Session 8: The future of coaching: technological influences

Introduction

This final session explores how sport, coaching and exercise may change in the next 20 years. There has already been a discernible shift in coaching to a more evidence-based approach; now you will consider technological developments that might influence a coach’s work. You will do this with the help of Michael Johnson, who has travelled to various organisations looking at what the future might hold.

This session starts with three short videos from Michael Johnson, each casting light on some significant likely changes in sport. The first video features interviews with a Red Bull sport scientist, the second focuses on the recovery from exercise and the third on wearable technologies.

Critically examining online and media sources will help you to make sense of your sporting interests and the world around you. For this reason, you will be asked to respond to an important question: how much can we trust what journalists say?

By the end of this session, you should be able to:

• list two type of broad claims made about technological innovation in sport and exercise
• outline key themes from technological developments that may influence coaching and instruction in the future
• start understanding how to evaluate evidence and journalist’s claims in sport, coaching and exercise.