Sports Science

OCR Level 2 Cambridge National Certificate in Sport Science

 By studying for a Cambridge National in Sport Science, this will encourage students to think for themselves about the scientific world of sport whilst putting those theories and concepts into practice in both theoretical and practical sport situations. They will gain a full and complete understanding of these areas to enable progression at level 3 into a scientific discipline of their choice.

Students must complete the following mandatory topics:

Reducing the risk of sports injuries and dealing with common medical conditions 

(Assessed by written exam, 40% of overall grade)

In this unit, students will learn how to prepare participants to take part in physical activity in a way which minimises the risk of injuries occurring; prepare them to be able to react to common injuries that can occur during sport and physical activity and to recognise the symptoms of some common medical conditions.

Applying the principles of training: fitness and how it affects skill performance

(Centre assessed tasks, 40% of overall grade)

In this unit, students will learn how to conduct a range of fitness tests, what they test and their advantages and disadvantages. They will also learn how to design, plan and evaluate a fitness training programme. This will give them the background knowledge they need to be able to plan and deliver appropriate fitness tests, some of which will be adapted to suit the skills of the sporting activity. Students will then interpret the data collected from fitness tests and learn how best to feed this back so that participants can go on to make informed decisions about their fitness training.

Optional units – Students must complete a further unit worth 20% of overall grade from the following options:

The body’s response to physical activity and how technology informs this (Centre assessed tasks)

In this unit, students will learn to understand how both the cardio-respiratory and musculoskeletal systems provide you with the energy and movements needed to keep you exercising and in turn how exercise helps develop both of these systems.

 Nutrition and sports performance (Centre assessed tasks)

In this unit, students will learn to consider the composition of healthy, balanced nutrition. They will consider the necessity of certain nutrients and their role in enabling effective performance in different sporting activities. The knowledge gained will be used to produce an appropriate, effective nutrition plan for a performer.