Year
2024Credit points
10Campus offering
Prerequisites
EXSC310 Strength and Conditioning: Fundamentals of Athlete Preparation
Teaching organisation
150 hours of focused learning.Unit rationale, description and aim
The effective prescription of training programs to enhance athletic performance requires an understanding of contemporary practices and their scientific foundations. This unit is based on scientific principles and practices of strength and conditioning/sports science, including the utilisation of current research and technology to guide real world application in the sporting environment. Contemporary practices addressed in this unit include exercise prescription for developing aerobic capacity, repeated sprint ability, speed and agility, and muscular strength and power. This unit aims to provide students with the knowledge and skills to develop periodised training programs and to employ methods to quantify and monitor training load and the fatigue response. Practical skills associated with the delivery of training programs are embedded within this unit. These knowledge and skills are consistent with the professional standards for Strength and Conditioning and Exercise Scientist accreditation.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
| Learning Outcome Number | Learning Outcome Description | Relevant Graduate Capabilities |
|---|---|---|
| LO1 | Demonstrate a clear understanding of contemporary methods used for improving athletic performance including knowledge of their scientific evidence base. | GC1, GC2, GC7, GC9, GC11 |
| LO2 | Describe the various methods available for prescribing/quantifying and monitoring training load including their strengths and limitations. | GC1, GC9, GC11 |
| LO3 | Display a clear understanding of appropriate methods for the assessment of capacity and fatigue in athletic training environments with a particular emphasis on their scientific foundation. | GC1, GC9, GC11 |
| LO4 | Develop a periodised annual plan for a sport of your choice, including specific sessions within designated macrocycles. | GC2, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC11 |
| LO5 | Deliver training sessions aimed to develop various physical qualities, highlighting your ability to correct exercise technique as required. | GC2, GC7, GC12 |
Content
Topics will include:
- Training prescription for developing a broad range of physical qualities
- Periodisation & Long Term Planning
- Monitoring Training Load, Fatigue & Recovery
- Practical sessions in gym and field environments
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
Learning and teaching strategies include active learning, case-based learning, individual and group activities, cooperative learning, web-based learning, and reflective/critical thinking activities, delivered through lecture and practical sessions. These strategies will provide students with access to required knowledge and understanding of unit content, and opportunities for application of knowledge and understanding for practical skill development in Strength & Conditioning/Sports Science. These strategies will allow students to meet the aim, learning outcomes and graduate attributes of the unit, as well as professional practice standards required by Australian Strength & Conditioning Association and Exercise and Sports Science Australia. Learning and teaching strategies will reflect respect for the individual as an independent learner. Students will be expected to take responsibility for their learning and to participate actively within group activities.
Assessment strategy and rationale
Consistent with University assessment requirements, standards-based assessment is used in this unit, and assessments are designed to reflect learning outcomes and graduate attributes. Assessment Task 1 (Written Task) allows students to demonstrate their ability to engage with the unit content and further readings in order to compose an article relating to a contemporary topic in strength and conditioning. Assessment Task 2 (Written Task) allows students to clearly demonstrate their understanding of fundamental, underlying physical capacities relating to performance and appropriate training prescription to enhance those. Further, Assessment Task 2 enables students to show their ability to carefully plan and organise a 12-month period of training, taking into account different phases of training and competition. The 60% weighting for this assessment reflects that is a capstone assessment that encompasses significant aspects of the high-performance units that students have studied prior to this unit. A hurdle task exists in this unit to enable students to demonstrate their practical competencies in a variety of exercise and coaching techniques that are required to safely deliver advanced training programs to athletes.
Additionally, the knowledge and skills assessed in this unit are requirements of the Australian Strength and Conditioning Association (ASCA) Level 1 and Level 2 accreditation scheme. EXSC396 is part of a suite of units that contribute to ACU achieving the status of an ASCA recognised industry provider, allowing the students to streamline accreditation with this important industry partner at the successful completion of their degree. The assessment tasks have been consequently designed to encompass the learning outcomes of the unit, while being aligned with the ASCA accrediting body.
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
Journal article Enables students to demonstrate their understanding of unit content and their written communication, including information literacy skills of topic selection and search strategies. | 40% | LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4 |
Periodised training program Enables students to demonstrate their application of knowledge and skills by designing a training programs to meet athlete goals. | 60% | LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4 |
Practical competencies Enables students to demonstrate competency in skills required for professional practice | HURDLE | LO1, LO2, LO5 |
Representative texts and references
Joyce, D. & Lewindon, D. (2014). High-Performance Training for Sports. Champaign, Illinois: Human Kinetics.
Cardinale, M., Newton, R., Nosaka, K. (Ed) (2011). Strength and Conditioning-Biological Principles and Practical Applications. Oxford: Wiley Blackwell
Tanner, Rebecca K. and Gore, Christopher J. (Ed) (2012). Physiological Tests for Elite Athletes(2nd ed.) Champaign, Illinois: Human Kinetics.
Hopkins, W.G. (2000). A new view of statistics. Internet Society for Sport Science: http://www.sportsci.org/resource/stats/