Sports Coaching Practice

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Why study at Roehampton

This Foundation degree provides direct access to the BA Sports Coaching final year.
One and a half days per week of study to fit around existing work commitments.
Access to a network of experienced coaches with job contacts and opportunities.
100% of students in work or further study within six months of graduation (Destination of Leavers of Higher Education, 2016 results).

This Foundation Degree (FdSc) is perfect for existing coaches who are looking to develop their own practice and progress their careers. This work-based course is a great opportunity to professionalise your coaching according to national and European standards.

During this two year course you will learn the theories that underpin the different approaches to sports coaching and learn how to evaluate a range of techniques. You will study the pedagogical aspects of coaching including coaching styles, coaching pedagogy/practice and employability which will build on your current coaching skills and help you improve the ways in which you communicate with performers.

You will also gain an understanding of anatomy and physiology, which will develop your understanding of the interdependence of fundamental physiological systems and how these relate to the work of the coach.

By working and studying at the same time, you will be able to continually review and develop the way you work to reflect your studies.

The University's Sport Roehampton Performance Centre is one of the best laboratories of its type in London and includes a climatic chamber and automated motion-capture systems. Throughout your course you will have the opportunity to use this high-quality facility.

To gain a place on this course, you will need to be supported by your employer be in a paid or voluntary coaching role. Taught sessions will be based around work-based coaching commitments and will include twilight and weekend sessions. On completion of this course, you have the option to do another year and graduate with a BA Sports Coaching.

First year

During your first year, you will focus on the theory behind sport coaching and learn how a coach develops sessions to maximise performance. You will be introduced to fundamental physiological systems and gain an understanding of how training affects these systems.. You will also undertake a reflective practice where you will apply the knowledge gained on the course to your own work-place.

Second year

In your second year, you will build on and put into practice what you have already learnt. You spend time looking at the wider support system that surrounds performers, including how you as a coach can help them achieve their professional goals. You’ll learn about the psychological ‘tools’ available to the coach in their work with performers at different levels and in different contexts. You will also build your understanding of sports science, including the key nutritional and hydration strategies designed to improve athletic performance.

If you go on to do a third year to get your BA Sports Coaching Practice you will cover the following:

During this additional year, you will continue to develop your skills and apply the theoretical and practical knowledge you have gained over the last two years and apply it to a work context. You will also learn how to establish a self-employed status within the world of sport coaching, as well gaining a firm understanding of the professional framework of practice and ethics of the coaching profession.

Career options

Graduates of this foundation course work in coach development and in coach mentoring. They set up their own businesses in coaching/sport. It is a pathway into youth development and social work, and graduates may follow into the teaching profession from primary to further education.

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