This series of tracks looks at Health and Fitness centres and how they are run as well as providing an insight into the training of future elite athletes in Britain. Material is taken from The Open University course E112 Introduction to sport, fitness and management.

Have you got a goal? Whether it is to exercise more, lose a few pounds, or write a novel, our Personal Best App will help you get there.

In this free course you will explore two aspects of
strength and conditioning in sport and fitness: speed and power. Strength and conditioning is the physical preparation of athletes and in this course you will explore the physiology of speed before looking at training methods
to develop speed. You will also look at power which is a concept closely
related to speed.

Have you ever experienced a sport injury? Have you ever thought there could be a psychological dimension to sport injuries, as well as a physical one?

Sport injury is relatively common among sport
and exercise participants, and while the physical impact of injury is often easy to recognise, the psychological impact is less obvious. In this free course, Exploring the psychological aspects of sport injury, you will examine the relationship between injury and psychological factors. You will look at the link between injury and psychology
at two distinct points – before an injury has occurred and then following an injury. First, you will consider the psychological factors that may increase the likelihood of sustaining a sport injury (pre-injury), and then you will consider psychological reactions to the incidence of a sport injury (post-injury). The course will also allow you to
examine how sport and exercise psychology can be used both to help minimise the risk of injury and to help people cope better with sport injury rehabilitation. The video below featuring OU student and Olympic Gold Medallist Helen
Richardson-Walsh explains more.

This free course, Communication and working relationships in sport and fitness, explores the personal skills that underpin so much work in sport and gyms. We often hear employers refer to the importance of these interpersonal relationships or ‘soft skills’ in sport and fitness, and in this unique course you’ll build valuable insights into understanding workplace communication, motivation and self-awareness and how this can increase your effectiveness and enhance how you work with others. All this is made possible by some unique film footage of coaches, trainers and instructors at work combined with engaging learning activities that accompany these case studies to benefit both your career and those you work with.

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Please note: This is course is due to be archived on Wednesday 21th December. You can study the course up until this date. For learners who have completed the course, the Statement of Participation will remain in your learner records in your OpenLearn profile.
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Aerobic fitness is integral to successful sports performance and to maintaining good health. But what sort of exercise should you be doing to develop your aerobic fitness? This free course, Improving aerobic fitness, will help you to answer this question by introducing you to principles of aerobic exercise prescription.

The ability to recover quickly from an intensive training session or match can be extremely advantageous to sports performers. Sport and fitness participants are increasingly using strategies such as ice baths and compression clothing to enhance their recovery from intensive exercise, but how effective are these strategies? Do they really speed up the recovery process? To answer questions such as these this free course ‘Recovery strategies in sport and exercise’ investigates the science behind recovery exploring the physiological processes involved in training and recovery and the potential role of recovery strategies.

Welcome to the Sport and Fitness Hub. Enjoy exploring our range of free courses, articles and interactives to exercise your body and mind.