendly presentation of material with improved illustrations and introductions to the chapters that provide better transitions
Six tests to help students perform experiments to address typical ‘template’ research problems and one-minute drills and self-test questions that encourage students to think independently and test their knowledge as they read
A new PowerPoint presentation package that includes 8 to 15 slides of art and text for every chapter, helping instructors prepare for lectures and allowing students to better understand the material

PRICE: £42.00
(63.00 Euros)

Promoting an understanding and exposing the issues of muscle damage and repair

Skeletal Muscle Damage and Repair is a uniquely comprehensive text suitable for those both interested in basic physiological and applied clinical factors in skeletal muscle damage and repair. This includes health professionals and clinicians, kinesiologists, physiotherapists and researchers, as well as post-graduate and undergraduate students.

Presenting both research-based information and applied clinical topics, this outstanding book will assist you in understanding the inter-relationships of basic physiology, specific populations and practical treatments for muscle injury and damage. Written by internationally acclaimed researchers and research groups, who are experts in their field, this book covers a broad spectrum of topics, including:

The scientific methods used to investigate exercise-related muscle damage and repair
A review of current research related to the mechanisms of muscle damage, physiological responses to damage and subsequent muscle repair methods
An examination of issues specific to various populations, including the elderly, diabetics, people with muscular dystrophies and elite athletes
An evaluation of other practical topics as they apply to muscle damage and repair, such as gender and hormonal influences, effects on gait mechanics, the impact in workplace settings and the issue of “high- responder” individuals who seem extraordinarily susceptible to muscle damage
A critical analysis of the efficacy of various popular treatment modalities

Skeletal Muscle Damage and Repair promotes an understanding of the physiological mechanisms of skeletal muscle damage and repair, and exposes a range of issues related to this area. As well as this, it also encourages communication between researchers interested in the mechanisms of muscle damage and repair, and practitioners who treat muscle injury in various populations.

PRICE: £42.50 (63.75 Euros)

Discover the best ways to manage your property

Outdoor Site and Facility Management, Tools for Creating Memorable Places, is a comprehensive resource for staff, board members, management and owners charged with the complex and challenging task of managing and maintaining properties. Whether your property consists of a building, a campsite or a natural park, this book offers a step-by- step property management plan and provides the creative strategies to manage day-to-day operations, such as:

Planning and forecasting
Board and administrator responsibilities
Working with volunteers
Hiring staff
Budgeting and financial oversight
Risk management

This resource also comes with a bound-in CD-ROM, which includes 65 editable forms and checklists, a list of editable job descriptions, plus a comprehensive list of resources.

With Outdoor Site and Facility Management you will discover the best way to manage your property. Nowhere else can you find a comprehensive, one-stop source of information, best practice, guidance and practical tools which you can begin using today.

PRICE: £27.50 (41.25 Euros)

The Future Landscapes of Aging Conference

The British Society of Gerontology (BSG) Scotland & Centre for Gerontological Practice, at Glasgow Caledonian University, will host The Future Landscapes of Aging Conference on the 20th June in the Govan Mbeki Building, Glasgow Caledonian University.

This one day conference aims to rethink how we talk about the futures of ageing and to consider the implications for policy and practice.

The conference will examine future landscapes of ageing, drawing on the expertise of older people, academics and practitioners. It will be of interest to older people and all those who work with them – such as nurses, care workers, social workers, doctors and therapists, as well as academics and students of social gerontology and gerontological practice.

A Scottish Minister with responsibilities for older people will be invited to address the conference and keynote speakers will include Professor Alison Bowes and Professor David Bell from the University of Stirling, who will give a presentations on the ageing population and policy implications and Professor Alan Newell from the University of Dundee, who will talk about new technologies and older people. Lunch time will include poster sessions at where authors will speak about their posters, and throughout the day participants will have the opportunity to reflect on the future of ageing and contribute to wide ranging discussions on ageing and later life.

For more information contact Susan Tester, email susan.tester@stir.ac.uk or Margaret McLay, telephone 0141 331 8492.

More information…

Equality and Human Rights Commission to use its legal powers to overturn International Paralympic Committee ban for the 2012 Paralympic Games

The Equality and Human Rights Commission have unequivocally stated their support for the removal of the International Paralympic Committee ban on people with learning disability competing at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

Liz Sayce, member of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s disability committee stated: “I think The Youth Sports Trust decision to now include children with learning disability in the UK School Games as a result of the Commissions intervention, exerts pressure on the 2012 London Organising Committee and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to include people with learning disability in the 2012 Games”.

She went on to say: “We hope a resolution will be reached without resorting to legal action, but if necessary the Commission will consider using its legal powers to ensure the removal of the ban. The Commission will be looking at the point when the Games are handed to LOCOG from Beijing”.

The ban on athletes with learning disability was imposed by the IPC following an incident at the Sydney Paralympic Games in 2000 when a group of adult non-disabled athletes infiltrated the Spanish learning disability basketball team. The IPC banned every athlete with learning disability across the world from competing at future Paralympics and IPC sanctioned competitions as a result. This has had the additional impact of funding being stopped across the UK and some athletes not having the financial means to continue in their sport.

The UK Sports Association for People with Learning Disability, working with its members and other organisations across the UK, has been leading a campaign since 2001 for the ban to be lifted.

UK SPORTS ASSOCIATION For People with Learning Disability, 18th February 2008

Young adults’ inactivity puts them at risk of heart attack

The worsening trend in heart disease despite improving treatments is because of lifestyle factors such as smoking and lack of exercise, experts say.

Between 1993 and 2003 the largest relative increase in obesity has been in adults under 45, while cholesterol levels have changed little or even increased among the younger age groups. At the same time the decline in smoking, which is a key risk factor for heart disease, may be levelling off among young adults. A quarter of adults still smoke.

Any change in the trend is likely to be seen soonest in younger people. The younger age group suffers relatively few heart attacks or deaths, so has yet to have any impact on overall figures, which continue to decline. But as this group gets older, the risk is that heart disease deaths will increase again.

Simon Capewell, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Liverpool and an expert on heart disease statistics, said: “We think this recent flattening of heart disease death rates is a real phenomenon. It has also been reported by us in the US, and by colleagues in Australia. We also think that increases in obesity and diabetes may contribute, but do not provide the whole answer.”

The Times, 25th February 2008

Spin-off enters race to treat obesity

The latest British contender in the race to develop a safe and effective treatment for obesity is beginning its first clinical trial in human volunteers this week.

The drug, developed at Imperial College London, is based on a gut hormone that controls sensations of hunger and satiety. It tricks patients into feeling they have eaten enough before their stomach is full.

With the world facing a big public health crisis from rising levels of obesity and related diseases such as diabetes, a market worth many billions of pounds a year awaits the first company to make an effective slimming drug with minimal side- effects. About one-third of adults in the US and UK are seriously overweight, according to the World Health Organisation.

Steve Bloom, a medical professor at Imperial, originally discovered in 2005 that injections of a hormone called oxyntomodulin helped obese volunteers to lose weight by reducing their appetite and food intake. His work was hailed at the time as a breakthrough.

But the natural hormone was not suitable for commercial development so Prof Bloom and Imperial College set up Thiakis, a spin-off company, to develop a synthetic “analogue”.

FT.com, 12th March 2008

Funding concern for 2012 Olympics

Elite British athletes competing at the 2012 Olympics in London are set to face uncertainty over funding, says a report from the National Audit Office (NAO).

The NAO said plans to raise £100m as part of a seven-year, £700m, private sector package may be hit due to delays in fundraising and sponsor demands.

“There is a risk that raising all this money is not achievable,” it warned. But British Olympic Association chairman Colin Moynihan insisted there will not be a problem.

“The British Olympic Association believes that the Prime Minister will deliver on his promise made in 2006 to secure the full £600m for the British team,” he said. “This is despite the concerns raised by the NAO report that the Government is entering a crowded market place in their attempt to raise part of the promised funding for our Olympic and Paralympic athletes from the private sector.”

Moynihan’s statement comes after the NAO suggested “UK Sport should avoid distributing too high a proportion of the extra funding to those sports with no medal potential”.

BBC Sport, 20th March 2008

UK Sport encouraged as national audit office highlights “Significant Progress” to 2012 success

UK Sport, the Government agency responsible for investing in and supporting the nation’s elite sport ambitions, has welcomed the key findings of a National Audit Office report into its work preparing sports and athletes for London 2012 and beyond.

The National Audit Office found that UK Sport has made “significant progress” in developing effective performance monitoring of the sports and in its wider management of the World Class Performance system in this country.

It also determined that UK Sport has developed a strategy to deliver its goals for London 2012 and beyond, in particular highlighting ‘Mission 2012′, UK Sport’s recently launched performance management process, as an effective means by which “to improve the governance and accountability of national governing bodies, whilst keeping them focused on the goal of delivering medals and ensuring their performance is measured and reported transparently.”

John Steele, UK Sport Chief Executive, said: “We are pleased with the key findings of this report, which gives us real confidence that we are on the right track in terms of our strategy and approach. I would like to thank the NAO for their valuable insights and we will take on their thoughts and recommendations and make sure they help us in our continual drive to deliver our twin ambitions for 2012: medal success at the Games and the lasting legacy of transformed and sustainable elite sporting system.”

UK Sport, 20th March 2008

Search our products online

Academic News inspection copy requests

Save 10% on all books and DVDs at Human Kinetics

If you need to stock up on some resources for the new semester or if you want to get your hands on some last minute revision aids, then now is the time to order from Human Kinetics, as we are offering all our customers a 10% discount on all books and DVDs. To claim your 10% discount, you must quote Mail Code R602. When ordering online you will be prompted for the Mail Code at the very top of the shopping cart page. Alternatively, call Human Kinetics order hotline on 0113 255 5665.

Offer Expires: 30th April 2008

Leave a Comment » | Academic News | Tagged: Academic News, Academics, Books, Exercise, Obesity, Olympics, Publishers, Sport, Sport Science, University | Permalink
Posted by humankinetics

Academic News February 2008

March 12, 2008

Welcome to the February edition of Academic News. In this month’s issue we bring you an abundance of the latest events in the academic arena. As well as the latest events, we also bring you some fantastic new products, and as usual we also have the latest news on sports research, coaching and the Olympics, so take ten minutes out and enjoy this month’s Academic News!

Product of the month….

An invaluable resource for sports management students and professionals alike

Loughborough findings on sports coaching

Extra two stones boosts risk of cancer

GPs turn to exercise for treating depression

Scientists claim cure for tired muscles

UK Leads ”International Inspiration” as Developing Countries Get Sporting Boost

Product of the month….

Dynamics of Skill Acquisition: A Constraints-Led Approach, provides a comprehensive analysis of the evolution of the constraints-led perspective, a recognised theory in motor learning and control.

Practitioners and students will appreciate the applied focus of Dynamics of Skill Acquisition, which outlines a conceptual model of co-ordination and control within a multidisciplinary framework.

Dynamics of Skill Acquisition provides specific strategies of the constraints-led approach that address skill acquisition across a variety of professions, including teaching, coaching and rehabilitation.

This book incorporates several learning features to assist readers, including:

Chapter outlines listing major topics and subtopics.
Self-test questions at the end of each chapter.
Key Concept boxes in each chapter to remind students of the chapters’ important concepts.
Glossary terms bold-faced in text and defined in a glossary at the end of the book.
Chapter summaries offering a compilation of important concepts.

With the increased interest in the role of constraints to shape motor learning, Dynamics of Skill Acquisition provides a timely analysis of the constraints-led approach, helping readers to understand how co-ordination patterns are assembled, controlled and acquired. No other book presents the theoretical roots and development to the constraints-led perspective quite like this one.

PRICE: £39.00
(58.50 Euros)

An invaluable resource for sports management students and professionals alike

Sport Promotion and Sales Management, Second Edition, presents a wide-ranging view of what it takes to be successful in the field of sport marketing and management. Moving from theoretical foundations of sport promotion and sales to fundamental roles of sport sponsorship. It examines incentives for sport consumers, licensing, sales management and the role of technology in sport promotion and sales.

This text is intended for both students on sport management courses who wish to effectively prepare for the industry, and with its complete and current coverage of pertinent issues, this text is also an invaluable resource for sports marketing and sales professionals.

In keeping pace with the changing times in the world of sport, this book features new material, including:

Two new chapters (and three in total) on sport sponsorship with information on how to negotiate, nurture and activate sponsorships
A detailed exploration of a nine-step “edu-selling” process, an emerging sales model created by author William Sutton that will help readers increase product utilisation and satisfaction by teaching how to use tickets and sponsorships to achieve business objectives
Greater emphasis on the roles of sales and sponsorship as integral parts of developing a successful sport business
A radically updated technology chapter that places great emphasis on e-commerce and gives an overview of the rapid changes that technological innovations are bringing to the industry

Whether you are new to the sports industry or an experienced industry veteran, Sport Promotion and Sales Management, Second Edition will be an invaluable resource in creating a successful sales culture in your sports organisation.

PRICE: £39.50 (59.25 Euros)

Loughborough findings on sports coaching

Researchers at Loughborough University have warned that the lack of paid opportunities and professional pathways for coaches undermines the Government’s aim to make the UK the world’s number one coaching nation by 2016.

Loughborough Staff at the University’s School of Sport and Exercise Sciences (SSES) undertook the three-month project on behalf of sports think-tank Sportnation, and uncovered a shortfall of paid coaching positions and limited career progression for home grown coaches which placed an unfair burden on unpaid volunteers. They called for better support for coaches at all levels, and greater appreciation of their role.

Professionals from 12 sports – athletics, badminton, cricket, football, gymnastics, hockey, netball, rowing, swimming, tennis, triathlon and volleyball – were consulted in the study which was designed to examine the issues within coaching and current coaching structures.

Utilising the expertise of research team Dr Tess Kay, Professor Kathy Armour, Dr Chris Cushion and Dr Rod Thorpe the study included analysis of existing published material as well as one-to-one interviews with Performance Directors and senior representatives from the identified sports.

According to the research, 69% of the 1.2m to 1.5m sports coaches in the UK are unpaid volunteers and in a sport such as athletics for example there are as few as 12 full-time paid performance coaches in the UK, with some disciplines having no full-time coach at all.

Loughborough News, 29th January 2008

Extra two stones boosts risk of cancer

The chance of developing five different types of cancer increases by 50 per cent if your weight goes up by more than two stones, according to new research.

A study at the University of Manchester found that those who put on weight equivalent to a five-point increase in the body mass index (BMI) were at significant risk of contracting cancer of the colon, breast, skin and thyroid.

The increase in BMI is equivalent to two-and-a-half stones (18.9kg) for a healthy man of average height, 5ft 9ins (1.75m), and almost two stones (12.6kg) for a healthy woman of average height, 5ft 4ins (1.63m).

Men who gained that amount of weight were 50 per cent more likely to develop oesophageal cancer and a third more likely to suffer thyroid cancer. Their chances of getting colon and kidney cancer increase by 24 per cent; they are also at a smaller but significant risk of rectal and skin cancer.

Women who are similarly overweight increase their chances of cancer of the womb lining and gallbladder by 59 per cent. They also have more than a 50 per cent increased risk of oesophageal cancer and are a third more likely to develop kidney cancer. The chances of women getting pancreatic, thyroid, and colon cancer increased significantly if they were overweight, but were not as great as the risk for men.

The Telegraph, 15th February 2008

GPs turn to exercise for treating depression

Doctors are increasingly prescribing exercise for people with depression, mental health campaigners have found. In a survey of 200 English GPs, the Mental Health Foundation found 22% suggest exercise to help people with milder forms of the condition. This compares with just 5% in a similar survey three years ago. The foundation said it was important that doctors did not just prescribe antidepressants for patients, and looked for other options.

Research has shown that exercise can help people with mild forms of depression by improving self-esteem – through better body image or achieving goals, and by relieving feelings of isolation which can fuel their depression. It also releases feel-good brain chemicals such as endorphins.

Celia Richardson, campaigns director for the Mental Health Foundation, said: “It can help people physically, socially and biologically. They often meet others who have been in the same situation as them, but are now further down the line and feeling better.”

The survey found there is now a wider belief by GPs that exercise therapy can be beneficial. Three years ago, 41% thought it was “effective or very effective”, rising to 61% now. But half of the GPs questioned did not have access to an exercise referral scheme. Two thirds of these doctors said they wished they had. More patients are also interested in how exercise can help them – one in six GPs say they have noticed an increase in the number of people asking whether exercise could help them.

BBC News, 8th February 2008

Scientists claim cure for tired muscles

The Victor Contes of this world will be keeping a close eye on Columbia University in New York, where a team of scientists claim that they have not only discovered the reason for muscle fatigue but have designed a drug that reduces it.

The experimental drug has been tested on mice and has apparently allowed them to continue swimming long after they should have stopped with exhaustion. But yesterday a scientist in Britain questioned the method, motivation and results of the tests.

For a century, scientists believed that the accumulation of lactic acid in muscle cells was the reason for fatigue and decreased athletic performance.

The Columbia study claims that muscle fatigue is the result of the leak of calcium ions that reduces the force of muscle contraction. Working on the hunch that the fatigue suffered by victims of heart failure was the same as that suffered by marathon runners, members of the Columbia team found a similarity in the leaking calcium. They then gave the drug, which plugs the leak, to mice and put them on an intensive 21-day swimming programme.

The Times, 15th February 2008

UK Leads ”International Inspiration” as Developing Countries Get Sporting Boost

The Prime Minister has announced a £9 million investment programme to support sporting projects in five developing countries around the world. The pilot is the start of a larger programme called “International Inspiration” which will deliver on the promise made to the IOC in Singapore of engaging and inspiring the youth of the world through sport.

The pilot programmes are taking place in Azerbaijan, Brazil, India, Palau and Zambia and project work has already started in each of these countries. In India, the Prime Minister is visiting Delhi where he attended an event featuring young schoolchildren playing mixed sex football matches and met with Lakshmi, a tribal girl archer from Jharkhand who is now a world class athlete. He also met UK teachers from schools involved in the programme.

Funding for the pilot programme, which runs until 2010 and is being led by UK Sport, the Government’s international sports agency, includes contributions from DFID, UNICEF, the British Council, the FA Premier League and the DCMS. Further announcements on how the programme will develop beyond the pilot will be made in the coming months.

UK Sport, 21st January 2008

Equip students with fundamental finance and accounting concepts

1 Comment | Academic News | Tagged: 2012 Olympics, Academic News, Books, Exercise, Fitness, Health, Reseach, Sport | Permalink
Posted by humankinetics

Academic News January 2008

March 12, 2008

Welcome to the January edition of Academic News. It is hard to believe another year has begun and the second semester has slowly crept upon us. In between marking all those exam papers and preparing yourself for the new semester, we hope you find a spare minute to take a break and read this month’s Academic News, as it is jam-packed with all the latest news, events and products from the world of academia.

In this month’s issue we bring you news of the value of sport to our economy, offer you an insight into our latest products on sport finance, motor learning and health and wellness, plus we give you one last chance to join BASES on a three month trial for only 97p!

In Academic News this month…

Product of the month….

Christian principles used to teach health and wellness

Sport worth over 15 billion a year to nation’s economy

Gordon Brown to unveil £9m Olympic project

Healthy life ‘can give you another 14 years’

Product of the month….

Motor Learning and Performance: A Situation-Based Learning Approach, expands on the fundamentals of motor performance and learning, providing valuable supporting literature and current research results in an accessible and engaging format.Motor Learning and Performance outlines the principles of motor skill learning, develops a conceptual model of human performance and shows students how to apply the concepts of motor learning and performance to a variety of real-world settings.More than 76 new references, exercises, updated figures and photos and improved chapter features make the fourth edition of this book, the most user- friendly edition to date.

New to the fourth edition is access to an online student study guide with lab activities that bring the material to life. The online study guide will help students understand and apply theories and research findings with the use of a number of tools included in the study guide.

The ancillary materials include an expanded instructor guide with chapter summary notes and additional situation-based exercises for class discussion, a presentation package of PowerPoint slides for lectures and a test bank.

There is no better introduction to the fascinating field of motor learning and its many applications in the real world, then the student-friendly Motor Learning and Performance: A Situation-Based Learning Approach.

PRICE: £47.00
(70.50 Euros)

Equip students with fundamental finance and accounting concepts

Sport Finance, Second Edition, grounds students in the real world of financial management in sport, showing them how to apply financial concepts and appreciate the importance of finance in sound sport management and operations.

Designed for sport finance courses in a sport management curriculum, this text:

allows students to apply information in whatever segment of the sport industry they will be working in;
includes expanded coverage of business structures, the time value of money and ethical guidelines and issues in auditing;
presents updated examples, references and case studies, giving students contemporary examples and adequate coverage of core concepts; and
helps students new to sport finance comprehend the subject by including chapter objectives, easy-to- follow figures and tables, summaries and discussion questions.

As an added benefit to instructors, this second edition includes a wealth of ancillary materials conveniently offered online, to help make the topics more comprehensive to students.

Sport Finance, Second Edition, will provide students at all levels with the fundamental finance and accounting concepts they need to help raise, manage and spend money in sport settings.

PRICE: £39.50 (59.25 Euros)

Christian principles used to teach health and wellness

Christian Paths to Health and Wellness provides an exciting new approach to teaching health and wellness. Driven by 1 Corinthians 3:16 “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?” this practical text is based on sound, cutting-edge scientific research and Christian principles.

From this book, readers will gain:

A solid foundation in health and wellness theory and research.
Multiple Christian Perspectives that create a balanced approach to health and wellness across a broad spectrum of Christian beliefs.
Study aids, including vocabulary lists, glossary definitions, chapter-opening objectives and chapter- ending questions, which foster learning and application of the material.

Christian Paths to Health and Wellness also comes with free instructional aids for course adopters, including Web support with sample course syllabi, a presentation package and a test package.

The main goal of this book is to help empower readers to take responsibility and initiative for their own health and well-being. Readers will become aware of physical wellness issues and develop a passion for proactive and permanent lifestyle changes, and they will do it all with a Christian approach.

PRICE: £22.50 (33.75 Euros)

Sport worth over 15 billion a year to nation’s economy

Research commissioned by Sport England shows that sport-related economic activity in England reached a record high of £15.47 billion in 2005. This includes everything from sales of sports clothing and equipment to jobs in the sports industry.

This is nearly a 50% increase since 2000. The growth in England’s sport economy has outstripped that of the economy as a whole, as well as comparable sectors such as gambling.

Karren Brady, CEO of Birmingham City Football Club and Board Member of Sport England, said: “This research shows the sporting pound is very important to the economic health of the nation. More people are using their wages to go and watch matches, buy sports clothing or splash out on the latest sports equipment. More importantly, new jobs are being created and sports clubs are benefiting from increase in subscriptions.”

The research was carried out by the Sport Industry Research Centre (SIRC) at Sheffield Hallam University on behalf of Sport England.

Sport England, 10th January 2008

Gordon Brown to unveil £9m Olympic project

The Prime Minister Gordon Brown will announce a new £9 million international development project designed to start delivering on the promises made by London when the city won the right to host the 2012 Olympics.

Sebastian Coe told members of the International Olympic Committee during the dramatic election victory in Singapore in July 2005 that, as well as regenerating a large part of east London, the 2012 Games would be used to inspire a new generation of sports enthusiasts around the globe.

Now, 2½ years later, London Olympic organisers have joined forces with the Government, UK Sport, the Premier League, Unicef and the British Council to develop ‘International Inspiration’, starting with five pilot schemes which will try to spread the Olympic message to some of the world’s poorest countries.

The pilots, which will take place in India, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Palau and Zambia, will run until 2010. Organisers hope they will be able to build on the success of the schemes to expand the programme in the two years before the London Games and beyond.

The Telegraph, 20th January 2008

Healthy life ‘can give you another 14 years’

A healthy lifestyle can increase a person’s lifespan by as much as 14 years, scientists have claimed.

Researchers have calculated people can extend the length of their lives by up to 17 per cent by not smoking, drinking only moderately, eating healthily and keeping physically active.

Many studies have highlighted the health risks associated with cigarettes, excessive alcohol consumption, poor diet and lack of exercise. However, few have looked at the combined effects of all four on longevity.

Prof Kay-Tee Khaw, a gerontologist at Cambridge University who led the new study, said: “There were substantial differences in mortality associated with the four health behaviours combined. The results strongly suggest that these four achievable lifestyle changes could have a marked improvement on the health of middle-aged and older people, which is particularly important given the ageing population in the UK and other European countries.”

Prof Khaw and colleagues, whose study is published in the journal PLoS Medicine, surveyed 20,244 men and women living in Norfolk in the mid-1990s. The participants, none of whom had known cancer or heart disease, were aged between 45 and 79.

The Telegraph, 8th January 2008

Academic News inspection copy requests

If you wish to arrange an appointment to discuss our latest texts and your course needs, or you would like to enquire about an inspection copy of any book featured in Academic News, please call Paul Mills on 0113 255 5665 ext.224 or e-mail paulm@hkeurope.com

Leave a Comment » | Academic News | Tagged: Academic News, Books, Exercise, Health, Research, Sport, University | Permalink
Posted by humankinetics

Academic News December 2007

January 16, 2008

Welcome to the December edition of Academic News. The end of the year has crept up on us again, and the festive season is well and truly in full swing. In between all the Christmas parties and end-of-year preparations we hope you make time to read the last Academic News of 2007, as it is a cracker!

In this issue we have all the latest news on sport, research and the London 2012 Olympics, including a story which reveals that fitness is more important than weight in middle-age. Good news for all, as you can enjoy that extra mince pie or two over Christmas (as long as you get to the gym in the New Year!).

Enjoy the Christmas break and we look forward to bringing you more fantastic news and products in 2008.

Wishing you a happy and healthy Christmas and New Year!
All at Human Kinetics

Product of the month….

The leading textbook for undergraduate exercise physiology courses is back in a brand new fourth edition, and is now better than ever!

Physiology of Sport and Exercise, Fourth Edition introduces the field of sport and exercise physiology and presents the complex relationship between human physiology and exercise, in a format that is more comprehensive for students than any comparable text.

Renowned authors, Jack Wilmore and David Costill add the expertise of W. Larry Kenney to bring a fresh perspective to this edition, with additional features including:

A new easy and accessible layout.
Key points and key terms highlighted in each chapter and key terms defined in the glossary.
Review boxes scattered throughout each chapter to remind students of the major points presented.
A comprehensive glossary and thorough index.
A list of common abbreviations and a list of conversions.

Also included in this new edition is the FREE Online Learning feature, which includes an Online Student Guide and an Online Instructor Guide.

Physiology of Sport and Exercise, Fourth Edition stands alone as the best, most comprehensive resource framing the latest research findings in sport and exercise physiology

PRICE: £47.00
(70.50 Euros)

Understand the factors that increase vitality in old age

People are now living for longer and that longevity is increasing far more rapidly than previously predicted. Today’s young men are now expected to live to a staggering 91 years old! As life expectancy continues to increase, so does the need to understand the factors that increase health and vitality in old age.

Physiology of Exercise and Healthy Aging applies the science of exercise physiology to an analysis of the aging process and identifies the positive effects that regular exercise can have on longevity, delaying specific diseases, decreasing morbidity and increasing quality of life.

In this book practitioners who work with older adults will find helpful features, which include programming recommendations in each chapter to help translate the science into practice and an appendix offering easy access to forms and assessments, including a Three-Day Nutritional Assessment form and a Client History form.

In addition to this, student readers will find these helpful features:

Chapter-opening outlines offer quick reference to topics
Chapter-ending questions for self-study and reflection
Numerous tables and figures to reinforce chapter concepts and add visual or statistical information
References to provide additional opportunities for reading and research with selected books, articles and websites

With this text, students and professionals will grasp the advantages of appropriate physical activity for the elderly and learn how to safely administer exercise programmes that contribute to the increased health and quality of life for older adults.

PRICE: £41.00 (61.50 Euros)

Inspection Copy Policy: Notice of Change

On 1st January 2008, Human Kinetics will be making a change to its Inspection Copy Policy.Any books supplied as inspection copies from this date will become liable for payment after 90 days if we do not receive either:

a completed evaluation form (supplied with the book and available online), or
the book returned in resalable condition.

Rest assured, that if you do complete and return the form the invoice will be cancelled and nothing will be payable. All that we ask is for a few minutes of your time so that we get valuable feedback on our products and know whether to work with the bookshops in your area to stock the book for students to buy.

We will send several reminders before the invoice becomes due. Any books that do become payable will be at a lecturer’s special discount of 20% off the RRP.

We have made it even easier to evaluate the books with our new online evaluation form – simply visit www.humankinetics.com/faculty and click ‘Online Evaluation Form’. You must log-in, or register, to use this facility.

If you have any questions about this change, please contact Paul Mills, Academic Sales Representative, email paulm@hkeurope.com or telephone +44 (0)113 2555665 x224

EXCLUSIVE ACADEMIC NEWS OFFER

Join BASES on a 3-month trial for only 97p including a copy of The Sport and Exercise Scientist

Human Kinetics is proud to work closely with the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES). BASES is the UK professional body for all those with an interest in the science of sport and exercise. If you are not already a member we would like to invite you to join.

BASES is dedicated to promoting excellence in sport and exercise sciences. Membership has something to offer practitioners, researchers, lecturers, sport and exercise science students, or those with a general interest in the area.

Build your network and open doors to opportunities using the largest sport and exercise science network in the UK.
Continue your professional development by attending BASES workshops and conferences.
Work collectively to enhance the profile and professionalism of sport and exercise sciences.
Stay up-to-date with the latest news, events and career opportunities with a weekly e-newsletter and quarterly magazine.
Obtain professional recognition through BASES Accreditation for research and/or scientific support work.
Secure international conference funding through the BASES international travel grants scheme.
Save money with discounts on events, books, journals and professional indemnity insurance.

EXCLUSIVE to all Academic News Subscribers, we’re giving you the chance to take out a 3-month trial membership of BASES for only 97p (to cover postage and packaging of the next issue of The Sport and Exercise Scientist).

You will also receive a weekly BASES e-newsletter enabling you to keep up-to-date with the world of sport and exercise sciences.

Signing up is easy, simply download the direct debit form online at www.bases.org.uk/newsite/HKoffer.asp.

University Launches Perform Sports Injury Clinic

The University of Hertfordshire has just launched Perform Sports Injury Clinic, which will offer support to local athletes competing in all types of sporting events.

Perform Sports Injury Clinic is open to all members of the public and is able to prevent, assess, treat and rehabilitate sporting injuries. Treatments are based on the latest scientific evidence and research, and with access to state-of-the-art facilities. The clinic is staffed by fully qualified sports therapists, and the University’s best graduates, improving their employability in an increasingly competitive market.

Naomi Butler, Lecturer in Sports Therapy at the University, explains: “Even the most minor of injury can have a significantly negative impact on sporting performance. Early intervention and comprehensive rehabilitation are essential in order to achieve optimal healing and prevent long term deficits. Our graduates will tailor treatment regimes to the individual athlete, ensuring that they are able to return to full sporting function in the shortest possible time.”

Perform Sports Injury Clinic offers services including injury prevention programmes, sports massage, electrotherapy, manual therapy, and sport-specific rehabilitation and exercise therapy.

Visit www.herts.ac.uk

Medical News Today, 25th November 2007

Fitness ‘is more important than beating obesity in middle age’

Fitness is more important than thinness in retaining mobility, strength and balance in old age.

Middle-aged people who do half an hour’s vigorous activity three times a week are half as likely as the sedentary to suffer physical decline and impaired mobility as they get older.

“Use it or lose it” was the message, said Dr Iain Lang, of the Peninsula Medical School in Plymouth, who, with collaborators in the United States, studied data on more than 10,000 people aged between 50 and 69 for up to six years.

Importantly, he said, the benefit of exercise was enjoyed regardless of body mass index. All groups roughly halved their risks of physical decline by doing exercise – so that a fit obese person did as well, or better, than a thin, unfit one.

“Some people take up exercise and then give up when they don’t lose weight,” Dr Lang said. “This research shows that you get important benefits from exercise even if it doesn’t help you lose weight.”

The Times, 10th December 2007

Exercise ‘reduces risk of dementia’

Having a healthy body leads to a healthier mind, reducing the risk of clinical depression and dementia in later life, new research has showed.

Scientists at Bristol University have found that physical exercise can reduce the risk of cognitive impairment, dementia or Alzheimer’s in older people by between 30 and 40 per cent.

Studies were carried out on 17 subjects aged 70 or above, who were observed for between five and 21 years, and all showed a reduced risk of these mental health problems.

At a British Nutrition Foundation conference, evidence that exercise was vital for psychological well-being, mood and self-esteem was also highlighted.

In Britain today, one in six people suffer from mental health problems at any one time.

However, only 35 per cent of men and 24 per cent of women undertake 30 minutes of exercise at least five times a week, as recommended by the Department of Health.

The Telegraph, 7th December 2007

London 2012 outlines plans for Education Programme

London 2012 unveiled plans for a wide- ranging education programme to the education sector. Launching in September 2008, the programme will run alongside the Cultural Olympiad between 2008 – 2012 in primary and secondary schools, colleges and Higher Education institutions.

Speaking to an audience of 150 education professionals, with more logging on to a simultaneous webcast, London 2012 Chair Seb Coe was joined by Jim Knight, Schools and Learners Minister at the Department of Children, Schools and Families to announce progress so far and reveal future plans.

In his speech, Jim Knight announced details of the revised Citizenship curriculum for secondary schools, which will draw inspiration from the 2008 Beijing Games and London 2012. It includes the ‘Who Do We Think We Are’ week, run in association with the Royal Geographical and History Societies. This three year programme will run in the summer term of 2008.

Other initiatives announced include a commitment from London 2012 Sustainability Partner EDF Energy to provide substantial grants for schools to undertake sustainability programmes and improve their sustainability credentials. They will also work with London 2012 to provide online resources including Geography, Science and Citizenship materials which will link in to the national curriculum.

London 2012, 7th December 2007

Academic enquiries

If you wish to arrange an appointment to discuss our latest texts and your course needs, or you would like to request an inspection copy of any book featured in Academic News, please call Paul Mills on 0113 255 5665 ext.224 or e-mail paulm@hkeurope.com

Leave a Comment » | Academic News | Tagged: Academic News | Permalink
Posted by humankinetics

November Academic News – November 2007

November 29, 2007

Welcome to the November edition of Academic News. This semester has flown by and it is hard to believe we are nearly at the end of the 2007! As we approach the new semester you may be thinking of re-stocking your bookshelves and updating your university libraries and with a generous Christmas discount you have even more reason to do so, as we are offering 10% discount on all of our books and DVDs until the 31st December 2007. Please read on for more details.

This month’s issue continues to keep you up-to-date with all the latest in the sporting arena, including the latest on the 2012 Olympics and why Britain has another reason to celebrate as Glasgow will be hosting the 2014 Commonwealth Games!

In Academic News this month…

	Bold new book addresses the state of black sport participation London Olympic stadium design unveiled Glasgow to stage 2014 Commonwealth Games Lack of time, off-putting PE lessons, social pressure … why women face a fitness crisis Woodward unveils £20m vision for 2012 Olympians Working Group established to aid doping battle Christmas is coming… Notice of Changes to Inspection Copy Policy

Bold new book addresses the state of black sport participation

Written 40 years after the American Civil Rights Movement took place, which set the stage for greater participation and integration of black people in sport, distinguished, award-winning American author Shaun Powell releases his fantastic new book, Souled Out? How Blacks are Winning and Losing in Sports. A book that dares to answer tough questions concerning the state of black sports participation today.

In this brutally honest portrayal, Powell boldly address a number of dilemmas that black athletes still face, including:

The reluctance of black athletes to engage in black activism or their indifference to larger black community concerns,
The representation of black athletes among the media and how black athletes conform to the persona assigned to them,
Why with tremendous role models such as Serena Williams, participation by black females is not more widely encouraged.

Ultimately this book challenges black sports figures to take greater responsibility and action, and prompts all readers to re-examine their views to become less preoccupied with difference, and more focused on mutual respect and hard-earned achievement.

Souled Out? How Blacks are Winning and Losing in Sport is also available online in an E-version.

PRICE: £13.99 (20.99 Euros)

London Olympic stadium design unveiled

Olympic Stadium

Dubbed the ’stadium bowl,’ the new Olympic home has a track and field area and a lower tier of permanent seating for 25,000 people, sunk into the ground. A further 55,000 temporary seats will make up the higher covered section.

The temporary seating will be removed after the Games. Furthermore, the roof will be lifted off, reconfigured and replaced to cover the remaining 25,000 seat bowl.

Construction is due to start three months ahead of schedule in April 2008, the stadium will also be designed to be sustainable and attract other businesses and investment to the communities surrounding the Olympic Park.

Appointed by the ODA, the team submitted their designs a few months later than the forecasted date of February 2007.

‘Team Stadium’ is a joint project between Sir Robert McAlpine, HOK Sport and Buro Happold.

Scenta, November 8th 2007

Glasgow to stage 2014 Commonwealth Games

glasgow commonwealth games logo

Britain’s run of success in securing major sporting events was maintained as Glasgow earned the right to stage the 2014 Commonwealth Games with a clear victory over its only rival, the Nigerian capital of Abuja.

The 2010 Ryder Cup is already destined for Wales and due a return to British shores four years later at Gleneagles. London will host the 2012 Olympics and the Rugby Football Union intends to bid for the 2015 Rugby World Cup. The Football Association has officially announced that it will bid to host the 2018 Fifa World Cup and a year later the cricket version will again be held in England.

Welcoming yesterday’s result, the prime minister Gordon Brown said: “It’s looking like a great sporting decade for our country.”

The Glasgow bid secured 47 votes against Abuja’s 24 at the Commonwealth Games Federation’s general assembly in Colombo to decide the location of the 20th edition of this quadrennial event and set off noisy celebrations both in the Sri Lankan capital and the victorious city itself.

The Independent, November 10th 2007

Lack of time, off-putting PE lessons, social pressure … why women face a fitness crisis

Women’s fitness is in crisis in the UK, with fewer than one in five doing enough exercise to be healthy, a report will has revealed, prompting Gordon Brown to call for a cultural change to transform girls’ attitudes to sport.

Social pressures which portray sport as unfeminine and encourage girls to be thin rather than fit are an important barrier preventing girls and women from taking part in exercise, according to the study by the Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation.

Negative experiences of sport in school and low body confidence also put women off exercise, the research found.

The prime minister, in a recorded address at the report’s launch, warned of a “critical under-representation of women and girls in sport” at all levels, and will urge “a cultural change that allows girls to see sport and physical activity as aspirational”.

“Sport needs to change so that it becomes as much a place for women and girls as it is for men and boys,” he will say, telling sports bodies to “work harder to understand women’s lives”.

The Guardian, November 15th 2007

Woodward unveils £20m vision for 2012 Olympians

Sir Clive Woodward

Up to 25 British Olympians will receive bespoke support from as many as 10 specialist coaches in a £20m programme announced by Sir Clive Woodward yesterday. Woodward, the British Olympic Association’s elite performance director, has assembled a team of specialists in nutrition, physiology, medicine, conditioning, motor skills and sports science who will work with those selected at a cost of £150,000 per athlete a year.

Among the specialists who will work under Woodward are several who played a part in England’s 2003 Rugby World Cup campaign, including Jonny Wilkinson’s kicking and performance coach Dave Alred, the vision specialist Sherylle Calder, who worked for South Africa at the recent World Cup, and Dave Reddin, England’s former conditioning coach.

The BOA hopes the cost of the scheme, which has caused some tension with the government’s elite sport funding body, UK Sport, will come from existing London 2012 or International Olympic Committee sponsors. UK Sport had feared Woodward’s programme might duplicate or overlap with work already being done by performance directors in individual sports, but after a series of meetings this week and the intervention of the sports minister, Gerry Sutcliffe, both parties insisted they would work in harmony.

Athletes will be selected to join the Woodward programme only with the approval of their sports’ performance director, and the final decision will be taken by UK Sport’s Mission 2012 panel, of which Woodward is a member.

The Guardian, November 9th 2007

Working Group established to aid doping battle

Sutcliffe

On the second day of the World Conference on Doping in Sport, Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe announced the establishment of a Working Group to consider how law enforcement agencies can work with UK Sport to combat drugs in sport.

The Working Group will focus on how relevant organisations can work together to help investigate ‘non-analytical’ doping offences, such as trafficking, possession and supply.

It was set up following a recent meeting Sutcliffe chaired with the Home Office, UK Sport, the Association of Chief Police Offices, Revenue and Customs and the Serious Organised Crime Agency in attendance. All parties are expected to be represented in the Working Group.

“It is increasingly the case that testing alone isn’t enough to prevent doping in sport,” said Sutcliffe. “We have seen in other counties how partnerships between law enforcement agencies, other relevant public authorities and sports bodies can be effective in getting to the root of doping, namely the possession and supply of prohibited substances. It is timely for us to assess how such partnerships could work in the UK, how existing legislation can be used, and any potential gaps that might need addressing.”

UK Sport, November 16th 2007