Playing it Safe: Psychological Safety and Mental Health for Community Sport. At a time when over half of all Australians participate in organised sports it is critical to ensure that these environments are psychologically safe. The problem is that community sports clubs have no clear guidance on how to fulfil this substantial responsibility. There have been urgent calls for the development of psychological safety and mental health guidelines which have yet to be answered. This project will deliv ....Playing it Safe: Psychological Safety and Mental Health for Community Sport. At a time when over half of all Australians participate in organised sports it is critical to ensure that these environments are psychologically safe. The problem is that community sports clubs have no clear guidance on how to fulfil this substantial responsibility. There have been urgent calls for the development of psychological safety and mental health guidelines which have yet to be answered. This project will deliver the knowledge to underpin effective psychological safety and mental health guidelines for community sports with national impact. When implemented, this knowledge will help sports clubs to provide a psychologically safe environment, and promote the mental health and wellbeing of all Australians involved in organised sports.Read moreRead less
Improving determinants of Australian sports talent identification and development: a multi-disciplinary approach. Sport is important to many Australians. Our sport successes enhance our national identity, generate community pride and attract mega sport events. Currently our sport talent identification and development (TID) systems have been surpassed by our international rivals who borrowed from and improved our knowledge. This project will help regain Australia's international advantage and aga ....Improving determinants of Australian sports talent identification and development: a multi-disciplinary approach. Sport is important to many Australians. Our sport successes enhance our national identity, generate community pride and attract mega sport events. Currently our sport talent identification and development (TID) systems have been surpassed by our international rivals who borrowed from and improved our knowledge. This project will help regain Australia's international advantage and again make Australian TID the international benchmark. Results will highlight the role of TID practices in improving recreational participation and maximising, attracting, developing and retaining sport talent. This will result in improved use of sports limited TID funding by providing greater understanding of factors that influence elite selection and sport development.Read moreRead less
Taking risks with safety gear: Biomechanical and psychological perspectives on risk compensation. This project uniquely combines objective and subjective measures in investigating whether and how people take more risks in the face of safety interventions. Investigating changes in behaviour with safety gear in sport is of benefit because it (a) allows comprehensive measurement of risk-taking behaviour and (b) can result in significant health benefits. These health benefits include reducing sports ....Taking risks with safety gear: Biomechanical and psychological perspectives on risk compensation. This project uniquely combines objective and subjective measures in investigating whether and how people take more risks in the face of safety interventions. Investigating changes in behaviour with safety gear in sport is of benefit because it (a) allows comprehensive measurement of risk-taking behaviour and (b) can result in significant health benefits. These health benefits include reducing sports injuries through improving the efficacy of safety gear, and applications to risk-taking in other health domains, such as patient safety, occupational safety, and transport safety. Through improved methodology, the project should advance international research practice on this controversial topic.Read moreRead less
Tracking the musculoskeletal health and performance of talented adolescent female athletes. The vision is to gain an innovative understanding of risk factors for the early detection or prevention of injury, and to identify factors that promote participation longevity in young athletes. The biomechanics explored in this study will provide a basis for larger studies in future years. Large economic and social benefits can be gained from increased knowledge of injury prevention early in life. Lowere ....Tracking the musculoskeletal health and performance of talented adolescent female athletes. The vision is to gain an innovative understanding of risk factors for the early detection or prevention of injury, and to identify factors that promote participation longevity in young athletes. The biomechanics explored in this study will provide a basis for larger studies in future years. Large economic and social benefits can be gained from increased knowledge of injury prevention early in life. Lowered injury costs provide immediate cost benefits to the nation. Ultimately, in a nation familiar with the high costs of cardiovascular and musculoskeletal diseases, the health sector of Australia will be the greatest benefactor of this project.Read moreRead less
Matching Oars to Rowers. This project combines expert oar design, manufacture and advanced biomechanical analysis to produce new oar designs that match rowers? power generation characteristics with boat propulsion requirements. The outcome will be optimally configured oar designs that combine properties which maximise rowers? performance. The performance of the oar-rower combination will be race condition assessed, on-water, in a state-of-the-art measurement boat and an iterative process used to ....Matching Oars to Rowers. This project combines expert oar design, manufacture and advanced biomechanical analysis to produce new oar designs that match rowers? power generation characteristics with boat propulsion requirements. The outcome will be optimally configured oar designs that combine properties which maximise rowers? performance. The performance of the oar-rower combination will be race condition assessed, on-water, in a state-of-the-art measurement boat and an iterative process used to bring the oars to their final configurations. A range of specifications will result from matching the oar to different body types with emphasis on appropriate designs for women rowers.Read moreRead less
Bringing the boat into the lab: Rowing simulation. Rowing simulators are used for rowing training, rowing assessment and exercise. Their effectiveness for the first two depends on their exercise stimulus specificity to on-water rowing. Rowing simulators are also used in the fitness industry for exercise and in all applications the potential for injury should be minimised. This research will produce a "specification" of on-water rowing by characterising the magnitude and timing of the forces and ....Bringing the boat into the lab: Rowing simulation. Rowing simulators are used for rowing training, rowing assessment and exercise. Their effectiveness for the first two depends on their exercise stimulus specificity to on-water rowing. Rowing simulators are also used in the fitness industry for exercise and in all applications the potential for injury should be minimised. This research will produce a "specification" of on-water rowing by characterising the magnitude and timing of the forces and moments experienced on-water. Rowing simulator agreement with this specification will be tested, modifications suggested for their improvement, and one modified and retested. Simulator rowing will be computer-modelled and the potential for injury assessed.Read moreRead less
Passive mechanical properties of human muscles. Australia has a strong record in the discipline of biomechanics. The proposed studies will help maintain Australia's standing in the discipline. They will provide fundamental new data on the properties of human muscles and basic insights into muscle growth and adaptation. The data will be used to develop more refined biomechanical models than is currently possible. The studies will also provide training in world-leading research methods for two PhD ....Passive mechanical properties of human muscles. Australia has a strong record in the discipline of biomechanics. The proposed studies will help maintain Australia's standing in the discipline. They will provide fundamental new data on the properties of human muscles and basic insights into muscle growth and adaptation. The data will be used to develop more refined biomechanical models than is currently possible. The studies will also provide training in world-leading research methods for two PhD students and a research associate.Read moreRead less
Social Impact and Connection Outcomes Associated with Community Sport. Outcomes of social connection from community sport are widely touted and supported to exist. However, we know little about how social infrastructure actually delivers these benefits. It is difficult to understand and develop practices that organisations can use to maximise the outcomes of sport participation. This research aims to investigate how social infrastructure delivers social connection outcomes associated with commun ....Social Impact and Connection Outcomes Associated with Community Sport. Outcomes of social connection from community sport are widely touted and supported to exist. However, we know little about how social infrastructure actually delivers these benefits. It is difficult to understand and develop practices that organisations can use to maximise the outcomes of sport participation. This research aims to investigate how social infrastructure delivers social connection outcomes associated with community sport. Expected outcomes include novel practice based tools and guidance for community groups to enhance social connection outcomes and new understanding about the role of social infrastructure in enhancing community connection. Improved social connection is expected to improve resilience and community wellbeing.
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Anticipation and decision making skill: from testing to training. This project examines how experts anticipate and make decisions in dynamic, time constrained environments. The project will identify factors that contribute to the development of expertise and develop simulation-based training programs to facilitate the more rapid acquisition of the skills underpinning anticipation and decision making.
Influence of athletic footwear on lower limb biomechanics of pubertal girls. This project aims to determine whether athletic footwear with appropriate design features can help improve neuromuscular control and, in doing so, reduce the potentially deleterious forces on the knee and lower limb structures of pubertal girls. As girls reach puberty, they become less able to control the movement patterns of their lower limbs, particularly in high-demand tasks like running and jumping. Better-designed ....Influence of athletic footwear on lower limb biomechanics of pubertal girls. This project aims to determine whether athletic footwear with appropriate design features can help improve neuromuscular control and, in doing so, reduce the potentially deleterious forces on the knee and lower limb structures of pubertal girls. As girls reach puberty, they become less able to control the movement patterns of their lower limbs, particularly in high-demand tasks like running and jumping. Better-designed footwear for pubertal girls may improve movement patterns, decrease the likelihood of musculoskeletal injury and improve physical activity participation rates. Project outcomes may lead to the development of such footwear, and are also anticipated to expand our understanding of female developmental biomechanics.Read moreRead less