PhD Research, Sport

PHD OPPORTUNITIES

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There are currently a number of sport and fitness PhD opportunities available to apply for:

Click here to see the current PhD programmes available in sport. Please note – there are a limited amount of funded positions across the faculty, however, self-funding is also an option.

PhD options here include:

– Children’s rights in sport
– Strength and conditioning for golf
– Injury prevention in tennis

Information about fees and how to apply can be found here.

Closing date for applications (including for self-funded study): 31st January 2025. We anticipate interviews will take place in early March 2025.

In association with Oxford-Open-Cambridge Doctoral Training Partnership and British Taekwondo the group are currently advertising a fully funded PhD opportunity to explore women’s experiences in martial arts. The closing date for applications is 7th January 2025. For more information visit the link below:

Exploring women’s experiential narratives in martial arts and combat sports | Open-Oxford-Cambridge AHRC Doctoral Training Partnership (oocdtp.ac.uk)

PhD Research, Publications, Research, Sport

RESEARCH GROUP & PhD OPPORTUNITY

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Women in Martial Arts: Introducing the FIERCE group

Led by Wendi Bacon the FIERCE (Female Inclusion and Equity in Recreational Combat sports Experts) group was formed to explore and improve the experiences of women in martial arts. The group contains several researchers from the OU Sport and Fitness Research Cluster including Nichola Kentzer, Caroline Heaney, Jess Pinchbeck, Helen Owton, James Brighton and Jo Horne. The group researches a wide range of areas related to female participation in martial arts including warm-ups, uniform design, sports injury, and culture.

Outputs from the group include:

In association with Oxford-Open-Cambridge Doctoral Training Partnership and British Taekwondo the group are currently advertising a fully funded PhD opportunity to explore women’s experiences in martial arts. The closing date for applications is 7th January 2025. For more information visit the link below.

Exploring women’s experiential narratives in martial arts and combat sports | Open-Oxford-Cambridge AHRC Doctoral Training Partnership (oocdtp.ac.uk)

Conference Presentations, Dissemination, Research

Research Conference Presentation

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The ‘ARC’ model of coaching practice

Dr Jim Lusted, Senior Lecturer in Sport & Fitness recently presented at the UK Sport Development Network (UKSDN) annual conference at Nottingham Trent University. The conference is designed to bring academic researchers and people working in sport together to learn from each other. Jim’s presentation, in collaboration with Dr Daniel Kilvington (Leeds Beckett University), introduced the ‘ARC’ model of anti-racist coaching practice and included recommendations for sport coaches and organisations to effectively support players and athletes from diverse ethnic backgrounds.

The ARC model was created by Jim and Dan out of a research project funded by The Premier League, who were keen to develop some good practice for football coaches at professional club youth academies. The research team conducted over 30 interviews with football coaches working across professional and grassroots boys football to explore their conceptions of anti-racist coaching practice and elicit good practice in coaching young people from diverse ethnic backgrounds. From these findings, six core principles were established to form the ARC model, which include:

  1. Create an ARC environment
  2. Build culturally aware relationships
  3. Adapt practice to need diverse cultural needs
  4. Develop the person as well as the player
  5. Be culturally self-aware and reflective
  6. Be an ARC ‘influencer’

A number of recommendations to help coaches and organisations embed these ARC principles were also outlined. These include the importance of coaches seeking regular feedback on their practice from players, parents and other coaches and to develop a curiosity to learn more about their players and their specific cultural needs. Organisations should seek to prioritise and support the adoption of ARC principles, including using them for coach recruitment and appraisal processes and offer the time and space for coaches to get to know their players beyond just their football ability.

As part of the project, a 3-hour ARC training workshop was designed and has already been delivered to coaches at two premier league club academies. More workshops at a number of clubs are planned for the 24/25 season. In addition, an Open Learn course is currently in production titled ‘Anti-racist sport coaching practice’ which should be available to learners in the summer of 2025.

Congratulations to Jim for sharing his research with the sport academic and practitioner community!

Dissemination, Journal Paper, Research, Sport

New publication

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Steph Doehler, Senior Lecturer and Staff Tutor within #TeamOUSport, has recently published a new journal article in Communication & Sport. Her paper, titled ‘‘Your Analysis Is as Useless as Your Ovaries’: Women Football Fans’ Experiences on Social Media’ explores the experiences of women football fans on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter). Notably, this study is the first to extend Pope et al.’s (2022) Model of Men’s Performances of Masculinities, offering a new theoretical insight and refinement of the original framework.

This research makes an important contribution to the fields of sports fandom and sports communication, shedding light on the diverse interactions and coping mechanisms of women who engage in football-related discussions on social media. It underscores both the positive role of these platforms in fostering fan communities and the challenges women face, including gender stereotypes and discrimination in the male-dominated football space.

The findings raise critical questions about how to ensure the online safety of women sports fans. The study suggests that social media platforms must adopt stronger policies and technologies to combat gender-based harassment. Likewise, sports organisations and governing bodies should play a more active role in promoting safer digital environments for their supporters. Additionally, the research invites reflection on the role individual users – both men and women – can play in addressing sexist attitudes online. Tackling these issues will require collaborative efforts from policymakers, technology companies, sports organisations, and online communities to develop strategies for developing gender equality and creating inclusive online spaces for all sports fans.

Congratulations to Steph!

Books, Research

New book chapter

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Steph Doehler, Senior Lecturer and Staff Tutor within #TeamOUSport, has recently contributed to the newly published Routledge Handbook of Sport, Leisure, and Social Justice. Her chapter, titled ‘Just shut up and play’ – Sport, the Media, and Athlete Activism, explores the evolution of athlete activism, drawing on key moments like the Black Lives Matter movement to contextualise the broader historical trajectory of activism in sport.

The chapter gives special attention to the role of the media in framing these acts of activism, critically exploring how media narratives shape public perceptions and emotional responses.

One of the chapter’s key contributions is a case study focusing on Colin Kaepernick’s protest during the 2016 NFL season, when he knelt during the American National Anthem as a symbol to challenge police brutality throughout the country. The research also uniquely revisits how his protest was reframed in media narratives following the murder of George Floyd in 2020. This longitudinal analysis provides a fresh lens for understanding how media portrayals of activism can shift over time, particularly in response to broader societal changes.

The chapter concludes by identifying gaps in the existing research and suggests areas for future study on athlete activism, encouraging further exploration of the intersection between sport, media, and social justice.

To explore the full contents of the book, edited by Stefan Lawrence, Joanne Hill, and Rasul Mowatt, click on the image below.

Published in May 2024, the book features contributions from leading scholars around the world.

Congratulations to Steph!

Click on the link here to see the full contents page.

 

Journal Paper, Publications, Research

New Publication

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Photo by Anastasia Shuraeva: https://www.pexels.com/photo/injured-woman-lying-on-grass-field-9519544/
Photo by Anastasia Shuraeva: https://www.pexels.com/photo/injured-woman-lying-on-grass-field-9519544/

 

Dr Caroline Heaney and Dr Nichola Kentzer have recently published an article in Case Studies In Sport and Exercise Psychology titled ‘A Case Study Investigation Into a Group Online Sport Psychology Support Intervention for Injured Athletes’. The article explored the impact of an online sport psychology support hub on a group of sixteen injured athletes. The online hub moderated by a sport psychologist, provided sport psychology support through:

  • Social support via an online forum where athletes could talk to each other and the sport psychologist about the psychological aspects of their injury.
  • Written emotional disclosure through weekly diary entries relating to the psychological aspects of their injury that were shared with the sport psychologist.
  • Education resources aimed at helping the athletes to develop their psychological skills and ability to cope with injury.

The impact of the hub was measured through analysis of the forum posts, diary entries, and responses to an evaluation questionnaire. The athletes reported several positive benefits from using the hub and rated its overall impact highly. For example:

  • The majority of athletes agreed that participating in the project made them more aware of the psychological impact of their injury, helped them to feel more positive and motivated, and had a positive impact on their sport injury experience.
  • The majority agreed that the discussion forum was useful and that reading about other athletes’ sport injury experiences was particularly useful e.g., “I think hearing about other athletes’ experiences really helped me feel like I wasn’t alone”.
  • The athletes found completing a diary a cathartic experience and agreed that it was a useful way to reflect on their thoughts and feelings about being injured.
  • The education resources were viewed positively by the athletes who unanimously agreed that they were useful materials, and most felt that engaging with the materials had a positive impact on their sport injury rehabilitation.

These findings demonstrate the potential of online delivery as a method to deliver sport psychology support to injured athletes. Online delivery can help overcome some of the barriers to injured athletes accessing sport psychology support (e.g., financial and geographical constraints) and consequently enhance its reach.

Congratulations to Caroline and Nichola!

Heaney, C., & Kentzer, N. (2023). A case study investigation into a group online sport psychology support intervention for injured athletes. Case Studies in Sport and Exercise Psychology, 7(1), 24-32.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1123/cssep.2022-0022

A screenshot of the abstract for the paper. The abstract can be read at the link above in the post.

Journal Paper, PhD Research, Publications, Research

New Publication

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Sport and Fitness PhD researcher, Lorna Sams, and supervisors Dr Ben Langdown, Professor Joan Simons, Dr Jitka Vseteckova have recently had Open Access Systematic Literature Review published. The paper titled “The effect of percussive therapy on musculoskeletal performance and experiences of pain: a systematic literature review” has been published in The International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy and is receiving a lot of attention from practitioners and online publications. Check out the infographic and YouTube summaries below that have referenced the paper:

The systematic literature review investigates research conducted on the effects of percussive therapy interventions on performance in strength and conditioning settings, and on experiences of musculoskeletal pain.

Conclusions were that percussive therapy delivered by massage guns can help improve acute muscle strength, explosive muscle strength and flexibility, and reduce experiences of musculoskeletal pain.

The literature review highlighted that further research is needed to establish a standard, validated treatment protocol to allow analysis across populations and those with specific performance needs or pain, as well as considering the chronic effects of percussive therapy and the impact of multiple treatments.

Congratulations to Lorna and her co-authors!

Sams, L., Langdown, B. L., Simons, J. and Vseteckova, J. (2023) ‘The effect of percussive therapy on musculoskeletal performance and experiences of pain: A systematic literature review’, International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, Int J Sports Phys Ther, vol. 18, no. 2 [Online]. DOI: 10.26603/001C.73795

Dissemination, Journal Paper, OpenLearn, Publications, Research

New Publication

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Following on from previous publications in the topic area, Dr Nichola Kentzer (and wider team, including S&F tutors Dr Jo Horne and Dr Mike Trott) recently published a systematic review in the International Journal of Care and Caring, exploring the barriers and facilitators to physical activity among informal carers in the international literature. Finding very little research in the area in UK based literature, the international literature offered a more in-depth perspective.

Lindsay, R. K.; Vseteckova, J., Horne, J. Smith, L., Trott, M., De Lappe, J., Soysal, P. Pizzol, D. and Kentzer, N. (2023). Barriers and facilitators to physical activity among informal carers: a systematic review of international literature. International Journal of Care and Caring, 1, pp. 1–29. https://doi.org/10.1332/239788221X16746510534114

As part of this ongoing research, Nichola has authored a further output – an Open Learn course, endorsed by Carers Trust, that educated carers on the benefits of physical activity in the caring role. The course ‘Physical activity for health and wellbeing in the caring role’ continues the work to support carers to access physical activity opportunities appropriate for their needs and has been well received by the caring population, and those who work to support them.

Congratulations to Nichola and the wider team!

Journal Paper, Publications, Research

New Publication

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Dr Ben Langdown, Senior Lecturer in Sports Coaching with #TeamOUsport, recently had an Open Access paper published for a project that he and his co-author Dr Alex Ehlert ran during the COVID-19 lockdowns.

The paper, titled ‘An investigation into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic upon golfers’ strength and conditioning and golf practice’ has been published in the International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching.


The COVID-19 restrictions very quickly turned golfers’ routines on their head and forced them to adapt to different practice and training environments and ways of interacting with their strength and conditioning coach. This mixed-methods study surveyed amateur and professional golfers (n = 107), to examine the applied impact of the pandemic on their strength and conditioning, golf practice, tournament engagement, levels of stress and motivation and the impact upon diet and sleep.

The research highlighted that, although training and practice continued to some extent, there were increased levels of stress and disturbed sleep. The lack of equipment reported by over 71% of the participants led to perceptions of reduced physical gains from training during this period where maintaining ‘progressive overload’ was challenging (i.e. with a lack of weights to lift at home). Furthermore, the research highlighted that coming out of lockdown posed a potential for increased risk of injury when normal practice and training resumed. Coaches were advised to monitor workload carefully, especially in future situations similar to the stay-at-home orders (e.g. when golfers are travelling for an extended period with restricted access to training / practice facilities).

This project also involved surveying strength and conditioning coaches during the same period and Ben and Alex hope this will be published soon too.

Congratulations to Ben and his co-author Alex!

Langdown, Ben and Ehlert, Alex (2022). An investigation into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic upon golfers’ strength and conditioning and golf practice. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching (Early Access).

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/17479541221140016

Journal Paper, Publications, Research

New Publication

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Steph Doehler of #TeamOUSport has recently had a paper published which focuses on the public perception of athlete mental health. The paper titled, ‘Role Model or Quitter? Social Media’s Response to Simone Biles at Tokyo 2020’ has been published in the International Journal of Sport Communication.

The study looks at the Facebook narrative surrounding Simone Biles’ withdrawal from several gymnastics events at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Over 87,000 user comments were collected and analysed in total, with the results revealing a polarised public response. This research adds to the expanding body of literature on the framing of athlete mental health and is the first to focus on a female athlete. It reveals two notable findings: first, the public has failed to reach a consensus on athlete mental health, with many believing that athletes should be immune to the strains of competition. Second, while it was not a major theme throughout the narrative, Biles’ gender and race were presented both positively and negatively by social media users, which may not have been the case with male or White athletes.

Steph has previously presented the findings from this research at the Center for Sociocultural Sport and Olympic Research Annual Conference at California State University, Fullerton.

Congratulations to Steph!

Doehler, Steph (2022). Role Model or Quitter? Social Media’s Response to Simone Biles at Tokyo 2020. International Journal of Sport Communication (Early access).

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsc.2022-0143