New AIS learning modules unpack the science behind athlete development

The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is helping athletes, coaches, parents and practitioners put sport science into practice with two new online learning resources focused on long-term athlete development.

Physiology Unpacked: What It Takes to Train, Recover and Compete in the High-Performance Pathway and Growth and Maturation in Youth Sport translate key sport science concepts into practical learning to help athletes, coaches, parents and practitioners involved in athlete development build skills and knowledge earlier in the performance pathway.

Paralympic champion Curtis McGrath, snowboarder James Johnstone, Para triathlete David Bryant, Black Swans netballer Scarlet Jauncey and swimmer Sam Williamson share their athlete experiences in Physiology Unpacked, helping break down the building blocks of preparing and performing.

Across the five Physiology modules, participants can build their understanding of how training creates adaptation, how to identify basic training principles that underpin training programs and demands of a sport, and how evidence-informed monitoring, recovery and competition strategies can support development and performance over time.

Growth and Maturation in Youth Sport focuses on the important role physical development can play in the sporting experience of young athletes, featuring Opal Bec Allen, Roller Tom O'Neill-Thorne and diver Maddison Keeney. This unit was developed in collaboration with the University of Sydney, with Professor Stephen Cobley and Dr Shaun Abbott featuring in the course.

The three-module resource introduces key growth and maturation concepts, explores how maturational growth can affect youth sport performance, and provides practical information tailored to different audiences about how those considerations can be applied in youth sport environments.

Together, the new resources give participants access to evidence-informed learning to help them apply sport science knowledge to decisions about training and athlete development. Physiology Unpacked and Growth and Maturation in Youth Sport are available here.