We are extremely proud to announce that SV sports therapist, Chris Snipp, graduated from the University of Chichester on 24 October 2016 and is now the recipient of an MSc in Strength & Conditioning.
We thought we'd ask Chris a few questions about his course and how he thinks it will fit with what we do at SV...
Why did you decide to do a Masters in Strength & Conditioning?
For me there is a big link between injury prevention and recovery and somebody's physicality. I have always strongly believed that somebody's strength, fitness and the way they move is incredibly important, not just for maintaining a healthy body and mind, but also for allowing them to recover and adapt, to relieve pain and dysfunction and also to perform at their best once they get there - whether that’s for sport or day-to-day activities.
Strength & Conditioning practices are heavily rooted in all of these aspects and the principles learnt on a course like this go beyond simply getting fitter and stronger, providing the skills to address a deficit and help someone to get back to living their life.
I wanted to take my Sports Therapy practice to the next level and to be able to provide people with the understanding and skills to not only recover, but to improve. For that reason, the MSc in Strength & Conditioning at Chichester seemed like the perfect fit. What did you get out of it?
My understanding of movement, at an individual level, and how this relates to injury risk, recovery, athletic performance and completing everyday tasks I think has completely changed. Humans aren't robots; we're all built of the same things but are all put together slightly differently.
I look at someone and no longer see a functional issue caused by a specific physical dysfunction or injury, but a functional issue contributed to by a mal-adapted or damaged system. This system not only includes the injury site, but also the rest of the body, the demands placed on the body and how that body tries to cope with those demands.This way I feel I can now more easily adapt my treatment, training and rehab prescription to the individual as a whole and not the dysfunction in isolation.
Add to this my increased understanding of the science and practice of Strength & Conditioning training itself and I feel I am now better placed to get people back to doing what they need and love to do, and possibly doing it better than before. How do you think this will enhance your work with clients at SV?
Many of our clients at SV are fantastic athletes and others are individuals whose day-to-day lives have been disrupted by pain or restriction in movement! I feel that the skills I have gained via the MSc in Strength & Conditioning could help to iron out imbalances in their routines that leave them prone to injury or hinder them in developing further, no matter what they are trying to achieve.
For the athletic individuals, despite having top class coaching in their sport, they may not have access to a coach or mentor that is familiar with Strength & Conditioning principles and so having that feedback can help them to remain injury free and to continue to better themselves as an athlete.
For those that are not heavily involved in sport but need to function without pain and discomfort, these skills can help to get them back on track and, hopefully, make them less likely to experience further issues.
If you want to talk to Chris about strength and conditioning, please contact us.