Carroll University Sport Performance Institute
Educate Sport Scientists and Coaches

The CUSPI is an evolving entity to ensure that sport coaches and developing sport scientists have access to the most recent content and standards of developing training plans, implementing strength and conditioning, enhancing recovery from training and athlete monitoring.

Coach Education and Training

Despite high rates of sport participation and thus high numbers of coaches in the United States, many of these coaches are lacking adequate education in performance-based education programs. Furthermore, relatively few adequate academic-based coach education programs exist in the United States, as the university- and college-based coach education programs in the United States appear to be participation-oriented rather than performance-oriented. This has resulted in many sport coaches not holding an adequate understanding of the body’s response to sporting activities and appropriate training methods for an athlete’s age and level. Although participation in competitive and recreational sport is an important avenue for individuals to develop a sense of accomplishment or to improve fitness, it is becoming increasingly clear that coach-derived training programs are deficient in principles of strength and conditioning, the development of training plans, recovery enhancement and athlete monitoring.

students conducting athletic training study

Sport Scientist Development

While exercise science is more widely known, its aim is to develop a better understanding of the relationship between exercise and physiological mechanisms and health issues. Conversely, sport science investigates the enhancement of sport performance using scientific methods and principles. It is paramount in the development of sport scientists that they have an excellent background in both basic and applied science. Therefore, a sport scientist must first be a good scientist. While there are many programs offering exercise science, there are very few academic-based programs in the United States that dealing focus directly with on the development of sport science and sport scientists exist.

Solutions

Through Carroll University’s Sport Physiology and Performance Coaching graduate program, students are exposed to practical experiences including practicum courses that allow students to work directly with the Carroll University athletic teams as Assistant Human Performance Coaches. Furthermore, students complete an internship during their final semester to expand upon their experiences at Carroll and work with athletes, sport coaches and sport scientists in diverse settings that will prepare them for their future careers.

In addition to providing graduate students with cutting-edge classroom and hands-on experiences, the CUSPI also offers educational experiences for established coaches, sport scientists, and other interested groups via workshops, clinics and symposia.