Optimising Sport Performance

The Optimising Sports Performance (OSP) group conducts research aiming to improve our understanding of how humans adapt and respond to exercise, and we can design and implement interventions to maximise sports performance and optimise the stress-recovery-adaptation process.

The OSP group is multidisciplinary in nature, comprising experts in physiology, biomechanics, psychology, nutrition, psychology, physiotherapy, strength and conditioning, performance analysis, and related disciplines. We primarily study athletic populations, but our research has implications for human performance across the spectrum from elite athletes and para-athlete competing at the highest levels, to the average gym-goer aiming to optimise their health and ability to function.

The OSP group has a proven record of high-quality research, and even higher quality impact. We have established relationships with the following regional, national, and international sporting partners, all of which have resulted in tangible, ongoing impact on sport performance and practice:

Regional

National

International

Research Group Leader

Tom Jones

Academic Team Dropdown

PGRs / Thesis Title / Submission Year

Chris Rogers / Video analysis for improved decision making & performance in wheelchair rugby: Developing an optimal approach / 2028
Leila Benyahia / Competing with the boys: the physical, technical, and tactical demands of mixed- and same-sex football / 2027
Amanda Gordon / Deceleration characteristics and demands of elite women’s football / 2027
Casey Greenwalt / Menstrual cycle symptom tracking and mitigation in elite women’s football / 2027
Owen Munro / Characterising sleep and it’s impact on elite female athletic performance / 2027
Thomas Keeney / Monitoring and intervention strategies to optimise performance and health in professional women’s football / 2027
Sally Anderson / Are parents of youth athletes burning out? / 2026
Ben King / Thriving during the junior to senior transition in football / 2026
Elisa Pastorio / The female cyclist - sex differences and the effect of the menstrual cycle on cycling performance, physiology, and biomechanics / 2026
Becca Bradburn / Student athlete health, well being, and performance / 2027
Garry Hall / What effect does fatigue during high-intensity running have on Hip abductors and running gait? Can resistance training offset these effects? / 2026
Luke Gray / Optimising the Therapeutic Effects of Blood Flow Restriction Exercise within UK Defence Rehabilitation Practice / 2026
Steven Morton / Validation of Novel Physical Performance Assessments for Ski Athletes / 2025