Sport Education- Need to Redesign, Realign and Restructure

-by Dr. Nayana Nimkar,

Director,

Symbiosis School of Sports Sciences, Pune

One of the best ways to prepare for the future is to engage in a lively and spirited dialogue about the changes to come. The pace of change has been stunning, and it is not slowing down. It is time that we take a hard look at the generation currently coming into adulthood, because they represent our future. We know that they love sports, but they have an entirely different approach to engaging with games. They will be the first generation to fully embrace the new worlds of virtual and augmented reality. They are tech savvy, hyper-connected and easily bored. To stay relevant, we must understand the tastes and motivations of this growing group of millennials.

Sports professionals have always been interested in data, and the amount of data that is being collected on teams and on the performance and health of individual athletes is growing exponentially.

Advances in the application of technology, where computers autonomously harvest mountains of data to find hidden patterns, is already helping change the way coaches make decisions, from recruitment to on-field strategy to avoid season-ending injuries and so on. The Future of Sports Report predicts the use of -

• Artificial Intelligence…. Artificial intelligence subcategories machine learning and deep learning will process vast data streams to enhance coaches’ game strategies and real-time decision making.
• Bioinformatics and Health…. Teams will build genetic performance profiles to personalize each player’s nutrition and fitness protocols. • Pathogen transfer in stadiums is inevitable.
• Digital Manufacturing…. 3D printing and manufacturing will drastically reshape the sports supply chain.
• Global Smartphone Canopy…. People will be connected to the internet, representing several billion new sports fans joining the global marketplace.
• Sensors…. Sensors are proliferating in jerseys, athletic wear and equipment, creating exponentially growing data sets for AI systems to process, granting unprecedented insights into performance.
• Immersive Visual Computing…. Augmented reality: The world becomes an infinite display, allowing teams and fans to access and use new forms of visual data during practice and games.

Need and Evolution of Sports Sciences

Sports Sciences is thus a relatively young discipline, which reflects the seriousness with which sports and fitness is approached today. It is a multidisciplinary subject, drawing on fields such as physiology, biomechanics, nutrition and dietetics, management etc.

The nature of the subject necessitates that the best way to educate sports scientists would be in a formal setting where highest quality of knowledge dissemination and innovative research would be encouraged. The ability to analyse, evaluate, and effectively use creativity in a real-world setting requires training and laboratory work. This can happen only through establishing either schools of sports sciences or independent departments in Universities as units offering academic programs in the sports science discipline. The highlights of the programs would be-

• The expertise and scientific application that students would gain in this subject could be applied at the highest levels within the sport, health and fitness areas.
• The Sport Science practicum would provide essential workplace experience, enabling integration of theoretical concepts with professional practice in a wide range of disciplines.
• The practicum program would also provide extensive interaction with other professionals in the chosen path of study.
• Unique learning experience with cutting-edge equipment and laboratories would assist the students to research and translate this research into practice (evidence-based practice).

It is opportune time for all of us to look ahead and redesign, realign and restructure our entire sport education to match up to the demands of time. Promoting excellence and empowerment through quality education should be the main thrust for developing professionals in this field. These are exciting times and together we can bring about a revolution in sports education.

References:

(2019). Retrieved from https://futureof.org/wp-content/uploads/The-Future-of-Sports-2016-Report.pdf

(2019). Retrieved from https://www.asoif.com/sites/default/files/download/future_of_global_sport.pdf