Sport and Exercise Science
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Dr Laurence Birdsey
Lecturer in Applied Sport Science and Performance
My profile
Biography
I am a Lecturer in applied sport science and performance in the department of sport and exercise sciences, teaching on sports coaching, sports physiology and sports performance units. I am uniquely positioned having worked full-time in high performance sport for 10 years as a senior physiologist at Sport Wales and the English Institute of Sport, and having completed my PhD investigating the physical and physiological demands of netball training and competition.
I have supported coaches and athletes to learn, develop and gain success at European and World Championships, Para and Olympic Games across a range of sports, and specialised in endurance and power endurance sports. I have previously been a senior physiologist and coach for the track endurance squads of the Great Britain Cycling Team, as well as a coach for a professional UCI World Tour cyclist, leading to success at the highest level.
I completed my PhD investigating the physical demands of elite netball training and competition at Swansea University. My research now focuses on how prior exercise influences subsequent exercise performance, including priming exercise, optimising training session order and maintaining performance across a competition. I am also interested in how the menstrual cycle, and in particularly testosterone, influences these areas through the impact on the neuromuscular system and how the physical demands of exercise influence training and recovery strategies.
I currently coach a number of international-standard track cyclists, working closely with them to help to achieve their aims of success at the Paris Olympic Games. Additionally I am a BASES accredited physiologist (and supervise students through supervised experience pathway), and use my experiences of working in high performance sport to enhance the learning and engagement of students.
Interests and expertise
- Research collaboratively with performance support teams and sport scientists of high performance teams and National Governing Bodies
- Work collaboratively to understand the question and answer it fully to improve performance
- Stay curious to challenge the ideals
- Support students to develop themselves
Projects
- Physical and physiological demands of training and competition
- Training and recovery strategies to enhance subsequent performance
- Morning exercise to enhance afternoon performance
- The influence of ovarian hormones on performance and injury in elite netball players
- Quantifying the physiological, technical and tactical impact of rule changes in Olympic level taekwondo
- Responses to repeated maximal 1500 m time-trials in well-trained middle distance runners
Teaching
I am the unit lead for L5 Assessing fitness, L6 Performance Analysis and L7 Work placement units and teach across a number of other units, including:
L4 Fundamentals of sports coaching
L6 Working in high performance sport
L7 Scientific principles of training
L7 Working in sport and exercise
Sport Coaching and Development
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Supervision
- Quantifying the physiological, technical and tactical impact of rule changes in Olympic standard taekwondo – PhD with GB Taekwondo – Co-supervisor
- The effects of ovarian hormones on injury and performance in elite female netball players – PhD with Manchester Thunder Netball – Co-supervisor
Research outputs
My research has focussed primarily on sports performance in elite/ high performance populations.
- Birdsey LP, Weston M, Russell M, Johnston M, Cook CJ, Kilduff LP (2022) Acute physiological and perceptual responses to a netball specific training session in professional female netball players. PLoS ONE 17(2): e0263772. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0263772
- Laurence P. Birdsey, Matthew Weston, Mark Russell, Michael Johnston, Christian J. Cook & Liam P. Kilduff (2022) The neuromuscular, physiological, endocrine and perceptual responses to different training session orders in international female netball players, European Journal of Sport Science, 22:3, 314-325, DOI: 10.1080/17461391.2020.1869837
- Laurence P. Birdsey, Matthew Weston, Mark Russell, Michael Johnston, Christian J. Cook & Liam P. Kilduff (2019) Neuromuscular, physiological and perceptual responses to an elite netball tournament, Journal of Sports Sciences, 37:19, 2169-2174, DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2019.1625613
- Michael G. Hughes, Laurence Birdsey, Rob Meyers, Daniel Newcombe, Jon Lee Oliver, Paul M. Smith, Michael Stembridge, Keeron Stone & David George Kerwin (2013) Effects of playing surface on physiological responses and performance variables in a controlled football simulation, Journal of Sports Sciences, 31:8, 878-886, DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2012.757340
- Turner, Anthony, Walker, Scott, Stembridge, Michael, Coneyworth, Paul, Reed, Glen, Birdsey, Laurence, Barter, Phil„ Moody, Jeremy. A Testing Battery for the Assessment of Fitness in Soccer Players. Strength and Conditioning Journal: October 2011 - Volume 33 - Issue 5 - p 29-39 doi: 10.1519/SSC.0b013e31822fc80a
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Journal articles
Birdsey, L.P., Weston, M., Russell, M., Johnston, M., Cook, C.J., Kilduff, L.P. (2022) 'Acute physiological and perceptual responses to a netball specific training session in professional female netball players.' PLoS One, 17(2) pp. e0263772-e0263772.
Birdsey, L.P., Weston, M., Russell, M., Johnston, M., Cook, C.J., Kilduff, L.P. (2021) 'The neuromuscular, physiological, endocrine and perceptual responses to different training session orders in international female netball players.' European Journal of Sport Science, 22(3) pp. 314-325.
Birdsey, L.P., Weston, M., Russell, M., Johnston, M., Cook, C.J., Kilduff, L.P. (2019) 'Neuromuscular, physiological and perceptual responses to an elite netball tournament.' Journal of Sports Sciences, 37(19) pp. 2169-2174.
Hughes, M.G., Birdsey, L., Meyers, R., Newcombe, D., Oliver, J.L., Smith, P.M., Stembridge, M., Stone, K., Kerwin, D.G. (2013) 'Effects of playing surface on physiological responses and performance variables in a controlled football simulation.' Journal of Sports Sciences, 31(8) pp. 878-886.
Turner, A., Walker, S., Stembridge, M., Coneyworth, P., Reed, G., Birdsey, L., Barter, P., Moody, J. (2011) 'A testing battery for the assessment of fitness in soccer players.' Strength and Conditioning Journal, 33(5) pp. 29-39.
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Conference papers
Birdsey, L., Dos'Santos, T., Runacres, A., Field, A. (2023) 'Training and recovery strategies to minimise performance decrement in multi-round competition performed within and on consecutive days: practice and perspectives of coaches, and practitioners.' 41. 16/11/2023 - 17/11/2023. Taylor and Francis, pp. 17-17.
Read, D., Evans, D., Breivik, S., Elliott, J., Birdsey, L. (2023) 'Heat acclimation of a professional soccer referee prior to the 2022 FIFA World Cup: a case study.' In 10th World Congress on Science and Football. Groningen, Netherlands, 24/5/2023 - 26/5/2023.
Oliver, S., Walsh, N., Zurawlew, M., McIntyre, R., Gregson, M., Thie, J., Davies, V., Birdsey, L. (2017) 'Practical Heat Acclimation: Train Cool – Bathe Hot!.' In English Institute of Sport National Conference. 23/11/2017 -
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Theses and dissertations
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Posters
Birdsey, L., Williams, N., Archer, M. (2017) 'Enhanced warm up in sprint athletes with cerebral palsy.' [Poster] In UK Paralympic Performance Conference. Date viewed 24/11/2017.
Birdsey, L., Hares, F. (2015) 'The effect of acute beetroot juice ingestion upon running economy and maximal exercise performance in elite international-standard runners.' [Poster] In BASES Conference. Date viewed 18/12/2015.
Career history
2006-2009
BSc (Hons) Sport & Exercise Sciences - University of Wales Institute, Cardiff
2009-2011
MSc Sport & Exercise Sciences - University of Wales Institute, Cardiff
2010-2011
Rowing Coach at Christ Church Boat Club, Oxford
2011-2013
Rowing Coach at Bath University
2013-2017
Physiologist at Sport Wales
2016-2021
PhD at Swansea University: Physiological and perceptual responses to training and competition in elite female netball players
2017-2022
Senior Physiologist at the English Institute of Sport with the Great Britain Cycling Team
Press and media
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